Jharkhand at bottom of Swachh table; government red-faced – The survey was conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) between May and June 2015 covering 73,176 households in 3,788 villages across the country has placed Sikkim at the top of the list and Jharkhand at the bottom of the list.
Kerala decentralises disaster management – As a multi-hazard prone State, Kerala is embarking on a project to strengthen the network of emergency operations centres at the State and districtlevel and bolster its community-based disaster risk reduction initiatives through local bodies.
Do police get away with rights violations? – NCRB data from 2006 to 2015 show that on an average, 120 FIRs are filed against the police for rights violations. From 2012 to 2015, cases with the NHRC against the police have always been more than 30,000, constituting around 30 per cent of all the cases it receives.
Task force moots new panel on BPL – A task force headed by NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya to prepare a road map for elimination of poverty has submitted its report to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and suggested setting up of a committee to identify people below the poverty line (BPL).
Editorials
Labour’s love’s lost – The proposed labour reforms seek to weaken worker protection at a time when the Indian economy is not creating enough jobs, and the right kind of jobs.
Chronicles in unlearning – For the first time in the last two centuries, we are witnessing a virulent form of anti-intellectualism which will leave a lasting impact on the future of a wide range of activities from filmmaking and art to other forms of knowledge production.
ISRO makes India proud again – The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) crossed an important milestone with the successful launch of weather satellite INSAT-3DR using a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle equipped with the indigenous cryogenic upper stage.
On Suu Kyi’s itinerary – The National League for Democracy government in Myanmar, which has been in oice for less than half a year, has carefully charted out a balanced and astute foreign policy under the Foreign Minister, Aung San Suu Kyi.
International
China, Russia to hold joint exercises in S. China Sea – China and Russia will hold an eight- day joint naval exercise from tomorrow in the contentious South China Sea, the first drill by any country in the contested waters since an international tribunal rejected Beijing’s historic claims to the resource-rich sea.
Economy
Cabinet may discuss GST Council set-up – The Union Cabinet is likely to take up in its next meeting on Monday the constitution of the GST Council. This constitutional body, to be headed by the Union Finance Minister and comprising State Finance Ministers, will decide the rates at which the GST will be levied and collected and have to be paid across the country by consumers.
Finmin revises criteria for recapitalisation of PSU banks – State-owned banks looking forward to the next round of capital infusion will need to fulfil a new set of criteria, including credit recovery, as the Finance Ministry has revised the recapitalisation norms.
Small growers apply for licence to export tea – Over the last decade, Tea Board of India has taken initiatives to motivate small tea growers to work as collectives, by forming producer-societies or self-help groups, for sustainable green tea leaf trade business.
A case of canary in a coal mine for Railways – Within the commodities, it ferries, half of the Railways’ freight income accrues from transporting coal from pitheads (and ports in case of imported coal) to power plants and a few other end-user industries. Railways tweaked its tariffs for carrying coal. This would affect economy a lot.
Science and Technology
India to lead global coalition to fight epidemics – India is all set to lead the global fight against epidemics as it is a key member of the newly formed Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) with its headquarters at the Norwegian Institute for Public Health, in Oslo.
Anthropocene: why this naming has risen in the earth’s history – A group of geoscientists gathered at Cape Town, South Africa, and have recommended that mankind’s impact on Mother Earth has been so profound in recent years, that it is time to describe a new geological epoch in the history of earth, calling it Anthropocene.
Indian Express
An Unsolicited Response – Fali S Nariman, in his article, ‘My unsolicited suggestion’ (IE, September 7), subtly but surely points out the perils of Justice Chelameswar’s recent public revelations about the lack of transparency in the collegium that appoints judges.
Unequal by law – draft Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016 bill is exclusionary and highly controversial at best.
From Plate to Plough: Connecting the drops – An enduring solution to India’s water woes lies in buffer stocking during monsoon months and release during lean seasons.
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