The National Green Tribunal has cracked the whip on major waste generators in the city, including 5-star hotels and banquet halls, slapping fines of as high as Rs 7 lakh each on some of them for not complying with the solid waste management rules. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson, Justice Swatanter Kumar imposed hefty fines on these defaulting bodies for failing to properly manage and treat sewage. The NGT also directed them to install sewage treatment plants (STPs) and anti-pollution devices within two weeks and asked them to ensure…
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Police verification for passport to go online within a year
Delays in issue of passports due to lack of timely police verification are set to go with the government planning to replace physical verification of the applicant’s antecedents with online verification using a link to the newly-created national database on crimes of criminals. The national database was rolled out as part of the home ministry’s Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems (CCTNS) initiative. The much-delayed CCTNS project, first approved in 2009, finally got off the ground with Union home minister Rajnath Singh launching the Digital Police portal that e-integrates…
Rajasthan government plans to offer free e-mail for citizens
The Rajasthan government is planning to offer e-mail service to its citizens for official communication. The proposed facility is meant for beneficiaries of the Bhamashah scheme under which the state provides various benefits and subsidies to people. According to the source, the bid has been finalised. People will be able to register for e-mail ID on the Rajasthan.in website where they will have to link their Bhamashah or Aadhaar identity. “…whenever a resident gets his or her Bhamashah Card, an electronic kitty consisting of his or her Bhamashah enrolment details…
Kerala proposes to have 2000 Wi-Fi hotspots for public installed
In an ambitious effort to make Kerala digital-friendly and to provide free internet access, the government is planning to set up wi-fi hotspots in 2,000 public places. The hotspots, coming up in selected locations across the state, would digitally connect government offices, bus stops, parks, tourist destinations, courts and public ‘seva kendras’ by providing free internet to public. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the public can avail various e-governance and m-governance services without interruption through these public hotspots. The CM said in his Facebook post that steps to identify…
Oasis in the Thar Desert: A Case Study of Nadi Restoration
Overview India has a long history of people’s involvement in rainwater harvesting to meet local needs, especially for drinking purposes and farming. The country has a unique climate with intense monsoon for some weeks followed by a long stretch of dry weather. Provincial rulers and chieftains, together with local craftsmen and villagers ingeniously set up tanks/ponds that served as traditional rainwater harvesting structures. These tanks/ponds were earthen-bunded reservoirs built to take advantage of the natural depressions in the terrain. Tanks/ponds have been the most important source of irrigation, for recharging…
The Past, Present and Future of Handset Market
India is currently the second-largest telecommunication market and has the third-highest number of Internet users in the world. Overall, mobile handsets and the smartphone segment witnessed a healthy growth of 6 per cent and 15 per cent YoY, respectively in Q1 2017, and, with the availability of 4G data, consumption on handheld devices is increasing significantly. With this, the mobile services market revenue in India is expected to touch US$37 billion in 2017. With the government’s favourable regulatory policies, smartphone subscription in India is expected to increase four-fold to 810…
REC, NALCO and EIL win Gold Trophies
On the 8th Public Sector Day Celebrations jointly organised by Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE) and Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) at Vigyan Bhawan, the Gold trophies of SCOPE Excellence Awards in the Institutional Category I (Maharatna, Navratna) were presented to Rural Electrification Corporation, National Aluminium Company, Engineers India (special commendation). In the Institutional Category II (Miniratna I & II) the award was given to Mineral Exploration Corporation, ONGC Videsh and WAPCOS (special commendation). In the Institutional Category III (Other Profit Making PSEs) the award was given to Electronics…
Performance Evaluation of CPSEs
38 out of 220 central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) have performed excellent for three consecutive years SPO India is showing performance evaluation of CPSEs (central public sector enterprises) against their targets fixed in respective Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a particular financial year. The central government carries out evaluation ever year after the end of the financial year. In this case we are depicting performance evaluation of CPSEs for three years i.e. FY2013-14, FY2014-15 and FY 2015-16. Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) function under the administrative control of various ministries/departments…
India is winning its War on Human Waste
Nearly three years ago, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made one of the boldest comments on public health that I have ever heard from an elected official. It’s still having a big impact today. He made the comment during his first speech to the nation commemorating India’s Independence Day. Modi said: “We are living in the 21st century. Has it ever pained us that our mothers and sisters have to defecate in the open?… The poor womenfolk of the village wait for the night; until darkness descends, they can`t go…
Bajaj Auto donates Rs. one crore to AFFDF
Bajaj Auto has donated Rs one crore to Armed Forces Flag Day Fund (AFFDF). C.P. Tripathi, head, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Bajaj Auto presented a cheque of Rs. one crore to the defence minister Manohar Parrikar as donation to the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund (AFFDF). Accepting the cheque, Manohar Parrikar appreciated the concern shown by the industry towards ex-servicemen and their families and expressed his confidence in the industry that it will continue its contribution to this noble cause. The fund will provide financial assistance to needy ex-servicemen, widows…