GOVT PANS FOR FASTER CONNECTIVITY

Reach anywhere in India in 24 hours by road and rail; long distance calls to cost same as local calls, says Modi

From building coastal expressways as part of a plan to upgrade the road and rail network to ensure that a person can reach any point in the country within 24 hours, to boosting labour reforms so that workers are employed for “fixed terms” instead of on contract; from new legislation on conflict of interest to adding a health knowledge institute to every district hospital — a 17-point people-oriented agenda has been sent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his ministries.

While Modi’s wishlist was sent on July 10, all the ministries were told to submit detailed action plans, with sharp focus on delivery and implementation, by July 20 so as to put the agenda in place when the NDA government completes its first 100 days in office in August-end.

Laying stress on connectivity and power with “service goals” set to improve transportation within the country, it proposes a network of coastal expressways on the east and west coasts, connected to each other through latitude expressways (to be called Akshansh Marg Expressways) at 13 degrees, 15 degrees and 17 degrees.

Another plan is to build a Kanha-Krishna corridor, from Madhya Pradesh to Andhra Pradesh, which would combine highways and the rail network as well as oil and gas pipelines.

It also envisages Metro Rail and BRT systems in towns and cities to enable an urban citizen to travel from one point to another in less than an hour at “a reasonable price”.

Besides inland connectivity, Modi’s vision includes construction of a world-class port on either side of the peninsula to take advantage of the country’s long shoreline. “At least two ports, one on the east coast and one on the west coast, should be capable to handle the largest container ships plying on global routes,” says the list sent by the Cabinet Secretariat.

As part of the plan to improve connectivity, it has been proposed that all long distance calls within the country should be priced the “same as local calls for every citizen”.

The agenda also talks of decentralised mini grids in towns and cities that would be operated by private vendors or cooperatives, as well as plans for village-level mini grids. Nagpur has been identified as the logistics distribution hub and electricity distribution hub.

In a boost to labour reforms, there is a proposal to ensure appointment of workers on “fixed term basis as against contract basis” with an additional item proposing that “Factories Act should not be applicable to small industries”.

Modi’s agenda also aims at curbing black money usage by mandating PAN or UID numbers inall financial transactions, including all immovable property transactions” and e-tendering of all government contracts. There are also additional curbs for public servants and representatives.

There is a recommendation to introduce a law on the lines of Sections 297-301 of the Companies Act, mandating disclosure of interest by elected representatives and civil servants.

Health reforms get a fair share of attention with the proposed deployment of male community health workers (Ashok) on the lines of the female Asha, a district health knowledge institute attached to every upgraded district hospital and a three-year B.Sc course in community health.

And to top it all, the wishlist pledges a Public Service Delivery Guarantee to achieve the action plan.

Black money: OECD unveils automatic info exchange framework

In a major development in the fight against black money, multilateral grouping OECD today unveiled a 'single global standard' for automatic exchange of financial account information by various countries including India and Switzerland.

The new framework, to be presented before a meeting of G-20 finance ministers in September, would mark a significant forward movement from the current practice of information exchange mostly on the basis of requests and only in the cases of suspected tax evasion or other financial crimes.

The new global standard, which would be common for all countries, would facilitate a "systematic and periodic transmission of bulk taxpayer information by the source country of income to the country of residence of the taxpayer concerning various categories of income or asset information".

To enable automatic exchange of information on an annual basis, the financial institutions, including banks, brokers and fund houses, would have to mandatorily collect necessary details from their clients and submit the same to their respective regulators.

Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said that such an automatic exchange of information would "help detect cases of non-compliance even where tax administrations have had no previous indications of non-compliance", besides providing timely information on non-compliance where tax has been evaded.

This assumes significance in case of India, as it has been facing difficulties in getting information on cases of suspected tax evasion from other countries, specially Switzerland, which has been maintaining that such details can not be shared without specific proof of financial irregularities by the concerned Indian client of Swiss banks.

An initial framework was released by OECD in this regard earlier this year and India became one of the 'early adopters' of this global convention.

Later, Switzerland also committed to abide by this framework, while a few more countries have now expressed their interest in adopting the same and these include Mauritius -- another country with which India has been working on a revised bilateral treaty due to concerns of money laundering.

Those having already committed to follow this global protocol include the US, the UK, Germany, European Union, Japan, Singapore, China, as also financial centres like Luxembourg, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Cyprus, Bermuda, Isle of Man, Greece and Liechtenstein.

However, such an exchange of information would also have a confidentiality clause and safeguards, while countries would need to pass domestic laws as per their respective legal jurisdictions to enable such a cooperation.

The standard, once implemented, would allow governments to obtain detailed account information from their financial institutions and exchange the same automatically with other jurisdictions on an annual basis.

OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria said the standard "moves us closer to a world in which tax cheats have nowhere left to hide".

All information exchanged is subject to the confidentiality rules and other safeguards, including provisions that limit the use of that particular information.

"Each competent authority will notify the other competent authority immediately regarding any breach of confidentiality or failure of safeguards and any sanctions and remedial actions consequently imposed," the grouping said.

The standard has two components -- Competent Authority Agreement (CAA) and Common Reporting Standard (CRS).

According to OECD, automatic exchange may help educate taxpayers in their reporting obligations, increase tax revenues and thus "lead to fairness -- ensuring that all taxpayers pay their fair share of tax in the right place at the right time".

The Hindu journalist, Smita Gupta, wins Prem Bhatia Award

Smita Gupta, Associate Editor with The Hindu, has been selected for the prestigious Prem Bhatia Award for political reporting.

The Prem Bhatia Awards, instituted in the memory of one of the most eminent journalists of his era, have gone this year to two “exceptional journalists” for their reporting on politics, and environment and development issues, respectively.

While Ms. Gupta has been selected for “her excellent reporting and analysis of the major political parties in India,” the award for excellence in environmental and development reporting has gone to Nitin Sethi, Associate Editor, Business Standard, for his reporting on key environmental and development topics.

The awards will be presented at the 19th Prem Bhatia Memorial Lecture at the India International Centre on August 11.

The annual lecture this year would be delivered by T.N. Ninan, Chairman, Business Standard Ltd., on “Reviving the Indian economy”. It will be presided over by economist Bibek Debroy.

Lokpal: Babus to declare assets under new rules

It has issued new forms for filing these returns which have fields to give details on cash in hand, bank deposits, investment in bonds, debentures, shares and units in companies or mutual funds, insurance policies, provident fund, personal loans and advance given to a person or any entity, among others.

The employees need to declare motor vehicles, aircraft, yachts or ships, gold and silver jewellery and bullion possessed by them, their spouses and dependent children, according to the form.

They need to give detail of their immovable properties and statement of debts and other liabilities on first appointment or as on March 31 of every financial year.

There are about 50 lakh central government employees, including IAS, IFS and IPS, among others.

The rules, Public Servants (Furnishing of Information and Annual Return of Assets and Liabilities and the Limits for Exemption of Assets in Filing Returns) Rules, 2014-- were notified by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) last week.

As per the rules, notified under Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, every public servant shall file declaration, information and annual returns of his assets and liabilities as on March 31 every year on or before July 31 of that year.

These declarations are in addition to such returns being filed by the government employees under various services rules.

 However, the competent authority may exempt a public servant from filing the information in respect of any asset if its value does not exceed his or her four months basic pay or Rs. two lakh, whichever is higher, the rules said.

The employees, who have already filed their declarations, information and annual returns of property, shall file revised declarations as on August 1, 2014, to the competent authority on or before September 15, this year.

According to the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, a public servant shall furnish to the competent authority the information relating to the assets of which he, his spouse and his dependent children, jointly or severally, own.

He is also mandated to declare his liabilities and that of his spouse and his dependent children, as per the Act.

The government is in process of modifying certain rules, including those related to search committee's working, under the Lokpal Act.

The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act provides for the establishment of a Lokpal for the Union and Lokayuktas for the states to inquire into corruption charges against public functionaries.

President Pranab Mukherjee had given his assent to Lokpal Act on January 1, this year.

The previous government could not go ahead with the much-touted appointment of the Lokpal due to objections raised by BJP about the selection procedure of the anti-corruption body.

As per existing rules, an eight-member search committee will draw up a panel for consideration by the selection committee led by the Prime Minister for appointment of chairperson and members of the Lokpal.

Philippine sect opens ‘world’s largest indoor arena’

Philippine President Benigno Aquino presided over the opening today of what is billed as the world’s largest indoor stadium, erected by a politically-influential religious sect.

The USD 175-million Philippine Arena, which can seat 55,000 people, was hailed as a showcase that will serve as a major venue for concerts and sports events as well as gatherings for its owners, the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) sect.

“You have proved that the Filipino can reach great heights, that we can have achievements as lofty as any in the world,” Aquino said in a speech to Iglesia members.

He hailed the 15-storey structure as “the largest domed arena in the whole world”, saying its capacity was “even double that of the Staples Centre in Los Angeles”, a major sporting and entertainment venue.

Ground-breaking was in July 2011 for the stadium, which has a floor area of about 99,000 square metres and a height of 62 metres, and the facility was formally completed this month.

Located in Bocaue town, just outside the capital, the arena’s construction is just one of many events marking the centennial of the Iglesia ni Cristo on July 27.

The Christian sect also said the stadium will have a capacity about double that of other popular indoor arenas like New York’s Madison Square Garden.

However the Singapore National Stadium, completed in June,also seats 55,000 people and has been hailed in the press as the world’s largest domed structure.

The builders have said the arena will be resistant to earthquakes which are a frequent threat to the country which sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

The Iglesia ni Cristo sect wields considerable political influence in the Philippines as its members, believed to number about three million people, vote as a bloc for whoever their leaders endorse.

Setting up of Steel Plants

The Minister of State for Mines, Steel and Labour & Employment, Shri Vishnu Deo Sai has said that steel is a de-regulated sector. The role of the Government is that of a facilitator. As such no license/permission is required from the Ministry of Steel for setting up of steel plants in the country. The decisions relating to project investments and implementation are taken by the concerned investors keeping in view the market conditions. As per the available information, there are around 3700 steel factories in the country mostly located in the States of Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra etc. Some of the existing major private sector steel plants in the country are as under:- Plant State Tata Steel Ltd. Jharkhand Essar Steel Ltd. Gujarat JSW Steel Ltd. Karnataka & Maharashtra Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. Chhattisgarh Bhushan Steel Ltd. Odisha Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd. Odisha Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd. Chhattisgarh Electrosteels Steel Ltd. Jharkhand VISA Steel Ltd. Odisha           In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today, Shri Vishnu Deo Sai has said that there are two steel manufacturing Public Sector Undertakings in the country namely, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL). SAIL has got eight steel plants and state-wise details of their locations are as under:- Plant State Bhilai Steel Plant Chattisgarh Durgapur Steel Plant West Bengal IISCO Steel Plant West Bengal Alloy Steels Plant West Bengal Rourkela Steel Plant Odisha Bokaro Steel Plant Jharkhand Salem Steel Plant Tamil Nadu Visvesvaraya Iron & Steel Plant Karnataka He said that RINL is operating one steel plant at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. In addition, NMDC Ltd., a public sector undertaking,  is constructing a 3 mtpa green field Integrated Steel Plant at Nagarnar, Bastar District, Chhattisgarh.

Conservation of Natural Resources

The Minister of State for Mines, Steel and Labour & Employment, Shri Vishnu Deo Sai has said that the Government has enunciated National Mineral Policy, 2008, which seeks that the conservation of mineral shall be construed not in the restrictive sense of abstinence from consumption or preservation for use in the distant future but as a positive concept leading to augmentation of reserve base through improvement in mining methods, beneficiation and utilisation of low grade ores and rejects and recovery of associated minerals. The Government is aiming for an adequate and effective legal and institutional framework mandating zero waste mining as the ultimate goal and a commitment to prevent sub-optimal and unscientific mining. Mineral sectoral value addition through latest technique of beneficiation, calibration, blending, sizing, concentration, pelletisation, purification and general customising of product is being encouraged. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today, Shri Vishnu Deo Sai has said that as regulators, Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) and State Government approve the mining plan /scheme of mining for systematic and optimum utilisation/extraction of mineral. He said that as per the provisions of Mineral Conservation and Development Rules 1988, IBM carries out periodical inspections of mines to monitor conservation of minerals, systematic and scientific mining and protection of environment in the leasehold areas of minerals other than minor minerals, coal and atomic minerals. The Minister said that IBM has notified the threshold values of minerals viz. Apatite and Rock Phosphate, Bauxite, Barytes, Chromite, Dolomite, Fluorite, Iron Ore, Limestone, Magnesite, Manganese Ore and Wollastonite and directed the mine owners that all the non-saleable/un-usable minerals/ores above the limit prescribed in the threshold values are required to be stacked separately in the area earmarked for the purpose and maintain a mineral/ore stock indicating the quantity and quality of material stacked. He said that IBM has conducted studies such as process-mineralogy, analytical and physical characterization, analysis of samples from the waste dump, mineral rejects, sub-grade minerals stacks in the direction of zero waste mining. The Minister said that through mineral processing, IBM has upgraded low grade ore/ mineral resources by discarding deleterious constituents thus playing a significant role in conservation of mineral resources by recovering saleable product from them. He said that IBM is actively engaged in Research &Development work and over sixty odd different minerals of various types of consumer industry namely, metallic & non-metallic minerals, industrial minerals, strategic minerals, fertilizer minerals etc, were tested, characterized and beneficiated at IBM’s Laboratories and Pilot Plant. “Iron and Steel Vision 2020” has been published in which issues of beneficiation of low grade ores, fines and slimes, development of agglomeration activities including pelletisation of beneficiated fines, use of pellets in iron making for conservation of limited high grade lumps have been addressed in detail to steer a way to the future.

Towards Qualitative and Affordable Education in the Country

The Ministry of Human Resource Development has taken a number of initiatives including various Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) to enhance access of quality education at affordable rates: Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA): To meet the objectives of the RTE Act, 47488 schools, 753733 additional classrooms, 583748 toilets, 40161 drinking water facilities & 7.02 lakh teachers have been sanctioned under the scheme since 2009-10. The progress under the RTE, Act, 2009 indicates that 19.88 crore children have been enrolled in elementary school, with a Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of 96.5% as per unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2013-14. The annual average dropout rate has come down from 6.8% (2009-10) to 4.7% (2013-14) at primary level. Rashtriya Madhymik Shiksha Abhiyan was launched in March, 2009 with the objective to universalize access to secondary education and to improve its quality. This programme now subsumes the earlier independent Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) in the Secondary Education sector i.e. ICT @ Schools, Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS), Vocational Education (VE) and Girls Hostel (GH). Under RMSA, till date 10,337 new Secondary educational schools have opened and 34,891 existing schools have been strengthened. Under the ICT @ Schools, around 88,236 schools have been covered to be equipped for computer teaching and computer enabled learning. Under the IEDSS – 5,65,683 children’s have been covered till date. Under the Girls Hostel – 2,160 hostels in which 39,745 girls are residing have approved till date. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 has been enacted which envisages significant reforms in the Elementary Education sector. The Act makes it incumbent on Government to provide free and compulsory education to all children of 6-14 years of age; ensure compulsory admission, attendance and completion of elementary education by every child of the age of six to fourteen years. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has taken various measures for educational reforms, such as the introduction of a semester system, the regular updating of Curricula and Choice Based Credit Systems (CBSC), etc. The UGC has also issued the Mandatory Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions, Regulations, 2012 whereby all eligible higher Educational institutions are required to get themselves accredited. Apart from strengthening the on-going schemes of the Ministry, the following new initiatives have been included in the Budget 2014-15 -  Setting up of 5 IITs and 5 IIMs  Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya New Teachers Training Program.  Setting up of Virtual Classrooms and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)  Creation of National e-library.  Establishing Lok Nayak Jayaprakash National Centre for excellence in humanities in Madhya Pradesh.  Provision for toilets and drinking water in all the girls’ schools.  Schools Assessment Program.  Simplification of norms for education.