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NATIONAL ISSUES

MORE MLAS RESIGNED

IN

AP

Now 27 MLAs announced their resignation from Andhra Pradesh State Assembly landing the State government in a political crisis. All these MLAs are the supporters of YS Jaganmohan Reddy. Among these MLAs, there are 24 Congress, two TDP rebels, and one PRP MLA. These Congress MLAs resigned in protest against the inclusion of late chief minister YS Rajashekhar Reddys name in CBI Charge Sheet. Though, YS Rajashekhar Reddys name is not mentioned in the CBI FIR or Charge Sheet, as accused, but, his name figures in the details about the case. The YSR Congress leaders claim that there are more Congress MLAs to follow. BIHAR TO BECOME AN ORGANIC STATE BY 2015 Organic farming has the potential to generate over 20 lakh jobs in the state according to independent research study by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) titled Organic Bihar Way to Agricultural Prosperity. Promotion of organic farming in Bihar can raise income of farmers and lead to wealth accumulation of over Rs 1,000 crore besides generating exports worth Rs 500 crore, according to apex industry body.Around seven lakh additional jobs can also be generated if on-farm storing, processing, value addition, packaging and marketing facilities are included, considering organic farms provide over 30 per cent more jobs per hectare as against non-organic farms. This will also arrest migration of people from Bihar to other states in search of jobs.Bihar is an

ideal state for organic farming as it is home to unique commodities such as jute, litchi and cosmetic raw materials like herbals, aromatic plants and makhana. Besides, the state has the potential of being Indias export hub for certified organic food to different world markets, said the ASSOCHAM study. Regional action plans should be developed for organic farming stating direction and target for adoption and combination of specific measures including direct income support, marketing and processing support, certification support, consumer education and infrastructure support, said the ASSOCHAM study. The state government should promote a concept to set up an organic village in each district to encourage usage of organic fertilisers to protect the land from residual affect of chemical fertilisers. SUPREME COURT TAKECOGNIGANCE LOKAYUKTA REPORT
OF

The Supreme Court decision banning both mining and movement of ore in Bellary district in Karnataka, following the LokAyukta report, is excessive. The blanket ban penalises even those who did nothing wrong. While the outrage over the illegal profiteering of over Rs 12,000 crore by a politician-operatorbureaucrat combine is understandable, applying the brakes on all mining and related activity in the district is an undifferentiated response. The court was of course responding to the evidence of large-scale and continuing flouting of mining leases and rules, but would it ban all agriculture on the grounds that farmers were drawing too much groundwater and endangering underground aquifers? 13

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KARNATAKA LOKAYUKTA REPORT The 25,228-page report of the Karnataka Lokayukta SantoshHegde on illegal mining in the state has, as expected, stirred the political establishment from its usual torpor. Among other things, the report holdsMr Yeddyurappa responsible for his failure to curb illegal mining and for supporting corrupt ministers, especially the Reddy brothers. Moreover, the investigators found that a private company paid Rs 20 crore for a piece of land to a member of the chief ministers family, an amount far above the lands actual value of Rs 1.4 crore. GORKHALAND H ILLS TREATY THE treaty for constituting a new Gorkhaland Territorial Authority (GTA) in Darjeeling hills in West Bengal has given rise to deep concern and fear of more turmoil in the state. The treaty has been signed between state and central government and Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, the organisation leading the movement for a separate state. No other political party in the state, even in the hills, was consulted either before or after the treaty was signed. Nothing was reported in the assembly or in the all party meeting. The state government under Mamata Banerjee refused to reveal the agreement, not only before the signing but also after that. The central government also radically changed its position within days. The new treaty has arranged for a high power committee to examine demands of including Terai, Dooars and Siliguri in the authority. GJM will have four members in the five member committee. This has enraged large sections of people in these areas. Another pertinent point is the constitutional provision for such an authority or administration. There is no mention of such a provision in the treaty. Even union home minister P Chidambaram, while attending the signing ceremony, consciously avoided this important question in his speech TELENGANA MLAS RESIGNATIONS REJECTED Andhrapradesh Assembly speaker Nadendla Manohar rejected the en masse resignations of MLAs from 14

Telangana region speaker reportedly took this decision stating that MLAs have submitted their resignations en masse under emotional circumstances. In all, 101 MLAs from Telangana region, including 12 ministers of the state cabinet, drawn from different parties submitted their resignations on July 4 demanding that the central government immediately create Telanganastate. The Speaker noted that he was rejecting the resignations after examining them and ascertaining the circumstances in which they were tendered. Resignations submitted in an emotion cannot be accepted, Manohar reportedly noted. NATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY FUND (NSSF) UNORGANISED SECTORS
FOR

The Union Cabinet of India gave its approval for setting up a national level security fund (NSSF) for unorganized sectors named as National Social Security Fund. The fund is likely to benefit 43.3 crore workers in the unorganized sector. The fund will be administered by the National Social Security Board. The fund was announced during the budget 2010-11 by the Union Finance minister Pranav Mukherjee. The Ministry of Labour & Employment will be the nodal Ministry for the operation of the Fund. RECOMMENDATIONS OF N.C. SAXENA COMMITTEE Dr. N.C. Saxena Committee was set up by the Ministry of Rural Development to advise it on the suitable methodology for BPL Census and not for estimation of poverty. However, in the Report submitted by the Expert Group on 21st August 2009 it is mentioned that the percentage of people entitled to BPL status should be revised upwards to at least 50%. The committee has suggested proportionate increase in the state level poverty estimates also. The recommendations of the Expert Group and other alternative methodologies are being tested through a pilot socioeconomic survey and a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercise in order to finalize the methodology for the final BPL Census.

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NOTICE TO CENTRE ON A PIL SEEKING EXCLUSION OF CREAMY LAYER AMONG SC & ST The Supreme Court of India issued a notice to the Centre and the States on a PIL seeking to bring advanced and affluent Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes out of the purview of reservation. The bench headed by Justice RB Raveendran and AK Patnaik passed the order on a petition filed by a retired officer of Indian Legal Services OP Shukla. He was seeking the courts direction to exclude advanced and affluent Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes from the ambit of reservation in job and education. NATGRID WAS SET UP BY THE UNION GOVERNMENT The union government of India has set up a National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) to access all intelligence data. It is to function as a tool for strengthening the capability of the existing intelligence and law enforcement agencies. It aims at improving access to information and its sharing. NATGRID has been formed to link databases for inputs to combat terrorism. It is meant to improve Indias capability to counter threats to its internal security. TRANSPLANTATION OF HUMAN ORGANS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2011 The Lok Sabha of Indian Parliament approved the Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Bill, 2011. The bill entails stringent punishment for those involved in organ trade. The amended bill will also make swapping of vital organs between willing but incompatible donors legal. Henceforth, when a donors organ is not compatible with his own relative but is suitable for the other, the two families (unknown to each other) can go ahead and exchange the organs. At present, rules restrict organ transplant to between blood relatives (father, mother, daughter, son, sister and brother) and between married couples. The bill will help in curbing the countrys illegal organ trade. The bill also allows uncles and aunts and grandparents to donate their organs with the approval of authorization committee.

INDIAN COMMUNITY WELFARE FUND (ICWF) WAS SET UP Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has set up the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF), which is operationalised in the Indian Missions in all the Countries with effect from 24 March 2011 for safeguarding the welfare and protection especially of Indian workers going abroad. The fund aims to provide on-site emergency assistance for the Overseas Indian Citizens, who are in distress. The welfare services provided by the ICWF includes boarding and lodging for distressed household/domestic workers and unskilled labourers, emergency medical care to the overseas Indians in need, providing air passage to stranded overseas Indians in distress, providing initial legal assistance to the overseas Indians in deserving cases and incurring expenditure on incidentals and for airlifting the mortal remains to India or local cremation/burial of the deceased overseas Indians in cases where a sponsor is unable or unwilling to do so as per the contract and the family is unable to meet the cost. At present there is no such proposal to increase the fund meant for that purpose as it is felt that the existing fund being operated by Indian Missions abroad are sufficient for the welfare of the overseas Indians. THE FOOD SAFETY AND STANDARDS ACT OF 2006 BECAME EFFECTIVE

The Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 became effective in India from 5 August 2011 making it at par with the international standards. The Act was passed in Parliament in 2006. It includes several acts like Prevention of Food Adulteration Act of 1954, Fruit Products Order of 1955, Meat Food Products Order of 1973, Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order of 1947, Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order of 1988, Solvent Extracted Oil, De-Oiled Meal and Edible Flour (Control) Order of 1967, Milk and Milk Products Order of 1992 and also any order issued under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 relating to food. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was established in 2008 WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 15

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under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 as a statutory body for prescribing science based standards for articles of food and regulating manufacturing,

processing, distribution, sale and import of food to ensure safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

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