Don’t issue liquor shop licences along National Highways: Centre tells States
Alarmed at “deadly figures” due to drunken driving menace, the Centre has asked State governments not to give licences for liquor shops along the National Highways.
In India, around 1,18,840 road accidents have occurred in the last five years due drunken driving.
“Chief Secretaries/Principal Secretaries/Secretaries (Transport) of all states/UTs have been requested to ensure that no licence is issued to liquor vendors along with the National Highways,” Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
Govt. to use Aadhaar to deliver benefits to unorganised workers
The government is working on a plan to offer benefits like insurance and pension to over 40 crore unorganised workers in India using Aadhaar, Jan Dhan accounts and the existing platform without going for smart cards.
“In view of the near-universal coverage of Aadhaar, the government is now working on a policy on delivery of various public services using Aadhaar, Jan Dhan yojana accounts (JDY) and the existing platform without the issuance of new ’Unorganised Workers Identification Number’ (U-WIN Card),” Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Advisory for travellers from yellow fever-affected countries
All travellers arriving in India within six days of departure from yellow fever-affected countries are required to produce a vaccination certificate or proof of action taken to prevent the disease, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.
Yellow fever is an acute flu-like disease transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito.
”...All travellers arriving in India within six days of departure from any yellow fever endemic country are required to possess (in orginal) a yellow fever certificate of vaccination or prophylaxis as per the model released by World Health Organisation from a yellow vaccination centre designated by the country,” Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
WHO has listed over 40 countries, including Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Kenya, Mali, Senegal, Sudan, Uganda, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Venezuela, as yellow fever endemic countries.
More forest fires in first four months of 2016 than 2015: Javadekar
The government on Monday said the number of forest fires in the first four months this year has already exceeded the last year’s total of such incidents.
The Centre has formulated a contingency plan for dealing with such crisis. Till April 21, a total of 20,667 incidents of forest fires have taken place. In 2015, the total number of forest fire incidents were 15,937, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
He said that this year, 291 forest fires have broken out in Uttarakhand, 2,422 in Chhattisgarh and 2,349 in Odisha.
Madhya Pradesh reported 2,238 forest fires this year against 294 such incidents last year.
Maharashtra reported 1,638 forest fires this year while the number is 1,719 in Assam. 1,416 fire forest incidents took place in Andhra Pradesh, the minister said quoting the figures of Forest Survey of India.
In 2014, 19,054 forest fire incidents were reported, while 18,451 forest fire incidents took place in 2013.
’Pharma imports from China reaches $1.74 billion in April-December 2015’
India’s imports of pharmaceutical products from China has reached $1.74 billion during April-December 2015, Parliament was informed on Monday.
In 2014-15, it stood at $2.22 billion as against $2.11 billion in 2013-14.
India imports drugs and pharmaceutical products from China in the form of raw materials as well as finished products for both domestic consumption and exports.
As per the reports available, in case of 12 essential drugs including Paracetamol and Amoxicillin “there is a significant dependence on imports of drug ingredients and substantial imports of these products are from China“.
“One of the reasons for imports from China is the price competitiveness of these products,” Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
CPCB to set up ambient air quality monitoring systems
The Central Pollution Control Board has proposed to set up ambient air quality monitoring systems in cities with the help of public sector undertakings, the government said on Monday.
“CPCB has proposed to set up Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) in 46 million plus cities under corporate social responsibility programme of central public sector undertakings,” Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
NHAI to mobilise Rs. 55,000 cr via bonds
To finance its various projects, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to raise Rs.55,000 crore through bonds this fiscal. “NHAI plans to raise Rs.5,000 crore through capital gains bonds and Rs.50,000 crore through taxable bonds or other similar instruments,” Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Pon Radhakrishnan told Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Monday.
Panel defers environment clearance to proposal by CIL unit
An Environment Ministry panel has deferred a proposal of Ib-Valley washery of Coal India’s (CIL) arm Mahanadi Coalfields.
A committee “for coal mining projects of Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in its meeting held on March 17, 2016 had considered the environment clearance proposal of Ib-Valley washery of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) and deferred the proposal,” Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
Govt. mulls allowing sick, loss-making PSUs run PF trusts
The government is considering a proposal to relax the Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme to enable loss—making and sick PSUs to continue with their own PF Trusts, Parliament was informed on Monday.
“Yes... The proposal is being examined in consultation with the Central Board of Trustees, Employees’ Provident Fund,” Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya replied to a question in Parliament on whether the government is looking to relax/amend the Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme to enable loss-making and sick PSUs to continue to run own PF Trusts.
