GUJARAT

Eco-sensitive zones shrunk by up to 99%

The CAG in its economic sector report stated that the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) areas have shrunken in the state. The reduction in the areas in the final ESZ notification ranges from 51% to 99% of the draft proposal. The watchdog noted that this was done even though there were no objections from the stake holders — villagers or local people.

The CAG noted that the shrinking of the ESZ areas may jeopardize the long-term efforts for wildlife conservation and will adversely impact the environment. The CAG observed that the draft proposal was prepared on the guidelines set by the ministry of environment forest and climate change (MoEF&CC) following detailed and scientific studies of habitats and wildlife corridor.

The CAG reported that the audit scrutiny revealed that no representation was received for reduction in ESZ area for forest land and government waste land because the government itself was its custodian.

The CAG gave examples of three sanctuaries — Nalsarovar, Hingolgadh and Velavadar — and observed that the ESZ in the final notification got reduced by 90%, 87% and 99% respectively.

As of July 2017, out of 23 wildlife sanctuaries and four national parks, draft notifications for declaration of ESZ around 17 sanctuaries and four parks have been issued. Out of these, MoEF&CC has issued final ESZ notifications for 10 sanctuaries and three parks.

INTERNATIONAL

Win Myint elected new Myanmar president

Myanmar’s parliament has elected Win Myint as the country’s next president, a week after the resignation of his predecessor Htin Kyaw.

Win Myint, a close aide of Aung San Suu Kyi, has been a speaker in the lower house since 2012 and was widely tipped for the top job.

But his role will be essentially ceremonial, with Ms Suu Kyi acting as de facto president.

NATIONAL

Cabinet approves re-structuring of NSDF and NSDC

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for restructuring of National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to strengthen governance, implementation and monitoring framework.

The restructuring will also ensure better corporate governance, transparency and accountability in operations of NSDC besides strengthening the oversight role of NSDF.

The approval would lead to restructuring of composition of Board of NSDF and the NSDC to strengthen governance, implementation and monitoring.

Cabinet approves certain official amendments to the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved certain official amendments to the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill.

The Amendment to the NMC Bill comes in the backdrop of its consideration in the Lok Sabha on 02.01.2018 and subsequently being referred to the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee (DRPSC).

The Government has considered the recommendations made by the Standing Committee in its report tabled in the House on 20.03.2018 and general feedback, particularly the views of medical students and practitioners regarding certain provisions of the Bill.

Cabinet approves formulation of a new Integrated Scheme for School Education from 1st April, 2018

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal of Department of School Education and Literacy to formulate a Integrated Scheme on School Education by subsuming Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE) from 1st April, 2018 to 31st March, 2020.

An estimated allocation of Rs 75,000 crore over the period has been approved which is a 20% increase over the current allocations.

The scheme comes in the backdrop of PM’s vision of SabkoShiksha, AchhiShiksha and aims to support the States in universalizing access to school education from classes pre-nursery to XII across the country.

· Union Government Allows Export Of 2 Million Tonnes Of Sugar

The union government allowed export of two million tonnes of sugaruntil the end of the 2017-18 marketing year, in order to clear surplus stocks and improve cash flow to millers for making payment to sugarcane farmers.
The government has also allowed export of white sugar till September 2018 under the Duty-Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) scheme, under which exporters are allowed to import sugar at zero duty within three years.

· EPFO Launches Portal For Pensioners

EPFOlaunched the pensioner’s portal through which all EPFO pensioners may get the details of pension-related information.
The pensioner’s portal is a recently launched service where details like pension payment order number, payment order details, passbook information and other related information are available.
The enhanced“Track eKYC” facility for the convenience of members have also been launched to check the status of Aadhaar seeded against their UAN.
The facility has been made available at EPFO’s website www.epfindia.gov.in

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission Signs SOI with SAP Global

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) announced the signing of a Statement of Intent (SOI) with SAP to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

As part of the SOI, SAP in 2018 will adopt 100 Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) for five years to nurture the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning among secondary school children across India.

The objective of this program is to enable students to learn digital transformation and topics related to digital conversion and internet of thinking such as design thinking method, programming language and experiential science teaching.

· Ministry Of Power Joins Hands With Skill India To Support Saubhagya Scheme

Ministry of Powerpartnered with the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship to train the manpower in six states (Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh) for speedy implementation of its SAUBHAGYA scheme.
SAUBHAGYA (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojna) aims to achieve universal household electrification in all parts of the country in a time-bound manner.
Around 4 crore households are expected to get electricity connections under the scheme. A special project under the PMKVY has also been launched in these Six States.

· India’s first Insect Museum Opened In Tamil Nadu

A Rs 5 crore insect museum with the state-of-the-art amenities was unveiled by Tamil NaduChief Minister K Palaniswamy at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
The museum, established at a 6,691 sqft area, is fully dedicated to insects and is first of its kind in the country.
It would display insects preserved as specimens as also live ones depicting their different developmental stages, images, videos and models of their unique behavior, habits, and habitats.

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