Brigalia Bam Awarded with Gandhi Peace Prize

On 28 August Brigalia Bam, former head of South Africa’s election body, received the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Peace and Reconciliation her commitment to democracy.The award was created in 2003 to mark the centenary of a newspaper, Indian Opinion, published in South Africa by Gandhi. It was created in memory of Mahatma Gandhi who began his socio-political life in South Africa and struggled ceaselessly for justice and for peace and reconciliation.

Nobel Literature Laureate Seamus Heaney died

Irish writer Seamus Heaney died at the age of 74 on 29 August 2013. He had won the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Seamus Heaney was born in Northern Ireland. He published his first collection of poems, Death Of A Naturalist in 1966. He went on to become one of the English language’s leading poets.

Heaney worked as the professor of poetry at Oxford University between 1989 and 1994. He is survived by his wife Marie and three children. 
Heaney was known for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which paid tribute to everyday miracles and the living past.

Bangladesh Developed World's First Zinc-Enriched Rice Variety

Bangladesh Government on 25 August 2013 released the world's first zinc-enriched rice variety capable of fightingdiarrhoea and pneumonia-induced childhood deaths and stunted growth.

The National Seed Board of Bangladesh gave its approval to the country's first biologically fortified rice variety, which will be available to farmers for cultivation in the next aman season beginning June -November 2014. Aman season is monsoon season of Bangladesh (June to November) and the major cropof Aman season is rice.

The zinc-enriched variety developed in Bangladesh has the maximum zinc content ranging from 20-22 ppm asagainst the world average of 14-16 ppm in other varieties. It also has a shorter maturity period of 100 days against 110-120 days for other fortified varieties giving the advantage of releasing the land for growingvegetables.

The zinc-enriched variety is developed by Dr. Alamgir Hossain from Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI). Alamgir Hossain, a principal scientific officer at the plant breeding division of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), led the long and arduous process of zinc biofortification in rice since 2003.

The enriched zinc variety is expected to bring relief to an estimated 44 percent of Bangladeshi children under five who are at risk of zinc deficiency and consequent stunted growth.

About the project: 

The BRRI breeders developed the hi-zinc rice with support from Harvest Plus, which is a global biofortificationmission launched back in 2004 under the Washington-based global agro-science coordinating body- Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

The Harvest Plus programme, coordinated by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), provided assistance to both Bangladesh and India forpursuing the breeding work for developing zinc-enriched rice.

Ramya become Karnataka's first actress in Lok Sabha

Ramya  elected to Lok Sabha from Mandya constituency in Karnataka, is the first female actor from Karnataka state to enter parliament.

Fielded by the ruling Congress, she defeated C.S.Puttaraju of Janata Dal-Secular in the bypoll held Aug 21. Mandya is about 80 kms from Bangalore. This was her maiden electoral foray. Glamorous Ramya is considered the "golden girl" of Kannada cinema as she has given several hits. She has also acted in a few Tamil and Telugu films.

Born in November 1982, she was named Divya Spandana but adopted Ramya as her screen name. She made her film debut with Kannda movie `Abhi` in 2003. Occasionally she has been dubbed "queen of controversies" also because of spat with some one or the other from film world.

Ramya joined the Youth Congress in 2011 in Bangalore and had campaigned for the party in the assembly elections held May 5 which the party won defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Second ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (Plus) issues joint declaration

The second ADMM (ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting) Plus meeting was held in Brunei on 29 August 2013. The Ministers issued a joint Declaration at the end of the meeting in which it has been decided that the ADMM Plus countries will establish practical measures that reduce vulnerability to miscalculation and avoid misunderstanding and undesirable incidents at sea.

Among other decisions taken at the meeting of the ADMM Plus, was the establishment of an additional (sixth) Expert Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action which will be co-chaired by India with Vietnam. ADMM Plus was established in 2010. It was built with the objective of developing synergy and cooperative frameworks to enable nations to address the complex security challenges. This forum is convened every two years. The Minister of State for Defence Shri Jitendra Singh represented India at the meeting.

Lok Sabha passes Land Bill

The long-pending Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on 28th August after Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh assured the House that the measure allowed enough room for State governments to implement it as per their requirements. 

The Bill is only setting a bottom line for fair compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement in the case of land acquisition and State governments were free to further improve upon it, the Minister said during a nearly five-hour long discussion on the Bill. Given the reservations expressed by some States over the earlier proposal to ban acquisition of multi-crop irrigated land, he said flexibility was factored into the legislation. The Bill will now be taken up in the Rajya Sabha. 

Voting on the Bill went on for nearly three-hours. There was a last-minute hiccup when the Trinamool Congress demanded that the clause mandating private projects to take the consent of 80 per cent of landowners be changed to 100 per cent, as is prevalent in West Bengal. The State, Mr. Ramesh said, could change this provision, but added that it could not be changed in the Bill, which was adopted with 216 of the 239 members present voting for it.

The Social Security Agreement between India and Canada Approved

The Union Cabinet of India on 29 August 2013 approved the Social Security Agreement between India and Canada. The agreement will benefit 40 thousand Persons of Indian Origin in Quebec province. India has similar agreements with countries including Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Malaysia and Belgium. The Social Security totalization agreement between India and Canada was signed on 6 November 2012. The Social Security Agreement between Canada and India is expected to enter into force in 2014, once both nations have completed their legislative procedures. 

Air India Launched Direct Flights to Australia After 22 Years

Air India launched its direct flights to Sydney and Melbourne on 29 August 2013, after a wide gap of 22 years. The flight had more than 60 domestic transfer passengers as well as over 40 international transit passengers, out of which 20 were from London. 

With the launch of this flight, Delhi became the premier hub airport of South Asia, which offers convenient connections to travellers on the long Europe-Australia sectors. Delhi International Airport limited (DIAL) announced that Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport was connected to Australia now, with the launch of daily flights of Air India to Melbourne and Sydney. With this, Air India connected the two continents. 

It is important to note that Sydney has ranked amongst the top 5 potential destinations and therefore there was a need of better connectivity to this place. The daily flight service of Air India is operational with the 256-seater Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner. In the year 2012, 1.40 lakh passengers travelled between Delhi and Sydney through the Asia hubs. 

Right to Education anthem launched

Right to Education anthem was launched by the Human Resource Development Minister M.M. Pallam Raju. This was introduced with the intension to develop interest in the children. Now the children will learn RTE Message from popular public figures in a music form. This is available is 15 regional languages and in English also. Video of the anthem is available in all the government schools. The lyric was written by Javed Akhtar and Sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and Sonu Nigam. This is the joint effort of National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and Human Resource Ministry.

India s first defence satellite GSAT-7 launched successfully

India's advanced multi-band communication satellite, GSAT-7, was successfully launched on August 30, 2013 by the Ariane-5 launch vehicle of Arianespace from Kourou, French Guiana. Ariane-5 precisely placed GSAT-7 into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) after a flight of 34 minutes 25 seconds duration. 

As planned, ISRO's Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka started acquiring the signals five minutes prior to the separation of GSAT-7 from Ariane-5 launch vehicle. The solar panels of the satellite have been deployed and they are generating power. Initial checks have indicated normal health of the satellite. 

The present orbit of the satellite will be raised to Geostationary Orbit of about 36,000 km altitude through three orbit raising manoeuvres by firing of GSAT-7's Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM). Preparations are underway for the first firing, planned in the early hours of August 31, 2013. The satellite will be placed in the Geostationary Orbit by Sep 04, 2013.

                                        All Satellites

Satellite	Launch Date	Launch Vehicle	Type of Satellite
GSAT-7	30.08.2013	Ariane-5 VA-215	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-3D	26.07.2013	Ariane-5 VA-214	Geo-Stationary/Meteorological Satellite
IRNSS-1A	01.07.2013	PSLV-C22	Navigation Satellite
SARAL	25.02.2013	PSLV-C20	Earth Observation Satellite
GSAT-10	29.09.2012	Ariane-5 VA-209	Geo-Stationary Satellite
RISAT-1	26.04.2012	PSLV-C19	Earth Observation Satellite
Jugnu	12.10.2011	PSLV-C18	Experimental / Small Satellite
SRMSat	12.10.2011	PSLV-C18	Experimental / Small Satellite
Megha-Tropiques	12.10.2011	PSLV-C18	Earth Observation Satellite
GSAT-12	15.07.2011	PSLV-C17	Geo-Stationary Satellite
GSAT-8	21.05.2011	Ariane-5 VA-202	Geo-Stationary Satellite
RESOURCESAT-2	20.04.2011	PSLV-C16	Earth Observation Satellite
YOUTHSAT	20.04.2011	PSLV-C16	Experimental / Small Satellite
GSAT-5P	25.12.2010	GSLV-F06	Geo-Stationary Satellite
STUDSAT	12.07.2010	PSLV-C15	Experimental / Small Satellite
CARTOSAT-2B	12.07.2010	PSLV-C15	Earth Observation Satellite
GSAT-4	15.04.2010	GSLV-D3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Oceansat-2	23.09.2009	PSLV-C14	Earth Observation Satellite
ANUSAT	20.04.2009	PSLV-C12	Experimental / Small Satellite
RISAT-2	20.04.2009	PSLV-C12	Earth Observation Satellite
Chandrayaan-1	22.10.2008	PSLV-C11	Space Mission
CARTOSAT - 2A	28.04.2008	PSLV-C9	Earth Observation Satellite
IMS-1	28.04.2008	PSLV-C9	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-4B	12.03.2007	Ariane-5ECA	Geo-Stationary Satellite
CARTOSAT - 2	10.01.2007	PSLV-C7	Earth Observation Satellite
SRE - 1	10.01.2007	PSLV-C7	Experimental / Small Satellite
INSAT-4CR	02.09.2007	GSLV-F04	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-4C	10.07.2006	GSLV-F02	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-4A	22.12.2005	Ariane-5GS	Geo-Stationary Satellite
HAMSAT	05.05.2005	PSLV-C6	Experimental / Small Satellite
CARTOSAT-1	05.05.2005	PSLV-C6	Earth Observation Satellite
EDUSAT (GSAT-3)	20.09.2004	GSLV-F01	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Resourcesat-1(IRS-P6)	17.10.2003	PSLV-C5	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-3A	10.04.2003	Ariane-5G	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-3E	28.09.2003	Ariane-5G	Geo-Stationary Satellite
GSAT-2	08.05.2003	GSLV-D2	Geo-Stationary Satellite
KALPANA-1(METSAT)	12.09.2002	PSLV-C4	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-3C	24.01.2002	Ariane-42L H10-3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Technology Experiment Satellite (TES)	22.10.2001	PSLV-C3	Earth Observation Satellite
GSAT-1	18.04.2001	GSLV-D1	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-3B	22.03.2000	Ariane-5G	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Oceansat(IRS-P4)	26.05.1999	PSLV-C2	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-2E	03.04.1999	Ariane-42P H10-3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-2DT	January 1998	Ariane-44L H10	Geo-Stationary Satellite
IRS-1D	29.09.1997	PSLV-C1	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-2D	04.06.1997	Ariane-44L H10-3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
IRS-P3	21.03.1996	PSLV-D3	Earth Observation Satellite
IRS-1C	28.12.1995	Molniya	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-2C	07.12.1995	Ariane-44L H10-3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
IRS-P2	15.10.1994	PSLV-D2	Earth Observation Satellite
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-C2)	04.05.1994	ASLV	Space Mission
IRS-1E	20.09.1993	PSLV-D1	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-2B	23.07.1993	Ariane-44L H10+	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-2A	10.07.1992	Ariane-44L H10	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-C)	20.05.1992	ASLV	Space Mission
IRS-1B	29.08.1991	Vostok	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-1D	12.06.1990	Delta 4925	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-1C	21.07.1988	Ariane-3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-2)	13.07.1988	ASLV	Earth Observation Satellite
IRS-1A	17.03.1988	Vostok	Earth Observation Satellite
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-1)	24.03.1987	ASLV	Space Mission
INSAT-1B	30.08.1983	Shuttle [PAM-D]	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Rohini (RS-D2)	17.04.1983	SLV-3	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-1A	10.04.1982	Delta 3910 PAM-D	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Bhaskara-II	20.11.1981	C-1 Intercosmos	Earth Observation Satellite
Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment (APPLE)	19.06.1981	Ariane-1(V-3)	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Rohini (RS-D1)	31.05.1981	SLV-3	Earth Observation Satellite
Rohini (RS-1)	18.07.1980	SLV-3	Experimental / Small Satellite
Rohini Technology Payload (RTP)	10.08.1979	SLV-3	Experimental / Small Satellite
Bhaskara-I	07.06.1979	C-1 Intercosmos	Earth Observation Satellite
Aryabhata	19.04.1975	C-1 Intercosmos	Experimental / Small Satellite

Nelson Mandela became the First Recipient of the Mahathir Award

The former South African President Nelson Mandela won the inaugural Mahathir Award for Global Peace on 27th August. Current South African President Jacob Zuma accepted the award on behalf of Mandela. Nelson Mandela is in a critical condition in a hospital in Pretoria.

The Mahathir Award for Global Peace is a peace award instituted by the Mahathir Global Peace Foundation. The foundation was formed to contribute to worldwide peace efforts. The Mahathir Award for Global Peace will be given annually to recognise those who have made considerable efforts in promoting peace. Mahathir bin Mohamad is a Malaysian politician who was the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the post for 22 years from 1981 to 2003, making him Malaysia's longest serving Prime Minister.

Malala Yousafzai won 2013 International Children's Peace Prize

Malala Yousafzai won the International Children’s Peace Prize 2013 on 27th August. She will receive the award from 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner and women's rights campaigner Tawakkol Karman at a ceremony in The Hague on 6 September 2013. The peace prize carries a cash value of 100000 euros (133000 US dollars) which is invested in projects relating to the winner's cause.

The prize is presented annually to an exceptional child, who’s courageous or otherwise remarkable actions have made a difference in countering problems, which affect children around the world. The motivation behind the prize is to provide a platform to children to express their ideas and personal involvement in children’s rights. KidsRights feels that children should be recognized, awarded and motivated in their fierce efforts to improve their own situation and that of the children in their environment and even the world.

Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru National Award

Eminent Sarod player Rajiv Taranath of Mysore  has been selected for this year’s Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru National Award, instituted by the Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru National Memorial Trust.Hindustani classical vocalist Kaushik Aithal of Bangalore and tabla player Anubrata Chatterjee of Kolkata has been chosen for the young artiste award. Mr. Taranath will get a purse of Rs. 1 lakh and a citation, while Mr. Aithal and Mr. Kaushik will be presented a purse of Rs. 25,000 each. Mr. Taranath is the only Sarod player in south India. Kaushik Aithal is an up-and-coming Hindustani classical vocalist from Bangalore.Mr. Chatterjee, a popular name among young tabla artistes, has accompanied stalwarts such as Hariprasad Chaurasia, Amjad Ali Khan, and Shiv Kumar Sharma.

Honoris Causa (Doctorate) by the Maulana Azad National Urdu University

Justice Rajendar Sachar (Chairman of Sachar Committee) and film actor Aamir Khan will be conferred Honoris Causa (Doctorate) by the Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad during its fifth convocation to be held on August 24th at Global Peace Auditorium in university premises. Union HRD Minister Dr M.M. Pallam Raju will be the Chief Guest while Dr. Syeda Saiyidain Hameed, Chancellor of Urdu University will preside over the convocation.

Kapil Parakh Selected for White House Fellowship 2013-14

Kapil Parakh (Person of Indian Origin), a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins has been selected for the prestigious White House Fellowship for the year 2013-14 along with 11 others. Kapil Parakh is a co-founder of Health for America, a non-profit organisation that mobilises youth to improve the health of communities through innovation while shaping the next generation of leaders. He was selected in a national competition based on a record of professional achievement, evidence of leadership potential, and a proved commitment to public service. Kapil Parakh is the Director of Heart Failure Programs at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Centre and holds Assistant Professor's post in the Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Behaviour & Society at the Johns Hopkins.The White House Fellows Program is one of America's most prestigious programs for leadership and public service.

Prime Minister Approved Deepak Sandhu as Chief Information Commissioner

Prime Minister Approved Deepak Sandhu as Chief Information Commissioner. Earlier she acted as Media Adviser to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Currently Satyanand Mishra is acting as CIC. Her appointment is approved by Prime Minister and File sent to the President for final approval. Ms.Sindhu is serving as Information Commissioner in Central Information Commission. Other roles of her are Registrar of Newspaper of India, Director for the Directorate of Film Festivals and Press Registrar, Director General for News All India Radio, Principle Director General for Media and Communication in Press Information Bureau.

Second ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (Plus) issued the Joint Declaration

The second ADMM (ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting) Plus meeting was held in Brunei on 29 August 2013. The Ministers issued a joint Declaration at the end of the meeting in which it has been decided that the ADMM Plus countries will establish practical measures that reduce vulnerability to miscalculation and avoid misunderstanding and undesirable incidents at sea. Among other decisions taken at the meeting of the ADMM Plus, was the establishment of an additional (sixth) Expert Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action which will be co-chaired by India with Vietnam. ADMM Plus was established in 2010. It was built with the objective of developing synergy and cooperative frameworks to enable nations to address the complex security challenges. This forum is convened every two years. The Minister of State for Defence Shri Jitendra Singh represented India at the meeting.

Achievement of Millennium Development Goals

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) report -2013 released by the United Nations has presented data on progress made towards the Millennium Development Goals and targets for the world as a whole and for sub-regions, each sub-region comprising of a group of countries. Separate data to indicate India’s progress on Maternal Mortality Ratio and Infant Mortality Rate are not available in this report. 

However, as per the official estimates of Registrar General of India (RGI-SRS) Sample Registration System (SRS), Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has declined from 301 per 100,000 live births in 2001-03 to 212 per 100,000 live births in 2007-09 and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has declined from 66 per 1000 live births in 2001 to 44 per 1000 live births in 2011. 

The key steps taken to accelerate the pace of reduction of Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) towards achieving the MDG Goals -2015 are: 

• Promotion of institutional deliveries through Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY). 

• Operationalization of sub-centres, Primary Health Centers, Community Health Centres and District Hospitals for providing 24x7 basic and comprehensive obstetric care, neonatal, infant and child care services. 

• Capacity building of health care providers in basic and comprehensive obstetric care, Integrated Management of Neo-natal and Childhood Illness (IMNCI) and Navjaat Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (NSSK) etc. 

• Mother and Child Protection Card in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development to monitor service delivery for mothers and children. 

• Name based web enabled tracking of pregnant women & children has been introduced to ensure optimal antenatal, intra-natal and postnatal care to pregnant women and care to newborns, infants and children. 

• Identifying the severely anaemic cases among pregnant women at sub centres and PHCs for their timely management

• Antenatal, Intra-natal and Postnatal care including Iron and Folic Acid supplementation to pregnant, lactating women and Iron and Folic Acid supplementation to children and adolescents for prevention and treatment of anaemia. 

• To tackle the problem of anaemia due to malaria particularly in pregnant women and children, Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs) and Insecticide Treated Bed Nets (ITBNs) are being distributed in endemic areas. 

• Management of Malnutrition particularly Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) by establishing Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs). 

• Exclusive breastfeeding for first six months and appropriate infant and young child feeding practices are being promoted in convergence with Ministry of Woman and Child Development. 

• Strengthening of Facility based newborn care by setting up Newborn care corners (NBCC) in all health facilities where deliveries take place; Special New Born Care Units (SNCUs) at District Hospitals and New Born Stabilization Units (NBSUs) at First Referral Units for the care of sick newborn. 

• Engagement of 8.92 lakhs Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) to generate demand and facilitate accessing of health care services by the community. 

• Home Based Newborn Care (HBNC) has been initiated through ASHA to improve new born care practices at the community level and for early detection and referral of sick new born babies. 

• Village Health and Nutrition Days in rural areas as an outreach activity, for provision of maternal and child health services and creating awareness on maternal and child care including health and nutrition education. 

• Universal Immunization Program (UIP) against seven diseases for all children. Government of India supports the vaccine program by supply of vaccines and syringes, cold chain equipments and provision of operational costs. 

• Vitamin A supplementation for children aged 6 months to 5 years. 

• Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) has been launched on 1st June, 2011, to eliminate any out of pocket expense for pregnant women delivering in public health institutions and sick newborns and infants accessing public health institutions for treatment. 

Food Security Bill gets nod of Loksabha

The National Food Security Bill, a historic initiative for ensuring food and nutritional security to the people was passed by Loksabha yesterday. According to the amendments approved by the house State Governments’ existing foodgrain entitlements will be protected legally subject to it being restricted to average annual off take during last three years. Earlier it was proposed to be protected by an executive order. 

The definitions of the ‘meal’ for mid day meal and ICDS programmes has also been amended. Now ‘meal’ means hot cooked or pre-cooked and heated food and not the packaged food. This amendment has been made to remove the apprehensions of misuse of the earlier provision for supply of packaged food in large quantity. 

Another amendment now provides one year to states for implementation of the Food Bill instead of six months. 

Removing all apprehensions of the States regarding their say in the implementation of the ambitious Bill, the other amendment says that the Central Government will make rules in consultation with the State Governments to carry out the provisions of Food Security Act. 

Total ten amendments have been approved by the Lok Sabha in the National Food Security Bill which was introduced in the house on August 7, 2013 by Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister, Shri K.V.Thomas to replace the National Food Security Ordinance, 2013 promulgated on 5th July, 2013 

The Bill proposes to provide wheat and rice at Rs 2 and Rs 3 per kg to about 81 crore people, while under the existing Targeted Public Distribution System only 2.5 crore Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) families or about 32.5 crore persons (assuming 5 as the average household size) are getting foodgrains at these prices. Thus, population getting foodgrains at these highly subsidized prices as their legal right will increase to 67% from existing 27%. 

Other features of the Bill are as follows. 

Under the Food Security Bill each entitled person will receive 5 kg of food grains per month. The poorest of the poor who have been getting 35 kg of food grains, will continue to get 35 kg food grains per household per month under AAY. The Bill has special focus on nutritional needs of women and children. The Bill proves that the eldest woman of the household above 18 years is considered the head of the household for the purpose of issue of ration cards. Not only that pregnant women and lactating mother will get maternity benefit of Rs. 6000/- and pregnant women and children below 14 years of age will get nutritious meals, with higher nutritional norms for malnourished children. On the issue of redressing grievances that may arise in implementation of such a massive social justice programme, it has been planned to give an increased role for Panchayati Raj institutions and women’s self help group in programme-monitoring and social auditing. There will be provision for internal grievance redressal mechanism including call centres and help lines; and District Grievance Redressal Officers and State Food Commission for expeditious and effective. 

Bhiwani and Mahendragarh districts of Haryana included in National Capital Region (NCR)

The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) has approved the proposal of Government of Haryana for inclusion of Bhiwani and Mahendragarh districts of state of Haryana in National Capital Region (NCR). 

The proposals for inclusion of districts in the NCR are recommended by the respective NCR participating States. The justifications given by State Governments were (i) contiguity to the existing NCR boundary, (ii) road and rail connectivity and (iii) economic drivers. 

NCRPB has not received any fresh proposal for inclusion of the cities in NCR from the Government of Uttar Pradesh 

Implementation of PMAGY

The pilot Scheme of PMAGY was launched in March, 2010 for integrated development of 1000 Scheduled Castes (SC) majority villages. At present the scheme is being implemented in five States namely Assam (100 villages), Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu (225 villages each). The Scheme aims at the integrated development of selected villages primarily, through (i) convergent implementation of the existing Central and State Schemes, and (ii) through `Gap-filling` central assistance @ Rs. 20 lakh per village on an average (with the States expected to provide a matching contribution), for meeting such requirements of the selected villages as can not be met through (i) above. The above States have reported the finalization of Village Development Plans (VDPs) in respect of the selected villages and consequential action which shows varying degree of progress. 

As per guidelines of PMAGY Scheme, two agencies i.e. (i) State Level Steering-cum-Monitoring Committee and (ii) State level Advisory Committee have been mandated to monitor the progress of the scheme. The implementation of the scheme has also been reviewed by the officials of the Ministry from time to time and States have been conveyed the desirable corrective measures. 

Measures to Control Birth and Mortality Rates

As per the Sample Registration System (SRS) estimates for the year 2010 brought out by the Registrar General of India (RGI), Ministry of Home Affairs, the country level Birth Rate per 1000 population was 22.1 and Death (mortality) Rate per 1000 population was 7.2. No Census was conducted in the year 2010. 

In 2010, the Birth Rate was lower in 25 States/UTs as compared to the national level. These States / UTs are Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. 

Further, the Death Rate for the year 2010 was lower in 26 States/UTs as compared to the national level. These States / UTs are Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. 

The Government has launched the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in 2005 throughout the country, with special focus on 18 states which have weak public health indicators and weak infrastructure to provide accessible, affordable, accountable, effective and reliable primary health care services, especially to the poor and vulnerable sections of the population of India. The NRHM operates as an umbrella programme by integrating all vertical health programmes of the Departments of Health and Family Welfare like Reproductive & Child Health Programme including Family Planning Services and various National Diseases Control Programmes like Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme, National Programme for Control of Blindness, National Leprosy Eradication Programme, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme etc. Further, in order to improve the prevention, control and treatment of diseases in the country, Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) has been implemented in the country which seeks to strengthen disease surveillance by detecting and responding to early warning signals of epidemic prone diseases.

Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK)

Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) was launched on Feb 6, 2013 by the Government. The details of the programme are as below:

 1. The programme aims to screen and manage children from birth to 18 years of age for Defects at birth, Deficiencies, Diseases, Developmental delays including disabilities.

 2. Around 27 crore children would be covered in a phased manner.

3. All newborns,born at public health facilities and home would be screened for birth defects by health personnel and ASHA respectively, six weeks to six years at Anganwadi centres and six years to 18 years enrolled in government and government aided schools by Mobile Block Health Teams (Ayush Doctors and paramedics). These children would then be referred to appropriate facility for further management.

 4. A District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) would be operationalized, consisting of a Multidisciplinary team viz. Medical Professionals (Pediatrician, Medical Officer and a Dental doctor), Physiotherapist, Audiologist & Speech Therapist, Psychologist, Optometrist, Early Interventionist cum Special Educator cum social worker, lab technician, dental technician, manager and a data entry operator and provide required treatment (medical, surgical or therapy) and referral services to tertiary level care  to children requiring further management. These children would then be followed up as required.