As part of bilateral exchange of Parliamentary Delegations between India and Pakistan, the first ever Indian Parliamentary Delegation headed by the Speaker of Lok Sabha Smt. Meira Kumar to visit Pakistan from 21 to 25 February, 2012. Shri U.S. Saxena, Joint Secretary, Lok Sabha Secretariat is the Secretary to the Delegation.
The delegation includes the following members.
- Shri Syed Shahnawaz Hussain
- Shri Birendra Prasad Baishya
- Shri Inder Singh Namdhari
- Shri Madan Lal Sharma
- Shri Sheikh Saidul Haque
- Shri Tarun Vijay
- All Members of Parliament
- Shri T.K. Viswanathan, Secretary – General, Lok Sabha.
The Delegation will leave New Delhi for Pakistan on Tuesday, 21 February, 2012.
During its visit to Pakistan, the Delegation will call on the President, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister, Mr. Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and hold discussions with H.E. Mr. Farooq Hamid Naek, Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan; H.E. Dr. Fehmida Mirza, Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan and H.E. Ms.Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Delegation will also visit Taxila & Lahore during their stay in Pakistan.
Prime Minister has constituted an Expert Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. C. Rangarajan, Chairman Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, to examine issues relating to the sugar sector. The other members of the committee are:
- Dr. Kaushik Basu, Chief Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance
- Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution
- Secretary, Department of Agriculture
- Dr. Ashok Gulati, CACP
- Shri Nand Kumar, former Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution and Department of Agriculture and Cooperation and presently Member NDMA
- Dr. K.P. Krishnan, Secretary EAC – Convener
The Committee has been empowered to involve such experts, academics as required as special invitees. The Committee will look into all the issues relating to de-regulation of the sugar sector and it has been requested to complete its task as early as possible and give its recommendations to the Prime Minister. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has been requested to provide the necessary support to the Committee in discharging its functions.
On the occasion of the Republic Day 2012, the President Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patilhas approved the award of President’s Tatrakshak Medal (Distinguished Service) to Inspector General VSR Murthy for his sterling performance, outstanding maritime acumen and invaluable contribution to the service.
The Officer had joined Indian Coast Guard in January 1984. A specialist in Search and Rescue and Port Operations, IG VSR Murthy held various Command appointments afloat and ashore. The Officer has been serving as Deputy Director General (Operations & Coastal Security) since Feb 2010 at Coast Guard Headquarters, New Delhi.
On this occasion, the award of Tatrakshak Medals (Gallantry) has also been approved for Commandant Raghavendra Gourand Jijesh Kakkoth, Uttam Navik (ME). Commandant Raghavendra Gouracted bravely for the apprehension of pirate mother vessel Pranthlay II at sea.
DIG VD Chafekar, DIG G Devanandand Commandant GS Ralhihave also been named for the Tatrakshak Medals (Meritorious Service) organisation.
Lok Sabha Speaker Smt. Meira Kumar and the Chairman of BJP Parliamentary Party, Shri L.K. Advani, led the parliamentarians in paying floral tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the Central Hall of Parliament House on his birth anniversary today (23/01/2012).
Among other dignitaries who paid the floral tributes at the portrait of Netaji were Members of Parliament, former Members of Parliament and Secretary-General of the Rajya Sabha, Dr. V.K.Agnihotri, and senior officers of the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
A booklet containing the profile of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, brought out in Hindi and English by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, was presented to the dignitaries.
The portrait of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was unveiled by the then President of India, Dr. N. Sanjiva Reddy, in the Central Hall of Parliament House on 23 January 1978.
The Union Home Minister Shri P. Chidambaram, launched the first batch of Resident Identity Cards under the coastal National Population Register (NPR) project at Porthrapur village in South Andaman district of Andaman & Nicobar Islands today in the presence of Lt. Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lt. General Bhupender Singh. Smt. Bhulaxmi, a resident of Porthrapur, was the first recipient of the Resident Identity Card. The RIC, is a smart card having 64 KB micro processor chip. The National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, has finalized the visual layout of the card. It incorporates several physical security features like Guilloché patterns, hot stamped hologram and micro text etc.
In Andaman & Nicobar Islands, 365 villages and the town of Port Blair have been covered under the coastal NPR project. A total of 3,88,398 persons have been covered. Of this, 2,82,885 persons above the age of 18 years would be issued identity cards.
The scheme envisages collection of specific items of information of each individual in the coastal areas and issue of Resident Identity (smart) cards (RIC) to all usual residents, who are of age 18 years and above. In all, 3331 coastal villages have been covered in the first phase of the project in these States/UTs. In Andaman & Nicobar Islands, besides villages, the town of Port Blair has also been covered. The approved cost of the scheme is Rs. 216.31 crore. The data collection for the project was done by house to house enumeration by Government officials who were assisted by data entry operators. The collected data was verified by the Government officials after publishing in the local areas and inviting claims and objections. The data was also subjected to biometric de-duplication.
The production and personalization of the RIC cards have been undertaken through the CPSUs. They have setup state-of-the-art production and personalization facilities at secure premises for the coastal NPR project. The delivery of the RICs would be undertaken by India Post for secure delivery to the usual residents.
Government has set up an inter-ministerial coordination committee for Tourism Sector under the chairmanship of the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister to resolve inter-ministerial and industry issues and promote tourism. Shri Pulok Chatterji presided over the first meeting of the committee in PMO on 19.1.2012. Secretaries to Government of India of important ministries were present. Sh Chatterjisaid tourism should be seen as development: it should be pro-poor and focus on employment creation. He emphasized the need to give tourism a major fillip during the 12th Plan so as to more than double the number of foreign tourists arriving in India and further encourage domestic tourism.
Some of the important decisions taken in the meeting were:
- A sub-committee under consisting of Member Secretary, Planning Commission, Culture Secretary, Secretary (Environment and Forests), Secretary (Rural Development) and Secretary(Tourism) will identify the potential of tourism in rural, eco and cultural sectors in the country and submit its report within four weeks.
- MOEF should finalise its eco-tourism policy at the earliest possible duly analysing the feedback it has received from different quarters.
- It is imperative that all local stakeholders are involved in promoting eco-tourism.
- Ministry of Culture should adopt a pro-active tourism policy which should promote Museums, cultural and heritage sites, besides monuments. There should be close inter-face between MOC and MOT.
- MHA to take steps to facilitate extension of Tourist Visa on Arrival to GOA, Hyderabad, Kochi and Bengaluruairports within next one year.
- A coordinationCommittee consisting of Joint Secretaries of MHA, MEA and MoTconstituted to resolve day to day visa related complaints.
- In order to promote vocational courses related to tourism it was decided that MHRD will accord High Priority in including maximum schools under the scheme.
- The initiative taken by Ministry of Tourism through Hunarse Rozgarscheme was appreciated by the Committee. It was noted that tourism related activities should become an integral part of relevant poverty alleviation programme of the Ministry of Rural Development including NREGA.
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will utilise the funds available under Central Road Fund (CRF) in consultation with concerned State Governments in 13 States in February, 2012 where the roads have already been identified.
- Ministry of Road Transport & Highways will undertake development of essential road infrastructure in the tourism circuits either from its own fund or Central Road Fund.
- Ministry of Defence (Border Road Organisation)at Gangtokand Lehroads which are tentatively scheduled to be completed by 2014 and 2015 respectively.
Union Tourism Minister, Shri Subodh Kant Sahai, has urged the people to join clean India campaign in large numbers. Inaugurating the 3-D show related to the campaign at India Gate in New Delhi today, the Minister said that every section of the society should join this campaign to promote India as a major tourist destination.
Shri Sahai said students and young people should come out in large numbers to promote the message of clean India. He said that 3-D show being held today should be organized in other parts of the country. A large number of school children also attended the show.
The Finance Minister Shri Mukherjee launched the signature tune of the Indian Customs “Pragati ki Dhadkan”. The signature tune has been specially composed by noted music director Shri Adesh Srivastava. This Signature tune marks a curtain raiser to the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Indian Customs Act, 1962. This tune will also be played alongside the tableau of the Central Board of Excise and Customs during the Republic Day Parade on Rajpath on 26th January,2012.
The Finance Minister, Shri Mukherjee said that the year 2012 marks the 50th year of the Customs Act 1962. He congratulated the officers of the department for taking various initiatives including the participation in the Republic Day Parade 2012 through a Tableau entitled Indian Customs-”The Guardian of Our Economic Frontiers to inform the tax payers and general public about the milestone event and requesting all concerned to join them in nation building.
Polaris Financial Technology Ltd. (POLS.BO), a leading global Financial Technology company, today announced that National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD) has chosen Polaris’ integrated IntellectTM Lending Solution comprising Loan Management and Accounting modules to be the bank’s new Centralized Loan Management and Accounting System (CLMAS). Polaris will offer NABARD its Intellect Loan Origination, Intellect Loan Management, Intellect GL (Accounting, Budgeting, MIS), Training, Handholding and Helpdesk services to centralise decision making and attain access to centralised accounting across the bank’s head office and regional offices.
NABARD has agreed to implement a Centralized Loan Management and Accounting (CLMAS) solution at all its offices encompassing all Lending and Accounting Operations to align with its current and future IT requirements. As a part of its transformational agenda, the Re-positioning Department of NABARD initiated several innovative measures, with CLMAS being an important part of the agenda. The objective was automation of financial transactions online and accounting at enterprise level, generation of Trial Balance on daily basis and avoidance of reconciliation of various accounts, centralized repository of data and an efficient Management Information System (MIS).
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