India, Oman begin joint air exercise
New Delhi (NVI): The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Royal Air Force Oman (RAFO) began a joint air exercise ‘EX EASTERN BRIDGE-V’ at the Air Force Base Masirah on October 17, which will also see the maiden participation of ‘MiG-29 Upgrade’ in an international air exercise overseas.
Besides MiG-29, the IAF contingent comprises of C-17 aircraft, on the other hand, RAFO will have Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16 and Hawk aircraft.
The fifth edition of the EX EASTERN BRIDGE will conclude on October 26.
According to a statement, the exercise will enhance inter-operability during mutual operations between the two Air Forces and will provide an opportunity to learn from each others best practices.
The participation of IAF in the exercise will also promote professional interaction, exchange of experience and operational knowledge. Besides strengthening bilateral relations, it will also provide a good opportunity to the air-warriors to operate in an international environment.
The last exercise, EX EASTERN BRIDGE-IV was held at Jamnagar in Gujarat in 2017.
–RB
PM condoles loss of lives in Saudi Arabia bus crash
New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 17, extended his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in a bus accident in Saudi Arabia which killed at least 35 people.
In a tweet, PM Modi wrote, “Anguished by the news of a bus crash near Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. Praying for a quick recovery of the injured.”
Anguished by the news of a bus crash near Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. Praying for a quick recovery of the injured.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 17 October 2019
Meanwhile, the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted asking the Mission in Jeddah, to ascertain details of Indian victims in the bus crash in Saudi Arabia.
He tweeted, “Deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the tragic bus crash in Saudi Arabia earlier today. Our Consulate @CGIJeddah has been asked to ascertain the details of Indians involved in the accident.”
Our Consulate @CGIJeddah has been asked to ascertain the details of Indians involved in the accident.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) 17 October 2019
Yesterday, in Medina province of Saudi Arabia, at least 35 people were killed and four injured after a bus carrying pilgrims collided with another vehicle.
A provincial police spokesman said, “Victims include people of Asian and Arab nationalities.”
The injured have been admitted to Al-Hmanah general hospital in Medina. Authorities have initiated an investigation into the accident.
–PS
NGT directs Northwest states to report on stubble burning
New Delhi (NVI): Observing that the worsening air quality is causing fatal diseases to people in Delhi-NCR, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab to depute individuals to report on air pollution on a day to day basis, caused due to stubble burning.
According to data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPBC), Seventeen of the thirty-seven air quality monitoring stations in the national capital recorded the overall AQI in the “very poor” category.
Noticing that crop burning is shooting up carbon dioxide levels by 70 per cent in the air, the NGT has asked Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana governments to sensitise farmers on pollution caused by crop burning residue.
The NGT bench, headed by chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel also expressed concern that equipment are yet not made available to farmers.
The Centre’s counsel told the bench that the Union government has disbursed Rs 600 cr which was being paid to farmers to purchase equipment, however, additional funds will have to borne by the states.
The bench said, every year during the months of October-November, the air quality deteriorates in and around Delhi, affecting the health of infants and senior citizens. It added, 25-30 per cent of air pollution in Delhi-NCR caused due to stubble burning.
The tribunal has also directed the states to file an action-taken report by the 15th of next month.
-sb
IIITs Council allows its students to join integrated M Tech, MBA courses
New Delhi (NVI): Students of the Indian Institute of information Technology (IIIT) can now join the Integrated M Tech and MBA programme at other IIITs, subject to fulfillment of minimum CPI criteria.
The decision was taken at the 4th meeting of the Institute of Information Technology (IIITs) Council, chaired by Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ here on October 16.
The Council also approved lateral movement of students of one IIIT to another or any other foreign Institute for short periods (during summer or internship). Similarly, faculty can also move to another IIIT for a semester or half a semester in order to tide over the shortage of faculty.
It was also decided to start a joint degree (PhD) programme with other IIITs in line with the Indian Institutes of Technology.
The HRD Minister, who is also the Chairman of IIITs Council stressed on the need of leapfrogging by IIITs in order to become world class Institutes.
“The IIITs should compete with the best Institutes in the world so that the international students prefer our country over others for niche courses, unique and latest curriculum and best faculty. At the same time Indian students should also get the education of international quality in the country itself,” he said.
Emphasising about the social responsibility of these Institutes, the Minister exhorted the Directors to participate in the Government schemes such as Unnat Bharat, Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, Fit India Movements, Water Conservation, Tree Plantation, Adoption of nearby villages .
In another important decision, the Council can grant tuition fee waiver to PWD students.
-sb/rb
Arjun Munda launches Van Dhan Internship Programme of TRIFED
New Delhi (NVI): With the initiative to help tribals in becoming entrepreneurs and self-reliant, Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda on October 16 launched “Van Dhan Internship Programme” organised by Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).
Addressing the programme, Munda said, “These interns will help the tribal population in becoming self-reliant and entrepreneurs and all interns are now part of ‘National Building Team’.”
Emphasizing on the need of entrepreneurship, the Minister opined that it encourages a person to take the initiative for development.
The event was also attended by TRIFED, MD Pravin Krishna.
Under the ‘Van Dhan Internship Programme’, the ministry has selected 18 interns from some of the reputed Institutes of Rural Management, Management Institutions, Institutes of Social Work and Social Services of the country. These interns are going to be called as “Minister’s interns”.
The advertisement for this internship programme was released in a leading newspaper on September 13. After which the selection process was commenced through the walk-in-interview.
The interns are undergoing for a week-long training programme and the period of internship is six months which can be extended on the basis of the need of organisation and mutual sustainability.
According to an official statement, interns will be visiting various states and districts of tribal areas for the development of tribal welfare and inclusive growth. They will support the TRIFED activities on livelihood promotion, value addition of NTFTs, marketing and credit linkages and develop tools and techniques on institutional development including mechanism for determination of a just price or producer price of Minor Forest Products.
On the conclusion of the programme, interns have to submit a dissertation, the statement added.
–PS
Livestock population up by 4.6 percent: Census report
New Delhi (NVI) The country has witnessed a rise of 4.6 percent in livestock population, while the female cattle population comprising cows has increased by 18 percent, the 20th Livestock Census report said here.
According to the census, released by the government on October 16, the total livestock population in the country is 535.78 million which is 4.6 percent more than previous census of 2012, while the population of cows is 145.12 million.
Moreover, the indigenous or the non-descript female cattle population has increased by 10 percent but a decline of six percent has been registered in the total cattle population compared to previous census.
The exotic or the crossbred cattle however has risen by 26.9 percent . The bovine population, comprising cattle, buffalo, Mithun and Yak has also increase by about one percent.
According the report, the poultry population has also shown an increase of 16.8 percent at 851.81 million. Similarly, the total commercial poultry in the country is 534.74 million which is 4.5 more than the previous census. There has been a huge 46 percent increase in the total birds in the backyard poultry.
With regards to sheep and goat, their percentage has increased by 14.1, 10.1 respectively, while the population of pig has declined by 12.03 percent.
The Livestock Census has been conducted in the country periodically since 1919-20 and covers all domesticated animals and its headcounts.
The major thrust given to 20th Livestock Census is the collection of data through tablets computers. The 20th livestock census is indeed a unique attempt as for the first time such a major initiative has been take to digitise household level data through online transmission from the field.
National Informatics Centre (NIC)-developed mobile application software was used for data collection as well as online transmission of data from the field to the NIC server.
For the smooth conduct of the census, more than 80,000 field personnel were engaged who were mostly veterinarians and para-veterinarians.
–RB
CCI approves $75 mn Kora Master Fund’s investment in Edelweiss Securities
New Delhi (NVI): The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on October 16, approved Kora Master Fund LP investment of up to 10% that is $75 million (about Rs 532 crore) in Edelweiss Securities Limited (ESL).
ESL is a company which provides financial services to individuals, institutions, trusts, private funds and various investment companies.
Kora, a foreign portfolio investor proposed investment in ESL and Edelweiss Global Investment Advisory Business (EGIA) Subsidiaries under sub-section (1) of Section 31 of the Act, as set out in the Share Subscription Agreement.
Kora Master Fund LP is the acquirer with the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), its principal activity is to handle investment and related activities.
The Target Entities belong to the Edelweiss Group, with Edelweiss Financial Services Limited (EFSL) as the ultimate holding company, are broadly engaged in the EGIA Business.
-sb
Populist measures will affect development expenditure says VP Naidu
New Delhi (NVI): Cautioning political parties against resorting to vote-catching populist measures, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said such action would only affect the “expenditure on development”.
Addressing the law students of PES University, Bengaluru at his residence, Naidu pointed out, “Strengthening democracy was in the hands of the people and added that voting was not only a right but a responsibility too.”
He urged people to keep in mind the four Cs—Character, Conduct, Calibre and Capacity, while choosing their representatives.
“Some people were trying to weaken democracy by promoting another set of 4 Cs—caste, community, cash and criminality,” he added.
Observing that the “Law of Torts” has received scant attention in India, he said, “It protects people who become victims of negligence by another party. In many developed countries like the US, it is an important branch of law. All of us are aware of how pharmaceutical and tobacco companies have to part with huge damages if negligence is proved in a court of law.”
“Maybe the time has come for us to invoke such liabilities in Indian context as well to protect the genuine interest of consumers,” he added.
Referring to the heavy pendency of cases in various courts, he said, “Apparently, there were nearly 60,000 cases pending in the Supreme Court and nearly 44 lakh cases in the High Courts,” and emphasised, “We need to take action to reduce this heavy pendency. Justice delayed, as is often said, is justice denied.”
Stressing the need to promote ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) mechanisms, he said, “ADR mechanism was generally faster, less expensive and could reduce pendency of cases.”
Calling on to make judicial processes more people-friendly, the Vice President said, “The law enforcement machinery and the justice dispensing structures must be accessible, credible, equitable and transparently even-handed. There is a lot of ground we have to cover in this regard.”
The Vice President also favored holding of simultaneous elections to the state assemblies and the Lok Sabha, stating,“it should be a one-time affair”.
For strengthening grass-root level democracy, he said, “There should not be any scope to the states to postpone elections to the local bodies on one pretext or the other.”
Describing lawyers as important stakeholders in ensuring that people have access to justice, Naidu said, “It is very important that justice reaches the last man as it forms the basis of a stable and prosperous society. Sense of injustice often leads to alienation and unrest.”
He further added, “It was imperative to reform legal education and make it holistic, as lawyers would have to play the role of change agents or social engineers in addressing socio-economic challenges. They also need to address a variety of new crimes triggered by technological advancements and liberalization.”
–PS
