| Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2014 On the basis of the Result of the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2014 held by the Union Public Service Commission from 14th to 20th December, 2014, the candidates with the following Roll Numbers have qualified for the Personality Test for selection to the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service and other Central Services (Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’). The Personality Test for these candidates is likely to commence from April 27, 2015. Personality Tests will be held in the Office of the Union Public Service Commission at Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi-110069. Detailed program for the Personality Test will be uploaded on the Commission’s websitehttp://www.upsc.gov.in. The First batch of e-Summon letter will be made available on the Commission’s website http://www.upsc.gov.in latest by 18.04.2015. The Second and Third batches of the e-Summon Letters would be uploaded subsequently. The Qualified candidates who are unable to download their e-Summon Letters from the Commission’s Website at least 5 days before the commencement of the said Personality Test/Interview should immediately contact the Office of the Commission through on Phone Nos. 011- 23385271, 011-23381125, 011-23098543 or Fax No. 011-23387310, 011-23384472. No paper Summon Letters will be issued for the Personality Test/Interview by the Commission. The Candidature of these candidates is provisional subject to their being found eligible in all respects. The candidates will be required to produce the original Certificates in support of their claims pertaining to Age, Educational Qualifications, Community, Physical Handicap and other documents such as Questionnaire, Attestation Form and TA Form, etc. at the time of their Personality Test. The formats of SC/ST/OBC and PH Certificates and Questionnaire, Attestation Form and TA Form, etc. can be downloaded from the Website of the Commission. They are, therefore, advised to keep the said documents ready with them. No request for change in the date and time of the Personality Test, intimated to the candidates, will be entertained. The candidates are advised to notify changes in their address, if any, to the Commission immediately through Fax or letters forthwith. The marks sheets of candidates who have not qualified, will be put on the Commission’s Website within 15 days from the date of publication of the final result (after conducting Personality Test) and will remain available on the Website for a period of 60 days. In pursuance of the decision of the Govt. to amend Rule 2 of CSE Rules, 2014, all the candidates who have qualified in the written part of Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2014 shall mandatorily indicate revised preferences of Services participating in the said Examination for which he/she is interested to be allocated to and such Revised Order of Preferences shall be in supersession of the earlier order of preferences filled by the candidate in his Detailed Application Form. The candidates will be required to fill up the Revised Services Preferences and submit the same online as per the details/ guidelines which will be available on Commission’s Website shortly. The result of one candidate Roll No.542075 has been kept withheld subject to the outcome of the Court Case. **** Click here for full Result Australia Extends Support to Ganga Rejuvenation Plan Australia has promised its full support to Ganga Rejuvenation plan. This was communicated by Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms. Julie Bishop when she called on Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti here today. Ms. Bishop said her country will be too happy to extend all technological support to India for its mission to clean Ganga. She said her country has developed a “Score card” to measure and control effluent discharge into the rivers which will be very useful for India in its efforts to clean Ganga. Welcoming the offer, Sushri Bharti said this will be very helpful for us to formulate proper guidelines for polluting industries. Both the leaders also discussed the possibilities of bilateral co-operation in sectors like water flow forecasting, recharging of ground water, mapping of ground water storage and inter-linking of rivers. The visiting dignitary also extended an invitation to Sushri Bharti to visit Australia. Export Opportunities for India under Indo-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IK-CEPA) India and the Republic of Korea signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on 7th August, 2009, which has come into force from 1st January, 2010. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement covers a number of areas including trade in goods, trade in services, rules of origin, intellectual property rights, investment, etc. The agreement promotes stronger trade and commercial ties between two countries, and opens up opportunities for exporters and investors to expand their business in the tariff lines which are opened or in which tariff is reduced. During the period 2009-10 to 2013-14, bilateral trade between the two countries increased from US $ 12 billion to US $ 16.68 billion, including increase in Indian exports from US $ 3.42 billion to US $ 4.20 billion. There are export opportunities for several Indian products in Korean market including, inter-alia, mineral fuels/ mineral oils, iron and steel, organic chemicals, aluminium and articles thereof, residues and waste from food industries, cotton products etc. In services sector, India has negotiated a ‘Trade in Services’ chapter under India-Korea CEPA wherein Korea has taken commitments in a number of sectors/sub-sectors that are commercially meaningful for India. Under sub-sector “Other Business Services”, Korea has taken commitments in many services including, inter-alia, advertising, management consulting, project management, technical inspection, placement of personnel etc., the benefits of which is available to Indian service suppliers. The Government on its part organises outreach programmes in various parts of the country to spread awareness among the Industry people/exporters/ service providers about the opportunities available under India-Korea CEPA to boost exports to Korea. This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today. Use of Alternate Fuel on Indian Railways Based on expert advice from Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and Indian Railways Organisation for Alternate Fuels (IROAF), it was decided to blend 5 per cent Bio-diesel on diesel locomotives. Dual fuel engines with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and diesel have been introduced on Diesel Electric Multiple Units (DEMUs). Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) is fitted on diesel locomotives to reduce fuel consumption during idling by shutting down main engine. multigenset locomotives, designed to have more than one engine on board, with number of engines working in relation to train load and shutting down on reduced train loads and duty cycles, have been introduced. Central Electricity authority (CEA) was appointed by Railways for preparing “Energy plan for Indian Railways” and suggesting ways to optimize the cost of buying power for the Railways. Salient recommendations in CEA Report are as follows: 1. Indian Railways to migrate part of existing traction loads from DISCOMs in a phased manner and procure the same from Generating companies (GENCO) through tariff based bidding/ bilateral arrangements. 2. Indian Railways to explore constructing Railways Transmission line for direct connection to Inter-state Transmission Line for direct connection to Inter-state Transmission System (ISTS) 3. Carry out detailed energy audits. Zonal Railways have been advised to procure Bio-diesel for use on diesel locomotives. DEMU train sets have been introduced in service with dual fuel CNG/ diesel engines. 100 diesel locomotives are fitted with APUs. Two multigenset locomotives are introduced on line. : The steps taken by Railways to bring down expenditure on electricity are: Setting up of captive power plant at Nabinagar in Joint Venture (JV) with NTPC, construction of transmission lines, getting power at economic tariff through bilateral arrangements with Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) and other Generating Companies (GENCOS) progressively and auditing of major electrical installations. This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today. List of 46 famous monuments/sites submitted by India for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site India has submitted a revised tentative list of 46 famous monuments/sites for inclusion in the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. The list was submitted to the World Heritage Centre in April, 2014. Ancient Buddhist Site (Sarnath, Varanasi), Chilika Lake, Kangchendzonga National Park, Dholavira: A Harappan City, Mountain Railways of India (Extension), Silk Road Sites in India, Sri Harimandir Sahib (Amritsar, Punjab), Mughal Gardens in Kashmir are some of the sites out of the total 46 sites which have been included in the list. Due to the present bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh the monuments of Golconda Fort and Charminar fall in Telengana. This information was given by the Union Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge), Tourism (Independent Charge), & Civil Aviation, Dr. Mahesh Sharma in a reply to an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha today. Lifting of Ban by EU on Import of Mango from India The European Commission has notified lifting of the ban on mango through Commission Implementing Decision no. 2015/237 of 12th February, 2015. Indian export of mango to the EU during 2012 and 2013 were valued at US$ 6.73 million and 10.09 million respectively. Ban on import of vegetables from India has not been lifted by EU. Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been developed by the Government for pest free export of fresh vegetables to EU wherein the vegetables are processed in pack houses approved by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the supervision of Plant Quarantine before export to EU. This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today. ISRO to carry out a test flight of Reusable Launch Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) by second quarter of 2015 The reusable vehicle will bring down the cost of satellite launches Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will carry out a test flight of Reusable Launch Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) by second quarter of 2015. Technology Demonstrator winged body vehicle weighing 1.5T will be lofted to a height of 70 km using solid booster, thus attaining 5 times the speed of sound. Thereafter it will descend by gliding and splashing down into the sea. This test flight would demonstrate the Hypersonic aerodynamics characteristics, Avionics system, Thermal protection system, Control system and Mission management. Development of Reusable Launch Vehicles is a technical challenge and it involves development of many cutting edge technologies. The magnitude of cost reduction depends on development and realization of fully reusable launch vehicle and its degree of reusability. ISRO has taken steps to develop next generation launch vehicle GSLV MkIII, capable of launching 4 ton class communication satellites to Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit, which would bring down the cost of satellite launches. This information was provided by MoS in the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, PG & Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh in a reply to unstarred question in the Lok Sabha today. Ola acquires TaxiForSure in $200-mn deal Ola Cabs has acquired its smaller rival in the taxi aggregator space, TaxiForSure, in a $200-million (Rs 1,200 crore) cash and equity arrangement. This is the first major acquisition in the taxi-aggregator space in India. Ola, already a leader in the personal transportation market with a valuation exceeding $1 billion (Rs 6,000 crore) and over 100,000 vehicles on its platform, will become a stronger entity through TaxiForSure’s operator-led model. The latter operates in 47 cities, with at least 15,000 vehicles on its platform. Larger rivals Meru Cabs and Uber are on a discounting spree to corner as much market share as possible. Meru has a fleet size of 15,000 and Uber is present in 11 cities, the second biggest geographical presence for the American giant outside the US. Last week, Uber cut fares by about 30 per cent. Meru has been giving out discounts at a cautious pace. The belief among experts in the sector is that only two or three major entities would survive. Meru is already in talks with regional brands to expand its presence in smaller cities. It is aiming to raise $100-150 million from existing and new investors. After the merger, Ola and TaxiForSure will continue to operate as separate entities. TaxiForSure’s leadership and 1,700 employees will continue to work with it, under Arvind Singhal (earlier the chief operating officer) as chief executive officer. Aprameya Radhakrishna and Raghunandan G, its founders, will contribute in advisory roles for a certain period. “There is significant complementary value that this acquisition adds both on the supply and demand sides for Ola and TaxiForSure,” Ola said. It added, “The latter follows a different model of supply and distribution by working with cab operators, while Ola works with driver-entrepreneurs. TaxiForSure has in the past also focused heavily on the economy segment of cab consumer, with innovative offerings like Tata Nanos as part of their fleet and Rs 49 as base fares. For customers, drivers and operators on the TaxiForSure platform, there will be little change. Customers can continue to book a cab through the app, and the call centre and drivers will continue to get access to customers on TaxiForSure’s technology platform.” Ola, founded in 2011, is one of the most vibrant start-ups from India. In four rounds of fundraising, it has been financed by Tiger Global, Matrix Partners, Sequoia Capital, Steadview Capital and, more recently, SoftBank. Investors in TaxiForSure are Accel Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners and Helion Venture Partners. Announcing the merger, Ola's co-founder & chief executive, Bhavish Aggarwal, said: “Ola and TaxiForSure share the same vision of revolutionising urban mobility. TaxiForSure has a great team and they have built a very exciting business in a short time. There’s a lot of complementary value in the strategy it follows.” TaxiForSure’s Raghunandan G said: “Coming together with Ola will provide us with more opportunity to do what we do best.” ALSO READ: Ola, TaxiForSure merge, but real challenge is customer satisfaction DRIVING AHEAD The deal will strengthen Ola’s presence and turn up the heat on Meru Cabs and Uber After the deal, Ola and TaxiForSure will continue to operate as separate entities TaxiForSure will add capacity of 15,000 vehicles to Ola’s platform of 100,000 vehicles With this acquisition, investors in TaxiForSure will roll over their stock in Ola Softbank, Tiger Global, Matrix Partners, Sequoia Capital, Steadview Capital have invested in Ola TaxiForSure investors include Accel Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners and Helion Venture Partners Source:http://www.business-standard.com/ Records of Companies Under CSR Category In terms of Section 135 of the Companies Act 2013, companies above the specified thresholds of turnover or net worth or net profit are required to spend at least two per cent of their average net profits earned during three immediately preceding financial years on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. The Board of each such company is required to have the company’s CSR policy formulated and monitor its implementation or specify the reasons for non-implementation. The current financial year is the first year of implementation of CSR by companies under the aforementioned Act. Information regarding companies complying with CSR provision of the Act are expected to be available only after the mandatory disclosures of CSR expenditure are filed by companies towards the end of the year 2015. As Section 135 leaves the responsibility of implementation of CSR policy on the company itself it will not be possible for the Government to facilitate undertaking of such activities in particular areas. This was stated by Shri Arun Jaitley, Minister of Corporate Affairs in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today. Registration of Shell Companies Investigation against any company is carried out on the basis of report of Registrar of Companies or inspector or in public interest into the Affairs of a company. Further, the process of incorporation of a company has been strengthened through inclusion of various provisions mandating proof of establishment of registered office of a company through submission of utility bills etc., establishing identity of directors including their residential address and personal identification through mandatory Director Identification Number (DIN) allotment process and a declaration by a professional that all requirements mandated under the provisions of Companies Act, 2013 have been complied with. Under section 248 of the Companies Act 2013, Registrar of Companies has powers to remove name of a company from register of companies where a company fails to commence its business within one year of its incorporation or the subscribers to the memorandum have failed to pay their subscription within a period of 180 days or where a company is not carrying on any business or operation for a period of two years. This was stated by Shri Arun Jaitley, Minister of Corporate Affairs in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today. Information to be hoisted mandatorily by IOA & NSFs on their Websites The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has asked Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the National Sports Federations (NSFs) to suo-moto disclose various activities carried out by them on their websites mandatorily. In a letter written to IOA and NSFs, the Ministry has said these instructions have also been made part of the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011. The letter said, it has been noticed that although some of the NSFs are furnishing the required information to the Ministry, it is not available on the websites of many NSFs and hence is not available to general public and stake holders. The letter said, in a recent case of Badminton Association of India vs. Union of India, the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi has taken a serious view about non furnishing of information under RTI Act by the NSFs. Hence the court has passed an order dated 24th December, 2014 in W.P.(C) No.9318/2014 stating, inter-alia, that this would be an appropriate case where Government of India should examine the manner in which the NSF is functioning. Therefore, in order to reduce the paper work of NSFs while making the information available to stakeholders regarding the functioning of NSFs and IOA it has been decided that henceforth the information containing 23 points as per the requirement shall be uploaded on the website of IOA and the respective NSFs. The letter said, all these information should be made available on the website latest by 1.4.2015. Further, the website must be updated by IOA & NSFs as frequently as possible and at least once in a fortnight. The letter says that it was also informed earlier that the NSFs shall post their audited accounts and the Balance Sheet of the previous year by 30th June of the current year. It was brought to the notice of the Ministry that finalisation of audited accounts and balance sheet takes time and it is not possible to post the same on the website by 30th June. In view of this, it has been decided that the annual accounts of the previous financial year should be posted by the IOA & NSFs during the current year as soon as it is finalised but latest by 31st December of the current year. The letter further says that annual recognition for the year 2015 may be reviewed in case the above instructions are not complied with by 1st April, 2015. Government to Set up INW TG The Government is considering a proposal to set up an Integrated National Waterways Transport Grid (INWTG) which covers mainly five National Waterways. The INWTG includes development of the National Waterways with at least 2.5 meter Least Available Depth (LAD), upgrading/ setting up of priority terminals, establishing road connectivity, wherever feasible, rail and port connectivity. The study undertaken by Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has, at present, identified 31 terminals in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh for construction of terminals on National Waterways. With the establishment of the INWTG, the National Waterways would be connected to National/ State Highways and would become an integral part of the transportation grid in the country. This information was given by Minister of State for Shipping, Shri Pon Radhakrishnan in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today. Use of Non-Conventional Energy Sources in Railways It is proposed to blend 5 per cent Bio-diesel to diesel to be used on diesel locomotives only on Indian Railways. 2 MW of Solar Power plant at a cost of Rs. 15.7 crore has been installed at Rail Coach Factory, Rae Bareli. The sanctioned work for non-conventional energy on Indian Railways includes 10.5 Mega Watt (MW) with Railway funding & 157.5 MW in Joint Venture (JV) for wind power and 7.8 MWp solar plants under Railway funding. No special fund allotment for Bio-diesel is contemplated since it is part of fuel cost for which provision is already available in the budget. Likely fund provision for wind power and solar plant works is about Rs. 40 crore in the year 2015-16. This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today Suresh Prabhu Launches Passenger Friendly ‘Customer Complaint Web Portal and Mobile App’ Passengers can also Lodge their Complaints Through ‘Sms’ |
The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu launched a ‘Customer Complaint Web Portal and Mobile Application’ (android/windows based mobile App), at a function here today. Speaking on the occasion the Railway Minister said that this ‘Customer Complaint-cum-Suggestion’ portal and mobile App which can be freely downloaded, will be very useful as one can track the status of the complaints which he or she registered on this portal with the help of mobile App. He said that Railways welcome suggestions from the people to further improve the passenger services and valuable suggestions on this newly launched portal can be incorporated in all possible ways, if found suitable. He appreciated the efforts made by Railway officials and thanked them for implementing this new customer friendly initiative in a very short time, just three days after the announcement of the same in the Railway Budget 2015-16.
The passengers who want to complain or make any suggestions may download the mobile App from the URL www.coms.indianrailways.gov.in. The passengers can also file their complaints and suggestions on the web page www.coms.indianrailways.gov.in . The passengers can also SMS their complaints on mobile number +91-9717630982.
Also present on the occasion were, Chairman, Railway Board, Shri A.K.Mital, Board Members and other senior officials of the Indian Railways.
The Complaint Management System (COMS) portal consists of the following applications:-
· A mobile app based complaints and suggestions application (currently on the android platform).
· A web based complaints and suggestions application on URL www.coms.indianrailways.gov.in.
· A SMS based complaints and suggestions application on the number +91-9717630982.
· A link to Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) will also be provided.
Mobile Apps
· Indian Railways are launching the first mobile phone App for registering passenger complaints
· The first Mobile App is on the Android platform
· The Mobile application has been implemented using Android 2.3.3 (and above) platform and would be made available for Windows Phone 8.1 (and above).
· The Mobile App uses the latest technology namely HTML5, JavaScript, CSS3.1
· The Mobile App can be downloaded from Google Play Store.
· A fast and user friendly structured interface has been provided to register complaints on mobile phones.
· Complaints will be provided with a unique complaint ID number.
· The complaint will be auto assigned to the concerned railway functionary for redressal.
· Validations for station name, train number and PNR number have been built into the application for user convenience.
· The complaints will be stored in the database
· Detailed MIS reports with various zone wise, division wise, type wise, filters will enable effective monitoring at the administrative end.
· The Mobile App is linked to the Complaint Management portal of Indian Railways, where complaints can be registered through Web (www.coms.indianrailways.gov.in) and SMS (+91-9717630982).
Web based Complaint Management Application:
· Passengers can also register complaints through the Web. The complainants will be assigned unique ID number with which they can track the progress of complaints.
· The complaint will be auto assigned to the concerned railway functionary for redressal.
· Detailed MIS reports with various zone wise, division wise, type wise, filters will enable effective monitoring at the administrative end.
· This Customer Complaint Portal will also be available in Hindi and other regional languages.
SMS based Complaint Management Application:-
· Complaint or suggestion can be sent as free flow text as SMS to the number 9717630982. Complaints will be also be assigned a unique complaint ID number which can be used for tracking.
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AIMS at bringing a totally error free and Authenticated Electoral Rolls
Linking of Aadhar data with Electoral Database
The Election Commission of India has launched “National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme” (NERPAP) throughout the country from today with the prime objective of bringing a totally error free and authenticated electoral roll.
During the programme, EPIC data of electors will be linked with Aadhar data of UIDAI for the purpose of authentication. NERPAP will focus on improving image quality of electors along with sorting issues like corrections of errors etc.
Electors have been provided the facility to feed their respective Aadhar number through sms, email, mobile application and National Voters Service Portal (NVSP) using web services through election commission website. Electors can also feed Aadhar number by making a call at 1950 to state call centres or by submitting the details of Aadhar number and EPIC number in a hard copy of duly filled up Form along with photocopy of both the documents, namely EPIC and Aadhar card.
Besides, collection and feeding of Aadhar will also be done by Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) by organizing Special Camp, Voter Facilitation Centres, e-Seva centres and Citizen Service Centres authorised by the DEOs. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will also collect the details of electors during door to door survey. To ensure maximum public participation, nationwide special camps will be organized by the Electoral Registration Officer on 12.04.2015
Under NERPAP, facility has also been provided for voluntarily Disclosure of Multiple Entries by the Voters. The electors with multiple registrations in electoral roll(s) are advised to fill Form-7 for deletion of their names from the places except where they ordinarily reside. The electors may submit Form-7 through Web Portal of NVSP or at ERO’s Facilitation Centres /Special Camps/Other Centres such as E-Seva, CSC and so on.
The Programme will culminate on 15th August ,2015.
Defence Organisation Under the Purview of RTI
Right to Information Act, 2005 is applicable to any authority or body or institution of self-government established or constituted by or under the Constitution of India; by any other law made by Parliament; by any other law made by State Legislature; by notification issued or order made by the appropriate Government and includes (i) anybody owned, controlled or substantially financed; (ii) non-Government Organization substantially financed, directly or indirectly by funds provided by the appropriate Government. Further, no provisions of the RTI Act shall apply to the intelligence and security organizations specified in the second schedule of the Act, being organizations established by the Central Government or any information furnished by such organizations to that Government provided that the information pertaining to the allegations of corruptions and human rights violations shall not be excluded. Two organizations of the Ministry of Defence namely, Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Border Roads Development Board (BRDB) are placed in the second schedule of the RTI Act, 2005.
As per available information, no notice of Supreme Court regarding applicability of RTI Act on Defence organizations has been received.
This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Dr. Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu in Rajya Sabha today.
Nitin Gadkari Launches ‘Shipping Samvad’
Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari launched a website “Shipping Samvad” here today. The objective of the website is to invite innovative ideas and suggestions from general public and experts related to Indian maritime sector for improvements in the shipping, ports and inland waterways sector. The ideas and suggestions submitted through this portal will be further examined for implementation by Ministry of Shipping and the workable ideas and suggestions will be published on this website. The Ministry of Shipping will also select the best five contributions in the year.
The Ministry will also upload the draft policies/new initiatives from time to time on the portal for the valuable suggestions/feedback from the citizen. This will help Ministry of Shipping in bringing transparency and blue revolution in the country. The initiative is meant to engage the experts and common public in the development of Shipping, Ports and Inland Waterways in India and will provide impetus to the Ministry of Shipping in its efforts. The portal may be visited at http: /shipmin.gov.in/samvad/index.php
Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways & Shipping, Shri Pon Radhakrishnan was also present on the occasion.
Sports Coaching Institutes in Rural Area
The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Sarbananda Sonowal has said that the Government of India proposes to set up National Sports Academies (NSA) for seniors and juniors at various places in the country to nurture sporting talent spotted through various avenues. However the scheme is in conceptual stage and hence it would not be possible to furnish further details at this juncture.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today Shri Sonowal said, in order to promote Sports among rural youth the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme involving Centre-State sharing of funds, namely, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA) scheme, under which construction of a sports complex is to be undertaken in each block of the country, both for outdoor and indoor sports disciplines, on land measuring about six - seven acres at a cost of Rs. 80 lakh each (Total Rs. 1.60 crore). There is also provision of Rs. 15 lakh for sports equipment to be provided by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Annual Sports competitions viz., Rural Sports Competitions, Women Sports Competitions, North-East Games and Special Area Games (for LWE affected regions) are also held under RGKA upto the National level. Further details of the RGKA is given at Annexure – I. State/UT wise details of funds released under PYKKA and RGKA during the last three years and the current year is given at Annexure – II to IV.
The Minister said, in order to improve the sports talent of the youth in the country including those in rural areas the Government has finalized a proposal known as National Sports Talent Search Scheme (NSTSS) through which talented sports persons will be identified and nurtured so as to enable them to participate in National and International Sports events, win medals and bring laurels in the Country. The scheme envisages the following:
1. Identification of sporting talent among students in the age group of 8-12 years (for admission in Class IV to Class VI) who posses inborn qualities such as anthropometric, physical and physiological capabilities without any anatomical infirmities.
2. Nurturing of the Sporting Potential/talent in District level Sports schools / Central Sports Schools / National Sports Academies etc., to make them excel at the National and international sports competitions.
With regard to reservation of sports persons in jobs under the Central Government, the following provisions for reservation exist :
i) Ministries/Departments of Government of India can recruit meritorious sportsmen in any year in relaxation of the recruitment procedure, to the extent that these including all other reservations under existing orders do not exceed 50% of the total number of vacancies proposed to be filled by direct recruitment.
ii) For the purpose of making appointment of meritorious sportsmen, the appointing authorities may at their discretion notify to the Staff Selection Commission, in all cases where the recruitment to the posts have been entrusted to that Commission, vacancies reduced by upto 5% thereof and may fill such vacancies so held back by appointing meritorious sportsmen subject to the overall limitations mentioned in sub-para (a) above.
Such reservation for making appointment of meritorious sportsmen are, however, subject to the fulfillment of eligibility criteria by the candidates and other relevant instructions issued by the Government, Shri Sonowal added.
Programmes through Nehru Yuva Kendras
The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Sarbananda Sonowal has said that at present there is no proposal under consideration for setting up any new Nehru Yuva Kendra. There are 623 Nehru Yuva Kendras (NYKs) functioning in the Country as per the details given at Annexure-I.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today Shri Sonowal said, at present no Skill Development Programme is being organized by NYKs. However, with the objective to upgrade vocational skills of rural young women and enable them to supplement their family income as well as enhancing their self esteem in the society and empower them to address issues and concerns confronting their day to day life, Skill Up-gradation Training Programme (SUTP) for women is being implemented through 623 district NYKs across the country. The details of Skill Up-gradation Training Programmes (SUTP) for women and number of participants are as follows:
Financial Year
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No. of Programmes
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Women participants
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2013-14
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6934
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1,36,955
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2014-15 (till 31st January, 2015)
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6241
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1,06, 255
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Shri Sonowal said, NYKS have recently also introduced SUTP for men on a similar pattern. A sum of Rs. 94,69,600/- @ Rs. 15,200 per Kendra has been released in December,2014 to all the 623 kendras for conducting one course for 3 months duration and one course for 1 month duration. Under this programme, 18,690 men are being provided training. The training programmes have commenced and shall be completed by 31st March,2015.
He said, NYKS has organized Skill Development Training for NYC volunteers during the year 2013-14 in agriculture and allied sectors through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) of Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR)/Agriculture Universities/Government Training Institutes. Under this programme, 1766 NYC volunteers were provided training in the diverse fields of animal husbandry, sericulture, soil testing, beekeeping, nursery management, vegetable cultivation, value added courses in agriculture, milk and milk products, organic farming etc.
The Minister said, a third party Evaluation of Skill Up-gradation Training Programme (SUTP) for women was carried out during the year 2014-15. As per the study report, the programme has been found to be very useful for women. Most of the districts have selected trades/ vocations for training as per the need and demand of the market as well as local needs of the rural women. The State/UT wise (including State of Jammu and Kashmir) details of funds allocated/sanctioned for Skill Up-gradation Training Programme (SUTP) for women for the financial year 2013-14 and 2014-15 are given at Annexure-II & details of funds allocated/sanctioned for KVKs are given at Annexure-III.
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Special Awards to Medal Winner in Sports Events
The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Sarbananda Sonowal has said that the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has revised the scheme of Special Awards to Medal Winners in Sports Events and their coaches in international sporting events on 29th January, 2015. The details of revised scheme are as under:
(i) Category:- Open Category Sports:
S. No.
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Name of Event
|
Amount of Award Money (In Lakhs)
| ||
Gold Medal
|
Silver Medal
|
Bronze Medal
| ||
1
|
Olympic Games
(Summer & Winter)
|
75 Lakh
|
50 Lakh
|
30 Lakh
|
2
|
Asian Games
|
30 Lakh
|
20 Lakh
|
10 Lakh
|
3
|
Common Wealth Games
|
30 Lakh
|
20 Lakh
|
10 Lakh
|
4
|
World Championship or World Cup (conducted in four year cycle)/All England Championship of Badminton
|
40 Lakh
|
25 Lakh
|
15 Lakh
|
5
|
World Championship/World Cup (Held one in two years)
|
20 Lakh
|
14 Lakh
|
8 Lakh
|
6
|
World Championship/World Cup (Held annually)
|
10 Lakh
|
7 Lakh
|
4 Lakh
|
7
|
Asian Championships (Held once in 4 years)
|
15 Lakh
|
10 Lakh
|
5 Lakh
|
8
|
Asian Championships (Held once in 2 years)
|
7.5 Lakh
|
5 Lakh
|
2.5 Lakh
|
9
|
Asian Championships (Held annually)
|
3.75 Lakh
|
2.5 Lakh
|
1.25 Lakh
|
10
|
Commonwealth Championships (Held once in 4 years)
|
15 Lakh
|
10 Lakh
|
5 Lakh
|
11
|
Commonwealth Championships (Held once in 2 years)
|
7.5 Lakh
|
5 Lakh
|
2.5 Lakh
|
12
|
Commonwealth Championships (Held annually)
|
3.75 Lakh
|
2.5 Lakh
|
1.25 Lakh
|
13
|
World University Games
|
3.75 Lakh
|
2.5 Lakh
|
1.25 Lakh
|
(ii) Category:- Para- Sports:
S. No.
|
Name of Event
|
Amount of Award Money (In Lakhs)
| ||
Gold Medal
|
Silver Medal
|
Bronze Medal
| ||
1
|
Paralympic Games
(Summer & Winter)
|
75 Lakh
|
50 Lakh
|
30 Lakh
|
Para Asian Games
|
30 Lakh
|
20 Lakh
|
10 Lakh
| |
2
|
Common Wealth Games (Para Athletes)
|
30 Lakh
|
20 Lakh
|
10 Lakh
|
3
|
IPC World Cup/Championship (Held biennially)
|
20 Lakh
|
14 Lakh
|
8 Lakh
|
4
|
IPC World Cup/Championship (Held annually)
|
10 Lakh
|
7 Lakh
|
4 Lakh
|
(iii) Category:- Blind-Sports
S. No.
|
Name of Event
|
Amount of Award Money (In Lakhs)
| ||
Gold Medal
|
Silver Medal
|
Bronze Medal
| ||
1
|
IBSA World Championship
|
10 Lakh
|
7 Lakh
|
4 Lakh
|
(iv) Category:- Deaf-Sports
S. No.
|
Name of Event
|
Amount of Award Money (In Lakhs)
| ||
Gold Medal
|
Silver Medal
|
Bronze Medal
| ||
1
|
Deaflympics
|
15 Lakh
|
10 Lakh
|
5 Lakh
|
(v) Category:- Special Olympics-Sports
S. No.
|
Name of Event
|
Amount of Award Money (In Lakhs)
| ||
Gold Medal
|
Silver Medal
|
Bronze Medal
| ||
1
|
Special Olympics (Summer/Winter)
|
5 Lakh
|
3 Lakh
|
1 Lakh
|
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today Shri Sonowal said, Sportspersons including those belonging to the discipline of badminton are conferred with National Sports Awards such as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Awards and Dhyanchand Awards in recognition of their outstanding achievements and contributions. Ms. Saina Nehwal, Badminton player, has already been conferred with Arjuna Award (2009), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (2010) and Padma Shri award (2010).
He said, the responsibility for promotion of specific sports disciplines is that of the concerned National Sports Federations. However, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and the Sports Authority of India complement the efforts National Sports Federations under their various schemes aimed at broad-basing of sports and promotion of excellence in sports.
Funds for Development of Youth
The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Sarbananda Sonowal has said that the details of the schemes/programmes of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India for the development of youths in various parts of the country are as under:
Department of Youth Affairs:
(i) Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS)
(ii) National Service Scheme (NSS)
(iii) Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD)
(iv) National Youth Corps (NYC)
(v) National Programme for Youth and Adolescent Development (NPYAD)
(vi) International Co-operation (IC)
(vii) Youth Hostel (YH)
(viii) Assistance to Organisation of Scouts and Guides
(ix) National Young Leaders Programme (New Scheme)
Department of Sports:
(x) Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA)
(xi) Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme
(xii) Scheme of Assistance to National Sports Federations (NSFs)
(xiii) National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)
(xiv) Scheme of Human Resource Development in Sports
(xv) Scheme of Special Cash Awards
(xvi) Scheme of Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons
(xvii) Scheme of National Sports Awards
(xviii) National Welfare Fund for Sportspersons
(xix) Grant-in-aid to Sports & Games for persons with disabilities
(xx) Grant-in-aid to Sports Authority of India
(xxi) Grant-in-aid to Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE), Gwalior
(xxii) Grant-in-aid to National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL)
(xxiii) Grant-in-aid to National Anti Doping Agency (NADA)
The funds allocated/spent for the above programmes during each of the last three years and the current year under Department of Youth Affairs are given in Annexure-I and Department of Sports in Annexure –II.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today Shri Sonowal said, under the NPYAD Scheme grants-in-aid are given for carrying out activities in various parts of the country including Gujarat under the following programmes:
i. Youth Leadership and Personality Development
ii. Promotion of National Integration
iii. Promotion of Adventure
iv. Development and Empowerment of Adolescents
v. Technical and Resource Development
The details of number of youth benefitted through these programmes are enclosed at Annexure-III.
****
Click here to see Annexure:
National Service Scheme
The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Sarbananda Sonowal has said that at present, there is no such proposal under consideration for de-linking of National Service Scheme (NSS) operation from funding for the institutions under consideration by the Government. The average expenditure on NSS youth per annum is Rs.475/- Some of the colleges/schools do charge one time registration fee of about Rs.20/- per youth. This is a meagre amount and not a burden on students.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today Shri Sonowal said, NSS has remained immensely popular among the student youth. However, it is not possible to fund all the institutions due to budgetary limitations. As per experience NSS continues smoothly to function with or without funds from the Government.
He said, there are many elite and private institutions, which are self-sufficient in funding and do not require financial assistance from Government of India but would like to avail the opportunity of NSS for their students. By allowing them to open NSS units on self-financing basis, the limited budget of NSS is better utilized for other deserving and needy institutions. This twin approach provides benefits of NSS to maximum student youths of the country. In the background, SFUs were set up.
The Minister said, at present 2545 Self-Financing Units (SFUs) have been set up in the country. A total of 1038 applications have been received during the year 2014-15 for setting up of new SFUs. A total of 2,34,036 volunteers were registered during the year 2014-15 under SFUs of NSS. SFUs on an average incur expenditure of Rs.47,500/- per unit (100 volunteers) per year for the regular and special camping programme.
Irregularities in Sports Bodies
The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Sarbananda Sonowal has said that a few National Sports Federations (NSFs) were found to have violated the Government guidelines relating to age and tenure restrictions, irregularities in elections, etc. Government has taken action against such NSFs viz. Archery Association of India and Indian Amateur Boxing Federation have been de-recognized, Korfball Federation of India has not been granted recognition since 2012, Athletics Federation of India was directed to conduct elections afresh for some of their office bearers which they have complied with, Gymnastics Federation of India was also asked to conduct their elections afresh to which it has complied. Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and Taekwondo Federation of India (TFI) have not been granted annual recognition for the year 2015 as BFI failed to amend its constitution by incorporating the age and tenure limits for the office bearers and TFI failed to revalidate its registration certificate issued by the Registrar of Societies.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today Shri Sonowal said, several controversies about Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding allotment of franchisees, match fixing, betting etc., reported in sections of print and electronic media, have come to the notice of the Government. Various agencies of the Government namely the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax and Service Tax Department have conducted inquiries into the allegations of irregularities involving the BCCI in the country.
Shri Sonowal said, Government does not interfere in the day-to-day functioning of the National Sports Federations (NSFs) which are autonomous in nature. However, it has framed National Sports Development Code of India (NSDCI), which has become effective from 31/1/2011, to bring in transparency and accountability in the functioning of the (NSFs) for healthy development of sports in the country. The NSFs are required to comply, inter-alia, with the provisions of NSDCI for getting various concessions from the Govt. viz:-
(i) Follow proper, democratic and healthy management practices which provide for greater accountability and transparency at all levels.
(ii) Adhere to age and tenure limit of office-bearers.
(iii) Follow ‘Basic Universal Principle of Good Governance’ of Olympic and Sports Movement.
(iv) Adopt proper accounting procedures at all levels and produce annual financial statements.
(v) Adopt impartial and transparent selection procedures.
(vi) Take measures against age frauds in Sports.
(vii) Hold elections as per Model election guidelines issued by the Govt.
(viii) Comply with the provisions of RTI Act, 2005. Since Government in April, 2010 declared all the NSFs receiving grant of Rs.l0.00 lakhs or more from the Government in a year as Public Authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI, 2005.
The Minister said, in order to increase the level of transparency and accountability in the functioning of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the NSFs, instruction have been issued to them to hoist, on their website, their audited annual accounts and the balance sheet duly audited by the auditors in the Panel of the Comptroller & Auditor General of India. They have also been asked to place the following on their website for the information and guidance of the stakeholders:-
i. List of core probables and basis of their selection.
ii. Details of coaching camps organized including venue, dates and list of participants.
iii. Notification of selection criteria for such events well in advance along with the details of time and venue for selection.
iv. List of the athletes selected.
v. Details of athletes, support personnel and other officials sent to the event along with the amount paid to them towards air fare, boarding and lodging, local transportation, daily allowance etc. This is required to be placed on the website within 15 days of the conclusion of the event.
vi. Performance criteria which formed the basis of selection, actual performance in terms of timing, distance, etc. and the position obtained by each athlete/team.
All these instructions have been made integral part of the NSDCI.
In addition, the National Sports Federations receiving grant of Rs.1.00 crore and above in a year are subject to the audit by Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Government keeps a constant watch on the observance of these principles by NSFs. In cases of serious violations, steps like suspension, de-recognition and non-renewal of recognition etc, are taken, Shri Sonowal added.
Functioning of RGNIYD
| |
The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Sarbananda Sonowal has said that all academic programmes of Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD) have due relevance for the youth development. The Institute is also in the process of reviewing the existing academic programmes and refining them to suit the changing trends. The Institute will offer programmes which have relevance for youth development and approved by the statutory bodies.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today Shri Sonowal said, based on the decision of the Academic Council, an Expert Committee has reviewed the Academic Architecture of the Institute and suggested the following :-
· Re-organisation of Departments into appropriate schools
· Designing curriculum with foundation courses
· Creation of centres for training and also offering diploma and certificate courses.
The report of this Committee shall be placed in the next meeting of the Academic Council for further action, the Minister added.
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