6 December 2014
National:
Govt
okays dedicated air support for ITBP at China border
Government has approved dedicated
air support for ITBP to help the force take on superior infrastructure
capabilities of China on the Sino-Indian border. Home ministry has approved and
allocated funds for leasing of two choppers which will be under the exclusive
command of ITBP for rescue- reconnaissance operations on the border. Until now,
the border force was dependent on Indian Air Force for air support to maintain
its outposts and rescue the sick or injured from the inhospitable heights of
Himalayas where it is posted through the year. For various reasons, IAF
choppers are not always available to ITBP.
Six-month
extension for Ajit Seth
Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth has
been given a further six-month extension in service. He was due to retire on
December 13.The Narendra Modi-led Appointments Committee of Cabinet approved
the extension in service to Mr. Seth. Mr. Seth, a 1974 batch IAS officer of the
U.P. cadre and the senior-most serving bureaucrat in the country, was appointed
the Cabinet Secretary by the UPA government in June 2011 for a two-year tenure.
His term was extended for one year by the then Manmohan Singh government and
the BJP-led Modi government, which came to power in May this year, also
extended his tenure by six months.
Frontline
bags brand award
Frontline magazine of The Hindu
Group has been selected as the ‘Most Promising Brand of the Year’ in the Media
& Entertainment (English Magazines, India) category by the World Brands
Review Corporation, a Noida-based branding organisation. The award will be
presented at the World Brands Summit 2014 to be held in Dubai. The top brands
in various categories were selected on the basis of a study and reputation
surveys conducted across various industry sectors in Asia, including media
& entertainment, real estate, travel, hospitality, fashion & lifestyle,
IT & telecom and healthcare & wellness. The brands were evaluated on
parameters such as brand culture, identity, equity and performance.
New Delhi
says ‘no’ to emission cap deadline
India refused to take a deadline
for capping its emissions unlike China, saying the ongoing climate meet in Lima
was not to discuss peaking year and hoped the world would reach a deal to cut
down carbon emissions.“ Nations are discussing steps for a new deal in Paris to
replace the Kyoto Protocol on global warming. Listing the steps taken by the
government to give a boost to the renewable sector, which has domestic
obligations of addressing the basic development needs of poverty eradication,
food security and nutrition, cannot afford to cut down carbon emission at the
expense of economic growth. The U.S. and China, which is part of the BASIC bloc
comprising India, Brazil and South Africa that had been raising concerns of
developing countries in the global climate negotiations. Under the deal, both
countries agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by close to a third over the
next two decades. China would peak its carbon emissions no later than 2030.At
present, China’s carbon emissions are 9,000 million tonnes and this is expected
to grow between 18,000-20,000 MT in 2030, which is about 12-13 tonnes per
capita.
Keep
kerosene subsidy: CPI
Terming the move to scrap the
kerosene subsidy as “a shameless attack on the poor and downtrodden,” the CPI
demanded that the subsidy on the fuel remain. The Finance Ministry was planning
to take forward the previous government’s policy of phasing out subsidised
kerosene by withdrawing it from the public distribution system. The government
may write to the States to provide subsidised kerosene only to households
without electricity.
International:
International
Criminal Court prosecutors drop case against Kenya's president
The International Criminal
Court's chief prosecutor dropped a case against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta
alleging crimes against humanity, saying there was insufficient evidence to
take him to trial."The Prosecution withdraws the charges against Mr
Kenyatta," "the evidence has not improved to such an extent that
Kenyatta's alleged criminal responsibility can be proven beyond reasonable
doubt. Kenyatta, faced five charges including murder, rape and deportation for
allegedly masterminding post-election violence in the east African country in
2007-08 in which more than 1,200 people died and 600,000 were displaced.
As Maldives
plant burns, India rushes drinking water in planes, ships
India lost no time in dispatching
drinking water to Maldives after it received a distress call from Male
requesting fresh water supplies as the capital's main water treatment plant was
damaged in a fire. India sent 200 tonnes of drinking water through five IAF
heavy-lift aircraft and also pressed into service naval warships to supply
potable water to Male. Maldives conveyed to foreign minister Sushma Swaraj
through her counterpart Dunya Maumoon, the daughter of former president Abdul
Gayoom, that Male was in a state of emergency as its 100,000 residents were
left without drinking water after the desalination plant there stopped working.
Modi
named ‘Asian of the Year’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was
named ‘Asian of the Year’ by Singapore Press Holdings Limited, publisher of The
Straits Times for being focused on India’s development and getting the world
“excited” about the prospects of the country again.
Business
& Economy:
Sikorsky
bags Rs. 6,000 cr deal for naval copters
Sikorsky of the United States has
been selected for supply of 16 multirole helicopters for the Indian Navy in a
contract worth Rs. 6,000 crore. Commercial bids were opened and as Sikorsky’s
S-70B helicopter was the sole bid left in the fray after “partial ban” on the
European company Finmeccanica. A “partial ban” was imposed on Finmeccanica, the
parent company of Agusta Westland after the controversy over the Rs.
3,550-crore VVIP helicopter deal, in August this year. The partial ban meant
the company would not be able to take part in any future defence deals. Indian
Navy, in 2008, floated a global tender for 16 multirole helicopters to operate
from its warships with an option for eight more. Finmecccanica with its NH-90
and Sikrosky with S-70B were left in the evaluation which saw many claims and
counter claims of deviation in the process.
PSU bank
ATMs will be able to print in Hindi
ATMs installed by state-owned
banks will soon have the facility for issuing the transaction receipt in Hindi.
"The government has instructed public sector banks (PSBs) to install those
ATM machines which can produce receipts in both Hindi and English languages.
PSBs have been advised to ensure that all ATM machines have facility of doing
transactions/printing in Hindi as well as in English. However, no time frame
has been prescribed for installation of such ATM machines,. Most ATMs have a
bilingual option on their home screens. Some machines, like those installed by
ICICI Bank, offer a regional language option as well in non-Hindi speaking
states.
DoT panel
suggests base price for CDMA band
A Department of Telecom panel has
suggested a base price of Rs.3,646 crore per Mhz for the auction of CDMA
spectrum, 17 per cent higher than what the regulator TRAI has recommended. Also, the price suggested by an internal panel of
DoT is almost equivalent to that of premium 900 Mhz band, which is considered
more efficient than other GSM frequency bands.
