MUST READ ABOUT Dhruva-3

Shri Avinash Chander Inaugurates Dhruva-3, India’s One of the Fastest High Performance Computing System
Dhruva-3, the latest in series of indigenous High Performance Computing Systems designed and set up by DRDO for solving mission critical Defence Research and Development applications was inaugurated today by Shri Avinash Chander, DG DRDO and Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister at Advanced Numerical Research and Analysis Group (ANURAG) in Hyderabad. Addressing the function, he said Dhruva-3 is a high end facility and very useful for the design of aircraft, particularly Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and other such aircraft where we require analysis of aerodynamics at high speed and under different conditions. “It is one of the fastest computing facility in the country and will also play a very good role in cyber security and information processing”, he stated. He congratulated the scientists for setting-up High Performance Computing System DHRUVA-3 in a short time. Shri Chander appreciated the multi-dimensional capabilities acquired by ANURAG while retaining its core strength. He also visited various Work Centres in ANURAG and saw the indigenous microprocessors, System-on-Chips and Trusted Computing Systems developed by ANURAG.

Dr KD Nayak, Distinguished Scientist & DG (Microelectronic Devices and Computational Systems), Shri CVS Sastry, Outstanding Scientist & Director ANURAG and other senior DRDO officials were present during the inaugural function. Speaking about the ANURAG, a premier DRDO laboratory, Dr Nayak said, ANURAG works for empowering the nation with computing power and has been extensively involved in the design and development of indigenized systems and products to solve and compute complex mission related applications. Shri CVS Sastry, informed that DHRUVA-3 will be used for designing aero-frame structures, stress analysis of materials and simulation of complex systems.

MUST READ ABOUT NEW HEALTH INDICATOR OF INDIA

Life expectancy increases by 5 years in the past decade, Government increases health sector allocation by 335% to Rs 3 lakh crore in 12th Plan
The health indicators across the country have shown significant improvements. The life expectancy has increased by 5 years in the past decade. What used to be 62.3 years for male and 63.9 years for female in 2001-2005 is now 67.3 years for male and69.6 years for female in 2011-2015. There has been reduction in new HIV cases by as much as 57%. Infant Mortality Rate has come down to 42 in 2012 from 58 per 1000 live births in the year 2005. Maternal Mortality Ratio has declined from 301 per 100,000 live births in 2001-03 to 212 in 2007-09. The pace of decline has shown an increasing trend from 4.1% annual rate of decline during 2001-03 to 5.5% in 2004-06 and further to 5.8% in 2007-09. Total Fertility Rate has come down to 2.4 in 2011 from 2.9 in 2005. Adding a new feather in the cap is declaration of India as Polio Free Nation. On the 13th January, 2014, India made history by completing three years without a single case of wild polio. This feat was unimaginable till 2009, when India accounted for more than half of the global polio burden.

The appreciable developments in the healthcare sector are attributable to the strengthening of the health infrastructure in the country, and a focused approach by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Government has increased budget outlay by 335% to Rs 3 lakh crore in 12th Plan for healthcare to achieve universal and inclusive healthcare for all citizens. Moreover, under the National Health Mission (NHM) there are two subcomponents namely National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) which aim to provide accessible, affordable and quality health care to the rural as well as urban population.

The National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) as a sub-mission of National Health Mission (NHM) was approved by the Cabinet on 1st May, 2013. It envisages to meet health care needs of the urban population with the focus on urban poor, by making available to them essential primary health care services and reducing their out of pocket expenses for treatment. In the 12th Plan an allocation of Rs. 15,143 crores has been made for National Urban Health Mission.

NRHM was launched by the Government over eight years ago and substantial progress has been achieved under it. More than Rs. 1, 11, 000 crores has been released by the Health Ministry to 35 State Governments and UTs. Nearly 51,000 new health infrastructures have been created, including new construction and up-gradation works to improve health facilities. More than 70,000 beds have been added in Government health institutions for provision of essential and emergency services across the country. Addition of nearly 1.6 lakh human resources that include specialists, doctors, nurses, ANMs and para-medics and nearly 9 lakh community health workers called ASHAs have been appointed in villages to facilitate interface between the communities and health system.

Under NRHM National Ambulance Services, support free ambulance services to provide patients transport in every nook and corner of the country connected with a toll free number to a Call Centre. Over 15,000 basic and emergency patient transport vehicles have been provided under NRHM. Besides these, over 3,000 vehicles have been empanelled to transport patients, particularly pregnant women and sick infants from home to public health facilities and back. To increase visibility and awareness- 102 & 108 ambulances are being repositioned as “National Ambulance Service” with universal colour and design.

NRHM also provides for institutional delivery among the poor pregnant women under the Janani Suraksha Yojna (JSY). Substantial increase in institutional deliveries has resulted in the steep decline of the IMR and MMR. The scheme is operationalized in all the States with more than 12 million beneficiaries.

The Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), launched in June 2011, entitles all new-borns and children under one year of age besides pregnant women to absolutely free and no expense services including free diagnostics, drugs, consumables, food and blood, if required, besides free transport from home to institution, between facilities in case of a referral and drop back home. Nearly 1 crore 23 lakh pregnant women and more than 12 lakh children have benefitted in 2012-13.

Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) was launched in February, 2013. It entitles children in the age group of zero to eighteen years across the country to receive free health screening services and free treatment including surgeries, where required. An estimated 27 crore children are to be covered across the country eventually, with screening for 30 common health conditions for early detection of: Defects, Diseases, Deficiencies and Developmental disorders. More than 1 crore 86 lakh children screened; more than 7 lakhs 64 thousand children referred; more than 90 thousand children have availed free secondary or tertiary health care

The Government has implemented Home Based Newborn Care up to 42 days of life through ASHAs, Newborn care corners (NBCC) at delivery points and training of health care providers in Navjaat Shishu Suraksha Karyakram(NSSK) for effective essential newborn care is a key component of the newborn continuum of care have been established. And Special New Born Care Units (SNCUs) at FRUs/DH and Newborn Stabilisation Units (NBSUs) have been established to provide care to sick, low birth weight and preterm newborns.

For management of children with Severe Acute Malnutrition, 872 Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres have been operationalized in the country till December 2013. Training Package for Facility Based Management of Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition has been shared with the States in 2013.

The Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK), launched recently, aims to bring in several new dimensions like- mental health, nutrition, substance misuse, gender based violence and non-communicable diseases. The programme introduces community based interventions through peer educators. The strategic approach to RMNCH+A (Reproductive, Maternal, New born, Child Health + Adolescent) in which `A` denotes adolescents

To meet the challenge of high prevalence and incidence of anaemia amongst adolescent girls and boys, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) Programme for 10-19 years adolescent population. Also the National Iron + Initiative was launched for prevention and treatment of Iron Deficiency Anaemia among different age groups. Under National Iron + Initiative initiative it is envisaged to ensure provision of IFA supplementation and therapeutic management of mild, moderate and severe anaemia in the most vulnerable groups – children (6months- 10 years), adolescents (10-19 years), pregnant and lactating women and women of reproductive age group (15-45 years) through a continuum of care approach.

The National Programme for the Health Care of Elderly (NPHCE) addresses health related problems of elderly people. The basic aim of the NPHCE programme is to provide separate, specialized and comprehensive health care to the senior citizens at various levels of state health care delivery system including outreach services.

Government of India initiated an integrated National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancers, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS).

The Government has launched some of new vaccines like indigenously developed JE Vaccine (JENVAC) in 2013. Also, Hepatitis B vaccine and second dose of measles vaccine are now part of the Universal Immunization Programme. Pentavalent, a combination vaccine, which includes DPT + Hep-B + Hib has been introduced in eight states: Kerala, Tamil Nadu in December 2011 and Puducherry, Goa, Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka and J & K in 2012-13. This ensures complete immunization against five diseases and also reduces the chances of an adverse event following immunization due to less injection load. Government of India earlier provided only one JE dose and now has introduced two doses of JE vaccine under Routine Immunization with first dose at 9-12 months and 2nd dose at 16-24 months with effect from 1st April 2013.

The Government has also launched Reverse Dot Blot Hybridization (RDB) Thalassemia Diagnostic Kit and AV Magni-Visualiser the screening device for cervical cancer in December, 2013 and indigenously developed Diabetes Screening System and Test Strips in January 2014.

Efforts have been made to increase the number of doctors the Government rationalized the land use norms for setting up New Medical Colleges, bed occupancy norms, retirement age of faculty, and teacher student ratio was relaxed from 1:1 to 1:2 generally and 1:3 in some specific cases for post-graduate courses. The availability of MBBS seats has gone up from 33,567 to 51,979, i.e. an increase of 18,412 seats or almost 55%. During the same period, the number of PG seats has increased from 13,838 to 23,931 i.e. an increase of 10,093 seats or almost 73%. Within this period, 97 new medical colleges, including six new AIIMS, have been established raising the number of Medical Colleges from 290 to 387, which is all time high. Similarly, 19 Government Medical Colleges have been up-graded as super speciality hospitals. Together the 6 new AIIMS, and 19 up-graded institutions would provide speciality and super-speciality care in all disciplines with a net addition of 11,390 beds covering 27 locations spread across the country.

RBI surprises again, raises repo rate by 25bp to 8%, keeps CRR unchanged

Highlights of the RBI's third quarter review of monetary policy 

Following are the highlights of RBI's third quarter review of monetary policy: 

* Key lending rates hiked by 0.25 per cent to 8% 

* Cash reserve ratio kept unchanged at 4% 

* Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate stands at 9% 

* GDP growth to be less than 5% in current fiscal 

* Growth to improve to 5.5% in 2014-15 

* Current Account Deficit to be below 2.5% this fiscal 

* March-end inflation could exceed 8% 

* Rate hike will set economy securely on disinflationary path 

* Growth likely to lose momentum in Q3 of 2013-14. 

* Slowdown in economy getting increasingly worrisome 

* Inflation is a tax that is grossly inequitable, falling hardest on the very poor 

* Fiscal and monetary authorities should continue to work for macroeconomic stabilisation 

* Henceforth, policy review to take place every two months. Next review on April 1. 

‘E-Inclusion: IT Training for Rural Sc/St/Women Beneficiaries’ Project Launched

‘E-Inclusion: IT Training for Rural Sc/St/Women Beneficiaries’ Project Launched

The Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, launched the ‘E-Inclusion: IT Training for Rural SC/ ST/ Women Beneficiaries’ Project here today. Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of Communication & IT, formally launched the Project by releasing the Handbook titled ‘E-Literacy: Towards Empowering Rural India’ containing profiles of 50 beneficiaries who have successfully undertaken the basic IT training programme under the E-Inclusion project. Shri Sibal also felicitated ten beneficiaries by distributing certificates to them on the successful completion of the programme. Around 100 beneficiaries, which included young boys, girls and women, including the Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) attended the event from the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. The Project is part of the Government of India’s initiative under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) for creating a transparent and accountable governance model for enabling service delivery at the doorstep of citizens. To achieve this mission, DeitY has setup over 100,000 Common Services Centers (CSCs) on a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model. CSCs are the front-end delivery points for government, private and social sector services to the citizens of India. Shri Kapil Sibal mentioned that Digital Literacy is an enabler for empowering communities and providing them real freedom. The Government initiative for making one person in every family e-Literate is a step in that direction. This is in fact a revolution for enabling citizen’s participation in nation building. By making the girls and boys in rural India to become digitally literate, the Government is achieving the objective of empowering and enabling them to acquire information, knowledge and skills. This would also help in enhancing the employability of these young men and women. Besides this, this will go a long way in bridging the digital divide. He suggested that in this task we should also involve States, industry associations such as NASSCOM, NGOs and other stakeholders. He also mentioned various government projects that are in the pipeline like the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN), Aakash 4.0, etc. He was hopeful that NOFN will enable delivery of health, education, agriculture and other services in a seamless manner at the doorsteps of the citizens. Shri J. Satyanarayana, Secretary, DeitY, on this occasion mentioned that India stands at third position globally in the field of ICT. He spoke about the various dimensions of E-Inclusion – Digital Literacy, Financial Inclusion, E-Governance, E-Livelihoods and how to mainstream physically disabled into the digital movement. He stated that Government is actively considering to provide e-Literacy to 10,00,000 (10 lakh) men and women living in rural India at a cost of Rs. 100 crore. The CSCs will be utilized to achieve this target. This would cover one block in every State and one individual in every family will be made e-Literate.

Key Indicators of Urban Slums in India

Key Indicators of Urban Slums in India
The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has released the key indicators of urban slums in India, generated from the data collected in its 69th round survey during July 2012 to December 2012. The last survey on slums was conducted as part of the 65th round of NSS (July 2008- June 2009).

Slums are part of urban environment and they are identified by the presence of features of living conditions that are undesirable viz. overcrowding, lack of hygiene and sanitation, inadequacy of drinking water, and poor construction, etc. Any compact settlement with a collection of poorly built tenements, mostly of temporary nature, crowded together, usually with inadequate sanitary and drinking water facilities in unhygienic conditions, provided at least 20 households lived there, was considered a slum for the survey. Such a settlement, if not a notified slum, was called a non-notified slum. Both notified slums i.e. areas notified as slums by the concerned municipalities, corporations, local bodies or development authorities and other slums were covered in the survey.

The number of slums, the number of slum-dwelling households, and the proportions of slums having access to specific facilities that are known to be absent in many slums have been estimated from the data for States and all India. The survey covered the entire urban area of the country. The key indicators are based on the central sample, surveyed by officials of NSSO, consisting of 3832 urban blocks spread over all States and Union Territories. At the all-India level, a total of 881 slums were surveyed in these urban blocks.

The ‘Key Indicators of Urban Slums’ presents estimates in respect of notified/non-notified slums for all-India (based on all surveyed slums) and for States where the number of notified/non-notified slums surveyed was 10 or more, provided the total number of slums surveyed in the State was 20 or more. Following this principle, separate Statewise indicators are presented for the States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Some of the salient findings of the survey are as follows:



NUMBER OF SLUMS

· A total of 33,510 slums were estimated to be present in the urban areas of India. About 41% of these were notified and 59% non-notified. (Annex-I).

· Maharashtra, with an estimated 7723 slums, accounted for about 23% of all slums in urban India, followed by Andhra Pradesh, accounting for 13.5%, and West Bengal, which had a share of about 12%.

· Of the 19,749 non-notified slums estimated to exist in urban India, Maharashtra accounted for about 29%, West Bengal for about 14%, and Gujarat for about 10%.

· Out of an estimated 13,761 notified slums in urban India, Andhra Pradesh had about 23%, Maharashtra about 14%, and Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu about 9% each.



NUMBER OF SLUM HOUSEHOLDS

· An estimated 8.8 million households lived in urban slums, about 5.6 million in notified and 3.2 million in non-notified slums. (Annex-I)

· The notified slums formed 41% of all slums but housed 63% of all slum-dwelling households in India.

· As many as 38% of slum households of urban India were estimated to be living in Maharashtra, and 18% in Andhra Pradesh.

· Of slum households in non-notified slums, 40% were estimated to be present in Maharashtra, and 9% each in Gujarat and West Bengal.



AVERAGE SLUM SIZE

· At the all-India level the average slum size was estimated at 263 households. The average notified slum had 404 households and the average non-notified slum had only 165. (Annex-II)

· For notified and non-notified slums taken together, average slum size was highest in Maharashtra (433), followed by Karnataka (392) and Andhra Pradesh (352).

· State-level average slum sizes of notified slums varied widely. For Maharashtra the average was over 1000 households whereas for Chhattisgarh, it was only 84.

· About 56% of slums in the million-plus cities and 58% of those in other urban areas had less than 150 households.

· About three-quarters of non-notified slums (77% in the million-plus cities and 74% in other urban areas) had less than 150 households. About 40% of the notified slums, both in million–plus cities and also in other urban areas, had 150-450 households.



CHARACTERISTICS OF SLUMS

· At all-India level 44% of slums – 48% of notified slums and 41% of non-notified slums – were located on private land.

· In about 60% of all slums, the majority of houses had pucca structures. The proportion of such slums was 85% among notified slums but only 42% of non-notified slums.

· At the all-India level 71% of all slums had tap as major source of drinking water, the figure being 82% for notified slums but only 64% for non-notified slums.

· The phenomenon of absence of electricity in slums appeared to be largely confined to non-notified slums. At all-India level only 6.5% of all slums had no electricity – the corresponding figures being 11% for non-notified slums but only 0.1% for notified slums.

· In about 66% of all slums, the road within the slum used by the dwellers as main thoroughfare was a pucca road. The proportion was 83% for notified slums and 55% for non-notified slums.

· At the all-India level 31% of slums had no latrine facility, the figure being 42% for non-notified and 16% for notified slums.

· About 31% of all slums had no drainage facility – the figure being considerably higher for non-notified slums (45%) than for notified slums (11%).

· At the all-India level, 27% of all slums had no garbage disposal arrangement – the figures being about 38% for non-notified slums and about 11% for notified slums.

· In an estimated 32% of all slums, the approach road to the slum usually remained waterlogged due to rainfall. The figure was 35% for notified slums and 29% for non-notified slums.

· At the all-India level 24% of slums benefited from welfare schemes such as Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), or any other scheme run by the Central Government or State Government or any local body. The proportion benefiting from such schemes was 32% among notified and 18% among non-notified slums.

An Empowered Consumer is an Asset to the Nation

An Empowered Consumer is an Asset to the Nation
24th December is observed as “National Consumer Rights Day” in India, since on this day the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 was enacted. The Consumer Protection Act provides for effective safeguards to consumers against various types of exploitations and unfair dealings, relying mainly on compensatory rather than a disciplinary or preventive approach.

With a large consumer base of 1.27 billion ( 52% males and 48% females) constituting nearly 17.31% of the world’s population, the demography of Indian consumer shows an interesting pattern pointing towards a young consumer base which believes in market mechanism. 30 % of the population lives in urban areas and the rest in rural. The diversity itself is a major challenge for any consumer protection regime.

The Constitution of India provides for protection of rights of an individual and also enjoins the State to adhere to the Directive Principles. The source of consumer rights lies in the Fundamental Rights enshrined in our constitution. The Consumer Protection Act provides for protection of the basic rights of a consumer.



Consumer Movement in India



Though the consumer movement in India is as old as the trade and commerce, yet, there was no systematic movement in the country for safeguarding the interests of consumers till the Consumer Protection Act was enacted in 1986, based on the United Nations guidelines with the objective of providing better protection of consumers’ interests. The Act applies to all goods and services unless specifically exempted, and covers private, public, and cooperative sectors and provides for speedy and inexpensive adjudication. The Act also provides for setting up of Consumer Councils to promote consumer welfare. The Act seeks to promote and protect the following six rights of the consumers:



· The right to be protected against marketing of goods and services which are hazardous to life and property;

· The right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods and services, as the case may be, to protect the consumer against unfair trade practices;

· The right to be assured of access to a variety of goods and services at competitive prices;

· The right to be heard and assured that consumer interest will receive due consideration at appropriate forums;

· The right to seek redressal against unfair or restrictive trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation of consumers;

· The right to consumer education.



The Consumer Protection Act

The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 lays down the rights of the consumers and provides for promotion and protection of the rights of the consumers. The first and the only Act of its kind in India, it has enabled ordinary consumers to secure less expensive and often speedy redressal of their grievances. The Act mandates establishment of Consumer Protection Councils at the Centre as well as in each State and District, with a view to promoting consumer awareness. The provisions of this Act cover ‘goods’ as well as ‘services’. The goods are those which are manufactured or produced and sold to consumers through wholesalers and retailers. The services are in the nature of transport, telephone, electricity, housing, banking, insurance, medical treatment, etc.

A written complaint, can be filed before the District Consumer Forum for goods/services valued upto Rs.20 lakh, State Commission for value upto Rs one crore and the National Commission for value above Rs one crore, in respect of defects in goods or deficiency in service. The service can be of any description and the illustrations given above are only indicative. However, no complaint can be filed for alleged deficiency in any service that is rendered free of charge or under a contract of personal service.

The remedy under the Consumer Protection Act is an alternative in addition to that already available to the aggrieved persons/consumers by way of civil suit. In the complaint/appeal/petition submitted under the Act, a consumer is not required to pay any court fees but only a nominal fee. Consumer Fora proceedings are summary in nature. The endeavour is made to grant relief to the aggrieved consumer as quickly as in the quickest possible, keeping in mind the provisions of the Act which lay down time schedule for disposal of cases. If a consumer is not satisfied by the decision of a District Forum, he can appeal to the State Commission. Against the order of the State Commission a consumer can come to the National Commission.



Government Initiatives

· ‘Jago Grahak Jago’ Though the consumer movement is slowly gaining ground in our country as the success of consumer movement mainly depends upon the level of consumer awareness generated in the country by educating the consumers about their rights and responsibilities. Within India itself, the level of consumer awareness varies from State to State depending upon the level of literacy and the social awareness of the people. Educating more than 120 crores people of various categories of population, particularly those in rural areas where consumers are more susceptible to exploitation, on various subject matters of consumers interests being dealt by different Ministries / Departments, is a herculean task. For the 11th plan the scheme has received an allocation of Rs. 409 crores to launch an effective Multi- Media campaign. The scheme under the brand name of ‘Jago Grahak Jago’ has carved out a niche for itself. For the 12th plan an allocation of Rs. 409.29 crores has been made.



· Consumer Welfare Fund

The Central Excise and Salt Act, 1944 (1 of 1944) was amended in 1991 to enable the Central Government to create the Consumer Welfare Fund where the money, which is not refundable to the manufacturers etc., is credited. The money credited to the Fund is to be utilized by the Central Government for the welfare of the consumers in accordance with the Rules framed. The fund has been set up by the Department of Revenue, but the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution will operate it.The overall objective of the consumer Welfare Fund is to provide financial assistance to promote and protect the welfare of the consumers and strengthen the voluntary consumer movement in the country particularly in the rural areas.

· Consumer Clubs

This scheme was launched in 2002, according to which a consumer club shall be set up in each Middle/High/Higher Secondary school/college affiliated to a government recognized Board/University. This scheme has been decentralised and transferred to the Governments of States/UTs with effect from 1.04.2004. All interested NGO/VCOs shall apply to the Nodal Officer in the Food, PD & Consumer Welfare Department of the respective States/UTs.

· Promoting Research

This scheme has been launched with a view to sponsor research and evaluation studies in the field of consumer welfare to provide solution to the practical problems being faced by the consumers, to sponsor seminars/workshops/ conferences on the consumer related topics, and to have necessary inputs for the formulation of policy/programme/scheme for the protection and welfare of the consumers. The Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, has been identified as the nodal organization to administer the scheme.

· National Consumer Helpline

A National Consumer Helpline project has been established in collaboration with Delhi University, Department of Commerce. Consumers can call from anywhere in India to the number 1XXX-XX-4000 from MTNL/BSNL lines free of charge and get advice regarding their problem as a consumer. The Helpline has been formally launched on 15.3.2005 on the World Consumer Rights Day and is functional on all working days from 9.30 A.M to 5.30 P.M.

· CORE Centre



The Consumer Online Resources and Empowerment Centre has been conceived to function as the most scientific and effective system of collection, dissemination and redressal of consumer related information and complaints. It was launched on the World Consumer Day i.e. on 15th March, 2005. Consumers can now register their complaints in the CORE Centre through the websitewww.core.nic.in. They can also have access to wealth of information regarding Consumer issues through this website.



· State Consumer Welfare Fund

States/UTs have to set up their own Consumer Welfare Fund by making a one-time contribution of an amount proportionate to the number of districts, by the Centre (Department of Consumer Affairs) and the State Government in the ratio 50:50 (Centre : State). In case of special category States, like North Eastern States, Sikkim, J&K, Uttaranchal A&N Islands and Lakshdweep the ratio will be 90:10 (Centre : State).



National Consumer policy



Increased global trade and the development of Internet have provided new opportunities for consumers, leading to new forms of unfair and unethical business practices. With the change in the global scenario and the market dynamics the consumers have also changed. Children and young adults and women – who often lack experience as consumers – are more significant forces in markets, as are the growing number of older adults who sometimes face unique marketplace challenges. This requires consumer protection authorities to be more vigilant and active. The sophistication of retail markets is increasing the role of consumers. The greater empowerment of consumers has also led to greater responsibilities for them to manage their own affairs. Here comes the need to make suitable policy prescriptions to protect consumer rights.



The draft National Consumer policy envisages to promote the rights and interests of consumers and ensure a high level of consumer protection, contributing to protecting the health, safety and economic interests of consumers as well as promoting their right to information, education and to organise themselves to safeguard their interests. It will endeavour to achieve effective implementation of various consumer welfare schemes through progressive consumer related legislations and active participation of all stakeholders; Central and State Governments, academic and research institutions, schools and colleges, voluntary consumer organizations and civil society, business and above all the consumers themselves to create an effective consumer movement in the country.

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An empowered consumer is an asset to the nation and therefore today, it is widely acknowledged that the level of consumer awareness and protection is one of the major indicators of development in any country.

Mr. Mikhail Kalashnikov: Designer of AK-47 ( ”Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947″) passed away

Mr. Mikhail Kalashnikov: Designer of AK-47 ( ”Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947″) passed away

the Russian gun designer whose AK-47 rifle became the weapon of choice for many national armies and guerrillas around the world, died at the age of 94. Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of iconic AK-47 rifle, died at the age of 94.

About AK- 47 ( ”Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947″)
The name of the rifle is ”Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947,” the year it went into production.

It is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle and has a rate of fire of 600 rounds-a-minute. The AK-47 has only eight moving parts can be broken down and reassembled in 30 seconds and will work in conditions that would render many other small arms inoperable. Invented by Mikhail Kalashnikov, who received numerous honors including the Hero of Socialist Labor and Order of Lenin and Stalin Prize.