NATIONAL

Himachal passes bill on attachment of property: Himachal Pradesh Special Courts (Attachments and Confiscation of Property) Bill was brought by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. The Bill provides for setting up special courts presided over by a judicial officer not less than the rank of a district and sessions judge for a minimum period of three years for speedy trial of corruption cases. Mr. Dhumal said these courts would endeavour to dispose of cases of corruption against public servants who have amassed wealth through corrupt means. The Bill also provides that in case the government is convinced prima facie that a public servant has amassed wealth and properties by committing the offence, it may move an application before the special court for attachment of properties of the public servant till final disposal of the case.

Newborn deaths account for 41% of child mortality: India has the greatest number of newborn deaths—more than 9 lakh a year. Just five countries now account for more than half the world's 3.3 million newborn deaths—India, Nigeria, Pakistan, China and Democratic Republic of Congo. This new study–conducted by researchers at the World Health Organisation, ‘Save the Children' and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine – provides the most comprehensive set of estimates to date, covering all 193 WHO member countries and spanning 20 years. The study finds that newborn deaths (occurring in less than 28 days) dropped from 4.6 million to 3.3 million between 1990 and 2009. But while the newborn mortality rate dropped 28 per cent during that time, it lagged behind maternal mortality (34 per cent reduction) and mortality of older children (37 per cent reduction for children ages 1 month to 5 years). As a result, the share of child deaths that occur in the newborn period rose from an already high 37 per cent to 41 per cent and will likely continue growing, the authors said. Nigeria rose from 5th to 2nd rank in the number of newborn deaths. At current rate of progress, it will take 155 years for African babies to have the same chance of survival as babies in high-income countries have today.

Children Science congress from December 27: The 19th National Children's Science Congress is to be organised in Jaipur from 27 to 31 December 2011 to provide an opportunity to the children to showcase their interest in the latest developments in science and technology. The theme for this year's congress is Land resources. Save for the future.

Per Capita Power Consumption: Dadra & Nagar Haveli has the highest per capita electricity consumption in the country at 11,863.64 kWh while Bihar has the lowest at 122.11 kWh as per the latest available State/UT-wise data on annual per capita consumption of electricity in the country for the year 2009-10.  National Electricity Policy aims to increase per capita availability of electricity to over 1000 units by 2012. Per capita consumption of electricity in the country is much lower than that of many developed countries. The Minister said that the Planning Commission had fixed a capacity addition target of 62,374 MW during the Mid Term Appraisal. Projects aggregating to 40,131 MW have been commissioned till 05.08.2011 during 11th Plan and the remaining projects are under construction. Shri Venugopal said that the other steps taken by the Government to increase availability of power in the country which will in turn lead to enhancement in per-capita availability of power include (i) rigorous monitoring of the on-going capacity addition programme, (ii) initiative for augmentation of domestic manufacturing capacity of power plant equipment, (iii) development of Ultra Mega Power Projects of 4000 MW each, (iv) harnessing surplus captive power into the grid, (v) Renovation, Modernization & Life Extension of old and inefficient generating units, (vi) development of an extensive network of high voltage transmission for transfer of power from surplus to deficit regions, etc.

Atithi Devo Bhava: The ministry of Tourism has been releasing 'Atithidevo Bhava-Social Awareness campaigns to sensitize various stakeholders in the tourism industry and the general public, inter alia, about their conduct and attitude towards tourists as well as issues relating to hygiene and cleanliness and to reinforce the spirit of 'Atithidevo Bhava'. These campaigns have been the electronic and print media on an all India basis. Development and promotion of various tourism destinations and products are primary the responsibility of the State Government/Union Territory Administrations. The Ministry of Tourism however, provides Central Financial Assistance for tourism projects identified in consultants with them, subject to availability of funds, inter-se priority and adherence to scheme guidelines.

Establishment and Maintenance of Seed Bank: The Ministry of Agriculture is presently implementing a component on "Establishment and Maintenance of Seed Bank" under the Scheme "Development and Strengthening of Infrastructure Facilities for Production and Distribution of Quality Seeds". The objective of the component is to meet requirement of seeds during natural calamities and unforeseen conditions.

Credit Guarantee Scheme: Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Micro and Small Enterprises was launched on 30 August 2000 to ensure better flow of credit to micro and small enterprises by minimizing the risk perception of financial institutions and banks. It is operated by the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises(CGTMSE) through the Trust’s member lending institutions. The Scheme covers collateral free credit facility (term loan and/or working capital) extended by eligible lending institutions to new and existing micro and small enterprises up to Rs. 100 lakh per borrowing unit. The Scheme provides a maximum guarantee cover up to 85 percent of the credit. During the current financial year (till 15.8.2011), the Trust has approved 80641 proposals for guarantee cover for aggregate loan amount of Rs. 4504.26 crore. There is no proposal to set up Special Economic Zone for MSME entrepreneurs separately. However, as per provisions of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Act, 2005, a SEZ may be established wherein micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can also be set up. The Government is implementing various schemes / programmes for the promotion and development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The major schemes include Credit Guarantee Scheme, Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme, Performance and Credit Rating Scheme, Cluster Development Programme, National Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme and Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme.