Thursday, 1st august, 2013

HEADLINES

• Telengana triggers demands for more state
• Zimbabwe votes in historic elections
• GI tags for Nagpur oranges, Dharmavarm sarees and Kerala's kaipad rice

NATIONAL NEWS

• Tulu in the eigth schedule: state to submit new report
  • Minister for Kannada and Culture Umashree told the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday that a detailed proposal will be submitted to the Centre seeking inclusion of Tulu in the Eight Schedule to the Constitution
  • Nearly 1 crore people speak Tulu, a language dominate in Dakshina Kannda and Udupi districts.

• Government to dilute FDI retail norms
  • Yielding to pressure from multinational retail giants and worried at not a single proposal having come through in the past nine months, the Manmohan Singh-led government is set to “dilute” various conditions, including effecting a change in the definition of investment in backend infrastructure and the 30 per cent sourcing clause, brushing aside opposition from the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Ministry.
  • Furthermore, with the Commerce and Industry Ministry at the spearhead, the government proposes to increase the number of cities to be covered under the policy for 49 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail trade.
  • This will be done by amending the clause to permit cities or States with less than 10 lakh population to allow opening frontend stores.
  • Under a new policy, medium-scale industries, with a total investment not exceeding $2 million, will be made eligible for sourcing of manufactured/processed products.
  • However, in its comments on the Cabinet note, the MSME Ministry has said it does not favour an open-ended engagement of MSMEs with their retailers under the provision for 30 per cent procurement even if they outgrow the investment limit. “The Ministry is of the view that a three-year period from the day a micro/small/medium enterprise outgrows the investment limit of $2 million would provide the required space to equip itself independently to make supplies to the retailer without being covered under the 30 per cent procurement.

• Social justice ministry moots a commission for denotified tribes
  • Left untouched by the Centre’s welfare juggernaut, the denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes (DNTs) that comprise about 10 per cent of the country’s population can finally look forward to education, health care and economic empowerment among other benefits.
  • The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is all set to seek the Cabinet’s approval for implementation of the recommendations that were made by the Balkrishna Renke Commission in 2008 and by the National Advisory Commission (NAC) in 2011.
  • The Renke Report, which has 76 recommendations, included designating the DNTs as a “scheduled group”, with a special quota of 10 per cent.
  • According to a senior ministry official, there is a proposal to establish a separate National Commission for the denotified tribes for an initial period of two years, a separate division in the Ministry, constitution of corporations at the national level with an initial equity of Rs.200 crore and access to free education and scholarships
  • The Ministry is also looking at utilising ‘Aadhar’ for identifying and reaching out to the DNTs. Once the nomadic communities are identified they will be able to benefit from the welfare schemes wherever they are.

• All CNG vehicle drivers in Delhi to get insurance cover
  • Within the next three to four months, all the 2.5 lakh CNG vehicle drivers in the Capital will be covered by insurance policies with provisions for relief in case of accident, partial disability and permanent disability.
  • Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister M. Veerappa Moily on Wednesday launched the IGL Suraksha Yojana in which CNG drivers need not make any payments towards the premium or registration.
  • The Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) will steer the implementation of the scheme and would be making annual payment of Rs. 35 lakh to Oriental Insurance Company for this purpose. The drivers have been advised to contact CNG stations in Delhi along with their relevant documents to obtain insurance certificates.
  • Accord- ing to the policy, the nominee of the policy holder will receive a sum of Rs. 1.5 lakh in case of death of a driver in an accident while driving the vehicle and an amount of Rs. 25,000 per child (maximum of Rs. 50,000 for two children) will be granted as education allowance.
  • In case of an accident requiring treatment for fracture, a maximum sum of Rs. 10,000 would be paid to the driver. In case of permanent disability that leads to loss of employment, a lump sum equal to 100 per cent of the treatment cost would be payable to the insured person. In case of partial disability, a graded compensation from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 75,000 would be paid to the driver.

OPINION/EDITORIALS

• Article on food security by Jean Dreze
• Article on caste discrimination in the UK

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

• India russia help bust potash cartel
  • India and China played a key part in bringing down a giant Russia-Belarus potash cartel, and will reap the fruits of the coming crash in prices for the key crop nutrient
  • The Belarusian Potash Company (BPC) venture, owned by Russia’s Uralkali and Belaruskali, collapsed on Tuesday after the Russian partner walked out of the marketing venture.
  • The downfall of the cartel, which accounted for 40 per cent of global potash sales, was triggered by a decree signed by Belarusian President Alex