Junior Digest

Floor test in U’khand to be held on May 10: SC

New Delhi, May 6 ,2016: The Supreme Court today ordered a floor test on May 10 in the Uttarakhand Assembly when sacked Chief Minister Harish Rawat will seek a vote of confidence in which the nine rebel Congress MLAs cannot participate if they continue to remain disqualified at the time of voting.

A specially convened two-hour-long session during which the President’s Rule will be kept in abeyance will be held between 11 AM and 1 PM for a “single agenda” of floor test, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh said.

The Bench took a decision to keep away the rebel Congress MLAs from participating in the floor test by observing that “if they (disqualified MLAs) have the same status” at the time of vote of confidence, they cannot participate in the House.

Significantly, the MLAs’ plea against the disqualification is pending before the Uttarakhand High Court which is likely to hear the matter tomorrow.

The apex court said, “However, our observation in praesenti will not cause any kind of prejudice to the merits of the case of disqualified Members of Legislative Assembly, which is sub-judice before the High Court.”

This probably leaves scope for the MLAs to participate if the High Court gives some relief to them.

The bench made these observations after recording the submission of senior advoate C A Sundaram, appearing for the disqualified MLAs.

“His (Sundaram) submission is that the disqualified Members should be allowed to vote, though their votes may not be counted as long as the disqualification remains. This Court cannot direct them to participate in the Assembly. We say no more on this score,” the bench said.

The proceedings were directed to be “video-graphed” by the apex court which said the confidence vote will take place by division under the watch of the Principal Secretary, Legislative Assembly.

The top court said before the floor test will be initiated, the President rule will be kept in abeyance from 10:30 AM to 0100 PM and during that period the Governor shall remain in-charge of the State.

It said the result of the voting shall be placed before it at 10:30 AM on May 11, 2016, in a sealed cover by the Principal Secretary, Legislative Assembly who will come with the documents in a sealed cover and the video recording of the proceedings.

At present, in the 70-member assembly, BJP has 28 MLAs, Congress has 27, BSP has 02, while there are three independent MLAs and one belongs to Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P) lawmaker.

Nine rebel Congress MLAs have been disqualified by the Speaker. One BJP MLA, B L Arya defied the party whip and voted with the government on the Appropriation Bill on March 18.

@ Agency report.

‘Solar kids’ from Pakistan

Islamabad: A case of two brothers in Pakistani who are normal and active during the day but are unable to move or talk during the night has mystified the doctors.

Aged nine and 13, the boys have come to be known as the “solar kids” as they lapse into a vegetative state once the sun goes down.

Javed Akram, a professor of medicine at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he had no idea what was causing the symptoms.

“We took this case as a challenge. Our doctors are doing medical tests to determine why these kids remain active in the day but cannot open their eyes, why they cannot talk or eat when sun goes down,” he said, as he visited the pair at his hospital.

Akram said the government was providing free medical care to the siblings, who come from an impoverished family.

The brothers are undergoing extensive medical testing in the capital, Islamabad, and samples of their blood have been sent to overseas specialists for further examination, he said. Researchers are also collecting soil and air samples from the family’s home village.

Mohammad Hashim, the father of the two brothers, comes from a village near Quetta, the capital of southwestern Baluchistan province. He and his wife are first cousins and two of their six children died at an early age. Their other two children have not displayed any unusual symptoms.

His simple theory: “I think my sons get energy from sun.”

But doctors have already dismissed the idea that sunlight plays a role, noting that the boys can move during the day even when kept in a dark room or during a rainstorm.

During the day, 13-year old Shoaib Ahmed and his brother Abdul Rashid did indeed seem normally active, energetic and cheerful as they emerged from their hospital room on Friday and walked to a nearby canteen to have tea.

@ Agency report.

Five lakh people die of cancer annually in India

New Delhi, May 6,2016: Cancer claims five lakh lives in India annually, government said in Lok Sabha today.

Noting that there is no age-wise data of cancer patients, Health Minister J P Nadda said the disease kills five lakh people annually and while men usually suffer from throat and stomach cancer, women suffered from breast, cervix and uterus cancer.

Responding to questions during Question Hour, he said the government plans to set up 20 cancer institutes and 50 Tertiary Care Cancer Centres in the country.

Under the scheme, 47 proposals have been received from 26 states and UTs. Of these, 14 proposals from 13 states — seven for setting up cancer institutes and other seven for establishing tertiary centres — have been approved and funds released.

The deficiencies in other proposals have been communicated to the concerned states, Nadda said.

@ Agency report.

Kalidasa’s ‘Raghuvamsam’ now in English

New Delhi, May 6,2016 : One of Kalidasa s greatest Sanskrit works ‘Raghuvamsam’, which recounts the legendary tales of the Raghu dynasty whose scions include Lord Ram, is now available in English.

The widely read epic poem has been translated by former diplomat A N D Haksar.

‘Raghuvamsam: The Line of Raghu’, published by Penguin Random House, deals with the story of the Ramayana and the ancestry of Lord Ram and its relevance today.

Kalidasa invokes in this epic poem in classical Sanskrit the entire gamut of literary flavours, ranging from the erotic and the heroic to the tragic and comic, the horrific and peaceful.

The forbears and the descendants of Lord Ram are also brought to life.

He speaks of the ideal couple, Dilipa and Sudakshina, their son Raghu’s valour and generosity, the tragic love of Aja and Indumati, the travails of Dasaratha, the feats of Kusha and Atithi, and finally, the dynasty’s downfall with Sudarshana and Agnivarna.

Composed in 19 cantos, the translated version provides an insight into ancient India, its land, people and seasons, and its social and cultural values that are still relevant today.

According to Haksar, the popularity of ‘Raghuvamsam’ for study and comment in India was enhanced by its subject matter and poetic style.

He says translating ‘Raghuvamsam’ was a wonderful though taxing experience.

“Kalidasa’s narrations and descriptions are dramatic but straightforward. His evocations of scenes and moods are sensitive and effortless. But his play on words, their multiple meanings, their music and cadence, is difficult to reproduce in a language as different as English, though I have attempted this wherever possible,” he says.

Haksar mentions three “actualities” regarding ‘Raghuvamsam’.

“First, with its 1557 verses spread over 19 cantos, ‘Raghuvamsam’ is by far the largest of the poet’s compositions, more than twice the length of his other epic, and 10 times that of the two lyrical poems.

“Second, it seems to be the most studied and commented on of his works in India over the centuries, as far as known. And third, it is perhaps the only work of Kalidas with which his name has been associated in other Sanskrit writing,” he says.

@ AGENCY REPORT.

Germany: Third suspect arrested over last month’s Sikh temple blast
Germany: Third suspect arrested over last month’s Sikh temple blast | world | Hindustan Times

A third suspect in an explosion at a Sikh temple in Germany’s Essen city last month was arrested.

Police said the male suspect was arrested in Essen on Wednesday evening but gave no further details. They said in a statement that investigators are still working to clear up “the events and structures” behind the bombing.

Three people were wounded in the blast April 16, one of them seriously. Regional officials have said that the two 16-year-old suspects already arrested sympathized with the Islamic State group and one of them had been in a violence prevention program aimed at Islamic extremists.

Essen police chief Frank Richter has called the attack an act of terror.

@ Agency report.

Admission to private medical colleges only via NEET, clarifies SC

Unaided private medical colleges across the country cannot be permitted to go ahead with their pre-scheduled tests for admissions to MBBS and BDS courses in addition to the recently revived single-window entrance NEET, the Supreme Court said on Thursday.

“There is no question of allowing any exam by private institutions,” a three-judge bench headed by Justice AR Dave said when some lawyers sought clarification on the fate of the entrance tests which have either been conducted or about to be held by the private colleges.

The court is hearing petitions from various states and private medical colleges association seeking stay on the order that allowed NEET for this academic year.

In another key development, the bench, also comprising justices Shiva Kirti Singh and Adarsh Kumar Goel, asked Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar to take instruction from the Centre on feasibility of allowing some states, which have already conducted their separate entrance tests, to continue with the admission process for the current academic session.

It also asked Kumar to apprise it as to whether all the students, who appeared in All India Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Test (AIPMT) which later became National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) on May 1, can be allowed to re-appear on NEET-2 to be held on July 24.

The bench said the students, who focused on state tests believing that they had better chances of being selected and did not seriously prepare for AIPMT despite filling up the forms, should be allowed to re-appear in NEET-2.

“I cannot say it is impossible, but it would be very difficult,” additional solicitor general Pinky Anand, appearing for CBSE, said and referred to the fact that over 6 lakh students appeared in NEET-1.

Senior counsel Vikas Singh, appearing for Medical Council of India, said MCI can come out with a scheme to enable poor students obtain loans from banks to pay their fees and interests of private colleges can be protected.

@ Agency report.

ISC, IIT-Mumbai in top 200 global universities, none in top 100

No Indian university figures in the top 100 reputation rankings but the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru and Indian Institute of Technology-Mumbai are in the top 200, compilers of the Times Higher Education (THE) list said on Thursday.

The compilers told Hindustan Times they publish only the world’s top 100 list for reputation as the data becomes more congested lower down the rankings, and differentials narrow.

But they said India has two institutions in the top 200 – the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru is in the list around about the 150th position, and IIT-Mumbai.

A total of 106 Indian institutions received votes during THE’s poll of 10,000 leading scholars, but none received enough votes to make the top 100 list.

The rankings are dominated by the US, but Asia has increased its share of institutions among the world’s most prestigious universities. It had 18 institutions in the rankings, up from 10 last year.

On India, Phil Baty, editor of THE rankings, said: “The recent announcement of a new policy to provide special support for ten public and ten private universities, in order to help them rise up the global rankings, is very welcome news indeed.

“However, the devil will be in the detail and we await more information on the plan with great interest and anticipation. Providing sufficient financial support will be crucial, but so will providing a better and more streamlines regulatory framework to ensure Indian universities can be more open to global opportunities, and more able to draw in international talent.”

The 2016 rankings was topped by Harvard, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford, Cambridge and Oxford in the top five places.

Asia’s top performer – Japan’s University of Tokyo – held on to 12th place, while China’s Tsinghua University and Peking University leaped eight and 11 places to reach the 18th and 21st place.

Paul Blackmore, professor of higher education at King’s College London’s Policy Institute, said Asia’s stronger performance is the result of “undoubted growth in university systems” and “of more being known (about them) among those giving a view”.

“We’ve had a highly Anglo-Saxon view of higher education for many years, and that can’t be sustained for much longer,” he said.

@ Agency report.

NGT asks Delhi govt to plant 2K saplings in lieu of 216 trees

New Delhi : Expressing concern over reckless felling of trees in large numbers, the National Green Tribunal today directed Delhi government to plant 2,000 trees for chopping 216 trees in a residential colony in north east Delhi.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also pulled up the Chief Engineer of Public Works Department and warned him of imposing costs if he failed to abide by the orders of the tribunal.

“Respondents shall do afforestation of 2,000 trees in lieu of 216 trees felled in Yamuna Vihar,” the bench said.

The tribunal had earlier restrained the city government from felling trees till further directions and directed filing of a contempt petition against it for defying its orders.

The direction came while hearing a plea by advocate S D Windlesh who had alleged that in a service lane of four square metres in a Yamuna Vihar colony, the PWD had cut nearly 400 trees without permission to widen the road.

The plea had said the service lane had a 15 metre-long lush green belt of trees which attracted residents in the mornings for walking, jogging and enjoying fresh air, but all of it was detroyed.

@ Agency report.

Govt retires 33 tax officials for non-performance

New Delhi : Cracking the whip on non-performing officials, the government for the first time has prematurely retired 33 tax officers including seven Group ‘A’ officers.

In a statement issued today, the Finance Ministry further said 72 officers have been dismissed including six Group ‘A’ officers in other departmental/disciplinary actions in the last two years.

“There is a general perception that no action is taken against the defaulting tax officials for their non-performance as well as in case of harassing the tax assesses among others,” it said. “The present government has taken various steps to change this perception.”

For the first time, 33 officers/officials of the Revenue Services, including seven Group ‘A’ officers, have been prematurely retired for non-performance under Rule 56(j) of CCS (Pension) Rules, the statement read.

@ Agency report.

Wrong depiction of India map can land you in jail, 100 cr fine

New Delhi, May 5 ,2016 : Wrong depiction of the map of India could land the violators in jail with a maximum term of seven years and fine upto Rs 100 crore.

This measure has been envisaged by the government against the backdrop of instances where certain social networking sites showed Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as part of Pakistan and China respectively.

Recently, ‘Twitter’ had shown the geographical location of Kashmir in China and Jammu in Pakistan triggering protests from the Indian government after which it was corrected.

According to the draft ‘The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016’, it will be mandatory to take permission from a government authority before acquiring, disseminating, publishing or distributing any geospatial information of India.

“No person shall depict, disseminate, publish or distribute any wrong or false topographic information of India including international boundaries through internet platforms or online services or in any electronic or physical form.

“Whoever acquired any geospatial information of India in contravention of the law shall be punished with a fine ranging from Rs 1 crore to Rs 100 crore and/ or imprisonment for a period upto seven years,” according to the draft bill.

Geospatial Information means geospatial imagery or data acquired through space or aerial platforms such as satellite, aircrafts, airships, balloons, unmanned aerial vehicles including value addition or graphical or digital data depicting natural or man-made physical features, phenomenon or boundaries of the earth or any information related thereto including surveys, charts, maps, terrestrial photos referenced to co-ordinate system and having attributes.

The government also proposed to set up a Security Vetting Authority to carry out security vetting of the Geospatial Information of India in a time bound manner and as per the regulations framed by an apex committee.

The Security Vetting Authority shall consist of an officer of the rank of Joint Secretary to the government of India or above as chairman and two members–one a technical expert and the other, a national security expert.

“Any person who wants to acquire, disseminate, publish or distribute any geospatial information of India, may make an application alongwith requisite fees to the Authority for security vetting of such geospatial information and licence thereof to acquire, disseminate, publish or distribute such Geospatial Information in any electronic or physical form,” the draft bill says.

@ Agency report.

Can whatsApp message be treated as petition? SC to hear

New Delhi, May 5 ,2016 : A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur faced the peculiar question when advocate Ashok Arora brought up the issue, saying he had sent the CJI a WhatsApp message from the US about an issue and that the court should have taken cognizance of the matter based on that.

“We don’t use WhatsApp. You came here from USA for this matter?” the CJI asked the advocate who instantly replied in the affirmative.

“If a matter written on a postcard can be treated as PIL why can’t the whatApp message. WhatsApp can be better than a postcard,” Arora said, adding it is easier in case of whatsApp to establish the identity of sender.

The bench said it will hear the matter on Monday.

Arora said since the Chief Justice did not take cognizance of the issue he had raised in his WhatsApp message, he has now filed a petition.

In the petition, Arora said, he had raised the issue of citizens not performing their fundamental duties enshrined in the Constitution.

He said he has raised the issue of Article 51 A and 51 A (H) of the constitution. These relate to developing the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.

“99.9 percent citizens including lawyers, judges and parliamentarians do not perform their fundamental duties prescribed under Article 51 A of constitution,” Arora said in his petition.

In his plea he said, the world is producing machines but not compassionate human beings due to which millions are suffering and not getting one square meal.

He said there is need to create an atmosphere so that people perform their fundamental duties and education system should make changes accordingly.

@ Agency report.

Number of RTI applications decline : Government

New Delhi: The number of RTI applications has come down to around 7.55 lakh in 2014-15 from over 8.34 lakh a year before as departments and ministries are putting more information in public domain on their own, government said on Thursday.

“As per the Annual Report of Central Information Commissioner (CIC) for 2014-15, a total of 7,55,247 RTI applications were received by reporting public authorities as against 8,34,183 applications in 2013-14, registering a decline of 78,936 RTI applications,” Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh said in Rajya Sabha during the Question Hour.

Congress member Rajni Patil asked the Minister whether incidents like murder of RTI activists were responsible for the decline in the number of applications. He also said the number of RTI applications pending with public authorities as on April 1, 2013 was 1,28,447 compared to 89,785 as on April, 2014 which also showed a decline of 30.09 percent over the previous year.

Singh replied that the “primary reason” for this trend was that “more departments are putting information in public domain suo motu”. Citing the example of Department of Personnel and Training which he heads, the minister said the orders related to transfer of officers are put on the website even before it reaches the concerned official.

@Agency report.

Junior Digest

Floor test in U’khand to be held on May 10: SC

‘Solar kids’ from Pakistan

Five lakh people die of cancer annually in India

Kalidasa’s ‘Raghuvamsam’ now in English

Germany: Third suspect arrested over last month’s Sikh temple blast

Admission to private medical colleges only via NEET, clarifies SC

ISC, IIT-Mumbai in top 200 global universities, none in top 100

NGT asks Delhi govt to plant 2K saplings in lieu of 216 trees

Govt retires 33 tax officials for non-performance

Wrong depiction of India map can land you in jail, 100 cr fine

Can whatsApp message be treated as petition? SC to hear

Number of RTI applications decline : Government

Rajan favours higher tolerance to wealth

Centre to states : Adopt Yoga in school syllabus

SpaceX rocket launches satellite, then lands on ship at sea

Cultivable land declining in the country

MMTC Pamp launched New gold coin ‘Tola’

New UK newspaper to close after just 9 weeks

ICSE, ISC 2016 results declared

China can’t have double standards on terrorism: V K Singh

28,000 villages in Maharashtra hit by drought

World’s biggest diamond to be auctioned in London

Nepal’s Oli govt survives after Maoists take U-turn

China to host yet another international conference on Yoga