An apex body of the scheduled tribes (STs) of Assam has resented the “snub” by the Centre while constituting a high-level committee on the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. This clause of the Assam Accord, signed in August 1985 to end a six-year agitation for the ejection …
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Lok Sabha clears Bill on NHRC constitution
The Lok Sabha on Friday passed the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 by voice vote. The Bill expedites the process of appointment of Chairperson and members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and provides for, among others, including the chairpersons of the National Commission for Backward Classes, …
Read More »RTI Bill introduced amid Opposition flak
Centre to set service terms of panel Amid protests by the Opposition parties, a Bill to amend the Right to Information (RTI) Act and give the Union government the power to set the service conditions and salaries of Information Commissioners was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Friday. The Bill …
Read More »‘Mgmt. quota students can’t be charged more’
Higher fees only for NRI category: HC Frowning upon the practice of private medical colleges charging exorbitant fees from students gaining admission under the management quota, as compared to those admitted under the government quota, the Madras High Court held that there should not be any differentiation in the fee …
Read More »Supreme Court questions need for NRC sample reverification
Centre, Assam had wanted July 31 deadline extended The Supreme Court on Friday questioned the plea made jointly by the Centre and Assam to indefinitely extend the deadline for the publication of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) from July 31 to conduct a “sample reverification” to quell the …
Read More »Mosquitoes wiped out on two islands
Scientists have used a new technique to wipe out a population of mosquito species on two islands in China. The results of the pilot trial, published in the journal Nature , show that combining incompatible and sterile insect techniques enabled near elimination of Aedes albopictus , or the Asian tiger …
Read More »7,000 species added to IUCN ‘Red List’
Habitat destruction and hunting by humans are reasons for fall in numbers Mankind’s destruction of nature is driving species to the brink of extinction at an “unprecedented” rate, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warned on Thursday, as it added more than 7,000 animals, fish and plants …
Read More »‘Government can prosecute IL&FS auditors’
The NCLT has given a go-ahead to the government to prosecute Deloitte and BSR Associates for their failure to detect and report the scams that took place across the now bankrupt IL&FS Group and 21 other entities, when they were the auditors of IL&FS Financial Services. The NCLT, in an …
Read More »Quick nod for green energy transmission
Power and Renewable Energy Minister R.K. Singh on Thursday approved the proposal for early regulatory approvals of transmission schemes identified for 66.5 GW of renewable energy projects by designating them ‘projects of national importance’. “As the gestation period of renewable energy (RE) projects is much shorter in comparison to the …
Read More »EU fines chipmaker Qualcomm $271 mn for ‘predatory pricing’
‘It sold 3G chipsets at below cost of production’ In yet another European Union (EU) move against a U.S. tech giant, the bloc’s antitrust chief on Thursday fined chipmaker Qualcomm $271 million, accusing it of “predatory pricing” to drive a competitor out of the market. EU Antitrust Commissioner Margrethe Vestager …
Read More »SEBI opposes Centre’s proposal to transfer surplus money to CFI
Regulator says the plan will undermine its autonomy The government’s proposal to transfer surplus money with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI) has met with a strong opposition from the regulatory body. The capital markets regulator feels that the proposal would …
Read More »‘Transmission sector needs Rs. 5 lakh crore investment for future needs’
India likely to consume 1.8 lakh crore units by 2025, says CII One of the key requirements for a $5-trillion economy is an investment of about Rs. 5 lakh crore in the power transmission sector over the next few years, in order to cater to the 1.8 lakh crore units …
Read More »India may have to revise downwards ‘potential’ growth rate from 7-8%: ex-CEA
India may have to revise downwards what is considered its “potential” rate of growth from 7-8% to bring expectations more in line with reality, former Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) Arvind Subramanian has argued in a paper. This paper comes as a follow-up to the one Mr. Subramanian published last month, …
Read More »Amit Shah to head panel on Air India sale
Home Minister Amit Shah will head a reconstituted group of ministers (GoM) on Air India disinvestment and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has been dropped from the panel, sources said. The panel, which is to work out modalities for the sale of Air India, will now have four Ministers — …
Read More »Animals seek refuge on highlands
Floods drive rhinos out of Kaziranga park Kaziranga National Park (KNP)’s man-made highlands have turned into islands of relative safety for the park’s animals as large parts of Assam remain inundated by flood waters. Among the handful of species that have taken refuge in these patches of higher ground are …
Read More »FinMin expects no flight of FPIs on higher tax
Companies won’t be hit, she says The increase in tax on high net worth individuals, announced in the Union Budget, will not result in an outflow of Foreign Portfolio Investments (FPIs), Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The higher tax will only apply to individuals and …
Read More »Wayanad’s tribal hamlets one step from 100% literacy
The focus is on preparing residents of 1,517 habitations to take the test by 2020 After making two successful forays into the tribal hamlets of Wayanad, Kerala’s State Literacy Mission (SLM) is all set to earn the ‘100% literate’ badge for the outlier region, which has the highest tribal population …
Read More »Menstrual cups are safe, reusable and cheap: study
They collect blood rather than absorb it, and last longer Inexpensive and reusable menstrual cups are safe and as unlikely as disposable pads or tampons to leak, according to the first major scientific review of the devices, published Wednesday. Some 70% of women who have tried menstrual cups said they …
Read More »Breakthrough technique to eradicate mosquitoes
Uses 2 population control methods — radiation and bacteria A breakthrough technique harnessing two methods to target disease-carrying mosquitoes was able to effectively eradicate buzzing biters in two test sites in China, according to research published on Thursday. The mosquitoes targeted are a type that is particularly difficult to control …
Read More »Northernmost settlement hit by ‘heat wave’
Less than 965 km from the North Pole, mercury rose to 21 degrees Celsius in Alert Temperatures hit a record 21 degree Celsius in Alert, the northernmost permanently inhabited spot on the planet less than 965 km from the North Pole, the Canadian meteorology service said on Tuesday. “It’s quite …
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