Framework for Revival and Rehabilitation of MSMEs

The Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises has notified a Framework for Revival and Rehabilitation of MSMEs, in exercise of the powers conferred under section 9 of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006.  

In India, the existing mechanism for addressing revival, rehabilitation and exit of small enterprises is very weak. The most recent Doing Business (DB) Report, a joint project of the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation, ranks India 137 out of the 189 economies for resolving insolvencies. It notes that resolving insolvency takes 4.3 years on average and costs 9.0% of the debtor’s estate, with the most likely outcome being that the company will be sold as piecemeal sale.

Pending a detailed revision of the legal framework for resolving insolvency/bankruptcy, there is a felt need for special dispensation for revival and exit of MSMEs. The MSMEs facing insolvency/bankruptcy need to be provided legal opportunities to revive their units.  This could be through a scheme for re-organization and rehabilitation, which balances the interests of the creditors and debtors.

Salient Features

The main features of the framework which complements to the features of the existing RBI notification of 2012 and 2014 are as below:

Identification of incipient stress:  Before a loan account of a MSME turns into a Non Performing Asset (NPA), banks/creditors are required to identify incipient stress in the account. Any Micro, Small or Medium enterprise may also voluntarily initiate proceedings under this Order if enterprise reasonably apprehends failure of its business or its inability or likely inability to pay debts and before the accumulated losses of the enterprise equals to half or more of its entire net worth.

Committees for Distressed Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises: All banks shall constitute one or more Committees at such locations as may be considered necessary by the board of directors of such bank to provide reasonable access to all eligible Micro, Small and Medium enterprises which have availed credit facilities from such bank. The Committee shall comprise of representatives of the Bank, independent expert and representative of the State Government.

Corrective Action Plan (CAP) by the Committee: The Committee may explore various options to resolve the stress in the account. The intention is to arrive at an early and feasible solution to preserve the economic value of the underlying assets as well as the lenders’ loans and also to allow the enterprise to continue with its business. During the period of operation of Corrective Action Plan (CAP), the enterprise shall be allowed to avail both secured and unsecured credit for its business operations.

Options under Corrective Action Plan (CAP): The options under Corrective Action Plan (CAP) by the Committee may include: (i) Rectification - regularize the account so that the account does not slip into the non-performing asset (NPA) category, (ii) restructuring the account if it is prima facie viable and the borrower is not a willful defaulter, and (iii) recovery - Once the first two options at (i) and (ii) above are seen as not feasible, due recovery process may be resorted to.

Restructuring Process: If the Committee decides restructuring of the account as CAP, it will have the option of either referring the account to Enterprise Debt Restructuring (EDR) Cell after a decision to restructure is taken or restructure the same independent of the EDR mechanism. If the Committee decides to restructure an account independent of the EDR mechanism, the Committee should carry out the detailed Techno-Economic Viability (TEV) study, and if found viable, finalise the restructuring package within 30 days from the date of signing off the final CAP.

Prudential Norms on Asset Classification and Provisioning: While a restructuring proposal is under consideration by the Committee/EDR, the usual asset classification norm would continue to apply. The process of re-classification of an asset should not stop merely because restructuring proposal is under consideration by the Committee/EDR.  However, as an incentive for quick implementation of a restructuring package, the special asset classification benefit on restructuring of accounts as per extant instructions would be available for accounts undertaken for restructuring under these guidelines.

Willful Defaulters and Non-Cooperative Borrowers: Banks are required to strictly adhere to the guidelines issued by RBI from time to time regarding treatment of Willful Defaulters.

Review: In case the Committee decides that  recovery  action  is  to  be  initiated  against  an  enterprise,   such enterprise may request for a review of the decision by the Committee within a period of fifteen working  days from the date of receipt of the decision of the Committee. Application filed under this section shall be decided by the Committee within a period of thirty days from the date of filing and if as a consequence of such review, the Committee decides to pursue a fresh corrective action plan for revival of the enterprise shall apply accordingly.

It is expected that above Framework help the lenders and debtors in revival and rehabilitation of enterprises and shall unlock the potential of MSMEs.

*****

Security

Union Home Minister Highlights Steps to Make the Country Safe & Secure Says it has Been an Year of Consolidation 

     The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has said it has been an year of consolidation as the Government has taken a series of proactive steps to make the country safe and secure. He was addressing a Press Conference here today to mark the one year of NDA Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

     The Home Minister underlined the need to uphold the Constitutional provisions to ensure the sanctity of Centre-State relations. 

On the issue of Black Money, he reminded that one of the first steps taken by the Government after assuming office was to constitute an SIT and subsequent legal measures have been put in place to curb this menace. 

Shri Singh said that efforts are on to tackle the threat of terrorism and the Government is in constant touch with various agencies to ward off such threats. 

Effective Border Management has been put in place to counter the threat of cross-border terrorism, he added. 

On the issue of relief to farmers affected by unseasonal rains and hailstorm, the Home Minister said the quantum of compensation under the NDRF and SDRF has been more than doubled and now the farmers with crop loss between 33% and 49% have been made eligible to seek the financial assistance.

Following are the highlights of the work done by the Ministry in the last one year:

 Security Scenario

·  Overall security scenario in the country continues to remain peaceful barring incidents of a blast in Burdwan (West Bengal) and minor IED blast in Bengaluru. 

·  Security situation in North Eastern States is being monitored regularly at various levels, with sustained CI operations against militant outfits.  

·  LWE violence is down by 22% in 2014 over previous year. However recent attacks in Chhattisgarh are a cause of concern.

·  Security Forces neutralized 132 terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir, during 2014 and the current year.

 Jammu & Kashmir

·  Peaceful conduct of Assembly Elections in J&K, -   from November 25 to December 20, 2014 - high voter turnout of 66%.

·  ‘UDAAN’ scheme launched aiming to provide employment to the unemployed youth of Jammu & Kashmir.  Trained 3,361 candidates, 3,133 candidates offered jobs, about 2,500 are working in various companies in the country.

·  Cash relief to the Kashmiri migrants in Jammu and Delhi/ NCR     enhanced w.e.f. 1st May 2015 from Rs.1,650/- per head per month   to Rs.2,500/- per head per month, subject to a maximum of Rs.10,000 per family enhanced from Rs.6,600 per family.

Foreigners Division

·  e-Tourist Visa scheme launched on 27^th November 2014 covers 74 countries and 9 Indian airports; 1,35,000 people so far benefited.

·  Merger of PIO & OCI schemes by enactment of Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2015.

 Disaster Management

·  During 2014-15, loss to life & property minimized due to prompt response to major disasters like cyclone HUDHUD in AP and Odisha, floods and landslides in J&K.  7 lakh people rescued.

·  Immediate relief and assistance provided through NDRF to Nepal after the recent earthquake.

Policy initiatives under Disaster Management

·  SDRF & NDRF Compensation more than doubled to next of kin of deceased persons from Rs.1.5 lakh to Rs. 4 lakh. Farmers, with crop loss between 33% and 49%, made eligible for assistance.

·  Local disasters like lightning, heat wave etc., now covered for relief under SDRF.

·  Battalions under NDRF increased from 10 to 12.

·  Allocation in SDRF almost doubled from Rs.33,583 crore during 2010-15 to Rs. 61,219 cr during 2015-20. 

Border Management

·  Border Infrastructure: 50 Km of roads, 103 Km of fencing, 218 Km of flood lighting and 39 BOPs completed (on Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Pakistan border).

·  14 km LED Pilot Project for floodlighting in Punjab Sector has been completed.

·  Integrated Check Post (ICP) building completed at Raxaul on India-Nepal border.  Cargo Terminal of ICP Agartala inaugurated.

·  Rs. 800 Crore released to the Bordering States for development of the socio-economic infrastructure in the bordering villages under BADP.

·  Trial Bus service runs between Guwahati and Dhaka undertaken.

·  Bus service between Delhi and Kathmandu commenced.

    Sikh Riots

·  Additional compensation for Next of Kin of 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims;   Justice Mathur Committee   to re-investigate deserving riot cases.

Police Reforms

·  58% police stations across the country have started using CCTNS to register FIRs.

Police Welfare

·  3,531 Houses and 92 barracks constructed for CAPF personnel.

·  Grant of Rs.37 crore provided to the CAPFs and Assam Rifles for payment of ex- gratia compensation to the Next of Kin of deceased.

·  Delhi Police launched a web-based App. for ‘Police Clearance Certificate’ (PCC) and the mobile app 'Himmat' on January 1, 2015.

Women/children Safety

·  Approved recruitment of 2,772 Mahila personnel in 21 companies of SSB.

·  Approved 33%reservation for women in direct recruitment in Non-Gazetted posts from Constable to Sub-Inspector in the CAPFs & police forces of all the UTs including Delhi Police. 

·  Project to set up an “Emergency Response System” for Women in Distress funded under the Nirbhaya Fund fast tracked.

·  Detailed advisories issued to tackle crimes against women including acid attack on women.

·  States/UTs advised to launch a dedicated campaign for rescuing missing children. More than 3,000 children rescued during this operation.

CYBER CRIMES

·  An Expert Group constituted to prepare a Road Map to effectively tackle Cyber Crimes.

·  Another Expert Committee set up to suggest changes in Information Technology Act, Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code & Evidence Act etc. to deal with cybercrimes more effectively.

National Population Register

· Biometric capture of more than 28.44 crore persons, completed under NPR, by the office of Registrar General of India so far. Total biometric enrolment including the enrolment done by Unique Identification Authority of India now 85 crore.

              UT Matters

·  Introduction of weekly chartered flight services from Port Blair to Car Nicobar. Another chartered flight introduced between Chennai and Port Blair.

·  Contract for acquisition of two ships signed at a cost of US $ 29.26 million will enhance the frequency of service of ships which in turn will improve the passenger movement and cargo traffic and will give boost to tourism to Lakshadweep.

           

                  During the Press Conference, the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh was accompanied by the Ministers of State for Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju and Shri Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary. The Union Home Secretary Shri LC Goyal, Secretary (Border Management) Shri Anoop Kumar Srivastava and Secretary (Official Language) Shri SK Srivastava were also present. Director General, Press Information Bureau Shri Frank Noronha conducted the Press Conference.

***

Plans of Union Ministry of Home Affairs for the Next Year 

         Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has laid out the following agenda for the Ministry for the next year:

·         Scheme for Rehabilitation of the people affected by transfer of enclaves between India and Bangladesh: This includes both temporary and permanent rehabilitation of the displaced persons from the Indian enclaves in Bangladesh in the State of West Bengal only. 

·         Grant-in-aid to Central Tibetan Relief Committee (CTRC): Proposal to provide grant-in-aid of Rs. 40 crore over next five years to meet the administrative and social welfare expenses for settlements of Tibetan refugees in different States in the country.

·         Strengthening of Changthang Settlements: Proposal is for strengthening of Changthang Settlements of Tibetan Refugees and the area inhabited by the local nomadic population in Changthang area along the Indo-China Border.  The tentative cost of the Scheme is Rs. 654 crore. 

·         Transfer of Central Freedom Fighter Pensioners’ accounts from SBI to other Banks: This is to streamline disbursal of Central Samman Pension for the convenience of the pensioners. 

·         Renovation of Freedom Fighters Home:     Freedom Fighter’s Home is located in Central Delhi to provide transit accommodation to the freedom fighters and their dependents.  It is maintained by NDMC.  The Home is in bad shape and it will be renovated with better facilities at a cost of Rs.90 lakh.

·         e-Tourist Visa (e-TV): We propose to extend the e-Tourist Visa Scheme to 150 countries and 25 Indian Airports by March 2016 in phased manner.

·         IVFRT (Immigration Visa, Immigration and Foreigners’ Registration and Tracking): The project has been implemented in 160 Indian Missions and 480 FROs across the country.  It is proposed to implement the project in all Indian Embassies abroad and FROs across the country by the end of March 2016.

·         Integration of Online Payment Gateway: To ease out the process of online application and fees collection, we have decided to integrate online payment gateway system in all the services like Visa, Indian Citizenship, and FCRA related matters. It is proposed to complete and streamline the integration process within this year.

·         Security scenario in J&K: It is proposed to plug the gaps in the International Border through strengthening the Anti-Infiltration Obstacle System (AIOS) with the use of technological solutions available globally as well as construction of physical barriers.

·         Rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants: Proposal to give financial assistance to provide 3000 additional state government jobs to the Kashmiri migrants and for construction of transit accommodation in the Valley for them. Also working on an integrated proposal for townships for the return and rehabilitation of the Kashmiri migrants.

·         Rehabilitation of migrants from hilly areas of Jammu region: It isproposed that migrants of hilly areas of Jammu region may be provided relief at par with the Kashmiri migrants.

·         Special Industry Initiative (SII) for J&K students – Udaan: It is proposed to train 7000 more candidates during the next year and provide placement to 6000 candidates. It is proposed to conduct more than 24 mega Udaan selection drives.

·         Civic Action Plan in J&K: This would include conducting of medical camps, sports and cultural activities including conduct of tour from J&K to rest of India and vice-versa, educational activities, setting up of community centres.

·         AmarnathYatra: Shri AmarnathjiYatra 2015 is scheduled to commence from 2^nd July 2015 and conclude on 29^th August 2015.  Necessary steps will be taken to ensure peaceful conduct of the Yatra. Deployment of additional forces to maintain security, ensure improved telecom connectivity, adequate health facilities, sanitation and other facilities including langars etc.

·         Post flood reconstruction in J&K: State Government has been requested to send their proposals for long term rehabilitation and reconstruction. Measures have also been taken to increase the water carrying capacity of Jhelum river so that flood like situation may be avoided in future.

·         Modernization of Delhi Police: Traffic and Communication Network of Delhi Police will be modernized by installation of new traffic signals/ blinkers and procurement of various components.

·         Solar Power in Diu: 3 MW solar power project at Diu and 1 MW solar power project at Daman will be commissioned this year. In the next 15 months, another 6 MW solar power project will be commissioned at Diu making Diu the first city in the country to be driven 100 % on green energy.

·         Hospital in Diu: A 60 bedded hospital will be commissioned at Diu and another 100 bedded sub-district hospital will be commissioned at Khanvel, the sub-district headquarters of Silvassa.

·         National Population Register (NPR): -

Ø  Biometric enrolment in 10 NPR States to be completed.

Ø  Implementation of the scheme of updation of NRC 1951 in Assam.

·         Chief Ministers’ Conference:  MHA proposes to convene a Chief Ministers’ Conference in July/ August, 2015 to discuss the internal security situation in the country.

·         National Security Clearance: The MHA is framing guidelines for assessment of proposals received from various ministries for national security clearances.

·         SMART Policing: During the 49^th Annual Conference of DGs/IGs on 28.11.2014, the concept of SMART Policing had been introduced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister. SMART stands for Strict and Sensitive, Modern with Mobility, Alert and Accountable, Reliable and Responsive and Trained and Techno-savvy. As part of this exercise, four regional workshops have been organized by BPR&D at Bengaluru; Guwahati; Bhopal and Chandigarh. To carry forward this exercise, a National Workshop is likely to be held at New Delhi in the first week of July.

·         Forensic Science: To strengthen Forensic Science capabilities in the country, three new Central Forensic Science Laboratories (CFSL) are being established at Guwahati, Bhopal and Pune.  The construction work will be completed within two and half years.

·         LWE Matters: The following steps will be taken in the LWE affected States:

(i)                 Installation of Mobile Towers to bring entire area under mobile coverage.

(ii)               Development of Critical Roads under Road Requirement Plan.

(iii)             Enhancement of Education Infrastructure.

(iv)             Improvement of Health Amenities.

(v)               Improving Efficacy of Public Distribution System.

·         Central Victim Compensation Fund: Rs. 200 crore is proposed to be accessed from the Nirbhaya Fund for this purpose.

·         Investigation Unit for Crime against Women (IUCAW): Investigation Units for crimes against women will be set up in 150 districts all over the country.

·         Setting up of Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (ICCCC): Steps will be taken to set up Indian Cyber Crime  Coordination  Centre (ICCCC),  at a cost of  Rs. 100 crore.

·         Emergency Response System to be made functional: Rs. 321 crore has been sanctioned in favour of MHA for setting up Emergency Response System for women in distress from the Nirbhaya Fund in February, 2014. It is proposed that system would be made functional in the next financial year.

·         CCTNS Project: The on-going CCTNS Project will be implemented and efforts will be made to fully implement the project in at least 50% of the States.

·         Cyber Crime: Approach paper to tackle Cyber Crime will be finalised.

·         Upgradation of Posts of Constable to Head Constable in BSF and CRPF: It is endeavoured to upgrade about 11,000 and 14,000 posts of constables to Head Constables in BSF and CRPF respectively. This will address issue of stagnation/ promotion at constable level in these forces.

·         Recruitment: Recruitment of 62390 constables, including 8533 women will be carried out for the year 2015-16.

·         Infrastructure for CAPFs:  A proposal for construction of 13072 houses has been initiated.

·         India Reserve Battalions: Government has moved a proposal for sanction of 17 IR battalions out of which 5 will be for J&K and 12 will be for LWE states. It has been proposed that these battalions will be raised by recruiting local youth, in case of LWE states 75% of the vacancies will be filled up by local youths from the worst 27 affected districts in the states concerned.

·         Critical infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh :A proposal at an estimated cost of Rs. 182.25 crore for construction of foot tracks, small bridges, suspension bridges, helipads etc. in Arunachal Pradesh in order to provide connectivity and also to provide basic amenities to the villages has been approved in principle  by Ministry of Home Affairs. It has been decided that the work would be executed by CPWD.

·         National Marine Police Training Institute:  Steps are being taken to establish the National Marine Police Training Institute in Gujarat.  The State Government of Gujarat is in the process of the transferring the land title in favour of the MHA. It is also proposed to establish Regional Training Institutes in each Coastal State.

·         Installation of Automatic Identification System (Proprietary) transponders for tracking of small vessels (below 20 mtrs.) :It has been proposed to install the Automatic Identification System (Proprietary) Transponders for tracking of small fishing vessels (below 20 mtr.)  upto a distance of 50 Kms. from the coastline.  The project will be implemented by Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries.

·         Construction of Integrated Check Posts (ICPs):   Construction of ICPs at Raxual (Bihar), Jogbani (Bihar) and Petrapole (West Bengal) are expected to be completed during  2015-16.

·         Border Area Development Programme (BADP): During the year 2015-16 an amount of Rs. 990 crore will be allocated for creation of special development needs of people of bordering areas.

North-Eastern Matters

·         Repatriation and rehabilitation of Bru migrants from Tripura to Mizoram: The Bru repatriation process is expected to be completed by September, 2015.

***

The State of the Economy

The State of the Economy

Jayshree Sengupta 27 May 2015 One year on, Modi government is being judged and assessed for its performance in various fields. Of all the things that have happened on the economic front, Prime Minister Modi's moves on the social sector insurance policy for the poor stand out as an outstanding achievement. The Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Paradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana and Atal Pension Yojana have given hope to the poor because they can now be insured against accident, old age and death. Jan Dhan Yojana also has created nearly 15 crore bank accounts though more than half have zero balance. There have been incremental changes elsewhere and a noticeable deterioration on the agricultural front. The increase in the number of farmers' suicides calls for immediate action specially in making farming more profitable and a stable activity. In a recent interview M. S. Swaminathan, noted agriculture specialist, said that the new formula at which Minimum Support Prices for food grains is being calculated should be amended and more allowance for better returns to the farmer should be made (at least 50 per cent above costs). In other words, he has proposed that MSP for wheat and rice should be raised. Food grain output is likely to shrink by 5.3 per cent this year. Agriculture distress as measured by farm output, rural wages and tractor sales indicate that all are going down. Even MGNREGS (Employment Guarantee Scheme), the scheme which guaranteed work for the jobless rural population has seen a decline. The economy according to the noted economist Jagdish Bhagwati is however not looking bad and the pace of reforms is correct. The sharp fall in the Wholesale Price Index to negative 2.3 percent has been hailed as a great achievement of the government. The retail price index (CPI) has come down to a low of 4.87 percent. But a negative inflation is an ominous sign and there can be a fear of deflation due to lack of domestic and external demand that will lead to unemployment. This deflationary trend is now a global phenomenon and needs stimulus packages for reviving demand like interest rate cuts. The Index of Industrial Production IIP recovered to 5 percent in February 2015 but was again low at 2.1 percent in March. For the 2014-15, the IIP was at 2.8 percent which is a small recovery from a negative growth of 2013-14 but it is hardly a sign of vigorous industrial activity!  Reflecting the slowdown in manufacturing is the data on the net profits of the corporate sector which has grown by only 1 to 2 percent. The banking sector is also not showing great results and a mixed picture of profits is emerging. Non-performing assets (NPA) of Banks have continued to grow and credit growth has fallen to 10 percent. India needs to raise $200 billion by 2020 to recapitalize its financial system. The overall impression about the economy is that of a one man show (recently Modi was on the cover of London Economist) and a highly centralized decision making. The liberalization of the economy that Modi promised and was much hoped for, has come albeit in small steps and only in the opening of the railways, defence and insurance sectors. The promised Bankruptcy law has not come about and the Goods and Services Tax and the Land Acquisition Bill are awaiting approval by the Rajya Sabha where NDA does not have a majority.  Infrastructural spending has increased and the government has cleared projects worth Rs 6 lakh crore. But the main promise on the job front of the Modi government has not shown much progress. Just 1.17 lakh new jobs were created in eight key sectors of the economy in the third quarter between October and December 2014 according to the recent 24th Labour Bureau survey. In contrast, 1.58 lakh jobs were created in the previous quarter ending September 30, 2014 and 1.82 lakh jobs in April and June 2014. Automobile sales have been rising slowly and many jobs were lost in both the automobile and the metal sectors. Since exports have fallen for five consecutive months, new job creation has been slow in manufacturing. In the last quarter only 35000 jobs were created in export sector as against 82,000 jobs in non-export units. There has been a large amount of FIIs selling, including selling of rupee debt due to problems in the collection of MAT (Minimum Alternate Tax) from FIIs. The Income tax department has sent notices to only 68 FIIs for non-payment of MAT amounting to Rs 600 crore. MAT is now under scrutiny of an expert committee. FDI however has increased and One window clearances have been announced to attract more FDI and Modi's own road shows in various developed countries have probably made an impact on potential investors. Modi is trying hard to improve India's ranking in World Bank's "Ease of Doing Business" by cutting down red tape and bureaucratic hassles.Many however are adopting a 'wait and watch' attitude till the whole picture becomes clearer about India's GDP growth rate although official forecast remains at 7.5 per cent. The IMF and the World Bank have been impressed by the Finance Minister's ability to control the fiscal deficit at 4 percent. But this has been done at the cost of cutting social expenditure for which the government has received much flak already from various quarters. It is the lowest in terms of percentage of GDP since 2010. The social sector deserves much more attention specially health, education and skill development. Only 2 percent of the population has skills and the quality of education requires much more improvement. The vacancies are plenty but the people who can fill the job requirement are few. That is the anomaly of the job situation today. Much has been said in the western media about Modi not being able to change the archaic labour laws. This, according to them, will bring about a lot of flexibility to the corporate sector but the government is probably weighing the political costs involved in taking such a bold step. There is also the need for greater labour utilization in India which will be the key to its success as the'manufacturer of the world' replacing China.  (The writer is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi)

Forensic_Anthropology

yasir arafat,

A team of  doctors  from Andhra Pradesh today conducted re-postmortem on  the preserved bodies of the six labourers  who were killed in Andhra Pradesh on the 7th of this month. The bodies have been handed over to the relatives. All the dead belonged Tamil Nadu State. A team of medical experts comprising forensic specialists arrived  at Tiruvannamalai to conduct the postmortem. The medical team will submit the re-postmortem report in sealed cover to Andhra Pradesh  High Court on Monday. 

The High Court of Andhra Pradesh which has taken up the trial of the encounter where 20 alleged red sander smugglers were killed in Chittoor district, ordered for re-post-mortem based on the complaints received from the kin of the deceased against the Andhra Pradesh Special Task Force police party.  The State Police have already filed a case against Special Task Force on charges of murder and abduction.   

- AIR, April 18,2015

NEWSICLE - DYING TONGUES





With 196 of its languages listed as endangered, India, a nation with great linguistic diversity, tops the UNESCO's list of countries having maximum number of dialects on the verge of extinction.India is closely followed by the US which stands to lose 192 languages and Indonesia, where 147 are in peril.

Gold smuggling at all-time high, seizures total Rs 1,000cr

May 27 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Deeptiman Tiwary

New Delhi:





Flow From Nepal Dries Up As Kingpin Dies In Earthquake

For the first time in the history of gold smuggling in India, the seizure in illicit trade has crossed Rs 1,000 crores in one financial year with customs, police and revenue agencies seizing more than 3,500 kg of gold in 2014-15.In 2012-13, the same figure stood at merely Rs 100 crore with just about 350 kg gold seized. In two years -since government increased duty on gold to 10% to rein in a yawning current account deficit -gold smuggling has grown by 900%. That as an accepted principle seizures could be less than 10% of actual smuggling, the figures look even more ominous.
Sources say gold has also begun to be smuggled in ever unique ways and from rather unexpected corners.
There is a silver lining to the grim story though. There is an unexpected drop in Nepal, which had seen a massive spurt in gold smuggling in the past couple of years. The reason: the kingpin of illicit yellow metal trade in the Himlayan nation died under the rubble of his house in Kathmandu during the recent quake.Nepal, which normally sees seizures of around 80-100kg a year, saw figures more than double in 2013-14 due to rise in duty of gold import in India.The rise was explained by agencies as smugglers push ing in gold from Dubai, Thailand and China into Nepal to be brought to India as traditional channels were being more vigorously monitored.
“It's the one positive fallout of a massive tragedy . The deceased was the main conduit who coordinated illicit trade from various countries and helped push them into India.Just before the quake, 40kg gold was seized in Silliguri in Bengal. It came from Nepal. Since then, seizures have been almost negligible,“ said an of icial from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. The official, however, acknowledged hat as long as duties remained so high in India, someone else would replace him.
Sources said smugglers are now exploiting all possible routes to push in gold which has now begun coming rom the Morey border in Manipur, Kandla port in Gujarat, Bangladesh border in Bengal and the old tested routes of Sri Lanka to ports in Chennai and various airports from Dubai and Thailand.
Increasingly , smugglers are using courier parcels to send in gold. “This is, howev er, camouflaged. The courier s of a torch where the batter es are made of gold. Of a mix er which has golden blades.Of a transistor which has a capacitor in gold,“ said a DRI official detailing how only recently agencies caught 60 kg gold at Delhi airport brought n through courier this way.

NDA @1

Heat wave

A heat wave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs during the summer season in the North-Western swathes of India, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.

Extreme temperatures and resultant atmospheric conditions adversely affect people living in these regions, causing physiological stress that can kill.

The India Meteorological Department has warned that heat-wave conditions will prevail over Odisha and Madhya Pradesh over the coming days.

There was a 61% increase in the number of deaths due to heat stoke across India between 2004 to 2013, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, with indications that these numbers represent a vast under-reporting.

More than 800 people have died this month in a wave of heat rippling across India, 550 in Andhra Pradesh and over 200 in Telangana, according to this DNA report.

Heat stroke is India’s second-deadliest natural calamity after lightning. It is caused when the body’s temperature rises to 40°C (104°F) or more, accompanied by delirium, seizures or coma. Heat stroke can be a fatal condition.

As heatwave kills more than 600 across India, Ahmedabad action plan shows how lives could be saved

Shoaib Daniyal · Today · 01:30 pm

The Gujarati city is the only place in the country with a strategy to combat heat-related problems.

A searing heatwave has hit large parts of India with parts of Telangana and Uttar Pradesh seeing temperatures as high as 48°C. More than 600 people have been killed by the heat this summer, as per news reports.

The Indian Meteorological Department, on Monday, reported severe heat wave conditions in parts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Parts of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, West Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Chhattisgarh were classified as suffering from a heat wave.

At temperatures above 40°C, a “heat wave” refers to a departure of between 4°C-5°C from the normal temperature while a “severe heat wave” refers to a departure of more than 6°C.

At these temperatures, chances of a heatstroke, a possibly fatal illness which results from the overheating of the body, are high for people outdoors.

Heatwave impact

Andhra Pradesh, the state most affected by this heatwave, has seen 42 deaths from heatstroke alone. Following the death of two taxi drivers in Kolkata, also from heatstroke, taxi unions have decided to shut down cab serviced between 11 am to 4 pm.

This the most severe heat wave in India since 2010, when an estimated 250 people died from heat related causes. The 2010 heat wave was part of a global summer heat wave which was one of the most severe heat waves since temperatures started being recorded.

Governments in India, though, seem to have learnt little from past heat-based natural disasters. The Central government and the National Disaster Management Authority have not put in place preventive measures for the summer nor do they have any curative plans lined up after the large number of casualties. The union home ministry has not even declared a heat wave as a “national disaster”.

This inaction is matched by state and local governments. Chandrababu Naidu, chief minister of the worst affected state, Andhra Pradesh has not gone beyond offering his personal advice to for people going out into the sun to take preventive steps in order to prevent heat damage.

The lone exception

The one exception to this general trend of government inaction, though, is Ahmedabad, where the city’s municipal corporation has taken concrete steps to prevent deaths and injury due to heat exposure. Starting from assigning different alerts for different levels of heat to a mapped out action plan to save lives on the ground, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has had a comprehensive Heat Action Plan in place since 2013.

Currently, Ahmedabad is the only city in India to have a operational heat alert system. The plan was developed by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, the Indian Institute of Public Health, the Natural Resources Defense Council (a non-governmental organisation based in New York) and the Georgia Institute of Technology (an American university).

The Heat Action Plan is a four-pronged strategy. The first involves a communications outreach which informs people about the risk of heat illness and preventive measures to take. This year, new media such as mobile messaging service, WhatsApp, will also be used to as a dissemination channel along with more traditional means such as posters and inter-personal communication.

Information posters to prevent against heat illness. Source: Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan 2015

The second involves a warning system in the case of a heatwave with actionables mapped out for various governmental agencies.

Communication plan when a heat alert is activated. Source: Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan 2015.

The third step involves training health care professionals to better respond to heat illness while the fourth involves adapting the physical plan of the city to better cope with heat: mapping high-risk areas, making potable water easily accessible and building temporary cooling spaces during periods of extreme heat.

Governmental strategies to combat excessive heat are the global norm. After the 2003 heat wave in France, which killed almost 15,000 people, the French government formulated a heat health watch warning system, a nationwide system of combating heat illness in case of abnormally hot weather. One study estimates that during the 2006 heat wave, 4,400 deaths were avoided as a result of this system being in place.

The UK and Australia also have heat warning systems in place.

India’s current heatwave is predicted by the Meteorological Department to go on for a few days more, which would lead to hundreds of completely avoidable deaths simply because India’s governments do not have any systems in place to warn of heat waves or fight heat illness.

Original Article :http://scroll.in/article/729939/as-heatwave-kills-more-than-500-across-india-ahmedabad-model-shows-how-lives-could-be-saved

How to cope with heat waves (In News , Many people died , becomes imp , DownToEarth)

current affairs, DTE

29.5.15

Accurate weather prediction and coordinated action plan hold the key

The Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH) at Gandhi Nagar carried out research along with Municipal Corporation of Ahmedabad on heat waves and its impacts on human health.  It is known that temperatures in the city during summers rise up to 47°C. It results in several health consequences, sometimes reaching extreme levels; many people lose their lives.

In 2010, the city witnessed around 300 deaths; in 2013, 160 deaths occurred due to heat waves. To deal with the challenges, IIPH along with the municipal corporation developed a heat mitigation programme to save people from the impact of heat waves.

In this programme, the important intervention was the prediction of weather at least seven days in advance.  Then people were alerted about the weather conditions. They were allowed to take rest in the afternoon. Additional water was supplied to people during extreme heat waves. More public places were created for people in the city where they could take rest.

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Ahmedabad city is the first city in South Asia with a heat action plan, which was put into place after 300 people died of heat stroke in 2010 (photo Sunil Kumar Singh)

These measures helped saving many lives (see 'Ahmedabad's beat the heat plan'. A particular challenge in the action plan related to spreading awareness. For the purpose, posters and pamphlets were designed and the administration tried to reach out to people. The pamphlets were used to give health tips and distributed among students who were asked to carry them home.

Not only families but medical workers and community members were provided health fact sheets and asked to reach out to groups in the city. These efforts were needed to prepare residents of the city for the summer season.

Hospitals were prepared for the emergency challenges arising from heat waves. Medical staff were trained specially to give the required care to such patients brought to hospitals.

By doing this, Ahmedabad became the first city in South Asia to implement a successful pilot Heat Wave Action Plan.

It is known now that climate change is fuelling more intense and frequent heat waves. Many cities and also district administrations can adopt this action plan.

It needs nothing but co-ordination among several departments and groups, public awareness of the risks of extreme heat, and training of medical and community workers to prevent and respond to heat-related illnesses.

(As told to Kundan Pandey)

Dileep Mavalankar is Director of Indian Institute of Public  Health, Gandhi Nagar

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