Thursday, August 9, 2012

HEADLINES

• Mary Kom wins the bronze in the women's flyweight boxing at the Olympics
• After a cloudburst washing away vital portions of the Manali-Rohtang highway sas restored for vehicular traffic
• Today is the aniversary of the Quit India movement – it was launched on August 9, 1942

NATIONAL NEWS

• Kapil Sibal says final decision on the Thorat panel proposals soon
  • The Union government said the recommendations of the Thorat committee were being examined by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) through specified institutional processes and a final decision is expected to be taken seriously;
  • The panel has considered the political science books of the NCERT in particular and made recommendations in addition to general guidelines on textbook review as well;
  • The NCERT enjoys full academic autonomy in developing, printing and distribution of text books, Mr. Sibal said. The NCERT had constituted a six-member Committee under the chairmanship of Professor S.K. Thorat, chairman of Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) to provide suggestions for alternatives to be placed in the textbooks so that the material can be immediately made available to the learners.
• New Home Minister to examine revised NCTC plan
  • The Home Ministry has recalled the revised plan for the National Counter-Terrorism Centre from the Cabinet Secretariat for a thorough review by its new Minister, Sushilkumar Shinde;
  • Proposed by Chidambaram, the NCTC is being opposed by non-Congress Chief Ministers fearing that it would infringe the State’s powers and result in deterioration of Centre-State relations. However, Chidambaram agreed to change his initial proposal by dropping certain controversial provisions which included keeping NCTC out of the ambit of the Intelligence Bureau and making it an independent entity directly under the Home Ministry;
  • After taking over charge of the Ministry from P. Chidambaram earlier this month, Mr. Shinde told journalists that he wanted to take all States on board in getting the NCTC proposal cleared.
• Bill on removal of judges to be introduced in Upper House today
  • A private member’s Bill seeking to amend the constitutional procedure on removal of Supreme Court and High Court judges for proven misconduct will be introduced in the Rajya Sabha today (Articles 124 and 217, which deal with the removal of judges);
  • Under the current procedure contemplated in Articles 124(2) and 217(1), if a judge submits his or her resignation to the President even while facing impeachment, the resignation will automatically come into effect and the impeachment proceedings will abruptly come to an end. Even if one of the Houses passes a resolution for the judge’s removal, the other House will not take it up for discussion;
  • The amendment Bill, if passed, will ensure that impeachment proceedings are brought to a logical end and also make acceptance of a judge’s resignation by the President subject to Parliament’s final decision.
• Guidelines for reporting on children cleared
  • The Delhi High Court on Wednesday approved guidelines for the media for reporting matters related to children. The guidelines have been framed by a committee constituted by the Court when an advocate wrote to it raising objections to revealing of material details by sections of the electronic as well as the print media about baby Falak who was brought to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) with serious head injuries, human bites on her body, both arms broken and cheeks burnt by a teenaged girl in January this year;
  • The committee had as its member the presiding officer of the Juvenile Justice Board, a member of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and representatives of a non-governmental organisation, media and the Press Council of India as its members;
  • The guidelines say that the “media shall ensure guaranteed anonymity for life to children victim of rape, other sexual offences, trafficking, drug or substance abuse, organised crimes and in cases where they are used in armed conflicts and also children in conflict with law and child witnesses”;
  • The guidelines say that the “media must ensure that due consideration is given to a child’s privacy and protected from being exposed to anxiety, distress, trauma, social stigma, risk to life and safety and further suffering due to reporting or broadcasting or publication of news or programmes or documentaries on and for children”;
  • On interviewing children, the guidelines say that they “shall be interviewed under supervision and consent of their parent (s) or legal guardian or in the alternative, the competent authorities for them”;
  • To protect the identity of a child, the “media shall ensure that during his or her visual showing, the face must be completely morphed in cases where privacy or anonymity is required’’;
  • The guidelines have left the compliance of the rules to the self-regulatory bodies, the regulatory mechanism of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting such as the Electronic Media Monitoring Centre and the Inter-Ministerial Committee and the Press Council of India;
  • The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights shall submit yearly reports to the High Court on the compliance of the laws, rules and the guidelines, the guidelines say.
• New e-toilet project network project
  • India’s first Connected E-Toilet Infrastructure (CETI) is coming up in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala. The interconnected e-toilet network, he said, would be digitally controlled, enabling people to locate them, check the working status, and remotely control the units to ensure their smooth functioning. CETI was a perfect blend of engineering, technology, and biological processing with a cosy ambience and style :)
  • CETI had been designed on the lines of the Australian National Public Toilet Map as part of the total sanitation programme of the district panchayat. He said the panchayat had envisaged provision of hygienic and waste-free toilets of international standards.
• Gyanodaya express – a short note
  • The special train for Delhi University students on a unique India experience started its journey on July 8, 2012 from Delhi known as the 'Gyanodaya Express - An Educational Train Journey'. 1,000 National Service Scheme (NSS) and National Cadet Corps (NCC) girl, are taking the students on a guided tour of five destinations across the country;
  • The students will be given a first-hand experience of their country, culture and its success. A few days ago the new Vice Chancellor of Delhi University said that differently abled students from the university would also be given a access to the Gyanodaya express program.
• Data Rural Application Exchange (DRAX)
  • The Data Rural Application-Exchange (DRAX), a facility developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), a Government of India enterprise, through which the rural people can easily access information on the internet. The information on the internet-like prices of agriculture produce, dairy farming, crop management, pest control, and status of train ticket reservation can be accessed through this system;
  • Considering the problems faced by the rural people in using websites with text-based graphic user interface (GUI) and visual-based GUIs supported by voice over assistance are installed in the DRAX. The GUIs will be displayed on a 21 inch monitor. The user can access the information through a simplified numeric keypad.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Chilean minister discusses why India is the CELAC's first dialogue partner
  • The 33-member Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) chose India as its first dialogue partner because of its size, similar political positions on most issues and New Delhi’s affinity with the causes of the developing countries;
  • CELAC was formed in February 2010. It consists of 33 sovereign countries in the Americas representing roughly 600 million people. Absent from the bloc are Canada, the United States, Greenland, and territories of France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom in the Americas. CELAC is the successor of the Rio Group (a grouping of states in central and south america) and the Latin American and Caribbean Summit on Integration and Development (CALC);
  • Chile is the pro tem Chairman of CELAC, formed only late last year, and its Foreign Minister along with those from Cuba and Venezuela held talks with their counterpart S.M. Krishna here on Tuesday. Besides India’s close association with the Non Aligned Movement (NAM), another reason why the country was selected for the first international presentation was its proactive diplomacy;
  • Chile and India are moving towards tariff reduction on their products. The final list of products and concessions are expected for be finalised in a few months. This will then set the stage for negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the first that India will have signed with a Latin American country.
• For the second time this year, contempt of court proceedings were initiated against a Pakistan Premier by the Supreme Court on Wednesday when Raja Parvez Ashraf was on Wednesday asked to appear before it on August 27 and show cause why he should not be held in contempt of the court for not following its orders in relation to investigation against president Zardari

EDITORIALS, OPINIONS & COLUMNS

• Read this article which discusses the problem with Indian universities
• Read this article about the increasing hysterectomies that have been reported Rashtriya Swastya Bima Yojana came into place
• Read this editorial on the pricing of the 2G spectrum and what it means
• If you have time, read this editorial on Usain Bolt's record
• If you have time, read this article on the structural problems with the parliament building. Not important

ECONOMY & BUSINESS NEWS

• Freebies from Pharma companies to doctors to be taxable
  • Coming down heavily on pharmaceutical and allied health sector industries, the Income Tax Department has in a circular said that it will tax the amount spent by these companies on “providing freebies to medical practitioners and their professional associations”. The doctors and medical establishments accepting “gifts” will also be taxed, according to the circular by the Department;
  • The circular said: “It has been brought to the notice of the Central Board of Direct Taxes that some pharmaceutical and allied health sector industries are providing freebies to medical practitioners and their professional associations in violation of the regulations issued by Medical Council of India, a regulatory body constituted under the Medical Council Act, 1956”;
  • The Medical Council had in 2009 imposed a prohibition on medical practitioners and their professional associations from taking any gifts, travel facility, hospitality, cash or monetary grant from pharmaceutical and allied health sector industries;
  • Explaining the new set of guidelines, the Income Tax circular noted: “Section 37(1) of the Income Tax Act provides for deduction of any revenue expenditure (other than those failing under Sections 30 to 36) from the business income if such expense is laid out/expended wholly or exclusively for the purpose of business or profession. However, the explanation appended to this sub-section denies claim of any such expense if the same has been incurred for a purpose which is either an offence or prohibited by law. Thus the claim of any expense incurred in providing freebies in violation of the provisions of the Indian Medical Council regulations shall be inadmissible under section 37(1) of the Income Tax Act being an expense prohibited by the law”;
  • Not sparing the doctors and medical establishments, the Department noted: “The sum equivalent of the freebies enjoyed by the medical practitioner or professional associations is also taxable as business income or income from other sources as the case may be depending on the facts of each case.”
• CIBIL working on risk index to help banks
  • Credit Information Bureau (India) Ltd (CIBIL) is planning to introduce a risk index that will help the country’s banks take quicker decisions on extending loans to corporates and business houses;
  • While CIBIL is still hammering it out , banks would soon be in a position to ascertain the ability of companies to service their loans based on their position in the index;
  • The Risk Index will be in the form of a score ranging from 300 to 900 and will give a quick snapshot of the credit history of the respective companies. The index comes at a time when banks are increasingly looking for credit profiles of not just the businesses, but also their promoters.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• A new oxidant in the atmosphere identified
  • Scientists have for the first time found unequivocal evidence of another oxidant playing a vital role in the formation of gaseous sulphuric acid in the atmosphere. Until now, it was thought that the combination of OH (hydroxyl radical) oxidant with sulphur dioxide (SO2) was the dominant way by which gaseous sulphuric acid is formed in the atmosphere;
  • Scientists are yet to identify the oxidant with certainty, and have named it as ‘X.’ They found the new oxidant has “significant capacity” to oxidise sulphur dioxide. The investigation into the presence of ‘X’ was conducted in the boreal forest region in Finland. The OH concentrations are not constant throughout the day. The maximum concentration is found at noon and much lower values during night;
  • Since the new oxidant was found to be particularly abundant during the evenings and nights, the scientists postulate that it must be related to reaction of surface emission, such as naturally produced hydrocarbons, with ozone.