External Affairs Ministry unaware of BJP MPs’ Monsanto-funded trip to US
26082014
Friends,
Our alertness has yielded results. Good effort has been put up by all of us. Finally the BJP MPs’ Monsanto-funded trip to US stands cancelled.
But let us not be complacent. I sense further evil designs ahead. It would be appropriate to suggest some MPs to come up with Questions on this issue in the upcoming Winter Session of the Parliament.
It is clear that the tour was being arranged in a clandestine way. There was no prior permission from the party or the Speaker of Lok Sabha or Parliamentary Affairs Office. Even the Ministry of Home Affairs or the Ministry of External Affairs were unaware of the proposed tour.
Here is the evidence of the Ministry of External Affairs not having any knowledge on the issue. Below is the statement (with LINKS) of the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Syed Akbaruddin –
Question: A group of BJP and Shiv Sena MPs are going to the United States at the invitation of Monsanto to look at field trials. This comes in the wake of the Government of India banning anything to do with genetically-modified foods. I am just wondering, since they are MPs from the ruling front were they given political clearances; and after such a ban how is it that political clearances were given.
Official Spokesperson: Shrinjoy, I do not know about this. I can always check. I do not know whether what you are saying is factually what the position is, on what basis they have applied for political clearance or not. This is the first time I have heard about this thing. We will check it and if there is anything that we can say, we will do so surely.
Obviously, if people are going to a foreign country as part of a delegation, they require necessary clearances. But it does not follow from that that what you are saying was the basis for the request to visit. So, I will need to check that information before we respond on that.
Cheers!
ASHOK B SHARMA
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Partnership Signing of MoU for WASH in Schools programme under CSR
26082014
New Delhi, India, August 25,2014, UNICEF and IDBI Bank have jointly signed a landmark Rs. 2.7 crore (approx. 450,000 USD) partnership. The MoU, signed by Chief General Manager, IDBI Bank, Mr. R.V Iyer and UNICEF India Representative, Mr. Louis-Georges Arsenault, under Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity will directly impact the lives of over 80,000 children in 400 schools and Anganwadicentres in UP and Maharashtra. The program will provide improved access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for school-going children, under the “Model WASH in Schools” initiative in these two states.
“The Model WASH in Schools programme demonstrates the effectiveness of integrating critical behaviours such as hand washing, into the world’s largest Mid-Day meals program. Evidence shows that access to functional and separate toilets for girls and boys can contribute to a better learning environment, reducing absenteeism and drop-out rates of children in schools, especially girls,” said Louis-Georges Arsenault, UNICEF India Representative.
Commenting on the landmark initiative, Shri M.S. Raghavan, Chairman and Managing Director, IDBI Bank said, “IDBI Bank, as a responsible and socially conscientious PSU Bank, has entered into this partnership with UNICEF and the Government of India to support their vision of ensuring that the 110 million children enrolled in 1.4 million elementary schools across India have access to safe drinking water and functional toilets along with imbibing hygienic practices with special emphasis on hand washing. The initiative is also in alignment with the Swachh Bharat Mission, recently launched by the Government of India, under which we are further supporting the construction of 300 gender segregated toilets in schools across India, primarily in rural areas, towards addressing sanitation issues.”
Highlighting the role of corporates in supporting child-friendly education in schools, Sue Coates, Chief of WASH, UNICEF India, said, “The partnership is of special significance against the backdrop of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s recent appeal to corporates to focus on building toilets in schools, especially for girls.”
The partnership will encourage schools to implement higher standards of WASH-in-School facilities and the Hygiene Education programme in a child-friendly environment. An evaluation system will be established to monitor the progress in the two states and key learnings will be used to replicate the model across the country
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Categories : Business, CSR, culture, Education
Press Conference or Talks held in new Delhi 25 Aug 2014
26082014
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Categories : culture, Education
British Embassy celebrates 200-year anniversary of White House burning:
26082014
British Embassy celebrates 200-year anniversary of White House burning:http://abcn.ws/1spHTjj – @c_good pic.twitter.com/JKUPQbYOJT
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Categories : Business, CSR, culture
Competition Commission of India Imposes Penalty of Rs. 2544.64 crores on 14 Car Companies
26082014
The Competition Commission of India(‘the Commission’) has found14 Car Companies to bein contravention of the provisions of the Competition Act, 2002 (‘the Act’). The informant, Shri Shamsher Kataria, had approached the Commission alleging anti-competitive conduct by 3 Car Companies in not allowing the spare parts and after sale services market to grow to the detriment of consumers and independent repairers. In view of prevalence of anti-competitive issues throughout the automobile industry, the Commission directed the Director General(DG) to include other car companies also under the scanner of its investigation.
Ensuing detailed investigation, the Commission found that the conduct of the Car Companies was in violation of the provisions of section 3(4) of the Act with respect to its agreements with local Original Equipment Suppliers (OESs) and agreements with authorized dealers whereby it imposed absolute restrictive covenants and completely foreclosed the aftermarket for supply of spare parts and other diagnostic tools. Further the Commission found that the said companies, who were found to be dominance in the aftermarkets for their respective brands, abused their dominant position under section 4 of the Act and affected around 2 crore car consumers. The 14 car companies were found to be indulging in practices resulting in denial of market access to independent repairersas the latter were not provided access to branded spare parts and diagnostic tools which hampered their ability to provide services in the aftermarket for repair and maintenance of cars. Having a monopolistic control over the spare parts and diagnostic tools of their respective brands, the car companies charged arbitrary and high prices for their spare parts. The car companies were also found to be using their dominant position in the market for spare parts and diagnostic tools to protect their market for repair services, thereby distorting fair competition.
The Commission has prescribed corrective measures to make the automobile market more competitive and to put an end to the present anti-competitive conduct of the car companies. While deciding the case, the Commission was guided by two prime motivations i.e. (i) to enable the consumers to have access to spare parts and to have freedom of choicebetween independent repairers and authorized dealers and (ii) to enable the independent repairers to participate in the aftermarket and provide services in a competitive manner.
Accordingly, Commission, under Section 27 of the Act, directed the car companies to cease and desist from indulging in conduct which has been found to be in contravention of the provisions of the Act. The car companies were also directed to adopt appropriate policies which shall allow them to put in place an effective system to make the spare parts and diagnostic tools easily available in the open market to customers and independent repairers. Further, the Commission directed the car companies not to put any restrictions or impediments on the operation of independent repairers/garages. Other behavioural remedies to ensure a competitive market conditions were also prescribed by the Act.
Commission also imposed a penalty calculated at the rate of 2% of the average turnover of the 14 Car companies amounting to Rs. 2544.64 crores in aggregate. The penalty is to be deposited within 60 days of receipt of the order.
Detailed order can be seen at commission’s website http://www.cci.gov.in
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Categories : Automobile, Business, CSR, culture, Education, Environment, Funds, Legal, Media, Trade,Transport
Yo Naresh, This is Yo Yo Honey Singh. I signed it.
26082014
Yo Yo Honey Singh
To Nksagar_1@yahoo.com
Today at 8:30 AM
|
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Categories : Business
ANANDIBEN PATEL DEDICATES TALUKA SEVA SADAN AT DAHEGAM,GANDHINAGAR
26082014GUJARAT CM ANANDIBEN PATEL DEDICATES TALUKA SEVA SADAN AT DAHEGAM,GANDHINAGAR
Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel dedicates Taluka Seva Sadan at Dahegam(Gandhinagar) to the people of the state pic.twitter.com/3HAObBU4OC
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Categories : Media, Politics, Uncategorized
Swachh Bharat by 2019 will be executed in a mission mode : Gadkari
26082014
Posted on August 26, 2014
Union Minister for Rural Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation Shri Nitin Gadkari today called for practical approach to achieve the goal of sanitation for all by 2019. Speaking at a National Conference on Sanitation and Drinking Water here, the Minister said, the current allocation of Rs10,000 per toilet in rural areas is insufficient and soon the amount will be increased to achieve the real target. Lamenting that even after 67 years of Independence, 60 percent people in India defecate in open, Shri Gadkari said that the dream project of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to build Swachh Bharat by 2019 will be executed in a mission mode. He also emphasized that massive funds will be mobilized for this purpose under the leadership of the Prime Minister.
Shri Gadkari asked the State Ministers of Drinking water and Sanitation attending the conference to come up with practical and area specific approach to toilets and assured them that funds will not be a constraint.
He called for quality works so that toilets could last upto thirty to forty years and laid emphasis on suitable low cost technology for that purpose. To address the problem of drinking water and especially in 17,000 those villages having problems like arsenic, excessive fluoride, heavy metals and other pollutants, the Minister said that a new scheme will be launched in the next two months to address this issue. The Minister also called for timely flow of funds and e-transfer of money for speedy execution of projects.
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation, Shri Upendra Kushwaha said that Prime Minister Shri Modi has personally expressed anguish in his Independence Day speech and expressed the commitment of his Government to achieve ‘Swachh Bharat’ by 2019 as a tribute on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, by eliminating the unhealthy practice of Open Defecation.
He also reminded the State Ministers that Shri Modi also directed that by 15th August 2015, every school should have separate toilets for boys and girls. He said that, in the last 60 years only 32% rural families in 2011 (as per census figures) and 40 %.( NSSO figures of 2013) have rural toilets. Shri Kushwaha informed that more than 2 crore families who were given subsidy under the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan do not have functional toilets today. Later the Union Ministers heard specific complaints and suggestions from the State Ministers and senior officials of the states attending the conference.
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Categories : Business, CSR
Annual Convention of Delhi Theosophical Federation
26082014
From: Virendra Taneja <tanejavk@gmail.com> Tue, 26 Aug ’14 1:14a
To: You and others
Dear Brothers,
As per communion received from Dr D.K.Satsangi, President of Federation, the elections of office bearers, supposed to be held on Sunday 14th September 2014, has been postponed to a further date to be announced by the Secretary in due course. However Study Class scheduled to be conducted Br U.S.Pandey will be carried as usual by on Saturday 13th of September 2014, albeit on Sunday 14th September there will be slight change & in lieu of Study Class there will be a talk by him on Voice of Silence from 10.30 A.M. to 12.00 P.M. without break. In view of adjournment of Elections lunch will not be served & the meeting will end at 12.00 P.M. sharp.
Inconvenience caused, if any is sincerely regretted.
Warm Regards,
V.K.Taneja
Mob: +919810523757
ॐ सह नाववतु, सह नौ भुनक्तु, सह वीर्यं करवावहै|
तेजस्विनावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै॥
ॐ शान्तिः!शान्तिः!शान्तिः॥
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