Celebration of “Water Conservation Day” on 19th November 2012

National Integration Day is celebrated on 19th November to mark the birth anniversary of late Mrs Indira Gandhi, the 1st woman Prime Minister of India. On this occasion Union Ministry of Water Resources has decided to celebrate “Water Conservation Day" on 19th November 2012 to create awareness regarding concern about depleting water resources & its vision for the water underlining the Ministry’s commitment to be an active contributor to the sustainability of this very important natural resource. 

Field offices of various organizations under the administrative control of the Ministry have been advised to hold discussions, seminars related to water conservation to spread the message. Ministry of Water Resources as well as its organisations will organise a variety of mass awareness programmes for different stake holder. At national level, a function is being organized by Ministry of Water Resources at CSMRS auditorium, New Delhi at 1 P.M. on 19th November 2012. Union Minister of Water Resources Shri Harish Rawat would chair the inaugural function and Shri Rajendra Singh, the Raman Magasaysay Winner 2001 also known as the Waterman would be the guest of honour. Secretary (Water Resources), Chairman (CWC) and other dignitaries would address the gathering. In the function an event representing amalgamation & integration of the water of rivers across India would also be held. 

Inauguration function would be followed by technical presentations on Water Conservation by Central Water Commission, Central ground Water Board and Delhi Jal Board officers on water conservation. Also, there would be a play by children on Water Conservation and the representatives of various stake holders, NGOs, RWAs etc., would present their views on how they are or can contribute in water conservation. 

It is expected that various stakeholders in water sector, NGOs, VOs, students group’s, RWA and community leaders would participate in the function apart from various scientific and technical officers and staff of various organizations of MoWR. 

National Awards for Excellence in Journalism Given

Minister for Information & Broadcasting Shri Manish Tewari has said that the changing paradigm in the media space has taken place due to the technological innovations in the media domain. Both the regulatory framework and human ingenuity have not kept pace with the technological innovations. I the current scenario, self regulation was the best way forward with the participation and partnership of key stakeholders. The Minister stated this while delivering his address at the commemoration of the National Press Day organized by Press Council of India. 

Elaborating further, the Minister said, that in view of the challenges that had emerged, there was need for constant introspection so that the self regulation process could be taken forward. The Constitution of India under Article 19 provides for the freedom of speech and expression, from where the media drew its strength. 

The Press Council of India has instituted National Awards to honour journalists excelling in print journalism in various fields were given during the occasion. These awards were given today to encourage the media to pursue its duties following the dictum of ‘freedom with responsibility’. 

There is one main Award in honour of one of the greatest reformer journalists of the country, ‘Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Award for Excellence in Journalism’ and carries a cash award of Rupees One Lakh, a plaque and a citation. Other awards are in the fields of Rural Journalism, Developmental Reporting, Women Empowerment, Indian Language Reporting, Photo-Journalism etc., carry Rupees fifty thousand each, a plaque and a citation. 

This year’s awardees include Damayanti Datta, Priyanka Dubey, R. Samban, Rajesh Parshuram Joshte, Razia Begum, Biplab Banerjee, Lattur Rathinam Shankar, Partha Paul, Kamal Kishore, Sanjoy Ghosh, Zishaan Akbar Latif and Hasan Kamaal. 

Shri Manish Tewari takes charge as Minister of Information & Broadcasting

Shri Manish Tewari took charge of his new assignment as Minister of Information & Broadcasting here today. Speaking to media persons, after assuming charge, Shri Tewari said that he would take forward the comprehensive policies of the UPA Government taken recently in the Films, Information and Broadcasting Sectors. The Minister reiterated that all efforts would be taken to highlight the policies and programmes of the Central Government. Regarding the key priority areas, the Minister said that he would like to express his views only after he had a comprehensive briefing. 

Regarding the Digitization process, the Minister said that the Ministry had put in place a roadmap for achieving the target of switching over from analogue to digital. The Ministry had taken painstaking efforts to involve the key stakeholders associated with the digitization initiative. The Minister further mentioned that he was confident that the targets would be met by the deadline stipulated. 

Later, the Minister was briefed on the key initiatives, mandate and policy framework of the Ministry by Secretary (I&B) and other Senior Officials. 

Election commission introduced new facilities for citizen

Election Commission of India in its constant endeavor to provide information and services to citizens in a hassle free manner has started a new service on the website of the Commission – www.eci.nic.in. Polling Station locations of National Capital Territory of Delhi and Himachal Pradesh have already been plotted on maps and can be seen by citizens when they visit the concerned page on the website of Election Commission of India. Polling Station locations of rest of the country are being plotted and will be available very soon on the website.
A tab named “Information Linked to Polling Station Maps” has been provided on the left hand side panel of the website of the Commission. Citizens can visit the Polling Stations Maps page by clicking on this tab. Once on the page, citizens will see the names of States for which maps of polling stations are available. On clicking on the name of the State, the map page will open up. Citizens can select District, Assembly Constituency and Polling Station names from drop down lists and click a button to see Polling Station Locations of the selected area on the map viewer on the page. It is possible to zoom into any point on the map to increase the magnification by either double clicking on the map or by increasing the magnification on the left side on the map viewer.
Users can activate the satellite image layer and even see the Polling Station buildings, and the roads leading to it. Polling Station Locations are seen as Pins dropped on the map for each Polling Station. On clicking on the Pin, a balloon opens up showing the names and cell phone numbers of the Chief Electoral Officer, District Election Officer, Electoral Registration Officer and Booth Level Officer.
There is also a link provided for Electoral Rolls. On clicking this link, Electoral Roll for that Polling Station opens up in PDF format and can be saved by the user on his local computer and also printed from the local computer. The Commission hopes that electors and political parties will find this facility useful for the smooth and active participation in the electoral process

Pawan Bansal condoles untimely demise of Jaspal Bhatti

Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal has deeply condoled the passing away of Sardar Jaspal Singh Bhatti in a tragic road accident today.
Following is the text of his message:
“It was with utter disbelief and shock that I came to know about the tragic and untimely demise of Sardar Jaspal Singh Bhatti today. Destiny has suddenly snatched away from us a pious soul who brought a smile on every face. It is an irreparable loss, not only to the Bhatti family, but the entire nation. A deeply religious person, Bhatti sahib not only worked tirelessly to make the people aware of various evils that afflict our society, but also spearheaded a number of philanthropic initiatives. His hard-hitting yet light-hearted satire touched the public conscience and left a deep impact on everyone. The cartoonist, actor and filmmaker in him struck a chord with and won the hearts of millions of people. Jaspal Bhatti has earned a place in the league of artists who will ever rule the hearts of people, regardless of their physical absence.
I express my deep condolences to Smt. Savita Bhatti and all family members. May Almighty grant them strength and courage to bear the loss with fortitude. I also pray for speedy recovery of Jasraj Bhatti”.

President Approves New Protocol Practice

Following a review of current protocol practice, The President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee has formally approved the following changes for implementation with immediate effect: 

1. Use of the words ‘His Excellency’ will be discontinued while organizing functions within the country and during interaction between Indian dignitaries and the President. 

2. In Hindi, राष्ट्रपति‍ महोदय should be used in place of महामहि‍म during such occasions. 

3. The word “Hon’ble” will be used before the title of ‘President’ or ‘Governor’. The traditional Indian greeting of “Shri” or “Smt.” should precede the name. 

4. “Excellency” will be used only for interaction of leaders with foreign dignitaries and foreign dignitaries with our leaders as is customary international practice. 

5. It has also been decided that the word राष्ट्रपतिजी‍ will replace महामहि‍म in official notings in the President’s Secretariat. 

As per past practice, above decisions have been conveyed to the Ministry of Home Affairs for further action. 

Taking into account inconvenience caused to public during his movement within the city and in order to reduce the burden on police and other agencies, The President has instructed that, to the best extent possible, all functions be organized within Rashtrapati Bhavan premises itself. 

DGCA Issues Show Cause Notice to Kingfisher

Directorate General of Civil Aviation has issued a show cause notice to the Kingfisher Airlines (KFA),to be replied within fifteen days,that why its permit should not be cancelled or suspended under the provisions of Section 15(2)(b) of Schedule XI of the Aircraft Rules 1937 as the Airline has failed to establish a safe, efficient and reliable service. The operations of the KFA are under suspension since 30^th September 2012 due to strike by its employees. Union Minister of Civil Aviation ShriAjit Singh while taking a strong note of the situation has said that there will be no compromise on safety of aircraft operations.  The Government has also taken legal opinion in this regard. As per Section 15(2)(b) of Schedule XI of the Aircraft Rules 1937, DGCA may cancel or suspend permit of an Airline for such period as he thinks fit, if he is satisfied that the holder of the permit has failed to establish a safe, efficient and reliable service.

Earlier the Director General, Civil Aviation ShriArun Mishra had called the CEO of the KFA on 2^nd October and had asked him to submit an operational plan of the Airline. In the meeting the DGCA also asked the Airline to show their operational preparedness before DGCA could allow recommencement of its operations by fulfilling the following conditions:

The CEO of the Airline had assured to resume operations by the 4-5 October 2012 but the Airline has not been able to resolve its issues.  They have not approached DGCA with any operational plan. DGCA reviewed the current situation of the Airline today and decided to issue the show cause notice to the Airline under Section 15(3) of Schedule XI of the Aircraft Rules 1937.

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