NEW DELHI : In order to attract investments in infrastructure sector, the finance ministry will organize a two-day India Investment Summit from February 4, which would see the participation of various global investors.
“India Investment Summit organized by Finmin will be held in New Delhi on February 4-5. Global long-term investors will participate,” economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das tweeted on Wednesday.
India has been trying to attract foreign investment for “Make in India” campaign with a view to boost economic growth and generating employment. Other economic ministries, roads, highways, oil and gas and railways are expected to participate in the summit.
Various global private equity funds and sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) are likely to participate in the event, which is being organized by the finance ministry. The ministry is seeking participation from SWFs for the Rs 40,000 crore National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), which will act as a nodal agency for fund long-term projects, including stalled ones.
Since coming to power in May 2014, the NDA government has relaxed foreign direct investment norms in over a dozen sectors including defence, banking, railways, construction and medical devices.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley has on several occasions said the country needs to attract foreign investment to supplement domestic efforts to accelerate growth.
@Agency news.
Hyderabad : Eleven men have been arrested from various parts of the city by the ‘SHE Teams’ of Hyderabad Police for eve-teasing and allegedly harassing women. Two among the arrested persons are drivers and were caught while teasing women during Republic Day celebrations at Parade Grounds here yesterday, police said today.
They were caught red-handed with video evidence, arrested and are being produced in court,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Crimes and SIT) Swati Lakra said.
The nine men were arrested from different areas on charges of making frequent calls to women, sending messages and obscene pictures, proposing and harassing, stalking, besides teasing and passing comments on them, she added.
‘SHE Teams’ set up in October 2014, are tasked with cracking down on eve-teasers and stalkers.
@ Agency report.
New Delhi : The imposition of President’s rule in crisis-hit Arunachal Pradesh today came under the scanner of the Supreme Court. The court sought the report of Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa recommending central rule in the state.
It posted the matter for February one asking the Governor and the Ministry of Home Affairs to file responses by Friday on petitions filed by Congress leaders including the plea of Rajesh Tacho, Chief Whip of Congress Legislature party in the state assembly which is now kept under suspended animation.
When Additional Solicitor General Satpal Jain, appearing for the Governor, sought to maintain secrecy of the report and the recommendation for the President’s rule, the bench said, “He will only mention the date of report recommending President’s rule to opposite parties during the course of the day.”
However, the bench for its own perusal sought in a sealed cover the report and recommendation on imposition of the President’s rule.
@Agency report.
Panaji : The Goa government is considering banning consumption of liquor in public places to check nuisance, a senior official said here today.
“There are complaints from common people about consumption of liquor in public places, which leads to littering and other nuisance. The existing excise law needs to be amended for the same,” Goa’s Excise Commissioner Menino D’Souza told PTI.
“The state excise department would amend the Goa, Daman and Diu Excise Act, 1964, which would give powers to the department’s inspectors to punish the offenders,” he said.
The department has already formed a committee headed by former excise commissioner Ashok Desai to review the existing excise law, D’Souza said.
According to government records, there are 332 wholesale liquor shops in Goa, besides 9,445 bars and restaurants serving alcohol.
D’Souza said the state tourism department has already amended the Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act to check the nuisance of drunken people at tourist places.
“The tourist places are defined as beaches and other spots, and India Reserve Battalion (IRB) of Goa Police have been asked to take action against those found drinking at these places. It is working as a deterrent,” he said.
New Delhi : In a stern order, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has said schools and Education Department should not disclose information about children under the RTI Act without consulting their parents.
The Commission admonished the principal of R D Public School and Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of Directorate of Education (DoE) of Delhi government for disclosing information about a student to his relatives who had a dispute with the student’s family.
Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu said the principal of the school himself told the DoE that his school does not come under RTI Act and applicant was involved in a dispute with the school student’s family.
“There are several incidents reported that rivals of the parents or quarreling spouses take the child from the school. Revealing the details of the child might lead to kidnap or murder etc.
“During the stay of child in school, the principal and teachers have a duty of guardian and any negligence on their part might harm the student,” Acharyulu said.
The principal apprehended disclosure would cause damage to the boy but still gave documents related to the student, he noted.
“The school should not have furnished the copies of CBSE certificate of the child. Another letter from CBSE given to school granting direct admission to ten students including Nishit Anand was also furnished to appellant,” Achayulu said.
The Information Commissioner said the CPIO of DDE gave all this information to RTI applicant Lalit Kapur without applying his mind and not thinking about the security issues that might arise for the boy.
“The Commission directs the CPIO and principal not to disclose personal information of the students to any person, much less to his so called relatives without following the procedure under Section 11 of the RTI Act,” he said.
He said it was revealed that CPIO did not follow the
mandatory process in Section 11 of the RTI Act to seek opinion of the parents of the child, the third party.
“The request for information is certainly personal in nature and third party information of a minor student and its disclosure may not enhance the welfare of the child. It is interrogative in nature and he is fishing to find basis to embarrass the child or his family not with a good motive and for some unspecified purpose, which is certainly not ‘public purpose’,” Acharyulu said.
The Commissioner said irrespective of the opinion given by a third party, the CPIO has to decide based on his discretion in public interest to fulfil the objectives of RTI Act.
“The CPIO can refuse to disclose even if the third party has agreed to disclose or provide information,” he said.
“During the stay of child in school, the principal and teachers have a duty of guardian and any negligence on their part might harm the student,” Acharyulu said.
The principal apprehended disclosure would cause damage to the boy but still gave documents related to the student, he noted.
“The school should not have furnished the copies of CBSE certificate of the child. Another letter from CBSE given to school granting direct admission to ten students including Nishit Anand was also furnished to appellant,” Achayulu said.
The Information Commissioner said the CPIO of DDE gave all this information to RTI applicant Lalit Kapur without applying his mind and not thinking about the security issues that might arise for the boy.
“The Commission directs the CPIO and principal not to disclose personal information of the students to any person, much less to his so called relatives without following the procedure under Section 11 of the RTI Act,” he said.
He said it was revealed that CPIO did not follow the mandatory process in Section 11 of the RTI Act to seek opinion of the parents of the child, the third party.
“The request for information is certainly personal in nature and third party information of a minor student and its disclosure may not enhance the welfare of the child. It is interrogative in nature and he is fishing to find basis to embarrass the child or his family not with a good motive and for some unspecified purpose, which is certainly not ‘public purpose’,” Acharyulu said.
The Commissioner said irrespective of the opinion given by a third party, the CPIO has to decide based on his discretion in public interest to fulfil the objectives of RTI Act.
“The CPIO can refuse to disclose even if the third party has agreed to disclose or provide information,” he said.
Karachi : Minority students in Pakistan’s Sindh province will not be required to study Islamic studies in future and can instead follow a book on ethics that includes the teachings of religions like Hinduism and Sikhism, authorities said today.
“Students belonging to minority communities in government schools will study the curriculum according to their own religion,” Sindh Text Book Board (STBB) chairman Syed Zakir Ali Shah said.
“The book which has been named Ikhlaqiat (ethics) will be included in the curriculum of all public schools across Sindh from April 1 of the current year from Grade 7 classes,” he added.
The content of the book has been prepared to include teachings from different religions.
“The book has been prepared to include the teachings of different religions, including Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism and mystic poetry,” Shah said.
Last year, Sindh government has announced to include a speech made on August 11, 1947, by the founder of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in the syllabus to promote religious tolerance.
Jinnah has talked about giving equal rights and freedom to all religious minorities in the speech.
Pakistani school textbooks have often been criticised for fostering prejudice and intolerance of Hindus and other religious minorities in the country.
A study by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom in 2014 has found systematic negative portrayals of minorities, especially Hindus and to a lesser extent of Christians, in the Pakistani school textbooks.
“Religious minorities are often portrayed as inferior or second-class citizens who have been granted limited rights and privileges by generous Pakistani Muslims, for which they should be grateful,” the report has said.
Hindus make up a little more than one per cent of Pakistan’s over 199 million population.
However, over two million Hindus live in Sindh and over half a million of them live in Karachi city alone.
@Agency news.