Today's GK(21-8-13)

Members of the civil society organisations and academia on Wednesday welcomed the amendments proposed for the removal of the clause in Schedule II of the Food Security Bill, which insists that 50 per cent of food fortified with micro-nutrients should be provided in the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Midday Meals (MDM) scheme

However, they demanded the introduction of a clause in the proposed Act that the centralised industrial production of food in ICDS and MDM through the entry of private contractors or any entrepreneur, commercial enterprise or company not owned or funded or aided by Government shall not be allowed.

A statement issued by 10 non-governmental organisations working on child rights and 14 academic after a joint meeting here said food distributed in ICDS and MDM should be locally cooked, produced and processed on a decentralised level in a block or below that level, through community participation.

Examples of Kerala, Orissa and Chhattisgarh have shown that it is possible to provide nutritious Take Home Rations in a decentralised, viable and sustainable manner by Self Help Groups (SHG)/ federations of SHGs with a variety of menus and models, the statement said.

"Ensure that safety and hygiene norms for storage, cooking, and distribution are overseen by the Urban Local Bodies and the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI). Necessary infrastructure in this regard should be envisaged and provided for,’’ the statement said, adding the food required for the implementation of the Food Security Bill should be produced domestically using non-Genetically Modified (GM) crops. Necessary incentives should be provided to the farmers for increasing domestic production including decentralised procurement at remunerative prices.

The signatories to the statement include Mira Shiva, Initiative for Health & Equity in Society and Diverse Women for Diversity; Rajib Dasgupta, Associate Professor, Jawaharal Nehru University; Alex George, Knowledge Hub Leader, Child Rights, ActionAid; Radha Holla Bhar, Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India; Deepa Sinha, Right to Food Campaign; PK Jai Somanathan, Member, National Executive Council, Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samithi; Parul Gupta, Right to Education Forum; Oommen C Kurian, ActionAid; and Sameet Kumar Panda, ActionAid.

The individuals who have associated themselves with the statement include Veena Shatrughna, former Deputy Director, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad: V.R Muraleedharan, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Chennai; K. K Krishna Kumar, National President, BGVS, Thiruvanthapuram; Ravi Duggal, Independent Researcher, Anusandhan Trust, Mumbai; Sehjo Singh, Director, Programme & Policy, ActionAid, New Delhi; Dhruv Mankad, Vachan, Nasik; Ambarish Rai, Convenor, Right to Education Forum; Annie Namala, Centre for Social Equity and Inclusion; Asha Mishra, General Secretary, BGVS; Arun Gupta, International Breastfeeding Promotion Network; J. P Dadhich, Breastfeeding Promotion Network India (BPNI); Mridula Bajaj, Mobile Creches; J John, Centre for Education & Communication; and Sudatta Khuntia, Knowledge Hub, Child Rights, Bhubaneshwar.

India and ASEAN on Wednesday decided to set a target of $100 billion turnover for the bilateral trade by 2015 between the two entities and reviewed the completion of legal scrubbing of India-ASEAN agreements on Trade in Services and Investment. 

During the meeting with the ASEAN countries Ministers at Brunei, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma informed the Ministers about the steps taken by India for elevating its relationship ASEAN to a strategic partnership. Both sides also endorsed the texts of the Trade and Services and Investment agreements for the required steps to be taken by the participating countries for implementing the Agreements. This step marks the completion of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement process between India and ASEAN.

Mr. Sharma said India had launched the ASEAN-India Centre in New Delhi and the proposed ASEAN-India Trade and Investment Centre. A concept note prepared by India on the ASEAN-India Trade and Investment Centre was also circulated seeking comments of the ASEAN side.

Mr. Sharma mentioned about the initiative taken by India in completing the first phase of the trilateral highway connecting India with Thailand through Myanmar. In this regard, Mr. Sharma called for strengthening of soft connectivity between the two sides and proposed constitution of Joint Working Groups. The group could discuss issues concerning operationalising physical connectivity including cooperation in transport, customs and other related departments to facilitate flow of goods and services between the two sides.

He urged the ASEAN Ministers to see the bigger picture of regional integration and the role that ASEAN and India together are going to play in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) being negotiated. The meeting ended with the two sides reaffirming their commitment towards achieving the target of $100 billion bilateral trade by the year 2015.

In a separate meeting with US Trade Representative, Michael Froman, the Commerce and Industry Minister informed USTR about the positive investment climate and sought greater US participation in manufacturing and R&D sectors.

Both sides discussed the future roadmap for the Doha Development Agreement negotiations for successful conclusion.

The 5th India-China Strategic Dialogue was held in New Delhi on 20 August 2013. Maintaining peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control in the border areas figured prominently during the talks. India and China also discussed covered bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest. The two nations discussed several issues including enhancing understanding on the utilization of trans-border river waters, expanding bilateral trade and investment while addressing problems of the large and growing deficit faced by India, ways of maintaining peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas, methods of boosting cultural cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges and expansion of scientific and technological cooperation.

India and China also discussed the possibility of a visit to China, later this year, by Prime Minster Dr. Manmohan Singh. The potential and prospect for BCIM economic cooperation was also touched upon.

India and China took stock of developments in bilateral ties since the successful visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to India.
Future cooperation in the BRICS framework, ways of ensuring an open, inclusive and transparent architecture in the Asia-Pacific region and the outlook for Afghanistan in 2014 and beyond were other areas of discussion between India and China.

The 6th India-China Strategic Dialogue will be held at Beijing at a mutually convenient time.

The Supreme Court of India on 20 August 2013 ruled that the right to receive pension cannot be taken away from a government employee pending departmental or criminal proceedings. A bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and A K Sikri observed that gratuity and pension are hard earned benefits of an employee and right to receive pension is in the nature of property.

The Supreme Court gave the judgement while dismissing the appeal of Jharkhand government against the state's High court order. The High court order had directed the state government to release the withheld dues of its retired employee Jitendra Kumar Srivastava, who had criminal cases pending against him.

Supreme Court opined that the right of the petitioner to receive pension is property under Article 31(1) of the Constitution of India and the state had no power to withhold the same by an executive order.

Haryana Government’s Department of Town and Country Planning on 21 August 2012 notified an affordable housing policy, 2013 to facilitate additional affordable houses in urban areas of the state. The policy would help to encourage planning and completion of Group Housing Projects. All such projects would be required to be completed within four years from the approval of the building plans or grant of environmental clearance whichever is earlier.

As per policy, the projects would be allowed in residential zones of notified development plans of various towns and cities. The license for such housing projects would be given on a first come first serve basis. Under the Policy, the size of apartments to be constructed will be in the range of 28sqm to 60 sqm carpet area.

The project is estimated to be completed within 4 years period from the date of approval. Through this policy, the state government plans to make available close to 1 25000 affordable dwelling units which have carpet area of approx. 500 sqft carpet area each in the urban centres of Haryana.  It will benefit lower and lower-middle class population of approximately six lakhs in the urban centres of Haryana in the next five years period.

The State Government has offered several incentives to the private companies in the form of exemption from license fees and Infrastructure Development charges.

Peace Ark, the Chinese navy hospital ship reached Chittagong city of Bangladesh on 19 August 2013.  The ship is on a week-long goodwill visit to Bangladesh to provide free medical services to its people and conduct academic exchanges with the country's military hospitals.

Peace Ark has 300 beds and a medical crew of 102. The ship is equipped with CT, Doppler Ultrasound, automatic biochemical analyzer, operation theatres, and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) facilities.

This is the second visit of the ship to Bangladesh. On its first visit to the nation in November 2010, it treated more than 3200 patients and provided health check-ups to 173 persons and 23 persons underwent surgical procedures.

This year’s visit is the part of the Mission Harmony 2013 of Chinese navy to advocate China’s philosophy of harmonious world and harmonious ocean.
According to the Chinese embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh would be the only country among the eight Asian countries under the mission that the hospital ship visited twice.
Bangladesh Navy will coordinate the Peace Ark’s mission and doctors onboard will see at least 300 patients every day. The ship will also send medical team to local Navy Patenga Hospital, Ash Alor and Navy Primary School for medical services.

The Peace Ark began its four-month mission on 10 June 2013 and came to Bangladesh after sailing in Brunei, the Gulf of Aden, Maldives, Pakistan and India.
The ship will leave Bangladesh on 25 August 2013 and sail to Indonesia and Cambodia before wrapping up the mission on 6 October 2013. The hospital ship Peace Ark commissioned in December 2008.

About Mission Harmony 2013

• Mission-Harmony is an initiative of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy to advocate China's philosophy of Harmonious World and Harmonious Ocean.
• Peace Ark is on four-month-long trip to Asia starting from 10 June 2013 to 6 October 2013.
• The Chinese hospital ship has an emergency medical support system. Its tasks include treatment and evacuation of injured and sick personnel on the sea, and medical support for troops stationed at islands and atolls.
• In Mission Harmony 2013, the ship is visiting eight Asian countries. Bruei, Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia, Maldives, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on 20 August 2013 issued notice to State Government of Odisha to file its reply on an application that has called for an inquiry into the Kulda Mine Dumpyard Mishap. NHRC has asked the Chief Secretary of Odisha to file the reply on the application.

Eleven persons were killed when a coal dump of the Mahanadi Coalfields Limited caved in near an open cast mine in Sundargarh district on 10 August 2013. As per the reports available, the incident took place, when some people were digging the dumpyard in search of coal.

The application has alleged human rights violation in Public Sector Unit and claimed that the unit had not taken adequate preventive measures for the safety of the people.