Think India Foundation

E-pension scheme hits roadblock in Haryana

Haryana’s plans to become the first state in the country to electronically transfer pension across its 21 districts has hit a roadblock due to inadequate banking infrastructure. The Haryana government had earlier claimed that it was the first state in the country to have opened bank accounts for more than two million beneficiaries under the Social Security Schemes for electronic transfer of pension.

However, it seems to have faltered in the very first step of implementing this. After CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda recently reviewed the progress made under the scheme and noted with concern that the state consisted of “grossly inadequate infrastructure deployed by the banks and their appointed Business Correspondents Agents (BCAs)”, the state government halted progress on it until adequate banking infrastructure is created. It has now planned to allot fresh funds through the bank accounts after the proposed BCA centres are verified and notified by the department. Read more

Source : indianexpress.com

Logo of social security scheme for workers launched in Mangalore

MANGALORE : Deputy Commissioner N.S. Channappa Gowda released the logo of a social security scheme meant for workers in the unorganised sector here on Thursday.

N.S.Channappa Gowda, Deputy Comissioner, releases the logo for Social Security Programme for Unorganised wokers in Karnataka implemented jointly by labour department Government of Karnataka and GIZ of Germany by in Mangalore on Thursday 9th February 2012. Photo: R.Eswarraj

The logo of the Worker Facilitation Centres (WFC) set up under an agreement between the German Government and the Government of Karnataka was released on Thursday, but the scheme itself had been operating in Dakshina Kannada since last September. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Bad news for vehicle thiefs of Indore : New number plates from April

Indore : Indore’s over 14 lakh vehicles will start having a slightly different look and their owners will have a greater sense of security about the vehicle from April this year. Reason: the new high security registration plate. Of course, this change will entail some expense to the vehicle owners but the authorities affirm this is money well spent. On one hand the new registration plate will make the vehicle more secure and, on the other hand, help police track vehicle lifters more expeditiously as well as efficiently. HSRPs are tamper-proof and meant to aid law enforcement agencies in tracing vehicles that are involved in crimes.

The state governments are, any way, left with no option but to implement the scheme. For, the Supreme Court has been closely monitoring its implementation. On February 8, the Supreme Court set a deadline of April 30 for implementation of High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) for motor vehicles with a warning that failure by state governments and Union Territories to comply with its order would invite contempt action. Madhya Pradesh government has agreed to implement the scheme by March 31. Read more

Source : daily.bhaskar.com

GPS, dedicated rail lines to update PDS: minister

Thomas said Kerala, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) had spoken against the Bill, adding that the parliamentary standing committee examining the draft Bill and the food ministry will discuss the issues

New Delhi: Special vehicles, dedicated rail lines, global positioning systems, new silos and biometric identification are a part of the revamp of the public distribution system (PDS), minister for consumer affairs and food and public distribution K.V. Thomas said on Thursday, a day after agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said the National Food Security Bill can’t be implemented given the dire state of the network. 

“Almost all the states have taken action to modernize the PDS system, either by computerization or Aadhaar and this has given results,” Thomas told reporters, referring to a two-day meeting of state food ministers that ended on Thursday. “States have also raised certain issues connected with the Food Security Bill.” Aadhaar refers to the government’s unique identity programme that’s aimed, among other things, at ensuring that benefits reach the right people. Read more

Source : livemint.com

TMC to confront govt on food bill

NEW DELHI, DHNS : After forcing the United Progressive Alliance government to defer opening up of the retail sector for foreign investments, Mamata Banerjee’s All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) -  a part of the ruling alliance - is now set to close ranks with Opposition parties against the National Food Security Bill (NFSB).

The West Bengal chief minister and her party have serious reservations on the NFSB, introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 22. The AITC is likely to gang up with the Janata Dal (United) and Jayalalitha’s AIADMK to oppose certain provisions of the Bill in Parliament. Read more

Source : deccanherald.com

Senior UPA ministers losing sleep over proposed Food Security Act

NEW DELHI : The programme to legally provide subsidised foodgrains to beneficiaries under the proposed National Food Security Act is an agenda over which senior ministers of the United Progressive Alliance government are losing sleep and finding it difficult to enforce within the existing public distribution system (PDS) full of loopholes.

Union Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar. File photo

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said when he thinks of the subsidies to be provided he loses his sleep. The food subsidy bill — when the proposed Act comes into play — is expected to be over Rs. one lakh crore. The Act seeks to provide legal entitlement to subsidised foodgrains to 75 per cent rural and 50 per cent identified urban population. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

All those love contracts

Love me? Then stop smoking. Don't call your mother so many times. Swear you will lose ten pounds by the end of next year. Make love to me four times a week. Anyone who's been in a relationship is likely to have made one of these requests or some version of them anyway. 

With love: Madhulika's promised to gift her dog-crazy husband Mohit a puppy as soon as possible, despite being a little afraid of dogs herself

One of the assumptions we make when we are in love with someone is that they will do certain things to please us. Read more

Source : dailymail.co.uk

Caste census could be ready by July-end: Jairam

New Delhi: The socio-economic caste census, which will be used to identify beneficiaries of various social welfare schemes, including the proposed food law, could only be completed by July-end, according to Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh. 

Last month, Food Minister KV Thomas had written a letter to the Rural Development Minister seeking an updated status of SECC (socio-economic caste census) 2011, and also requested the ministries concerned to complete the survey soon to facilitate the implementation of the proposed food law. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Entrepreneurship can solve poverty, says Narayana Murthy

Kochi : India can solve its poverty only through entrepreneurship, said Infosys founder and mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy here on Tuesday.

N.R. Narayana Murthy.

He was speaking at a function, organised by DC Books on the occasion of the release of the Malayalam translation of his book ‘Better India, Better World.’ Read more

Source : deccanchronicle.com

Ministry to hold meeting on reforms in PDS, food security bill from Feb 8-9

New Delhi : Ministry of consumer affairs, food & public distribution has convened a meeting of state food & agriculture ministers to discuss reforms in PDS. Improvement in Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), procurement of food grains and enhancement of storage capacity in view of proposed National Food Security Act are also on the agenda of the meeting. 

The two-day conference, to be held on February 8 and 9, 2012, in New Delhi, will be inaugurated by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and will be addressed by agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and consumer affairs, food & public distribution K V Thomas. Senior officials of various Central ministries, planning commission and UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) are also expected to participate. Read more

Source : fnbnews.com

Good living needs good housekeeping

India has a dynamic and rapidly evolving real estate industry catering to the housing needs of a growing urban population. The choices available to buyers today range from plotted developments to apartments to group housing complexes.

An increasing number of real estate developers have graduated from selling not just a home, but one with a lifestyle attached. Most projects are marketed that way, and most home buyers are attracted to the spin. Read more

Source : indianexpress.com

Home ministry plans school to train spies, cops

NEW DELHI: As part of the Centre's attempt to strengthen security infrastructure and equip personnel with sophisticated gear, the home ministry has approved several proposals for paramilitary forces, ranging from setting up a 'detective training school' to procuring huge numbers of high-tech 'radio sets'. It also plans to buy and wet-lease helicopters for internal security duties. 

A school to train spies - Central Detective Training School (CDTS) - will be set up in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh by the home ministry's Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D). "The ministry has already released Rs 2.18 crore to BPR&D for acquisition of 8.37 acres of land for establishment of the school," a senior official said. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Senior citizens' groups release agenda for polls in Nashik

NASHIK: Senior citizens have put forth their demand for safety and security across the city ahead of the municipal elections scheduled for February 16. The senior citizens' groups active in prabhag 40, 52 and 53 in the Nashik East division has demanded security and safety for the elders in the city and has asked for an old age home in every division.

"Life is very difficult for some of us pensioners. Some have to pay for staying in the house of our wards. In such cases, homes for the elderly will make their lives bea-rable to some extent," said P S Joshi, former officer with the State Bank of India (SBI) and a resident of Rajeev Nagar, prabhag 53. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

China, India lag in cyber-readiness

China and India are lagging behind in cyberdefense and the ability to defend themselves against emerging attacks.

According to a report by McAfee and the Belgium-based Security & Defense Agenda (SDA) released today, China had a low level of preparedness for cyberattacks with a rating of 3 out of 5 along with Italy, Poland and Russia. India received a lower rating of 2.5 out of 5 on its state of readiness, along with Brazil and Romania. Read more

Source : zdnetasia.com

Need to raise agri productivity before bringing food law: Pawar

NEW DELHI: Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar on Sunday said it would be difficult to implement the proposed food security bill without adequate funds to boost agricultural output.

Pawar, who was not fully aligned with the Congress on the food security legislation, argued that his grievance was that the total budgeted provision for entire agriculture ministry was Rs 20,000 crore and subsidy, as of today, was Rs 65,000 crore which might go up to Rs 1 lakh crore in the current year. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Karnataka going slow on law to enable senior citizens’ welfare

Bangalore : Although the Centre had passed the Senior Citizen Welfare Act, 2007, to ensure security for old people, the tribunals set up in the state have received only 50 cases since 2009.

“The implementation of the act is going slowly. The tribunals have received only about 50 cases since 2009,” said VA Machakanur, director, department for empowerment of differently-abled and senior citizens, government of Karnataka. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Illegal activities in Sec-43 slum pose security threat

Gurgaon : Apart from being an eyesore, slums in Huda Sector 43 have also turned into a hub of illegal activities, causing nuisance for the public. 

Residents of neighbourhood localities allege that slum dwellers are involved in illicit sale of liquor and drugs with police and officials of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) failing to take any action despite complaints. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

SPV for grain movement on cards

Food ministry plans special purpose vehicle with railways for smooth transportation dedicated corridors to be set up

New Delhi : As the government plans to enact a food security law from the next financial year, the food ministry and the railways are working on setting up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to finance faster movement of foodgrain from producing states to consuming ones.

The SPV will have equity contribution from both departments. It will work towards the establishment of dedicated corridors and procurement of trains and rakes for grain transportation. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

An organizational problem

Child malnutrition makes headlines but unless grass-roots practices are reordered, it’ll remain a persistent problem

With the release of new malnutrition statistics and the Food Security Bill gaining ground, I am tempted to ask the following question to all those working on the issue including the chairperson of the National Advisory Council (NAC):

“Have you ever spent a day at an anganwadi?”

Photo by Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint.

Anganwadis, or crèches, are the backbone of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme initiated in 1975. ICDS targets infant children and pregnant mothers to tackle the problem of malnutrition, infant and maternal mortality and immunization. And yes, like any other mega social welfare scheme, millions of rupees are doled out every year for fortified grains, oil, fruit, etc., to be made available to poor young children and their mothers. Read more

Source : livemint.com

Some home truths

Urban homeless people lead hard lives with no shelter or social protection even while sustaining cities with their cheap labour. Inhabiting city footpaths, public parks, hume pipes, or the courtyards of shrines, they are invisible to the State, because they lack a formal address, and also even the elementary markers of citizenship of poor people in India, like ration cards and voters’ identity cards. We estimate that at least 1% of the population of cities is homeless, making the numbers of urban homeless persons at least around 3 million.

My colleagues and I studied for the Planning Commission the social, economic and nutritional situation of urban homeless people in four cities — Delhi, Chennai, Madurai and Patna. We found that life on the streets involves surviving continuously and precariously at the edge, in a physically brutalised and challenging environment. Elementary public services and healthy food are denied. The challenges of this bleak and often lonely existence are aggravated by a hostile State, which illegalises and even criminalises their self-help efforts for shelter and livelihoods. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Dhanvijay assigns cops to protect parked Starbuses

NAGPUR: Considering the spate of attacks on Starbuses, police commissioner Ankush Dhanvijay has allotted four parking areas for the buses, where cops will be deployed to ensure security. He has also ordered the city police to immediately arrest protesters and their union leaders.

"The Starbuses have been purchased under JNNURM, so they are government property. Damage to a single bus leads to a loss of around Rs1 lakh and indirectly it is a great loss for the government. Hence, police personnel will be deployed for their security for a few days," said Dhanvijay. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

‘Enact law ensuring security of street vendors'

TIRUCHI : The Union government should enact a law ensuring security of street vendors in line with the Supreme Court judgement on the issue.

This was among the major demands put forward at a State level seminar on Problems and Solutions of Street Vendors jointly organised by the Centre for Women's Studies and Department of Social Work, Holy Cross College, Department of Women's Studies, Bharathidasan University and National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) here on Friday. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Soon,Govt to serve up Food Security Act

Union Minister for Commerce, Industry & Textiles Anand Sharma said that the UPA Government is planning to implement the Right to Food Security Act after the tremendous response to the Right to Education and Right to Information, which have been “successfully implemented”.

Sharma said the industrial package for hill States of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir will be revised and likely to be introduced again next year. Read more

Source : dailypioneer.com

Home ministry to have limited say in investments

New Delhi : To whittle the veto power wielded by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) over investment proposals, the government will frame rules and guidelines and rewrite several laws in the next two months.

Top government sources confirmed that a subjective, anecdotal, case-by-case approach to a raft of investments that were stuck seeking mandatory ‘security clearance’ will be revisited. The process began with the Foreign Investment Promotion Board nixing the home ministry’s security concerns about a proposal by Verizon Communications — a telecom company headquartered in the US. The ministry had reservations about Verizon being allowed to set up shop in India, as the company shared data with US’ law enforcing agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and its India arm might as well be required to do so. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

Tech connectivity among varsities a must: Kalam

AHMEDABAD: The first convocation of Charotar University of Science and Technology (Charusat) was held in Changa where 160 students were awarded degrees on Wednesday.

Former President A P J Abdul Kalam in his address laid emphasis on research and said that the university will achieve great heights if the culture of research is imbibed in students by their teachers. He urged the students to focus on research and help achieve his vision 2020 targets which envisage a nation where the urban and rural divide has reduced to a thin line, where there is equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water. "Technological connectivity among universities should be pursued on war footing using cost effective virtual classrooms," said Kalam. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

States seek less Centre schemes

New Delhi : State governments on Wednesday urged the Centre to reduce the number of centrally-sponsored schemes and transfer funds to autonomous bodies only through them.

Some of the states also made their apprehensions clear about sharing any financial burden for implementing the Food Security Act. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

Govt to computerise PDS to check leakage

New Delhi, DHNS : Significant progress made in digitisation of ration cards

As the National Food Security Bill was referred to a parliamentary panel, the Centre is now set to spend at least Rs 4000 crore for end-to-end computerization of the public distribution system to ensure that the highly subsidized grains to be guaranteed by proposed legislation do really reach intended beneficiaries.

The Union Ministry of Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution has convened a meeting of the Food Ministers, Agriculture Ministers of all the States in New Delhi on February 8 and 9 next. Union Food Minister K V Thomas said that the two-day conclave would review the progress of the modernization of the PDS. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar would also interact with the ministers from the States during the meet, added Thomas. Read more

Source : deccanherald.com

Engineering jobs favoured in IITs

Mumbai : Many students decline the lucrative finance sector to opt for jobs in core-engineering sector as it offers job security and good pay.

Larsen & Toubro chairman A M Naik has a recurring complaint: students of India's biggest engineering colleges traditionally give the manufacturing sector a miss. “No one wants to dirty their hands in the shop floor; everyone seems to be interested in fancy consulting or informational technology jobs,” he says. That's the reason why one of India's biggest capital goods giant go to the campuses of lesser known institutes for recruiting talent. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

The poverty of innovation

A knowledge economy like ours has to understand the new knowledge society that civil society is seeking to create

One of the ironic things about the new year is that we actually think it is new. We expect new thoughts, new models and new rituals and all we get is the re-treading of old ideas. Last few days saw the celebration of a whole series of events around innovation. There was the venerable Indian Science Congress celebrating its 99th session. I want to look at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s speech as a part of the landscape of current thought. Read more

Source : asianage.com

Centre asks states to boost procurement for Food Bill

The Centre has asked five state governments, including West Bengal, to draw up an “action plan” to increase foodgrains procurement for successful implementation of the proposed Food Security Act.

The Food Ministry, which would be responsible for executing the welfare scheme spearheaded by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, has decided to focus on ramping up procurement of wheat and rice to allay concerns over the availability of foodgrains to implement the proposed law. Read more

Source : firstpost.com

Government to take states on board over food security bill

NEW DELHI: Still nursing the sting of ally Trinamool Congress opposing the Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha citing issues of federal autonomy, the United Progressive Alliance ( UPA) government wants to take the states into confidence on Sonia Gandhi's dream project - the National Food Security Bill, 2011.

The bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha during the winter session of parliament last year and will now go to the standing committee concerned. Read more

Source : articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Lulling women into false sense of security

Open any newspaper and you will see small news items on burglaries. Break-ins and robberies are on the rise. Youngsters are taking to burglary to fund a lavish lifestyle. They rob from the upwardly mobile, the rich and fence the goods that they have stolen to earn cash that they use to buy more. They want a quick and easy way of earning money. Most burglaries are not violent and are opportunistic crimes. If you looked at the root cause of the crime it is that there are people in the world who have more than the robbers. And it is that ‘more’ that becomes an object of attraction. If people didn’t earn money, become rich and have wealth there would be no one who would want to rob them.

Robbery, as a crime, therefore is not caused by people who want to get rich quick, but by excessive wealth. Rather than criminalise robbery we should seek to get to the root causes of burglary and that is prosperity. People rob from those who have more. So, if everyone had less there would be no robbery. The solution for robbery is not better policing but to ban wealth. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Jairam Ramesh promises succour to poor, single women

75 per cent of these women survive on less-than-minimum wages, finds survey

Despite low literacy rates, most of the low-income single women in the country are not dependent on their families but run their households on their own, according to the findings of a study released by Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh. However, since the government does not consider them so, they are neglected and forced to survive on less than the prescribed minimum wage.

Mr. Ramesh released the study amid a plethora of promises to provide economic security. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Security permit for port projects at odds with rules

Model RFQ requires only bidders with 15% or more foreign holding to seek a clearance from the govt agencies

The shipping ministry’s insistence on security clearances for bidders of port contracts is in variance with the government’s policy on such public-private partnership (PPP) projects.

The model request for qualification (RFQ) document finalized by the government in 2007 requires only those bidding groups with a foreign holding of 15% or more or those that are fully controlled by foreign entities to seek a security clearance from government agencies including the home ministry. Read more

Source : .livemint.com

High alert in upper Assam

Jorhat: The state government has sounded a high alert in upper Assam following intelligence reports that the Paresh Baruah-led anti-talk ULFA faction may target Oil India Limited (OIL) and ONGC officials along with politicians during the run-up to Republic Day. 

According to intelligence reports, the outfit was likely to make soft targets on OIL and ONGC officials, particularly those hailing from outside the state, official sources said. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

A solution worse than the problem

By advocating the targeted public distribution system, the National Food Security Bill is repeating old mistakes

The National Food Security Bill (NFSB) is now in Parliament. In all likelihood it will go to the standing committee. However, the Bill has already unleashed a media storm. There is an acrimonious debate on the actual cost of implementing NFSB and its delivery mechanism. Some have even questioned the need for such a law. Concerns about the financial implications should be a settled matter with the government claiming—as part of the financial memorandum with the Bill—to place the cost at only Rs. 13,000 crore extra for the public distribution system (PDS). All other components are already operational and may not require significant financial resources.

Although exaggerated, some of these concerns do merit attention. As I have argued before, fears of high costs are misplaced. Projected costs on agricultural investment and increases in minimum support prices are not incidental to NFSB but are part of the normal expenditure of the government as a component of the broader strategy to enhance food production. These will remain unaffected whether the NFSB is passed or not. In any case, concerns on foodgrain procurement and storage are quite misplaced since current procurement and storage are anyway higher than what would be required by the government’s own estimates. Read more

Source : livemint.com

At Juhu aerodrome, only 9 guards man 400 acres at any given point

Mumbai : 74 CISF personnel sanctioned by Home Ministry to defend heritage airport haven't been inducted at the airport because airport authorities say their accommodation, salary, training etc will cost them five times their income

Landing in trouble: The Juhu aerodrome was India's first airport, and 
now hosts a flying club and a heliport. pic/ Nimesh Dave

Despite an IB alert warning of terror strikes at airports in the country, the nation's oldest and the city's only airport till 1942, the Juhu aerodrome, is guarded by 9 unarmed guards at any given hour, making the airport a sitting duck for anti-state agents to strike. Read more

Source : mid-day.com

SC notice to UP, Greater Noida Authority

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notices to Uttar Pradesh government and Greater Noida Authority on a petition filed by a group of farmers challenging the acquisition of their agricultural land in Garhi Bachchera village of Gautam Buddh Nagar district.

A bench of justices R M Lodha and H L Gokhale sought a response from the authorities within four weeks on the special leave petition filed by five aggrieved farmers challenging the judgement of Allahabad High Court which had on October 21 last year upheld the acquisition. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Centre defers SECC household count in poll-bound U.P.

NEW DELHI : SECC priority list will be ready by July 2012 when Food Security Bill gets ready

: Even as the Union government decided to defer the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) in Uttar Pradesh until the Assembly election there was over, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar objected to the process which, among others, will determine beneficiaries under the proposed food security legislation. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Key agri-initiative runs short of funds

Status check on progress made in Vegetable Initiative

The Ministry of Agriculture, in March 2011, released guidelines for spending Rs 300 crore in implementing an urban Vegetable Initiative aimed at providing India’s middle classes more locally grown vegetables. Nine months on, ISPR’s Sourjya Bhowmick does a status check on how much progress has been made in this interesting initiative

When launched then, the Agriculture Ministry defined the objective as being one to ‘set in motion a virtuous cycle of production and income for farmers and assured supply for consumers’. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

India's Maoists Going Urban?

Naxalites reportedly switching their attack to India’s cities

Naxalites want to take this slaughter urban

India’s Naxalite rebels, for years bottled up in the poverty-stricken middle and eastern regions of the country, have forged a new strategy to infiltrate into India’s premier industrial hubs, intelligence officials say. Read more

Source : asiasentinel.com

PM rings out bad year with pledge

New Delhi : Good riddance, 2011, be gone for good. To a year that left him looped in the pit of the worst crises of his political life, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today delivered a parting kick, saying it was a time he did not even wish to dwell on.

Manmohan Singh

Underlying his elaborate message sent out to the nation this evening was a palpable yearning that his troubles will expire with the lapsing of the annual calendar, and UPA II will emerge from the wintry mist, its messy slate wiped clean, its future bright and shining. There is a tabula rasa wished in the New Year for which the Prime Minister has a ready script of commandments aimed at inspiring a stable turn to the trembled UPA leaf. Read more

Source : telegraphindia.com

Gen-Y New Year resolution: Root out graft

BHUBANESWAR: The 74-year-old with Gandhi topi has played a mind game of sorts. So, corruption is on everyone’s mind and finds a reflection in the New Year resolution as well. The Anna effect is clearly discernible __ and infectious.

Forget vows on quitting smoking, booze or making a career move, the youths are tuned into one conception __ fight graft. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Police gear up to handle massive crowd on New Year's Eve in Kolkata

KOLKATA: While the unprecedented crowd on Park Street translated into better business for restaurants on Christmas, it has also many made in central Kolkata wary ahead of the New Year eve. Several have asked for more security from the police and even beefed up their own safety arrangements for December 31, which happens to be a Saturday. To ensure quicker traffic movement on Park Street which came to a virtual halt last Sunday, a few adjacent roads have been earmarked for parking.

The crowd on Park Street and in parts central Kolkata is expected to be at least 30% more than what it had been on Christmas. "As it is, we had a bigger crowd this Christmas. We expect it to be substantially more on New Year eve and a law and order problem can't be ruled out. We are in a precarious position, being surrounded by a number of dance bars which usually attract a rowdy crowd. We fear that trouble might spill on to the streets from these joints, as it had happened three years ago. So, we have sought protection from the local police station and have also strengthened our own arrangements that we had put in place after the Mumbai terror attack in 2008," said SK Khullar, owner of Amber and vice-president of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Owners' Association, Eastern India. The restaurant will have two surveillance cameras and six security guards keeping vigil at the entrance. There will be two additional guards inside the 440-seater restaurant with four floors. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Food security Bill: Instead of subsidies to food grains, policy should aim to increase purchasing power

While some may view the food security Bill as the instrument of combating poverty, this distinction belongs to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the flagship anti-poverty programme of the United Progressive Alliance government. The proponents of the food security Bill at the National Advisory Council have promoted it as the instrument of fighting widespread and rising hunger, instead.

But what is the empirical basis of the claims of widespread and rising hunger in India? Surely, we cannot go bythe claims of the Food and Agricultural Organization, World Bank and many NGOs who themselves prosper from propagating the view that India and Africa suffer from ever-rising hunger and poverty. Read more

Source : articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

MMRDA shuts door on Chinese firms

Mumbai : Chinese companies may be itching to invest in India's infrastructure but the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is clear that it wants to keep them away from building the Mumbai-Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) due to security concerns.

Interestingly, Chinese companies have plenty of experience in constructing mid-sea bridges such as the MTHL. The Chinese have to their credit the HangZhou bridge which is the largest sea bridge in the world, covering a distance of 42km. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Strategic Review Committee's report out next month

New Delhi : With the Strategic Review Committee headed by Naresh Chandra expected to submit its report next month, the government is expecting the former cabinet secretary to recommend specific charters for Indian intelligence in order to avoid task overlap and one-upmanship among agencies.

Government sources said the 14 member committee was currently in the process of compiling the report with all the six sub-groups ready with their recommendations on border management, internal security, defence management and intelligence reform.  The committee, set-up in June 2011, will submit its report in January 2012. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Promise of Food Bill is enormous

The Food Security Bill introduced in Parliament last week, even when it is passed, won’t be on the same footing as the right to education. It will not be enforceable through the courts. And yet, the promise it holds out is huge. Nearly two-thirds of India — 75 per cent in rural areas and 50 per cent in urban — should be able to buy rice for three rupees a kg, wheat for two rupees, and coarse grains for just a rupee, provided the system can be run without corruption, and can be kept provisioned.

This, of course, is a tall order in a society where the rich and the capable, and officials and middlemen, happily milk the system for all it is worth. This is why ration shops don’t work well except in some states, and in any case the UPA-1 government and its predecessor undercut the public distribution system, on which massive reliance will have to be placed if low-priced foodgrains are indeed to be made available to the needy sections. Read more

Source : deccanchronicle.com

CAG raps Orissa over generous food subsidy

Kolkata/ Bhubaneswar : The implementation of the much touted Rs two per kg of rice scheme by the Orissa government taken up mainly to woo voters has come under attack from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).

In its latest report on state finances for the year ended March 31 this year, the CAG has rapped the state government for doling out food subsidies at Rs 932 crore, a large part of it due to implementation of the rice scheme, as against the normative projection of Rs 84 crore of the 13th Finance Commission. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

J&K situation improved in 2011: Govt

New Delhi (IBNS) : The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said situation in J&K showed considerable improvement with far fewer incidents of violence, as compared to the last year.

Maoists were kept engaged with one of their top leader Kishenji getting killed in an encounter. Additional capacity building measures were put in place to reduce threats to internal security, said the ministry. Read more

Source : indiablooms.com