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Narendra Modi launches Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate
Scheme
Politics
and Government >
Pandit Deendayal
Upadhyay Shramev Jayate Scheme > Oct 15
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
on Thursday launched the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate
Scheme under which he launched a Shram Suvidha portal, Labour
Inspection scheme and Portability through Universal Account Number
(UAN) for Employees Provident Fund (EPF). Modi said that the scheme
is part of the government’s efforts to encourage industrial
development, ensure transparency in the labour sector, give adequate
importance to manual labour, instill confidence among youngsters,
develop skilled labour and achieve ease of business.
Government
to set up PM-led Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority (NSRA)
Politics
and Government >
Nuclear Power > Oct 18
The Union Cabinet is
expected to approve a pending legislation to set up a Nuclear Safety
Regulatory Authority (NSRA) to be headed by the Prime Minister in the
coming winter session of parliament. The NSRA will be in charge of
policies regarding nuclear safety and radiation. The present Atomic
Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) responsible for nuclear regulations
will be dissolved. However, the NSRA will not have the powers to
inspect and regulate the strategic sector including facilities
involved in India's nuclear weapons programme.
Jayalalithaa
granted bail by Supreme Court in disproportionate assets case
India
>
Jayalalithaa > Oct 18
Former Tamil Nadu chief
minister J Jayalalithaa, who was sentenced to 4 years in jail by a
special court in an 18-year-old Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate
assets case, secured a bail from the Supreme Court (SC) on Friday.
She was released from the Central Prison in Bangalore on Saturday and
arrived in Chennai in the evening to a grand welcome from thousands
of her supporters. The apex court passed its order after
Jayalalithaa's counsel assured that her client won't take any
adjournment in the Karnataka High Court and will file paperbook of
her appeal within two months. Also, bond for Rs 2 crore was furnished
and surety of assets offered. Jayalalithaa's close aide Sasikala and
her relatives Sudhakaran and Elavarasi were also granted bail by the
SC.
Government
orders merger of NSEL with parent company FTIL
Corporate
> National
Spot Exchange Limited > Oct 21
The government has issued a
draft order to merge National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL), which is
embroiled in settlement crises of over Rs. 5600 crore, with its
parent company Financial Technologies India Ltd (FTIL). The NSEL
Investors Forum representing nearly 13,000 investors of NSEL welcomed
the decision. However, shares of Financial Technologies sank 20 per
cent, wiping out nearly Rs 200 crore from its market valuation. The
Centre said that it had considered the proposal of the Forward
Markets Commission (FMC) and department of economic affairs to merge
the two entities for better administration of the company and
settlement of rights and liabilities of stakeholders and creditors of
the company. The order further said that NSEL cannot take refuge
behind the corporate so as to unjustifiably isolate itself from the
fraudulent actions that took place at NSEL. NSEL was set up as an
electronic exchange for spot trading in agriculture and food
commodities by Jignesh Shah-led FT Group, which had also set up
commodity bourse MCX and stock exchange MCX-SX.
Others
Rajiv
Mehrishi replaces Arvind Mayaram as Finance Secretary
Politics
and Government >
Finance Secretary > Oct 16
Rajiv Mehrishi, the chief
secretary of Rajasthan, has been appointed as the Finance Secretary,
the top civil servant at the Finance Ministry, replacing Arvind
Mayaram. As chief secretary, Mr Mehrishi has worked closely with
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in introducing some of
India's most radical free market and labour reforms.Mr Mayaram, who
had twin roles as both finance and economic affairs secretary, has
been shifted to the Tourism Ministry.In all 20 top and mid-level
bureaucrats were moved since Prime Minister Modi took office in May
this year.
Nigeria
claims of a ceasefire with Boko Haram, but doubts abound on the
credibility of the deal
World
> Nigeria > Oct 17
Nigeria claimed to have
reached a deal with the Boko Haram group on a ceasefire and the
release of 219 school-girls abducted from a school in Chibok back in
April. But no details regarding the terms and conditions for the
ceasefire was given and there has been no word from the group’s
leader Abubakar Shekau. Many observers expressed doubts about the
identity of the group's supposed envoy. Nigeria’s security agency
has been inundated with fraudsters claiming to represent the Boko
Haram leader. Nigerian elders have also raised doubts about the
credibility of the ceasefire. According to them, Boko Haram has
broken into multiple factions and only one faction of Boko Haram is
involved in the deal. Also, renewed hostilities on the weekend
suggested the ceasefire is not holding. The Nigerian government's own
security spokesman, Mike Omeri, also said that no deal had yet been
reached on releasing the girls and senior military and intelligence
officers in the violence-hit regions also denied any information on a
ceasefire.
India's
cruise missile Nirbhay successfully test-fired
India
> Cruise
Missile > Oct 17
India's indigenously
developed nuclear capable sub-sonic cruise missile 'Nirbhay', which
can strike targets more than 700 kms away, was on Friday test-fired
from a test range at Chandipur. Nirbhay has good loitering
capability, good control and guidance, high degree of accuracy in
terms of impact and very good stealth features.
Obama
names US Ebola ‘czar’ as death toll in West Africa rises
World
> Ebola > Oct 17
US President Barack Obama
appointed Ron Klain, a lawyer who previously served as chief of staff
to Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore, as US Ebola ‘czar’ on
Friday to oversee the US response to the virus. The worst-hit
countries have been Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where Ebola has
killed 4,546 since the outbreak of the hemorrhagic fever began there
in March, according to a report from the World Health Organisation.
Klain replaces U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
director Thomas Frieden as the new public face of the government's
response to Ebola. Frieden had been strongly criticized for his
handling of the situation in Dallas, where the two nurses contracted
the disease from Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola patient
identified in the US. However, Republicans were quick to criticise
Klain, who is seen as a political operative with no medical
background.
Government
tells SC it cannot disclose names of persons having accounts in
foreign banks
The Narendra Modi government
has informed the Supreme Court that it cannot disclose such details
given by countries with which India has Double Taxation Avoidance
Agreement (DTAA). The centre informed the apex court that countries
with which India has DTAA, have objected to making them public. In
the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, the NDA had promised to bring
black all the black money stashed by Indians in foreign banks and had
criticized the previous UPA government for not taking adequate action
in this regard. Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, on whose plea the
apex court had constituted Special Investigating Team (SIT) on black
money, strongly objected to Centre’s stand and said that the
government was trying to protect the culprits. The SC had previously
rejected a similar stand taken by the UPA government observing that
such DTAA doesn’t prevent the government from disclosing names of
persons having bank accounts in foreign banks. The apex court has now
posted the hearing for October 28. The Congress said that the NDA
government has no intention to get to the bottom of the black money
case.
Bangalore,
11 other cities to get new names
India
> Karnataka > Oct 18
The centre has approved
renaming 12 cities in Karnataka including Bangalore and Belgaum.
Bangalore's new name will be Bengaluru. Mangalore will be renamed
Mangaluru, and Mysore will become Mysuru. Bellary will be called
Ballari in official records, while Belgaum will be renamed Belagavi.
Hubli will become Hubballi. The new names of other cities are
Tumakuru (Tumkur), Vijapura (Bijapur), Chikkamagaluru (Chikmagalur),
Kalaburagi (Gulbarga), Hosapete (Hospet) and Shivamogga (Shimoga).
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