02 October 2015

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Swachh Bharat: plan to produce power, compost from solid waste  –    (Environment)

  • On the first anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission, the Urban Development Ministry on Thursday announced some crucial policy changes since it is planning to generate electricity and compost from municipal solid waste.

 

 

Tyagi’s kin took €10.05 million: ED  –    (Governance)

  • The former Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi’s cousins and their firms received €10.05 million in kickbacks from AgustaWestland-UK through middlemen to help swing the Rs. 3,700-crore VVIP chopper deal in its favour, the Enforcement Directorate has said.

 

U.N. body asks Sri Lanka to probe ‘rights abuses   –    (International Relation)

  • The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday adopted a consensus resolution on accountability for the alleged human rights violations during the Sri Lankan civil war.
  • Sponsored by the U.S., the U.K. and other countries, including Sri Lanka, the resolution called upon Colombo to establish a credible judicial process, with the participation of Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defence lawyers and authorised prosecutors and investigators, to go into the alleged rights abuses.

 

India will set emissions reduction target: Javadekar  –    (Environment)

  • What are India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) on climate change going to look like? This question has been the subject of much speculation in the past weeks.
  • In an exclusive interaction, ahead of the Narendra Modi-Barack Obama meeting in New York, in which climate change dominated talks, Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar told The Hindu : “India’s INDCs will contain an emissions reduction target, as well as a target for reducing energy intensity.”

 

 

Mid-day meals rules lay stress on quality, regularity  –    (Governance)

  • The Centre notified the mid-day meals rules on Thursday, making running quality tests and sticking to nutritional standards mandatory. The State governments will be held accountable for non-delivery of service.
  • The exhaustive guidelines to be followed by the States come days after 80 children fell ill after being served milk in a school in Agra.

 

Sushma rejects Sharif’s peace proposal  –    (International Relation)

  • India on Thursday rejected Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s four-point peace proposal, with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj telling the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) that Pakistan must “give up terrorism” if it wanted to improve ties. “Instead of four proposals, we need only one point: that Pakistan end support to terror groups,” Ms. Swaraj said.
  • On Wednesday, Mr. Sharif had told the UNGA that Pakistan had tried to reach out to India, and proposed formalising the ceasefire, demilitarising Kashmir and the Siachen Glacier, and agreeing to end the use of force.

 

 

Ahead of UN meet, India to showcase climate strategies  –   (Environment)

 

  • For nearly a week now nine Ministries related to climate change have been preparing to publicly demonstrate the strategies adopted by them to counter the effects of climate change.
  • There is an urgency to the issue as the Prime Minister’s Office impressed upon the Ministries: India has to demonstrate to the world its efforts at tackling impacts of climate change in various sectors ahead of the UNFCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) Conference of Parties (CoP) 21 later this year.

 

 

Black money totalling Rs. 3,770 cr. declared  –   (Governance)

  • The Modi government’s declaration window under the new Black Money Act, which ended on Wednesday, saw all of 638 declarations worth Rs.3,770 crore, according to an official release.

 

 

Towards a shared weltanschauung  –    (International Relation)

  • Germany is a natural ally of India. It has surplus capital, modern technology and a demographic deficit. India has a deficit of finance and technology but surplus human capital.
  • A strong Germany in Europe, like a strong India in Asia, will facilitate a more balanced global dispersal of power and prevent the return of hegemony. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit provides the perfect moment to take the alliance between both nations to the next level.

 

 

Ahimsa has no political hue  –    (Indian History)

  • Gandhi and Upadhyaya responded in strongly similar idioms, with non-violence as a central concept, in trying to chart an ethical course for a newly decolonised India.
  • It is telling that one of the first ideas Upadhyaya engages with in Integral Humanism is that of the ‘survival of the fittest’.

 

 

The archives beckon  –    (Governance)

  • The West Bengal Government on September 18 declassified a cache of 64 documents relating to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, some 70 years after he disappeared and left behind many larger-than-life myths.
  • Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee followed that up with the release of confidential Cabinet meeting papers from the period from 1938 to 1947.

 

RBI expresses reservation over 100% FDI in private banks  –    (Economics)

  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised reservations over a proposal to allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in private banks as it might create regulatory problems.
  • According to sources, the central bank is of the view that 100 per cent FDI may complicate regulations for private and foreign banks.
  • The proposal to hike FDI limit in private sector banks was recently discussed at a meeting of officials from the ministries of Finance, Commerce and Industry and RBI.

 

 

SEBI allows higher overseas investment by AIFs, VCs  –    (Economics)

  • The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has allowed Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) and Venture Capital Funds to invest up to 25 per cent of their investible funds in foreign companies having ‘Indian connection.’ Among others, such entities would include companies having a front office overseas, but back office operations in India.
  • At present, India-based VC funds are permitted to invest up to 10 per cent of their investible funds in Offshore Venture Capital Undertakings with Indian connection, which has now been increased to 25 per cent.