Rudrasagar Development Scheme

Planning commission od India on 19 January 2012 approved investment clearance for the scheme – Rudrasagar Drainage Development Scheme, Tripura. The scheme is an estimated to cost of Rs. 14.8978 Crore (Rs Fourteen crore, Eighty Nine Lakhs and Seventy Eight Thousand Only). The project is to be completed by the financial year 2012-13 and Plan account would be closed by 31st March 2013. The implementation of the scheme will restrict water spread area of the lake
during monsoon and maintain water level of 13 m during winter and maintain water level of 11 m for boosting the ecology of the area. An area of 2200 ha with a population of 1000 will benefit from the scheme.

Family Planning Acceptors Increased in India

As per the latest official data, the total number of family planning acceptors in India increased by 3.5 per cent between 2010 and 2011. The data revealed that condom is the most preferred method of family planning while sterilisations the least adopted means. The comparative figures between April and September 2010 and 2011 put the number of couples adopting some method for family planning, including spacing methods was found to be close to 24 million, with at least 15 million preferring condoms to any other means. Condom use was followed by oral pill user — though the number in this case came down to just over 5 million in 2011. IUD (intrauterine device) insertions by women was also another significant birth control measure adopted.

State-wise Study

Bihar showed a jump of 92 percent between 2010 and 2011 in sterilisations, 61 per cent in IUD users, 49 per cent in condom users and 71 per cent in oral pill  users. Jharkhand on the other hand showed an overall decline in all methods used for family planning.Karnataka too showed all-round decline as also TamilNadu, except sterilisations, which showed a 6 per cent increase. Densely populated Uttar Pradesh indicated a 3.7 per cent increase in sterilisation figures, 12.7 per cent jump in IUD insertions, 17 and 18 per cent hike in condom use and oral pill use respectively. In terms of sterilisations per 10000 unsterilised couples exposed to higher order of birth (3 and above), Tamil Nadu showed the best performance at 1834 sterilisations followed by Karnataka (1197), Kerala (1101), Maharashtra (857), Gujarat (510), Punjab (501), Haryana (4170) and Madhya Pradesh (342). The achievement in all States is lower than the all India average of 315 sterilisations per 10000  unsterilised couples.

Doppler Radar System in New Delhi

Indian Meteorological Department on its 137th foundation day (15 January 2012), installed C-Band Polarimetric Doppler Radar system at Mausam Bhawan, New Delhi. This system uses advanced data to give information in severe weather condition like rain, hailstorms and dust storms. With the installation of this radar, IMD will be able to cover the entire NCR more accurately to give to the residence of Delhi more accurate information about rainfall, about wind, about heat, about
dust storms about hail storms. This will impact the traffic movement in the  city, it would avoid traffic jams, people will know exactly what is going to be happening into the course of between 15 minutes to 2 hrs. The data transmitted through this advanced radar system is more accurate than the conventional radar, and avoids the need to monitor radar parameters, and its fine tuning. It also detects difficult aviation hazards such as bird flocks, aircraft and icing conditions. This facility will be installed in other 8 cities in due course of time.

Anti-Dowry Law should be Less Stringent

The Law Commission of India on 18 January 2012 recommended the dilution of Anti-Dowry law to make it less stringent. The Commission, headed by Justice P V Reddi, recommended the Government to make Section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with harassment for dowry and cruelty to a woman in her matrimonial home, a compoundable offence. Compoundable offences are those which can be compromised by the parties to the dispute. The permission of the court is not necessary. This means that those who would be booked in cases under this section would find it easier to get bail. The recommendation would allow
the woman, involved in the case, to withdraw it with the permission of the court, provided she is not under any pressure. The Nineteenth and the current Law Commission was established on 1 September 2009  under the Chairmanship of Justice P.Venkatarama Reddy. Its tenure was fixed till 31 August 2012.

Grievance Redressal Mechanism in Higher Educational Institutions

Union Ministry for Human Resource Development on 18 January 2012 announced that there would be a Grievance Redressal mechanisms in higher educational institutions. UGC, AICTE and NCTE would be requiring all Central Educational Institutions, institutions deemed to be universities, technical and management institutions under AICTE and teacher education institutions under NCTE to establish a Grievance Redressal Mechanism for Students and applicants for admission
before the commencement of the admission this academic year. Every institution would be required to constitute an Ombudsman; person with judicial or legal experience to be appointed from a panel suggested by the affiliating university for technical and management institutions, by the Central Government for deemed
universities and by the regulator for non-degree granting institutions. The concerned regulators would issue the detailed instructions to the educational institutions shortly.

42% of Children in India upto 5 yrs . are Underweight

The Hunger and Malnutrition Survey monitored over 100000 children in 112 districts across nine states in the country from October 2010 to February 2011. The Hunger and Malnutrition Survey report was released by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on 10 January 2012. The survey stated that forty-two percent of children in India younger than 5 are underweight and nearly 60 percent are stunted. India, with a population of 1.2 billion people, has the largest number of children in the world. It was found that though India's economy boomed, with growth over the last few years averaging about 8 percent, the country's development indicators continue to be abysmal.

The Findings of Report

The report found that of the stunted children, about half were severely stunted and about half of all children were underweight or stunted by the time they are two years. However, the number of underweight children was to have decreased from 53 to 42 per cent in the past seven years. The last study on the subject was done in 2004. The survey however noted that positive change for child nutrition in India was happening, including in the 100 Focussed Districts. The 100 Focus Districts are located across Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh – states which perform the worst on child nutrition. The prevalence
of malnutrition is significantly higher among children from low-income families. It found that children from Muslim or SC/ST households generally had worse nutrition indicators. According to the report, birth  weight is an important risk-factor for child malnutrition. The prevalence of underweight in children born with a weight below 2.5 kg is 50 per cent, while that among children born with a weight above 2.5 kg is 34 per cent. Awareness among mothers about nutrition was found to below. 92 per cent mothers had never heard the word malnutrition. Also, the report stated that a negligent appraoch was shown towards girl children even in their early childhood. The nutrition advantage girls have over boys in the first months of life gets reversed over time as they grow older. According to the survey,
the mothers' education level also determines children's nutrition.

Norms are to be Tightened

The Union government of India on  14 January 2012 directed all the states to tighten norms in granting licenses to open new medical institutes, and ensure fire safety provisions mandatory, for launching any such new ventures. The Home Ministry order came weeks after a devastating fire at the Kolkata hospital, which claimed more than 90 lives.The states were directed to ensure that hospital building bylaws provide for mandatory fire safety provisions and without such provisions, no Licence should be given to anyone for setting up any hospitals. The state governments were asked to ensure that all hospitals and nursing homes equip their institutions with the required freighting gadgets, to avoid any untoward incident. The Home Ministry also directed that mock drills should be conducted in some of these hospitals and nursing homes, to see how doctors and nursing staff respond in case of an emergency, and their patient evacuation plans.

‘Surya Namaskar ' Sparks Row

The yogic exercise of “Surya Namaskar” in government schools in Madhya Pradesh has become controversial with the city Qazi issuing a “fatwa” against the practice and the State government gearing to ensure maximum participation of students in order to set a “world record. ”While Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan
has made it clear that the exercise was not mandatory for all students, minority groups and the Congressled Opposition have accused the government of attempting to saffronise school education and divide students along communal lines. The School Education Department has put in place arrangements to ensure maximum
participation in the exercise in the coming days to get into the Guinness Book of World Records. However, the city Qazi has issued a decree against the practice by terming it synonymous with idol worship.

National Policy on ND PS Approved

The Union Cabinet of India on 12 January 2012 approved the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) policy, with the objective of checking illicit production of psychotropic substances, curb drug abuse and stop trafficking of such items. The new policy will help in controlling the proliferation of black money. The Cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The NDPS policy will lead to reduction in crime and improvement in public health. It aims at social re-integration of victims of drug abuse. The salient features of the policy are as follows:

(i) The policy recommends production of Concentrate of Poppy Straw (CPS) in India by a company or body corporate. This would enable India to retain its status of a traditional supplier of Opiate Raw Material (ORM) to the rest of world, while remaining competitive.

(ii) The consumption of poppy straw by addicts will be gradually reduced and finally stopped in a time frame decided by the States.

(iii) On the illicit cultivation of poppy and cannabis, the policy emphasizes use of satellite imageries for detection of illicit crop and its subsequent eradication and development of alternate means of livelihood in respect of cultivators in pockets of traditional illicit cultivation.

(iv) The private sector may be allowed production of alkaloids from opium. At present alkaloids from opium are produced only in Government Opium and Alkaloid
Factories (GOAFs).

(v) Non-intrusive methods of regulating the manufacture, trade and use of such psychotropic substances will be introduced,

(vi) Emphasis will be laid on adequate access to morphine and other opioids necessary for palliative care, a strategy to address street peddlers of drugs, periodic surveys of drug abuse to gauge the extent, pattern and nature of drug abuse in the country, recognition of de-addiction centers,

(vii) There will be a time bound plan of action, detailing the steps to be taken by different Ministries/ The NDPS Policy will serve as a guide to various Ministries and organizations and re-assert India`s commitment to  combat the drug menace in a holistic manner. Only 1 % of the Education Budget is spent on Improving the Quality of Education PAISA, a non-government group conducted a survey of elementary education funds of seven States for  2009-2010. In its report, it pointed out that. The focus of the study was to track the flow of funds from their point of origin to their final point of expenditure: the district or the school. This required
analysis at the levels of the Centre  and the State, district and school. The survey was jointly conducted by Accountability Initiative and Centre for Policy Research. The study covered the districts of Medak (Andhra Pradesh), Nalanda and Purnea (Bihar), Kangra (Himachal Pradesh), Sagar (Madhya  Pradesh), Satara Maharashtra), Jaipur and Udaipur (Rajasthan) and Jalpaiguri (West Bengal).

The Report

The survey showed that the largest investment, 78 per cent of the education budget in India is invested in teachers and management costs while the next largest spending, 14 per cent of the fund is invested inn creating school infrastructure. Only 1 per cent is spent on improving the quality of education. Substantial finances were provided to expand the elementary schooling system. Between 2007-08 and 2009-10, the elementary education budget increased from Rs. 68,10 crore to Rs. 97255 crore. in 2008-09, the government invested Rs. 6314 per child. However, the per child investment in each of these States for 2009-10 ranged
from Rs. 3982 in West Bengal to Rs. 19111 in Himachal Pradesh indicating inter-State disparity in investments. The survey revealed serious delays and
gaps in fund flows across all levels of government. The delays had a knock-on effect on expenditures, resulting in the prioritisation of recurring expenditures
like salaries, at the expense of other key learning-related activities like training and quality. These problems are aggrevated by the fact that little time and fact was spent in developing the capacities of school and local officials to exercise discretion whereever necessary. It advocates for greater transparency and efficient fund flow management, which the survey discovered was critical to ensure that the recommended move away from the current system of tied time-lined budgets to a system that focuses on children and school, works.

New Mission Control Centre at SHAR

President Pratibha Patil visited the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC  SHAR) at Sriharikota on 2 January 2012 and inaugurated the new Mission Control
Centre. Following the inauguration, she witnessed a simulation of the launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) at the Mission Control Centre.
The new centre has been developed with state-of-the-art facilities to meet the requirements for the launch of the Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III and future missions of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The Mission Control Centre, situated six km away from the launch complex, will monitor
and conduct launch operations during the precountdown and countdown phases until the injection of the satellite into orbit. The launch preparations on the vehicle will be monitored using a multichannel closed circuit television system. The President on this occasion also presented ISRO awards for the year 2008 and 2009. The lifetime achievement award for contribution to the Indian space programme was conferred on former ISRO chairman K Kasturirangan.

NMDC Signs Pact with SEPC

The National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) signed a contract with a consortium led by Shriram EPC Limited (SEPC) on Tuesday for By-Product Plant (BPP) package for the upcoming three million tonnes per annum integrated steel plant at Nagarnar in Chattisgarh. According to a release, the total cost of the package is Rs.509 crore. The contract was signed by ED (NISP) G. Viswakarma on behalf of NMDC and V-P of A.B.Paul for SEPC.

Setting up of NCTC Approved

The Cabinet Committee on Security on 12 January 2012 approved the setting up of a National Counter Terrorism  Centre (NCTC) to counter terrorism effectively. The NCTC was proposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. It will be a single window organisation that will  gather and disseminate intelligence to central and state security organisations. A notification for the appointment of Directors and other members of core team of the NCTC will be issued soon. The NCTC was created in the wake of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. It will work under the Union Home Ministry. A senior IPS officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police and above will head the elite counter-terror body. The NCTC will also coordinate with relevant probe and intelligence agencies to ensure that the perpetrators of terror are brought to justice besides maintaining a comprehensive data base of terrorists, their associates and supporters.

NCPCR Asked for Shiksha Samvad

National Commission for Protection of Child Right (NCPCR) on 9 January 2012 directed the state governments to propose a system called Shiksha Samvad for holding regular dialogues between government officials and civil society on the implementation of the Right to Education Act. In a letter, the commission, which is monitoring the Act, asked the state governments to institutionalize the system for regular reviews of the act. This will enable the local administration to keep a close
watch on how the implementation of the Act is proceeding at the ground level. It will also allow the people to seek speedy redressal by raising the issues directly
with the government officials.

5-MW Solar Energy Plant at Phlodi Inaugrated

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on 11 January 2012 inaugurated a 5-MW solar energy plant by SunEdison. SunEdiso is the leading solar energy services provider, at Phalodi in Jodhpur district. The plant was set up under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). The 5-MW solar energy plant is situated over a sprawling 44 acres in the Thar desert. It will use thin-film PV technology to generate 8000000 KWh of electricity in  its first year of operation. It is expected to offset carbon emissions up to 3000 metric tonnes every year. Connected to the national grid on 31 December 2011, the plant is expected to supply
electricity to NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN), the nodal agency for augmenting purchase and sale of power  generated from solar energy under the JNNSM mission. SunEdison also has put in place a 33 KV transmission line from the project site to the station situated at Bap.

Government Lowers MEP of Onion

Bowing to the demand of traders and farmers, the Commerce Ministry on Wednesday notified that it was lowering the minimum export price of onions by $100 a tonne to $150 per tonne to boost exports that have witnessed a decline in the recent times. According to a notification issued here by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), “The minimum export price (MEP) of all varieties of onions, except Bangalore Rose onions and Krishnapuram onions, will be $150 per
tonne.'' The export price of Bangalore Rose and Krishnapuram onions have also been reduced marginally to $250 a tonne from the previous rate of $300/tonne, the notification added. Onion growers and traders have been demanding a slash in the export prices to keep the commodity competitive in the international market.  Onion exports from India declined by nearly 23 per cent in the first nine months of the current financial year as compared to the previous year's, mainly due to high
rate of shipment at $250 per tonne. China and Egypt are dominating the international market by selling bulb at less than $200 a tonne. After lifting the ban on onion exports in October last year, the government had kept its MEP initially at a high $450 a tonne. It was first reduced to $350 a tonne and then to $250 a tonne in November, 2011, to make it competitive in the international market. But, lowering of onion export prices to $250 a tonne failed to perk up its outbound shipment as the kitchen staple from China and Egypt are selling at less than $200 a tonne.

CJI Not Completely Exempt from Disclosure

The Central Information Commission (CIS) held in the first week  of January 2012 that all information in possession of the office of the Chief Justice of India is not completely exempt from disclosure under the Right to Information (RTI) act. The CIC observed this while directing the Supreme Court to disclose communication exchange between Chief Justice of India and the Law Ministry on the question of proposed changes in appointment procedure for Judges. Chief Information  Commissioner Satyananda Mishra ruled that, the procedure of appointment of judges or any proposal for modifying that procedure should necessarily be available in the public domain so that citizens know what is transpiring among the major stake holders. The order came on an appeal by RTI activist Subhash Agrawal on this issue.

National Mission on Monsoon Prediction

The Union Cabinet is likely to giv e its final approval for a national mission to try and improve the accuracy of monsoon forecasts by this month end. This was stated by Secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences Shailesh Nayak here on Wednesday . He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing 99th session of the Indian Science Congress. Mr. Nayak said the Expenditure Finance Committee recently gave its approval for the proposal and it was now under the consideration of the relevant  Ministries and departments. The mission, estimated to cost Rs. 350 crore, is designed to improve the current generation of dynamic numerical models for prediction through better insight of the highly complex phenomenon of monsoon. At present, India Meteorological Department makes its  forecasts based on the system of a statistical model, which makes the prediction on the basis of several predictors. The statistical system has several fundamental and inherent shortcomings. The dynamic numerical models, on the other hand, are expected to come out with better forecasts. India does not have a dynamic numerical model of it own. The goal now is to develop a model that would be India-specific within five years.

Detention under NSA without Valid Reasons is Invalid

The Supreme Court of India in the first week of January 2012 ruled that a person cannot be detained under the preventive detention law like National Security Act (NSA) without justifiable reasons. If it happens, it would impinge upon the individuals Constitutional right of personal liberty. The apex court observed that the State authorities have been granted the power to curb such rights under criminal laws as also under the laws of preventive detention. These laws are required to be exercised with due caution as well as upon a proper appreciation of the facts as to whether such acts are in any way prejudicial to the interest and the security of the  State and its citizens, or seek to disturb public law and order, warranting the issuance of such an order.

Important Information

Article 21 in the Constitution of India states that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law. Article 22 in the Constitution of India has provision for protection against arrest and detention in certain cases. This article consists of two parts. Clauses(1) and (2) apply
to persons arrested or detained under a law otherwise than a preventive detention law while clauses (4) to (7) apply to persons arrested or detained under a preventive detention law. India became free from bird flu, H5N1. The government made a declaration to this effect on 4 January 2012. The states were advised to
have strict surveillance, especially in the vulnerable areas bordering the infected countries and in areas visited by migratory birds. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 is also known as bird flu , A(H5N1) or simply H5N1, is a subtype of the influenza A virus .It can cause illness in humans and many other animal species.

French Advanced Missile Systems for India

India on 4 January 2012 approved 6600 crore rupees acquisition of 490  French advanced missile systems to arm the Mirage-2000 fighter jets. The Cabinet Committee on Security cleared the contract for the fire and forget MICA with French armament company MBDA. MICA are interception and aerial combat missiles. The MICA systems will be fitted on IAF’s 51 Mirage-2000s. Fren ch company Dassault Aviation will help in the upgradation of IAF’s 51 Mirage-2000s.
The Mirage upgrade project will cost around 20000 crore rupees. The project will be completed in 10 years. In fact, India plans to induct stealth FGFA (Fifth
Generation Fighter Aircraft) from 2020 onwards with cooperation from Russia. This defence project is considered to be the biggest-ever defence project and it will  cost approximately 35 billion US dollars.

Healthy Food Available in School Canteens

The Delhi High Court on 11 January 2012 directed Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to hold deliberations with the experts and frame necessary guidelines to make healthy food available in school canteens. The court sought a complaince report from FSAAI, along with the guidelines to be submitted on 25 July 2012. During the hearing on 11 January, the ministry, through its affidavit, submitted that FSSAI has set up eight scientific panels and a committee to prescribe standards of various items of food, including those containing transfect acid residues, poisonous metals and microbiological parameters. The Food Safety Act does not empower the authorities to ban any particular category of food, and its implementation rests with the state governments. The decision to ban the sale of junk food in educational institutions is therefore to be an administrative decision, to be taken by the authorities in  charge of running such institutions. According to experts, most junk food have high quantity of trans-fat acids and are low in minerals, vitamins and other essential  food nutrients. They are also cited as a  reason behind obesity among children. The Delhi High Court’s direction was issued in the backdrop of a PIL filed by social group Uday Foundation, seeking a complete ban on sale of junk food and aerated drinks in schools and other educational institutions.

Politicisation of Indian Jobless Youth is Matter of Study

Oxford University has announced a major new study on how unemployment  in India is politicising young people who often turn to “violent struggle” for a more equal society. The focus would be on North India where, it said, unemployment was more acute and causing social tensions.“Young people have invested time and money in their education and yet find there are very few salaried jobs for them. This has left them feeling short-changed and frustrated. Educational levels have risen
rapidly but there is a big gap between their aspirations and the reality of the current jobs market,” said Dr. Craig Jeffrey who has worked extensively in India and will lead the study. Scholars know “surprisingly little” about the extent to which unemployment was pushing educated young people towards “political actions”. This had resulted in “media stereotypes” of youth. The study would strive to move beyond these stereotypes. “These questions have been largely the subject of journalistic conjecture. We want to find out from our survey whether they feel globalisation is changing their lives for the better; find out whether their political views change when they leave school; and ask them  why their protest groups are not longer lasting. We will move beyond media  stereotypes of youth — for example,
as ‘heroes' or ‘villains' — and publicise the varied and changing roles played by  educated unemployed young people,” he said. The study is part of a bigger project
in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh and the Economic and Social Research Council on the impact of unemployment on youth in South Asia. Besides India, it would study trends in Nepal and Sri Lanka. “North India, Nepal and Sri Lanka were chosen because they each have major problems in providing work
that suits the skills and qualifications of their unemployed. They also have a ‘youth-bulge' in their population of mainly young men. While the jobs market in the public sector has shrunk in these countries, the private sector has not filled the gap in providing secure, salaried job opportunities. There are political differences too between the three countries: India is a democracy where people are free to protest; Sri Lanka has a history of more authoritarian forms of government; while Nepal only broke from monarchic rule recently, in 2006,” Dr. Jeffrey said.

Ex-IM Bank of India Amendment Bill , 2011 Passed

Rajya Sabha approved the Export- Import Bank of India Amendment Bill, 2011, on 27 December 2011. It aims at promoting international trade by raising the capital funds of overseas trading from two thousand crore rupees to ten thousand crore rupees. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha earlier.

Regulation of Factor (Assignments Receivable) Bill Approved

Rajya Sabha approved the Regulation of Factor (Assignments Receivable Bill, 2011) on 27 December 2011 to help micro, small and medium enterprises.The bill aims at regulating assignment of receivables by making provision for registration of the rights and obligations of parties to contract. It applies to all types of industry whether it is small, medium or big. It will help  mitigate the payment problem of the MSME units. Factors will be regulated by the Reserve Bank of India. The Lok
Sabha had already passed the bill.

Telecom Authority Removes Cap on SMS

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday removed the 200 SMS per SIM cap on text messages that are generated by automated machines or sent to it, a move that would provide relief to various service providers. “The TRAI has received representations from the stakeholders that in view of the limit of 200 SMS per day per SIM, they are not able to send machine-to-machine and person-to-machine SMS which are sent by them to initiate process or application for their operational requirements. The TRAI has duly considered such  representations and has excluded all machine-to-machine and person-tomachine
messages from the limit of 200 SMS per day per SIM,” the telecom sector regulator said in a statement. “Such services include providing details of driver or taxi on booking of radio taxi, tentative date of delivery of goods, tentative date of attending complaint, contact details of person attending the complaint etc,” it added.

10th Pravsi Bhartiya Divas Held in Jaipur

The 10th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) was held on 7-9 January, 2012 at Birla Auditorium, Jaipur. Highlights of  the 10th PBD are as following:

• The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad Bissessar was the Chief Guest of the event.
• The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh inaugurated the event. • Over 1900 delegates from about 60 countries were participated this year’s PBD.
• The Global Indian: Inclusive Growth was the theme of the event and the focus was on India’s Social Development and the Overseas Indian community.
• Prime Minister announced a new Pension and Life Insurance Fund for overseas Indian workers. The scheme will encourage, enable and assist overseas workers to voluntarily save for their return and resettlement and old age. It will also provide a low-cost life insurance cover against natural death.
• Prime Minister also announced that pursuant to the law that was enacted to enable non-resident Indians to vote in national elections, the Government has issued notifications for registration of overseas Indians under the Representation of People Act, 1950. This constitutes the first major step to enable Indians resident abroad to participate in election processes.
• Minister of Overseas Indian  Affairs announced that next Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas- 2012 will be held in Dubai for the Gulf region.
• A Protector of Emigrants (POE) office was inaugurated in Jaipur during the event to facilitate overseas Indians and emigrating workers of this region.
• The Chief Minister of Rajasthan announced a new scheme, Know Rajasthan for NRI’s. Under this scheme 50 NRIs from 18-28 years of age annually would come on tour to the state. 90% expenditure of their Air Fare will be borne by the state Government. The expenditure on internal transport and residence will also be  borne by the State Government.