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Wednesday, August 5, 2009
CSIR on the web
http://csirindia.wordpress.com/
Monday, August 3, 2009
DoPT initiatives to strengthen RTI Act
Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) has initiated action on a proposal to review the Second Schedule to the RTI Act, 2005 which contains the names of security and intelligence organizations exempt from its purview, with a view to strengthen the RTI Act. It is being examined whether some of the organizations could be deleted from the Schedule. Another proposal under examination of the Department is to add some more categories of information to the list given in section 4 (1) of the Act which all public authorities are required to publish suo motu. This will enable greater proactive disclosures by public authorities.
The law officers of the Government pointed out that there is no provision in the RTI Act enabling the Commission to decide the cases through Benches. So as to ensure that nothing legally wrong is done, the Government advised the Information Commission that decisions on the appeals/complaints should be taken by the Commission and not by the Benches of the Commission. Some parties, without understanding the intricacies of law, have been trying to create an impression that Government is trying to limit the powers of the Commission, which is far from the truth. The only concern of the Government in the matter is that nothing illegal should be done. However, the Government is considering suitable amendments in the Act in order to enable the Commissions to function through Benches.
The Government of India has launched a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in October, 2008 which aims at strengthening of the State Information Commissions by providing funds for their IT enablement and propagation of RTI. Funds have already been released to 19 State Information Commissions so far. The scheme also proposes to impart training to various stake-holders through the Administrative Training Institutes and to create awareness through the Department of Posts, the Directorate of Audio Visual Publicity (DAVP) and the NCERT.
83,000 stakeholders have already been trained under the UNDP funded ‘Capacity Building for Access to Information Programme’ launched in 2005. With the purpose of understanding the weaknesses and strengths of the system of implementing the provisions of the RTI Act, the Government had a study done through an independent private organization. The study recommended measures for enhancing accountability and clarity of role of various stake holders; improving RTI awareness; improving convenience in filing requests; enhancing infrastructure and capacity building; improving efficiency at Information Commissions; institutionalising Third Party audit. Government has already acted upon some of the recommendations made by the study.
The enactment of the Right to Information Act, 2005 is a momentous step towards transparency in the functioning of the Government and the Government is committed to make it a success and strengthen it further. The Department of Personnel & Training has recently clarified through an Office Memorandum that file notings are to be disclosed. The address of the President to the Joint session of the Parliament reiterates the commitment of the Government to initiate action within 100 days for strengthening the right to information by suitably amending the law.
Courtesy : PIB
The law officers of the Government pointed out that there is no provision in the RTI Act enabling the Commission to decide the cases through Benches. So as to ensure that nothing legally wrong is done, the Government advised the Information Commission that decisions on the appeals/complaints should be taken by the Commission and not by the Benches of the Commission. Some parties, without understanding the intricacies of law, have been trying to create an impression that Government is trying to limit the powers of the Commission, which is far from the truth. The only concern of the Government in the matter is that nothing illegal should be done. However, the Government is considering suitable amendments in the Act in order to enable the Commissions to function through Benches.
The Government of India has launched a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in October, 2008 which aims at strengthening of the State Information Commissions by providing funds for their IT enablement and propagation of RTI. Funds have already been released to 19 State Information Commissions so far. The scheme also proposes to impart training to various stake-holders through the Administrative Training Institutes and to create awareness through the Department of Posts, the Directorate of Audio Visual Publicity (DAVP) and the NCERT.
83,000 stakeholders have already been trained under the UNDP funded ‘Capacity Building for Access to Information Programme’ launched in 2005. With the purpose of understanding the weaknesses and strengths of the system of implementing the provisions of the RTI Act, the Government had a study done through an independent private organization. The study recommended measures for enhancing accountability and clarity of role of various stake holders; improving RTI awareness; improving convenience in filing requests; enhancing infrastructure and capacity building; improving efficiency at Information Commissions; institutionalising Third Party audit. Government has already acted upon some of the recommendations made by the study.
The enactment of the Right to Information Act, 2005 is a momentous step towards transparency in the functioning of the Government and the Government is committed to make it a success and strengthen it further. The Department of Personnel & Training has recently clarified through an Office Memorandum that file notings are to be disclosed. The address of the President to the Joint session of the Parliament reiterates the commitment of the Government to initiate action within 100 days for strengthening the right to information by suitably amending the law.
Courtesy : PIB
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Science & Technology transforming Indian Economy
The Indian economy has undergone a structural change over the last decade, with shares of agriculture, manufacturing and services in the gross domestic product (GDP) changing from 28.52%, 24.37% and 47.11% respectively in 1997-98 to 20.83%, 26.78% and 52.39% respectively in 2007-08. The share of merchandise trade in GDP increased from 20.28% to 38.61% over the same period and India’s share in world exports increased from 0.5% in 1990 to 1.1% in 2006.
Science and Technology has played an important role in bringing about this transformation in Indian economy, which is showing a shift from a predominantly agriculture based economy to manufacturing and services based economy and is now increasingly integrating with the world economy to become globally competitive, as demonstrated by its increasing share in world exports. Government S&T departments and agencies have undertaken or promoted research and development to provide innovative and contemporary technologies to industry and India’s recent growth has been driven by rapid expansion in export-oriented, skill intensive manufacturing and, especially, skill intensive services. India is increasingly becoming a top global innovation player in bio-technology, pharmaceuticals, automotive parts and assembly, information technology (IT), software and IT-enabled services (ITES) and has already become the world’s fourth-largest economy on purchasing power parity (PPP) basis.
Eleventh Five Year Plan approach to S&T has emphasized the following:
• Setting up a national-level mechanism for evolving policies and providing direction to basic research;
• Enlarging the pool of scientific manpower, strengthening the S&T infrastructure and attracting & retaining young people to careers in science;
• Implementing selected National Flagship Programmes which have direct bearing on the technological competitiveness of the country in a mission mode;
• Establishing globally competitive research facilities and centres of excellence;
• Kindling an innovative spirit among scientists to translate R&D leads into scalable technologies;
• Developing new models of public private partnerships (PPPs) in higher education, particularly for research in universities and high technology areas;
• Identifying ways and means of catalyzing industry-academia collaborations; and
• Promoting strong linkages with advanced countries, including participation in mega international science initiatives.
The Eleventh Plan Outlay for S&T sector comprising of Department of Science and Technology, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research and Department of Biotechnology the three Departments under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Departments of Space and Atomic Energy has been raised to Rs.75,304 crore, which is approximately three times the Tenth Plan Outlay.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences (Independent charges), PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Prithviraj Chavan in a written reply to a question by Smt. T. Ratna Bai in the Rajya Sabha today.
Science and Technology has played an important role in bringing about this transformation in Indian economy, which is showing a shift from a predominantly agriculture based economy to manufacturing and services based economy and is now increasingly integrating with the world economy to become globally competitive, as demonstrated by its increasing share in world exports. Government S&T departments and agencies have undertaken or promoted research and development to provide innovative and contemporary technologies to industry and India’s recent growth has been driven by rapid expansion in export-oriented, skill intensive manufacturing and, especially, skill intensive services. India is increasingly becoming a top global innovation player in bio-technology, pharmaceuticals, automotive parts and assembly, information technology (IT), software and IT-enabled services (ITES) and has already become the world’s fourth-largest economy on purchasing power parity (PPP) basis.
Eleventh Five Year Plan approach to S&T has emphasized the following:
• Setting up a national-level mechanism for evolving policies and providing direction to basic research;
• Enlarging the pool of scientific manpower, strengthening the S&T infrastructure and attracting & retaining young people to careers in science;
• Implementing selected National Flagship Programmes which have direct bearing on the technological competitiveness of the country in a mission mode;
• Establishing globally competitive research facilities and centres of excellence;
• Kindling an innovative spirit among scientists to translate R&D leads into scalable technologies;
• Developing new models of public private partnerships (PPPs) in higher education, particularly for research in universities and high technology areas;
• Identifying ways and means of catalyzing industry-academia collaborations; and
• Promoting strong linkages with advanced countries, including participation in mega international science initiatives.
The Eleventh Plan Outlay for S&T sector comprising of Department of Science and Technology, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research and Department of Biotechnology the three Departments under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Departments of Space and Atomic Energy has been raised to Rs.75,304 crore, which is approximately three times the Tenth Plan Outlay.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences (Independent charges), PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Prithviraj Chavan in a written reply to a question by Smt. T. Ratna Bai in the Rajya Sabha today.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Pensionary benefits only after 20 years of service: CAT
New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) Government employees can claim pension only if they have completed a minimum of 20 years of service, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has held.
"The applicant, Mukesh, cannot claim pension, only for the reason that he had opted for the VRS. Qualifying service is essential for a government servant to claim pension as there is no relaxation permissible," the CAT, headed by Vice Chairman M Ramachandran, said.
The Tribunal passed the order on a plea of a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) employee who alleged that he had not been given the pensionary benefits after he opted for voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) and sought directions for relief.
The CAT noted that the pension scheme was there as per the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules and minimum incumbency of 20 years of service was required for a person to claim pension as a matter of right.
"The applicant, Mukesh, cannot claim pension, only for the reason that he had opted for the VRS. Qualifying service is essential for a government servant to claim pension as there is no relaxation permissible," the CAT, headed by Vice Chairman M Ramachandran, said.
The Tribunal passed the order on a plea of a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) employee who alleged that he had not been given the pensionary benefits after he opted for voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) and sought directions for relief.
The CAT noted that the pension scheme was there as per the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules and minimum incumbency of 20 years of service was required for a person to claim pension as a matter of right.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Homage to our CSIR feollow
I got the news first through a telephone call at 8.40 PM that day by one of my friends from CIMFR, Dhanbad, as the ZEE news was showing this incident as breaking news, later on CNEB started displaying the names of deceased employees. it was then that i could understand the gravity of the accident and was shell shocked to hear the name of Mr. K.B. Joshi
we should all get a lesson from this tragedy and work together for better safety measures in the future to avoid accidents of such magnitude*.This is just my humble tribute to the victims of this tragedy.
CENTRAL SECRETARIAT MANUAL OF e-OFFICE PROCEDURE DRAFT OF THE FIRST EDITION
Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances releases first draft of "CENTRAL SECRETARIAT MANUAL OF e-OFFICE PROCEDURE". This manual takes care of the present scenario demanding simplified, responsive, effective and transparent working of government offices with the help of state of art cost effective technologies available in the market.
ANNUAL ESSAY PRIZE COMPETITION-2009 (IIPA)
NDIAN INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
INDRAPRASTHA ESTATE, RING ROAD
NEW DELHI-110002
ANNUAL ESSAY PRIZE COMPETITION-2009
Entries are invited for the Annual Essay Prize Competion-2009. The value of the prize for the competition will be as under:
First Prize Rs. 5,000/-
Second Prize Rs. 3,000/-
Third Prize Rs. 2,000/-
Any competitor who has got a prize on one occasion will not, on any subsequent occasion, be eligible for an equivalent or lower prize. The joint authorship of essays shall not be allowed and any essay under joint authorship shall not be considered for competition.
The following subjects have been prescribed and it is open to competitors to choose any of them.
1. Domestic Violence in
2. Globalisation and Economic Recession: The Indian Context
3. The Importance of Agriculture in Sustainable Economic Growth in
Essay should be based on personal research or experience of the competitors and show evidence of original thinking and scholarship as well as a critical analysis of the subject. Broad generalizations should be avoided.
The essay should be in English or Hindi. The length of an essay should approximately be 5000 words and the competitors must indicate the total number of words of the essay contributed by them. Essays exceeding 5,500 words will not be accepted. The contestants must indicate the total number of words of the failing which it will not be accepted. All essays must be typed in double space on one side of the paper only and those entries which do not adhere to the stipulation can be rejected. It should be submitted in triplicate under a “nom-de-plume” or alias. The full name and address of the competitor should be given on a separate sheet and enclosed in a sealed envelope bearing the nom-de-plume on the outer cover with the following inscription.
“Annual Essay Prize Competiton-2009, Indian Institute of Public Administration,
All essays should be sent to the Director, Indian Institute of Public Administration, Indraprastha Estate,
Cash Withdrawal at Point-of-Sale
RBI/2009-10/105
DPSS.CO.PD.No. 147/02.14.003/ 2009-10
22nd July 2009
To
All System Providers (VISA / MasterCard / American Express),
All Scheduled Commercial banks
Dear Sir,
Cash Withdrawal at Point-of-Sale (POS)
Presently cash withdrawal facility using plastic cards is available only at Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs). As on May 31, 2009, number of ATMs and POS terminals in the country stood at 44,857 and 4,70,237 respectively. The use of debit cards at Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals at different merchant establishments has been steadily increasing. As a further step towards enhancing the customer convenience in using the plastic money, it has been decided to permit cash withdrawals at POS terminals. To start with, this facility will be available for all debit cards issued in India, upto Rs.1000/- per day.
2. The conditions subject to which this facility is being extended is given in the Annex.
3. Banks may obtain the approval of their Board of Directors for offering this facility. The note put up to the Board should incorporate the product profile, risk perceived by the bank and the risk mitigation measures.
4. This circular is being issued in exercise of the powers conferred on the Reserve Bank under Section 18 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (Act 51 of 2007).
Yours faithfully
(G.Padmanabhan)
Chief General Manager
Encl: as above
Annex
Conditions for 'cash withdrawal at Point of Sale (POS)
1. This facility is available only against debit cards issued in India.
2. The maximum amount that can be withdrawn at POS terminals is fixed at Rs.1000/- per day.
3. This facility may be made available at any merchant establishment designated by the bank after a process of due diligence.
4. The facility is available irrespective of whether the card holder makes a purchase or not.
5. In case the facility is being availed along with the purchase of merchandise, the receipt generated shall separately indicate the amount of cash withdrawn.
6. Banks offering this facility shall put in place a proper customer redressal mechanism. Complaints in this regard will fall within the ambit of the Banking Ombudsman Scheme.
7. Banks offering this facility shall on approval by their respective Boards obtain one time permission of Reserve Bank of India, Department of Banking Operations and Development under Section 23 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. (A copy of the Board note / approval may be enclosed.)
2. The maximum amount that can be withdrawn at POS terminals is fixed at Rs.1000/- per day.
3. This facility may be made available at any merchant establishment designated by the bank after a process of due diligence.
4. The facility is available irrespective of whether the card holder makes a purchase or not.
5. In case the facility is being availed along with the purchase of merchandise, the receipt generated shall separately indicate the amount of cash withdrawn.
6. Banks offering this facility shall put in place a proper customer redressal mechanism. Complaints in this regard will fall within the ambit of the Banking Ombudsman Scheme.
7. Banks offering this facility shall on approval by their respective Boards obtain one time permission of Reserve Bank of India, Department of Banking Operations and Development under Section 23 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. (A copy of the Board note / approval may be enclosed.)
I-T dept can’t tax research work
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court, in a recent order, came down heavily on the Income-Tax Department, which unilaterally injected an application for
exemption for scientific and industrial research, without seeking guidance of experts on the matter. Tax authorities do not have the jurisdiction to decide on the issues pertaining to scientific research, according to a division bench of the HC comprising FI Rebello and JH Bhatia.
The observation was made while deciding on an appeal filed by Mumbai-based Indian Planetary Society (IPS), which claims to carry out planetary research, astrophysics, solar physics etc. IPS moved the HC, after the I-T Department declined to approve the body even after being accorded the status of Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (SIRO), by the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research of the ministry of science & technology.
The division bench pointed out that since the tax authorities do not have the required expertise to evaluate scientific research activities, it should have sought the advise of experts in the field before coming to a conclusion that a particular body has been genuinely carrying out the research activity. Any decision on such matters, taken without the guidance of experts in the filed, would be vitiated, the HC observed.
The tax authorities did not furnish any reasons for rejecting the application. It merely said IPS did not meet the requirements under Section 35 (1) (11) of the I-T Act, which deals with deductions for expenditure incurred on scientific and industrial research. The communication from CBDT to the IPS reads, “The basic requirement under Section 35 (1) (11) of the I-T Act undertaking adequate scientific research activity is not fulfilled.”
The division bench held that CBDT, which has the officers of the Income-Tax Department, is hardly an authority to decide whether an organisation is actually doing the scientific research or not. The HC pointed out that it is the central government which has the authority on such matters. The court also pointed out that recognition by the ministry of science and technology entails IPS to customs & excise deduction.
The HC further held that the authority to grant permission to such an organisation is of the Government of India and not CBDT. “Nothing has been shown before us to show that, CBDT under the business rules of the Government of India, has been allowed to discharge functions of the government under Section 35 (1) (11).”
Courtesy: Economic times
The observation was made while deciding on an appeal filed by Mumbai-based Indian Planetary Society (IPS), which claims to carry out planetary research, astrophysics, solar physics etc. IPS moved the HC, after the I-T Department declined to approve the body even after being accorded the status of Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (SIRO), by the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research of the ministry of science & technology.
The division bench pointed out that since the tax authorities do not have the required expertise to evaluate scientific research activities, it should have sought the advise of experts in the field before coming to a conclusion that a particular body has been genuinely carrying out the research activity. Any decision on such matters, taken without the guidance of experts in the filed, would be vitiated, the HC observed.
The tax authorities did not furnish any reasons for rejecting the application. It merely said IPS did not meet the requirements under Section 35 (1) (11) of the I-T Act, which deals with deductions for expenditure incurred on scientific and industrial research. The communication from CBDT to the IPS reads, “The basic requirement under Section 35 (1) (11) of the I-T Act undertaking adequate scientific research activity is not fulfilled.”
The division bench held that CBDT, which has the officers of the Income-Tax Department, is hardly an authority to decide whether an organisation is actually doing the scientific research or not. The HC pointed out that it is the central government which has the authority on such matters. The court also pointed out that recognition by the ministry of science and technology entails IPS to customs & excise deduction.
The HC further held that the authority to grant permission to such an organisation is of the Government of India and not CBDT. “Nothing has been shown before us to show that, CBDT under the business rules of the Government of India, has been allowed to discharge functions of the government under Section 35 (1) (11).”
Courtesy: Economic times
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
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