• The Question Hour in Lok Sabha was adjourned early on Monday on account of the absence of MPs whose questions were to be answered.

• Three out of twenty questions listed were answered in the first 26 minutes, and the remaining 34 minutes remained unutilised.

• The first hour of each day of Parliament is Question Hour, a period is used by MPs to ask questions to ministers.

• In the Indian context, it is important to note that MPs do not represent their parties during this Question Hour: there is no whip, the anti defection law does not apply, and they are expected to raise issues that reflect the concerns of their constituents as well as that of the larger public.

• The history of asking questions in the parliamentary system goes back to 1721, when Earl Cowper in the House of Lords asked the government whether the chief cashier of the South Sea Company had fled the country and had been arrested in Brussels. Subsequently, British MPs started asking questions in order to bring pressure to bear on the government, and a formal Question Time was adopted in 1869. Many parliamentary democracies have adopted variants of this system.

• In India, an MP has to submit questions at least 10 days in advance.

• He has to indicate whether the question is starred or unstarred. Starred questions are answered orally; supplementary questions may also be asked, which too the minister has to answer orally.

• Unstarred questions receive written replies.

• Starred questions that are not answered (usually due to lack of time) also receive written replies.

Kaiga incident serves as a wake-up call

• Recently, a bizarre incident at the Kaiga Generating Station received wide media attention.

• Someone deliberately added some tritiated heavy water into a water cooler at the Kaiga Generating Station causing radiation exposure to 55 workers who drank water from it.

• "Tritium is very difficult to remove from the body." It is not true. Tritium is another form of hydrogen; like ordinary hydrogen it reacts with oxygen and forms tritiated water.

• Ninety seven per cent of tritium entering the body remains in soft tissue, will reach equilibrium in 2 hours and will get removed with a typical half period of 6 days, through urine and perspiration.

• Three per cent remains for a longer period (about 40 days). The two components are considered in calculating the radiation dose. Tritium's physical half life of 12.3 years is not relevant.

• We can remove tritium faster by drinking more fluids and water. Administering diuretics to the workers is another effective method (diuretics are drugs that help to remove water from body). This has to be done under medical supervision.

• Is tritium, a highly radioactive substance? Tritium emits beta particles of very low energy. It does not pose any external radiation hazard; it poses internal hazard if ingested.

• Tritium is the least toxic of all radioactive materials. But we must control all tritium intakes.

• A few years ago, an employee at the Waste Immobilisation Plant at Tarapur in Maharashtra was found to have deliberately hidden a tiny bottle containing minute quantities of highly radioactive waste in a chair cushion; three people who later sat on the chair were exposed to low levels of radiation as a result. What is needed now is a thorough review of security procedures at nuclear facilities across the country. The biggest challenge lies in finding ways to guard against insiders bent on making trouble Kali River?

• Legal provisions against such malevolent acts-  Rule 23 of the Atomic Energy (Radiation Protection) Rules, 2004, issued under Section 17 of the Atomic Energy Act 1962 states that "Every worker shall observe the safety requirements and follow safety procedures and instructions and shall refrain from any wilful act that could be detrimental to self, co-workers, the radiation installation and public."Violation of rules made under Section 17 of the Act shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both.

• Depending on the circumstances, if proved guilty, the accused may be convicted for violating the provisions under Section 10 of The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005.

India announces voluntary emission cuts

• India on Thursday tabled its emission offer for the Copenhagen summit — a reduction of 20% to 25% in carbon intensity by 2020 from 2005 levels through policy interventions, including mandatory fuel-efficiency standards for all vehicles. This reduction in emission intensity will be voluntary. In other words, a legally-binding commitment is a strict "no".

• The steps announced by the minister to meet the emission intensity reduction figure included-

• Legislation for mandatory fuel efficiency standards for all vehicles by 2011,

• A model building code recommending to states and municipalities to shift to green buildings,

• Amending the Energy Conservation Act to introduce the concept of an energy certificate for incentivising energy efficiency in industry,

• Regular reporting to Parliament on state of forests, and

• Ensuring 50% of new thermal capacities are based on clean coal.

• India ranks fifth in world carbon dioxide emissions, accounting for 4.7% of the world's emissions

• Scientists warn of catastrophic climate change if avg global temperatures rise over 3.6 °F from pre industrial levels.

Cabinet clears the setting up of the Green Tribunal

• The Cabinet on Thursday gave its approval to the proposal to set up a National Green Tribunal.

• The proposed tribunal will ensure a "fine balance" between judicial activism and executive duties. With PILs on environmental issues flooding the courts, the proposed legislation aims to take off the pressure by handling all the civil cases related to forestry and the environment.

After Russia, France operationalises nuclear accord

• France has become the second country after Russia to fully opertionalise the inter-country nuclear agreement with India.

• The French National Assembly adopted a law authorising ratification of the Cooperation Agreement between India and France on the Development of Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy signed in Paris on September 30 last year. The Senate approved the same law on October 15 this year.

• India has allotted a nuclear power park at Jaitapur in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district to the French company Areva, to build two power plants initially with an option for setting up more. Both countries have also reached an understanding on guaranteed supply of uranium to power these reactors.

• According to government sources here, France has agreed to reprocess the spent nuclear fuel from French reactors under safeguards.

India, Canada clinch civil nuclear deal

• Port of Spain:

• India and Canada have reached a landmark agreement on civil nuclear cooperation after months of hectic negotiations, paving the way for supply of Canadian atomic technology, equipment and uranium to India after a gap of 34 years.

• The negotiations on the deal were concluded at a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper here on the margins of Commonwealth summit, with the two leaders describing the development as a "milestone" opening up "tremendous opportunity" for their countries.

• "The civil nuclear agreement is a very important step forward, a milestone for the development of our relationship," Dr. Singh said.

• Canada, the world's largest producer of uranium, is the eighth country to have reached a civil nuclear agreement with India since the Nuclear Suppliers Group lifted the 34-year-old ban on India to join the global nuclear trade in September last year.

Canadian honour for actor Lisa Ray

• Cancer-stricken actor Lisa Ray is among seven Indo-Canadians who are conferred with 'Voice Achievers Award for 2009' for their outstanding contributions to the film industry, trade, medicine, literature and sports.

• Lisa Ray, who is undergoing surgery for blood cancer, has been honoured in abstentia for her performance in Deepa Mehta's film Water.

• The award, which carries a plaque and a citation, was presented at a function on Saturday organised by Voice, an ethnic weekly, at its annual gala dinner here.

• The other winners were: Gopal Bhatnagar (cardiac surgery); M.G. Vassanji (arts); Meenu Sikand (social work); Raja Panjwani (sports) and Kuldip Rai Sahi and Asha Luthra for business. Asha Luthra, President of Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce.

India, Bangladesh finalise drafts of 3 pacts

• India and Bangladesh on Wednesday finalised drafts of three pacts — on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, on combating international terrorism, organised crime and illicit drug trafficking and on transfer of sentenced persons.

• Agreements will be signed during the three-day state visit of Sheikh Hasina here which begins on December 18.

Japan, Finland among five nations cleared for visa-on-arrival in India

• THE government has decided to offer visa-on-arrival facility to citizens of a select group of five countries, something that New Delhi had been extremely hesitant to do so far because of security concerns.

• The government, it is learnt, has decided to clear the names of Japan, Singapore ,New Zealand ,Luxembourg and Finland as the countries whose nationals can fly in to India and obtain a visa at the airport .A formal notification in this regard is likely to be made very soon.

• The decision to offer visa-on-arrival is currently only a pilot project. And the choice of the selected countries has been dictated by the fact that no national of any of these countries has ever been found to be involved in— even linked to—any terror-related incident anywhere in the world. The nod came after detailed consultations with intelligence agencies like Intelligence Bureau and

Legalise commercial surrogacy

• The new ART (Regulation) Bill, 2008, seeks to legalise commercial surrogacy and the 228th report of the Law Commission suggests banning commercial surrogacy and legalising only altruistic surrogacy.

• Critics feel that commercial surrogacy is nothing but commodification, that it is unacceptable, that a surrogate mother exchanges her inalienable parental right for money.

• A ban involves risking the emergence of a black market.

Portuguese code cannot be a model

• Goa Commissioner for NRI Affairs Eduardo Faleiro said that the Portuguese Civil Code, which is in force in Goa, could not be a model for a uniform civil code for India as suggested.

• Mr. Feleiro was speaking after releasing a book, "The Portuguese law of Goa (Succession & Inventory)", by Ave Cleto Afonso here.

• Mr. Faleiro said that this civil code, which is still operational in Goa, had been repealed in Portugal itself and a new code was enacted there in 1966.

• A uniform civil code for India was possible through a dialogue and consensus.

• It should be a secular civil code which did not impose the personal law of any community on others, there was no urgency in framing the code. Rather, it was more important to remove those provisions in the present laws of Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities which militated against gender equality.

Troops withdrawal in J&K planned

• Chidambaram: violence in J&K was the lowest in 2009

• "Committed to holding quiet talks with all groups"

• Why he was holding talks with separatists and not with Maoists

Court no to include film in IFFI Indian panorama

• The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a demand to include the Malayalam film Pazhassi Raja in the Indian panorama section of the International Film Festival of India.

• The petitioner claimed the film was of national importance and its purpose was to enlighten people on the heroic life history of 'Kerala's Pazhassi Raja.' In spite of its artistic and historic importance, it was not accepted for screening at the IFFI - 2009.
  
  

  Special areas scientific research in India

  • On April 20, 2005, a 26.7-million cubic foot balloon carrying a 459-kg scientific payload with 38 kg of liquid neon was flown from the

  • National Balloon Facility in Hyderabad Operated by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). The payload collected air samples from different heights ranging from 20 to 41 km and it was parachuted down safely. The samples were independently analysed at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad the National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune,

  • The first flight in 2001 was successful in collecting air samples from various heights. After the payload was parachuted down and analysed by CCMB and also in Cardiff, U.K., several new bacterial species were identified.

  • Encouraged by the findings, a second experiment with several improvements over the first balloon flight was planned and executed in 2005. The biologists at CCMB and at the NCCS reported finding 12 bacterial and six fungal colonies, with three strains identified as potential new species.

  Chronic toxicity in Carbide soil, groundwater: CSE

  • The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has released the findings of a crucial new study on soil and water contamination in and around the Union Carbide factory premises in Bhopal.

  • The report assumes significance in the context of consistent denials of hazardous waste and groundwater contamination by the Union Government, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the Madhya Pradesh Government.

  World Bank fund for Ganga River Authority

  • The World Bank on Wednesday announced a soft loan of $one billion in the next 5 to 7 years for the recently launched National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) to clean and conserve the river.

  • The initial phases of this long-term support would focus on building and strengthening the NGRBA and related institutions, including a world-class Ganga Knowledge Centre.

  IFAD chief says climate change threat is very real

  • Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development.

  • The agricultural biologist had been here for 10 years as part of the International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Hyderabad.

  • By 2025 in some parts of the world including India, parts of Asia and parts of Africa, crop yields will drop from anything between 20 and 40 per cent from rise in temperatures.

  • Shortage of water resources is one of the greatest problems the world is going face because of climate change

  Ulfa top leader arrested

  • Security agencies in Bangladesh were said to have "arrested" Arabinda Rajkhowa, chairman of the banned outfit, and were planning to turn him over to India. The arrest would leave ULFA, established in 1979, with only one top leader at large-self-styled commander-in chief Paresh Barua.

  Road dispute with china

  • Protest to China after its soldiers objected to a road that was being constructed in Demchok in south-east Leh under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).

  Madras High Court stops release of Tamil film

  • The Madras High Court on Tuesday granted an injunction restraining Ocher Studios and Gemini Colour Lab from releasing the Tamil film Goa till December 11.

  Golden Pen of Freedom' prize presented to Najam Sethi

  • The former Editor-in-Chief of the Friday Times and Daily Times in Pakistan, Najam Sethi (left), receives the 'Golden Pen of Freedom' prize from World Editors' Forum president Xavier Vidal Folch at the inauguration of the 62nd World Newspaper Congress and 16th World Editors' Forum in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

  Tackling HIV a high priority for government, says Sonia Gandhi

  • Rajiv Gandhi Foundation chairperson Sonia Gandhi flagged off the Red Ribbon Express Phase-II from the Safdarjung station here to mark World AIDS Day on 1 dec.

  • The Red Ribbon Express is being implemented by the National AIDS Control Organisation, the National Rural Health Mission, the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, the Ministry of Railways and UNICEF, among others.

  • The eight-coach train will provide on-station activities through exhibitions and displays. Off-site communication activities will also be taken up.

  40th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) concludes

  • Leon Dai's Taiwanese film "I Can't Live Without You" picked up the Golden Peacock award for the Best Film.

  • The Special Jury award for Best Director, went to Korean film "A Brand New Life" directed by Lee Chang-dong.

  • The third award — Silver Peacock award went to Georgian-Kazakh drama "The Other Bank", directed by George Ovashvili.

  • The 11-day film festival, held between November 23 and December 3, screened nearly 300 films.

  • Pather Panchali, Sholay, Nayagan among T20 winners- Six persons from different parts of the country were declared winners of the first ever "T20 of Indian Cinema" competition launched by the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), co-host of the International Film Festival of India, in commemoration of IFFI-2009. 

  • "AIDS Bill brooks no further delay" long-pending Bill to provide legal aid to victims

  • It was drafted in 2006 and sent to the Law Ministry the following year.

  Rajasthan Governor S.K. Singh passes away

  • Rajasthan governor S.K. Singh, a former Foreign Secretary and rated among the most distinguished in his generation of Indian diplomats, died here on Tuesday after a prolonged illness.

  • Mr. Singh, 77, the country's longest-serving envoy to Pakistan between 1985 and 1989,

  25 years and still waiting

  • In the fall of 2002, Greenpeace campaigner Casey Harell paid a surprise visit to the New York State private estate of Warren Anderson, and found him living a "life of luxury".

  • Nothing odd about the discovery except that in the eyes of the law Mr. Anderson was untraceable, and had been so since 1992 when an Indian court, exasperated by his refusal to heed multiple summons for trial, declared him a fugitive from justice.

  • Mr. Anderson was chairman and chief executive officer of the United States-headquartered Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) at the time of the lethal December 2-3 methyl isocyanate leak from Carbide's pesticide plant in Bhopal and faced charges on many counts, including culpable homicide. The UCC chief, or "Accused no 1" in a December 1, 1987 charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation against him and 11 others, including UCC, USA; Union Carbide (Eastern), Hong Kong; and Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL), had been placed under house arrest soon after the disaster but won his release on a promise to return to India to

  Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty

  • DAYS after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama decided to overcome their differences over the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty and agreed to work for the success of the Nuclear Security Summit slated for next year.

  • India on Tuesday sent Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao to represent it at the first preparatory meeting of the summit in Tokyo.

  Lata Mangeshkar conferred highest French honour

  • Celebrated playback singer Lata Mangeshkar has been conferred France's highest civilian award, the Insignia of 'Officier de la Legion d'Honneur' (Officer of the Legion of Honour).

  • The award, which was earlier conferred on Oscar winning director Satyajit Ray and actor Amitabh Bachchan, will be bestowed on the 80-year-old singer at an official ceremony in Mumbai hosted by Jerome Bonnafont, Ambassador of France to India, on December 2.

  Reprocessing pact likely in 10-12 days: M.K. Narayanan

  • The setting up of reprocessing facility under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards is a key requirement for implementing the nuclear deal that was signed last year.

  Omar favours triangular talks

  • In a shift of stand, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday favoured triangular talks among India, Pakistan and separatist leadership and also offered to be a facilitator if militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen wanted to come to the negotiating table.

  President to inaugurate 62nd World Newspaper Congress

  • Hyderabad

  • The four-day 62nd World Newspaper Congress and other annual events of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)

  • Founded in 1948, the World Association of Newspapers groups 78 national newspaper associations, individual newspaper executives in 122 nations, 10 news agencies, and 10 regional press organisations. It is a non-profit, non-government organisation. In all, the Association represents more than 18,000 publications on the five continents.

  Film on naxalism gets IFFI premiere

  • The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2009 had an Indian premiere of Red Alert-The War Within .

  • The film, directed by Anant Mahadevan, deals with the contemporary problem of Naxalite movement. The film comes close on the heels of Bengali film Sesh Sangat, whose storyline revolves around insurgents who promise justice.

  • Suniel Shetty, who won the Best Actor Award for the film at the prestigious SAIFF, New York, said the film was a challenge.

  Mamata invites investment in automobile hub in Kolkata

  • Railways to set up unit in Singur

  • Panel set up to look at PPP model

  • Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee laying foundation stone for an 'Auto-Hub' at Shalimar in Howrah district, West Bengal.

  International flora expo in Bangalore

  • Fifth International Flora Expo 2009, conceived as the largest extravaganza in floriculture industry in India. Scheduled to be held from December 5 to7 in Bangalore, in association with iFlora (Indian Flowers & Ornamental Plants Welfare Association), the expo has the basic objective of giving a fillip to the floriculture sector, says a release.

  26 killed in Russian train bombing

  • Halfway between Moscow and St. Petersburg

  • The Nevsky express

  • Authorities blamed the attack on Chechen terrorists and arrested two suspects who are currently undergoing trial.

  • Centre planning amendments to two Acts to make them more worker-friendly

  • The two Acts are Industrial Disputes Act and Employees State Insurance Act

  • Another major amendment, the clerical staff in the Railways had been brought under the Workmen's Compensation Act, making them eligible to claim compensation in the event of any accident or mishap.

  Statehood will include all four regions of Puducherry"

  • Geographical contiguity is not a necessary condition for statehood and statehood for Puducherry would include all the four regions of Karaikal, Mahe, Yanam and Puducherry, said Union Minister of State for Planning, Parliamentary Affairs and Culture V. Narayanasamy.

  • Mr. Narayanasamy said that the Prime Minister had given an assurance to convene a parliamentary advisory committee to look into the statehood demand.

  Post-26/11, Saurashtra coastal security found wanting

  • "Crocodile Group" to maintain constant vigil in Kutch-Saurashtra coast.The Coast Guard has formed a special "Crocodile Group" with 40 trained officials to maintain a constant vigil along the Kutch-Saurashtra coast.

  • The genesis of their fear is the incident of "Kuber," a fishing trawler registered in Porbandar and which the Mumbai attackers had hijacked from the high seas. They used it to ferry the terrorists to reach the Mumbai coast after reportedly killing all the five fishermen on board.

  New Scientific Advisory Committee in place

  • The government has reconstituted the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister.

  • It now has 32 members, with four more on the existing panel. Eminent scientist C.N.R. Rao will continue as the Chairman.

  Fourth of India turning into desert: ISRO

  • No less than a fourth of India's geographical area, or 81 million hectares, is undergoing a process of desertification, reveals a first-of-its-kind 'desertification status map' of the country created by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in collaboration with several scientific institutions across the country.

  • A host of reasons are responsible for this phenomenon, including changes in rainfall pattern and over-exploitation of natural resources.

  • State-wise, Rajasthan has the largest area (21.77 per cent of the total geographical area) undergoing land degradation, followed by Jammu and Kashmir (12.79 per cent), Maharashtra (12.66 per cent) and Gujarat (12.72 per cent).

  • ISRO's Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad served as the nodal coordinating organisation for the study.

  PMO writes on UID Scheme

  • The UID project launched under the Social Security Mission of the Centre.

  • A UID Authority of India under Nandan Nilekani was set up and efforts are on to issue the first set of 16-digit numbers within a year from now.

  • The single identity card would draw on biometric technology and would be a single point identification for a citizen, who now has to grapple with a multiplicity of such cards and numbers for various purposes.

  Outrage in Pakistan at FICCI report

  • A report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry recommending a series of extreme steps against Pakistan such as surgical strikes, "deniable" covert actions by India in Pakistani territory and blocking imports in the event of another Mumbai-type terrorist attack has caused outrage here.

  • The Foreign Ministry said it had noted the report, titled Task Force Report on National Security and Terrorism, "with deep concern."

  Honour for State

  • Kerala received the gold medal for the best State pavilion at the 29th International Trade Fair.

  Rare bird abandons nesting site

  • The tall tamarind tree on Andhra University campus that was once the favourite nesting site of the endangered white bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) for over five years wears a deserted look this year. The pair has abandoned the massive nest once and for all and diverted their route.

  • This globally threatened species was a regular sight on the AU campus. But from the month of August, the pair was not spotted around the nest area.--
    with warm regards
    
    Harish Sati
    Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
    Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110068
    
    (M) + 91 - 9990646343 | (E-mail) Harish.sati@gmail.com
    
    
    

--
You have subscribed to the Groups "Sarkari-naukri" of http://sarkari-naukri.blogspot.com at Google.com.
Send email to Sarkari-naukri@googlegroups.com for posting.
Send email to
Sarkari-naukri-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com to unsubscribe.
Visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/Sarkari-naukri?hl=en