Funds under Rajiv Gandhi Adventure Scheme

The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Sarbananda Sonowal has said that Rajiv Gandhi Adventure Scheme (RGAS) was launched as a Programme component under the National Service Scheme (NSS) on 26th June, 2009. Under the Scheme, camps are conducted across the country and the adventure activities undertaken in these camps include trekking (mountain and desert), white water rafting, para-sailing, para gliding and basic skiing. The salient features of RGAS are as under: (i)            To inculcate the spirit of adventure and discipline amongst the youth (ii)          To develop team building, comradeship, character building and national          integration. (iii)        To enhance self-confidence and develop leadership qualities among the volunteers. (iv)        To promote risk taking abilities and creating awareness about India.  (v)    To promote adventure, rural, eco and community tourism and creating self-employment opportunities in adventure tourism.  (vi)   To provide a readily available pool of first responders to facilitate immediate search, rescue and evacuation in case of natural calamities like earthquakes and floods etc. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today Shri Sonowal said, during the financial year 2014-15, Rs. 1.55 Crore have been released for organizing  Adventure Camps for 1500 NSS volunteers and 150 NSS Programme Officers. The details of the funds allocated/released for all States/UTs are given in Annexure- I. He said, the Adventure Courses are conducted in the batches comprising of 40 volunteers each. An annual Action Plan is prepared in the beginning of the financial year giving Schedule for conducting different activities including adventure camps. The implementation of these programmes is regularly monitored at various levels through periodical reports.

Rashtriya Aavishkar Abhiyaan

The Rashtriya Aavishkar Abhiyan (RAA) envisages to motivate and engage children of the age group from 6-18 years in Science, Mathematics and Technology through observation, experimentation, inference drawing, model building, etc. both through inside and outside classroom activities and processes. It seeks to create curiosity, excitement and spirit of innovation and exploration amongst school children, by encouraging higher education institutions to assist secondary and elementary schools in the study of Science and Mathematics. The RAA would conduct activities by using funds of the existing schemes and institutions of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Qualitative Reforms in Higher Education The Ministry of Human Resource Development has constituted a Council for Industry & Higher Education Collaboration (CIHEC) headed by HRD Minister, with representatives from Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIIT) and industry including industry associations such as Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) and Progress Harmony and Development Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PHDCCI); private industry and Public Sector Undertaking (PSUs). CIHEC is envisioned to serve as a professional stakeholder group and identify issues and opportunities and facilitate development of strategies and innovative instruments of collaboration between Industry and Academia. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), the overall quality of existing State higher educational institutions is sought to be improved by ensuring their conformity to prescribed norms and standards and adoption of accreditation as a mandatory quality assurance framework. Certain academic, administrative and governance reforms are a precondition for receiving funding under RUSA. Under RUSA, participating States are permitted to mobilize 50% of the State contribution of funding through Public-Private Partnerships, Corporate Social Responsibility funds, philanthropic contributions etc. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has taken various measures for educational reforms, such as the introduction of the semester system, the regular updating of curricula and Choice Based Credit Systems (CBCS), etc. The UGC has issued the UGC Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education, Regulation, 2010 for improving the standard of teaching in Indian universities. It 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. The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has informed that in order to promote quality of technical education, it has introduced various schemes such as Faculty Development Programme, Visiting Professorship, National Faculty in Engineering and Technology with Industrial Collaboration (NAFETIC), Quality Improvement Programme etc. It has also issued the Mandatory Accreditation of all Programs/Courses in Technical Education Institutions, University Departments and Institutions Deemed to be Universities imparting Technical Education Regulations, 2014 which makes it mandatory for each technical education institutions, university departments and institutions Deemed to be Universities imparting technical education to get all its programs/courses accredited. Effective Implementation of Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) The following steps have been taken for effective implementation of the Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS):- i)               The Central Government has issued detailed guidelines to ensure quality, safety and hygiene under Mid Day Meal Scheme to all the States / UTs. These inter-alia include mandatory tasting of the meal by 2-3 adults including one teacher before it is served to children; Safe storage and supply of ingredients to schools; Procurement of pulses and ingredients of branded and Ag-mark quality and supply to schools and testing of food samples by accredited laboratories. ii)             Revision of cooking cost by 7.5%. iii)           Construction of kitchen-cum-stores in the schools to ensure safe storage of ingredients and preparation of meals in a hygienic environment. iv)           Provision of Central assistance @ Rs. 5000/- per school for procurement and replacement of kitchen devices. v)             Social Auditing of the Scheme has been started. VI)     38 Monitoring Institutes and Joint Review Mission also monitor and   suggest measures for improvement in the Scheme. Web enabled Management Information System for Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDM-MIS) at national level for effective monitoring of the Scheme. The food norms for primary as well as upper primary children defined under Mid Day Meal Scheme are as under: S. No. Items Quantity Per Day Primary Upper Primary 1. Food grains (viz. rice, wheat) 100 gms 150 gms 2. Pulses 20 gms 30 gms 3. Vegetables 50 gms 75 gms 4. Oil & fat 5 gms 7.5 gms 5. Salt & Condiments As per need As per need

Drip Irrigation

More area can be irrigated adopting Micro Irrigation including Drip Irrigation using less amount of water in comparison to area that can be irrigated adopting flow irrigation. Studies conducted on the aspect have revealed that (i) irrigated area has increased from same source of water by 8.41% on an average with the use of Micro Irrigation Systems and (ii) the water use efficiency in conventional irrigation ranges from 30% to 50% whereas it is 80% to 95% in the case of Micro Irrigation including Drip Irrigation. The initial investment in Micro Irrigation System including Drip Irrigation is more than flow irrigation. However, water saving, reduction in input costs (like labour, fertilizer, electricity etc), increase in productivity & qualities of produce, early maturity are the motivational factors which drive the farmers to opt for Micro Irrigation Systems. The Government is providing financial assistance under On Farm Water Management (OFWM) component of National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) for promotion of Micro Irrigation. The rate of assistance ranges from 35% to 50% of cost of installation for small & marginal farmers and ranges from 25% to 35% of cost of installation for other farmers. In addition to the central assistance, 10% assistance is required to be provided by the State Governments to the farmers. Crop Insurance             To increase the coverage in terms of farmers/ area and also to create competition in Crop Insurance field, Government had decided to include private general insurance companies alongwith Agriculture Insurance Company of India Ltd. (AIC) for implementation of  National Crop Insurance Programme (NCIP).               With a view to provide insurance coverage & financial support to the farmers in the event of failure of any of the notified crops as a result of non-preventable risks including natural calamities, pests & diseases, adverse weather conditions and to stabilize farm income, Government of India introduced Crop Insurance Schemes since 1985.  Improvement, in existing Crop Insurance Schemes to make the same attractive and farmers’ friendly with a view to extend the scope and coverage in terms of crop area, crops and risk is continuing process.  At present, about 65 crops are covered and more than 25% of cropped area is insured.

What is a 'smart city'? Here are 10 attributes that may well describe a smart city

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has certainly focused India's attention on the urbanisationimperative and got the "smart city" concept buzzing. As things stand, the urbanisation agenda is in three parts:

• urban renewal of 500 cities;
• rejuvenation of heritage cities (like Varanasi), and
• the implementation of 100 smart cities; understood to be both "greenfield" and "brownfield".

While renewal and rejuvenation are relatively easier to grasp, there appears to be only an evocative imagination in the public mind as to what the contours of a smart city could be.

So, here are 10 suggested attributes that may well describe, and to some extent define a smart city.

(i) Information, communication, and technology (ICT)-enabled governance: The international and domestic big daddies of the information technology (IT) world have, with their aggressive presentations, virtually hijacked the smart city definition to only mean IT-enabled administration and governance. While such a restrictive definition is undesirable, enabling ICT is clearly one of the more important planks. Often referred to as "smart government", the use of integrated technology platforms that are easily accessible across various devices is certainly key to providing access, transparency, speed, participation and redressal in public services. For example, on December 10, 2014, the President launched the Karnataka Mobile One app in Bengaluru that would provide citizens a range of e-governance services over mobile phones.

(ii) Efficient utilities - energy, water, solid waste and effluents: This area is often the most talked about after IT. Smart meters, renewable energy, energy conservation, water harvesting, effluent recycling, scientific solid waste disposal methods et al are all clearly the hallmark of a smart city.

(iii) Meaningful PPPs: The creative use of public-private partnerships (PPPs) is a key attribute of the smart city concept. PPPs are to be used not only as a source of much-needed capital but also for the efficient delivery of utilities with agreed service-level standards. PPPs could range from health care to street lighting; and be used wherever there is a clear connection between the provision of a service and the ability to charge for the same - directly or even indirectly.

 

 

 

(iv) Safety and security: This aspect is high in public consciousness, especially with disconcerting news on the safety of women, road rage, robbery attacks on the elderly and juvenile delinquency. Clearly, networks of video-cameras, brightly lit public areas, intensive patrolling and surveillance, identity-verified access, and rapid response to emergency calls are all on the expectations list.

(v) Financial sustainability: The 74th Amendment to the Constitution (1992) enjoins towns and cities to "take charge of their own destinies". Nowhere is this more important than financial independence. This is only possible with elaborate and extensive tapping of all sources of revenue - property taxes, advertisements et al; coupled with astute collection of user-pay charges across the full range of utilities. It also has to do with the elements of fiscal discipline that would enable the raising of long-term debt like municipal bonds.

(vi) Citizen-participative local government: The enthusiastic participation of citizens in local issues needs careful designing of electoral and participative fora. The current apathy towards civic elections needs comprehensive reversal.

(vii) Sufficient social capital: Smart cities cannot be devoid of the appropriate levels of social infrastructure - like schools, hospitals, public spaces, sporting and recreational grounds and retail and entertainment venues. Along with a brain that works, and hands and legs that move, it must also have a heart that beats to the joys of daily living.

(viii) Transit-oriented habitats: "Walk-to-work" is the dream solution here. Nevertheless, conveniently networked public transportation with first- and last-mile connectivities in place, reduced motivation to use personal vehicles, use of electric cars, and bicycle paths are all in the expectation matrix.

(ix) Green features: Minimising the carbon footprint and eco-friendliness are de rigueur. Parks and verdant open spaces, absence of pollution, use of renewables, conservation and recycling are mandatory.

(x) Minimum population criteria: Towards the end of November 2014, Panasonic Corporation announced the opening of its new business vector - the sustainable smart town (SST) at Fujisawa in Japan. It has rooftop solar energy, electric cars and electric-powered bicycles. However, it comprises only 1,000 homes over 47 acres that will have a population of 3,000 people. This kind of project is at best a smart enclave, and clearly, in the Indian context, cannot be included in the definition of a city. India has 5,545 urban agglomerations. Class 1 towns (called cities) are those with a population of 100,000 and above. This should be the minimum population cut-off for a smart city.

Achieving all the 10 attributes may well be Utopian. So, maybe even if seven out of the 10 attributes are achieved, we should have no hesitation in declaring an urban habitation as a smart city.

Tapi Gas Pipeline

Tapi Gas Pipeline

The Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum & Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply today that the proposed TAPI pipeline will have a length of 1814 kms and the estimated cost of the project as per Penspen Report of 2008, is approximately USD 7.6 billion. The volume of gas likely to be supplied to India is 38 MMSCMD (Million Metric Standard Cubic Metre per Day) for a period of 30 years. Two Government level agreements have been signed for TAPI project namely, Gas Pipeline Framework Agreement and Inter Governmental Agreement among the four member countries. GAIL has signed a bilateral GSPA with Turkmengas for sourcing 38 MMSCMD of natural gas for 30 years which would be transported to India through TAPI Pipeline. The investment in the pipeline project shall be made by all the project proponents, including the Consortium Leader. However, the investment structure would be finalized only after the selection of a Consortium Leader.

Abe secures big win in Japan snap polls amid low turnout

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition has secured a big election win on Sunday, but feeble turnout could weaken his claim of a mandate for policies including reflationary steps to revive the economy.

Most media exit polls showed Abe's Liberal Democratic Partyand its junior partner, the Komeito party, winning more than 317 seats in the 475-member lower house, enough to maintain its "super-majority" that smoothes parliamentary business.

But many voters, doubtful both of the premier's "Abenomics" strategy to end deflation and generate growth and the opposition's ability to come up with a better plan, stayed at home, putting turnout on track for a record low, interim figures showed. Turnout had already hit a post-war record low of 59.3 per cent in the 2012 poll that returned Abe to power for a rare second term on pledges to reboot an economy plagued by deflation and an ageing, shrinking population.

Hopes for Abe's "Three Arrows" of hyper-easy monetary policy, government spending and reforms such as deregulation were tarnished after the economy slipped into recession in the third quarter following an April sales tax rise. Recent data suggest any rebound is fragile.

Abe decided last month to put off a second tax hike to 10 per cent until April 2017, raising concerns about how Japan will curb its huge public debt, the worst among advanced nations.

 

 

 

"I worry that Japan's public finances will get even worse," said 38-year-old Tokyo voter Akihiro Fujihara.

"I wish there was a party out there that would come up with actual proposals to make Japan a better place to live."

The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) was unable to gain much traction, largely due to voters' memories of a 2009-2012 rule plagued by policy flip-flops, infighting and three premiers in three years.

Exit polls showed the DPJ gaining from the 62 seats it held before the vote, but falling well short of the 100 seats it had unofficially targeted.

Abe called the election in a bid to strengthen his grip on power before tackling unpopular policies such as restarting nuclear reactors taken off-line after the 2011 Fukushima disaster and a security policy shift away from post-war pacifism.

The LDP-led coalition victory could make it easier for Abe to be re-elected in a party leadership race next September, boosting the chance he stays in power through 2018 and becomes one of Japan's rare long-term leaders.

Aside from local elections in April, his coalition will probably not need to face voters until a 2016 election for the upper house, where the LDP and the Komeito party now hold a majority.

Doubts, however, persist over whether Abe will knuckle down on his "third arrow" of reforms in politically sensitive areas such as labour market deregulation that would make it easier to shift workers to growth areas but also to lay off employees, and reform of the highly protected farm sector.

Critics say progress has been limited, partly due to opposition from members of Abe's own party.

"My personal assessment is that we are likely to see more of what we've seen - piecemeal reforms moving more or less in the right direction, but at a fairly slow clip and no bold breakthroughs because of this election," Columbia University professor Gerry Curtis said before the results were in.

Some experts say Abe could also turn attention away from the economy to his conservative agenda that includes laying the groundwork to revise the post-war, pacifist constitution and recasting Japan's wartime past with a less apologetic tone.

That agenda raises hackles in China and South Korea, where bitter memories of Japan's past militarism run deep.

The LDP had 295 seats and Komeito 31 in the 480-member lower house when it was dissolved for the election. Five seats were cut through electoral reform.

Establishment of Science Cities

National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), an autonomous organization under the Union Ministry of Culture is engaged in establishment of Science Centres throughout the country. NCSM is developing a Science City at Guwahati, Assam which will subsequently be handed over to the Govt. of Assam for future operation and maintenance. Proposals from various state governments have also been received for setting up of Science Cities. The Science Centres/Cities projects are taken up by NCSM in a phased manner depending upon the availability of resources, project handling capacity of NCSM and the existing level of science centre activities in that particular State. The following proposals have also been received by NCSM for establishment of Science Cities:- 1) Science City, Sampla, Govt. of Haryana 2) Science City, Bengaluru, Govt. of Karnataka 3) Science City, Navi Mumbai, Govt. of Maharashtra 4) Science City, Hyderabad, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh (before bifurcation into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh). 5) Science City, Patna, Govt. of Bihar 6) Science City, Nagpur, Govt. of Maharashtra 7) Science City, Bhubaneswar, Govt. of Odishab 8) Science City, Kumhari, Govt. of Chhattisgarh Science Park is now an integral component of all Science Centres and Science Cities and hence is not set up as an independent facility. NCSM has not received any proposal from Govt. of Telangana for setting up of Science Centre/City after its creation.