PAC meet deferred

Monday 31 October, 2011.

PAC meeting on 2G deferred amid sharp differences The 2-G controversy rocked PAC meeting on Monday with opposition parties demanding that former DG (Audit) R P Singh be summoned and asked why he differs with CAG on the quantum of loss while Congress members opposed the move. With differences persisting, the meeting was adjourned in New Delhi on Monday. The meeting scheduled for Tuesday has also been postponed reportedly on as Chhath festival falls on Tuesday. Sources said the BJP and other opposition parties insisted that Singh should be summoned as he has differed with the figures of loss incurred by the government in the 2-G scam. Singh, who has now retired, has stated that the loss is merely of Rs 6,000 Crore while the CAG had maintained that it was to the tune of Rs 1.76 Lakh Crore. Prakash Javadekar (BJP) demanded that not only Singh but others like Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal- who said there was zero loss- among others, should be summoned by the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and asked how they had arrived at figures different from that of the CAG. AIADMK member M Thambidurai insisted that the CBI director should also be called as the agency had arrived at a different loss figure. BJP, BJD, SAD and AIDMK referred to the letter written by Congress member Sanjay Nirupam asking that the 2-G issue be discussed and said the questions which have not been addressed should be gone into. Congress members argued that Singh cannot be asked to present his views infront of the CAG and his team- which is present in every PAC meeting- as he does not concur with them. The Opposition members demanded that since Singh has retired he has nothing to fear and so can freely depose before the PAC. One member even maintained that there have been several instances where those summoned by the Committee have differed with the CAG. With no consensus in sight, PAC Chairperson Murli Manohar Joshi adjourned the meeting on the ground that the legal and Constitutional aspects related to the issues raised by the members on Monday will be looked into and then brought up for discussion at a later meeting. R P Singh, who had come prepared to attend the meeting and make his presentation, was not called on Monday.(DD-31.10)

Green Banking initiative by GOI - making online and reducing paper work

Monday 31 October, 2011.

Govt launches e-payment system Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday launched the e-payment system, it is a part of govt's anti corruption initiative and it will be implemented in all paid account offices of the Ministries. The system will cover eight banks and at the end of this financial year, all the ministries will come under its ambit. The Minister added once the system is fully operational, it will be responsible for payment of six lakh crore rupees. Mukherjee gave the background of the e-payment evolution in the country and maintained that it will ensure greater efficiency, cost effectiveness and better delivery of money. He said that the task force set up by the government headed by Nandan Nilkeni will work out modalities of direct transfer of cash subsidy of kerosene and fertilizers. The e-payment system has been developed by Controller General of Accounts, Ministry of Finance in collaboration with National Informatics Centre. Minister of State for Finance Namonarain Meena and Secretary Department of Expenditure also spoke on the occasion. (DD-31.10) Green banking is like a normal bank, which considers all the social and environmental/ecological factors with an aim to protect the environment and conserve natural resources.It is also called as an ethical bank or a sustainable bank. They are controlled by the same authorities but with an additional agenda toward taking care of the Earth's environment/habitats/resources. Ideal Benefits of Green Banking: * Basically Ethical (Green) banking avoids as much paper work as possible and rely on online/electronic transactions for processing so that you get green credit cards and green mortgages. Less paperwork means less cutting of trees. * Creating awareness to business people about environmental and social responsibility enabling them to do a environmental friendly business practice. * Green (Ethical) banks adopt and implement environmental standards for lending, which is really a proactive idea that would enable eco-friendly business practices which would benefit our future generations. * When you are awarded with a loan, the interest of that loan is comparatively less with normal banks because ethical banks give more importance to environmental friendly factors - ecological gains. Natural resources conservation is also one of the underlying principles in a green bank while assessing capital/operating loans to extracting/industrial business sector. Green Banking as a concept is a proactive and smart way of thinking with a vision for future sustainability of our only Spaceship Earth - as design science explorer Richard Buckminster Fuller called our Earth. Though, even today in the New York Times, an article on the success/failure of green banking in US has been analyzed for green banking is making progress though its profit margins are far below than the other commercial banks. Our SBI in India has also gone with an operational segment of green banking. Green banking requires a paradigmatic change in thinking about economics, business and finance. Its success would be greater if the world governments started to revise their economic paradigms from being 'monetary economics' to 'ecological economics' and begin to transform their accounting principles from purely being financial into ecological/operational energy accounting patterns.

Comm'wealth leaders adopt a declaration on food security

Monday 31 October, 2011.

Comm'wealth leaders adopt a declaration on food security Seeking coordinated action, the Commonwealth nations on Saturday called for elimination of trade barriers on food exports to address the issue of food security. The Commonwealth Heads of Government, at their summit meeting here, adopted the "Perth Declaration on Food Security Principles", that calls for coordinated and timely regional and global emergency relief efforts to deal with immediate food crises. The Perth declaration was "a significant response to the food security challenge", Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma told reporters in Perth. Australian Prime Minister and Commonwealth Chair Julia Gillard said the declaration was important since the world faces the challenge of increasing agriculture productivity by 70 per cent over the next few decades. The declaration lists a 12-point agenda for the 54-nation grouping, to deal with the issue of food security. It also called for improving market access for food producers, including small holders and women, through trade liberalisation measures such as elimination of tariff and non-tariff trade barriers and avoidance of restrictions on food exports. The declaration also calls for "delivering practical measures over the medium-term to make agriculture, including irrigated agriculture, and fisheries more productive and sustainable; strengthening support to government-led programmes and initiatives; developing country-led strategies to improve food security, and scaling up nutritional interventions, including those that target mothers and young children." The leaders of Commonwealth countries on Saturday are holding informal discussions on various issues in what are called retreat sessions today. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said that the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers had examined the proposal of a human rights commissioner, as suggested by the 11-member Eminent Persons Group (EPG), but there were "broad range of concerns" over it. Trying to put up a brave face, Gillard said the leaders had examined the proposal and suggested "further procedure" by asking the Secretary General and the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) chair look into it and report back to them. The leaders had yesterday agreed to strengthen the CMAG by empowering it to engage member nations veering off the track of democracy. The 11-member EPG chaired by former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi was invited for a retreat lunch of the leaders for an informal interaction. The leaders accepted the EPG recommendation to have a Charter of the Commonwealth which would weave together several declarations issued by the leaders since 1971 that represent the values and principles of the association. Gillard said the leaders have asked their foreign ministers to meet in 2012 and come out with a "clear and powerful statement" for the charter. Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma said that the charter will reflect the aspirations of the member countries. The leaders have also asked the foreign ministers to work overnight and examine other 102 recommendations made by the EPG. The ministerial report is expected to be taken up at the concluding session tomorrow. The CHOGM also came out with a Perth Declaration on Food Security Principles that reflect the shared approach to addressing the challenge of food insecurity and are focussed on meeting the needs of the most vulnerable, particularly women and children. (ST-29/10)

Kamalesh Sharma - CW secretary general

Monday 31 October, 2011.

Kamalesh Sharma reappointed C’wealth Secy General Seasoned Indian diplomat Kamalesh Sharma was reappointed Secretary General of the 54-nation Commonwealth grouping for a four-year term beginning April 2012, the proposal was accepted unanimously by everybody. India proposed 70-year-old Sharma's name for a second term to the coveted post at the concluding session of the 21st Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth on Sunday. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard congratulated Sharma on his re-appointment at a joint press conference with Sharma on conclusion of the CHOGM. "I am deeply appreciative of the confidence reposed by the leaders of the Commonwealth for giving me a further term in office," Sharma said. Faced with a poser on his age at a time when the focus of the Commonwealth was on the youth, Sharma had a deft response: "In life it does not matter how old you are, but how young you think." Sharma, a former Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, was elected as Commonwealth Secretary General at the 19th CHOGM in Uganda over Michael Frendo, the Foreign Minister of Malta. Sharma has been associated with the Commonwealth since 2004 when he was a member of the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Foundation. From 2002 to 2004, Sharma served as the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General to Timor Leste, with the rank of Under Secretary-General. He was responsible for helping to build up a newly independent Timor Leste by strengthening internal security and public administration, including justice, financial administration, policing and protection of human rights. From 1988 to 1990, he was India's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, where he acted as the spokesperson for developing countries in the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade talks. During his tenure as Ambassador and the Indian Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, from 1997 to 2002, Sharma chaired the Working Group on Financing for Development, which led to the Monterrey Consensus. (SP-30/10)

7 Billionth Baby Nargis

Monday 31 October, 2011.

India's baby Nargis one of world's seven-billionth inhabitant The world's population touched another milestone on Monday as India and the Philippines welcomed "symbolic" seventh-billionth babies. A baby girl, born to 23-year-old Vinita and Ajay at a local community health centre at 7.20 am in Mall (UP) on the outskirts of Lucknow, was welcomed as the seventh-billionth baby, Bhagyeshwari, executive director of NGO Plan India, which is conducting the exercise, said on Monday. The girl has been named Nargis, she said. The Philippines also welcomed a seven-billionth baby at a government hospital in Manila. Danica May Camacho was born just after midnight. Meanwhile, as the world readies to welcome its seventh billion inhabitant on Monday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for "unity of purpose" among people across nations to address problems of climate change, economic crisis and inequality. "Some say our planet is too crowded. I say we are 7 billion strong. But we will only be able to use that strength for the benefit of all if our societies are built on mutual respect and understanding," Moon said. The world's population will reach the landmark seven billion mark on Monday. Moon said the world must come together "on this special day... in the name of the global common good." He said while the world has made remarkable progress as it has aged, with more of its children surviving and more people living under democratic rule of law, the progress cannot be taken for granted. The world is "under threat from climate change, economic crisis, joblessness, inequality and intolerance. Around the world, too many people live in fear. Too many people believe their governments and the global economy can no longer deliver for them," he said. The answer to the current turbulent times is "unity of purpose." "Global problems demand global solutions. They compel all nations to unite in action on an agenda for the world's people." The UN Chief said the challenge for nations is to build a more just, tolerant and inclusive world. "We all have something to give and something to gain by appreciating each other's diversity and working together in common cause." Meanwhile, UN Population Fund's (UNFPA) Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin said actions taken now will decide whether the future of the seventh billion baby will be healthy, sustainable and prosperous or marked by inequalities, environmental decline and economic setbacks. "The world must seize the opportunity to invest in the health and education of its youth to reap the full benefits of future economic development or else face a continuation of the sorry state of disparities in which hundreds of millions of people in developing nations lack the most basic ingredients for a decent life," Osotimehin said. He said planning and the right investments in people will empower them to make choices that are not only good for themselves, but also for a world of seven billion. (DD-31.10)

BASIC Countries KYOTO protocol

BASIC countries to frame common position on Kyoto protocol

The environment ministers of BASIC countries Brazil, South Africa, India and China will frame a common position ahead of the crucial Durban climate conference next month on several issues including the second commitment period of Kyoto protocol. The ninth meeting of BASIC countries being attended by Environment Minister Jayanthi Natrajan in Beijing on Monday is mainly for preparing the negotiations for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference to be held in Durban from 28th November to 9thDecember, officials of the Environment Ministry said. "Because in Durban, we have to take some decision on many things. BASIC countries have to discuss what should be their strategy and their approach to the Durban issues. The second commitment period of Kyoto protocol will be on the agenda. That is one of the important issues. There are other issues too," a senior official of the ministry said. Kyoto Protocol favours only legally binding agreement which calls for mandatory emission cuts by rich countries and voluntary cuts by developing nations. India is opposed to any legally binding cuts for developing countries. Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarjan will be in Beijing on Monday to attend the 9th edition of the meet being hosted by China on 31st Oct and 1st Nov, they said. To a question whether China is in agreement with the recent statement issued by Heads of IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa), the official said, "China is broadly in agreement with that (IBSA) approach." The joint declaration issued after the 5th IBSA Summit at Pretoria on 18th October had said, "The outcome of Durban should be comprehensive, balanced and ambitious, within the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication and in accordance with the provisions and principles of the Convention, in particular principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities." Describing the BASIC meeting at Beijing as "definitely very crucial", the official said, "It is important because the BASIC countries are the four biggest economies in the developing world. Their approach will be very crucial in Durban."

October 29

Day 1, October 29,

AIR

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