Archive | Indian Government Projects/Schemes

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IRDA -The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority

Posted on 06 August 2012 by admin

As per the section 4 of IRDA Act’ 1999, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA, which was constituted by an act of parliament) specify the composition of AuthorityThe Authority is a ten member team consisting of

(a)    a Chairman;
(b)    five whole-time members;
(c)    four part-time members,

(all appointed by the Government of India)

Duties, powers and functions of irda

Section 14 of IRDA Act, 1999 lays down the duties, powers and functions of IRDA.. Subject to the provisions of this Act and any other law for the time being in force, the Authority shall have the duty to regulate, promote and ensure orderly growth of the insurance business and re-insurance business.

1.      Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions contained in sub-section (1), the powers and functions of the Authority shall include, -o         issue to the applicant a certificate of registration, renew, modify, withdraw, suspend or cancel such registration;
o        protection of the interests of the policy holders in matters concerning assigning of policy, nomination by policy holders, insurable interest, settlement of insurance claim, surrender value of policy and other terms and conditions of contracts of insurance;
o        specifying requisite qualifications, code of conduct and practical training for intermediary or insurance intermediaries and agents
o        specifying the code of conduct for surveyors and loss assessors;
o        promoting efficiency in the conduct of insurance business;
o        promoting and regulating professional organisations connected with the insurance and re-insurance business;
o        levying fees and other charges for carrying out the purposes of this Act;
o        calling for information from, undertaking inspection of, conducting enquiries and investigations including audit of the insurers, intermediaries, insurance intermediaries and other organisations connected with the insurance business;
o        control and regulation of the rates, advantages, terms and conditions that may be offered by insurers in respect of general insurance business not so controlled and regulated by the Tariff Advisory Committee under section 64U of the Insurance Act, 1938 (4 of 1938);
o        specifying the form and manner in which books of account shall be maintained and statement of accounts shall be rendered by insurers and other insurance intermediaries;
o        regulating investment of funds by insurance companies;
o        regulating maintenance of margin of solvency;
o        adjudication of disputes between insurers and intermediaries or insurance intermediaries;
o        supervising the functioning of the Tariff Advisory Committee;
o        specifying the percentage of premium income of the insurer to finance schemes for promoting and regulating professional organisations referred to in clause (f);
o        specifying the percentage of life insurance business and general insurance business to be undertaken by the insurer in the rural or social sector; and
o        exercising such other powers as may be prescribed

 

IRDA in the News:
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority are planning to take insurance complaints suo motu to ensure to ensure fair play by the insurers. J Hari Narayan, Chairman, IRDA, is contemplating a system in which the insurance ombudsmen can take up complaints on a suo motu basis and take up investigation.
            Strengthening this system further with powers to take up investigations suo motu will increase customer welfare. At present, there are 12 ombudsmen with clearly defined jurisdictions across the country. They can take up the complaints in life and non-life segments only after being approached by a policyholder.

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Rashtriya Janani-Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram

Posted on 02 February 2012 by admin

Rashtriya Janani-Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram is a scheme to provide all required healthcare facilities to pregnant women and infants free of cost. The scheme has been adopted for the entire country under the National Rural Health Mission.

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Indian Armed Forces

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Indian Armed Forces

Posted on 16 July 2011 by admin

Indian Armed Forces

The Government of India is responsible for ensuring the defence of India and every part thereof. The Supreme Command of the Indian Armed Forces vests in the President. The responsibility for national defence rests with the Cabinet. This is discharged through the Ministry of Defence, which provides the policy framework and wherewithal to the Armed Forces to discharge their responsibilities in the context of the defence of the country. The Indian Armed Forces comprise of three divisions – Indian Army, Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.

Indian Army

The Indian subcontinent had witnessed the cohesive concentration of many Empires in the quest for control of military power, and governance of the State. As time rolled by, societal norms found an ethos in the workplace, the system of rights and privileges, and service under the flag.

The Indian Army, as we know it today became operational after the Country gained independence from British colonialism. The Indian Army’s HQ is located in New Delhi and functions under the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is responsible for the command, control, and administration as a whole. The Army is divided into six operational commands (field armies) and one training command, each under the command of a Lieutenant General, who has an equal status to the Vice-Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS), working under the control of Army HQ in New Delhi.

Indian Navy

The foundation of the modern Indian Navy was laid in the seventeenth century when the East India Company had established a maritime force, thereby graduating in time to the establishment of the Royal Indian Navy in 1934. The Headquarters of the Indian Navy is located in New Delhi, and is under the command of the Chief of the naval staff – an Admiral. The Indian navy is deployed under three area commands, each headed by a flag officer. The Western Naval Command is headquartered in Bombay on the Arabian Sea; the Southern Naval Command in Kochi (Cochin), in Kerala, also on the Arabian Sea; and the Eastern Naval Command in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on the Bay of Bengal.

Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force was officially established on 8th October 1932, and on 1st April 1954, Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee, one of the founding members of the Air Force took over as the first Indian Chief of Air Staff. With the passage of time, the Indian Air Force undertook massive upgrading of its aircraft and equipments, and as part of the process, it introduced more than twenty new types of aircrafts. The last decade of the twentieth century saw a phenomenal change in the structure of the Indian Air Force with induction of women into the Air Force for short service commissions. It was also a time when the Air Force undertook some of the most perilous operations ever undertaken.

Source: National Portal Content Management Team

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Union Budget India 2011 Highlights

Posted on 10 April 2011 by admin

Standard rate of excise duty held at 10 percent; no change in CENVAT rates.

  • Personal income tax exemption limit raised to Rs 180,000 from Rs 160,000 for individual tax payers.
  • For senior citizens, the qualifying age reduced to 60 years and exemption limit raised to Rs 2.50 lakh.
  • Citizens over 80 years to have exemption limit of Rs 5 lakh.
  • To reduce surcharge on domestic companies to 5 percent from 7.5 percent.
  • A new revised income tax return form ‘Sugam’ to be introduced for small tax papers.
  • raise minimum alternate tax to 18.5 percent from 18 percent.
  • Iron ore export duty raised to 20 percent
  • Nominal one per cent central excise duty on 130 items entering the tax net. Peak rate of customs duty maintained at 10 per cent in view of the global economic situation.
  • Service tax widened to cover hotel accommodation above Rs 1,000 per day, A/C restaurants serving liquor, some category of hospitals, diagnostic tests.
  • Service tax on air travel increased by Rs 50 for domestic travel and Rs 250 for international travel in economy class. On higher classes, it will be ten per cent flat.
  • Works of art exempt from customs when imported for exhibition in state-run institutions; this now extended to private institutions.
  • Subsidy bill in 2011-12 seen at 1.44 trillion rupees.
  • Food subsidy bill in 2011-12 seen at 605.7 billion rupees.
  • Revised food subsidy bill for 2010-11 at 606 billion rupees.
  • Revised fertilizer subsidy bill for 2010-11 at 550 billion rupees.
  • Revised petroleum subsidy bill in 2010-11 at 384 billion rupees.
  • State-run oil retailers to be provided with 200 billion rupee cash subsidy in 2011-12.
  • Fiscal deficit seen at 5.1 percent of GDP in 2010-11.
  • Fiscal deficit seen at 4.6 percent of GDP in 2011-12.
  • Total expenditure in 2011-12 seen at 12.58 trillion rupees.
  • Plan expenditure seen at 4.41 trillion rupees in 2011-12, up 18.3 percent.
  • Gross tax receipts seen at 9.32 trillion rupees in 2011-12.
  • Non-tax revenue seen at 1.25 trillion rupees in 2011-12.
  • Corporate tax receipts seen at 3.6 trillion rupees in 2011-12.
  • Tax-to-GDP ratio seen at 10.4 percent in 2011-12; seen at 10.8 percent in 2012-13.
  • Customs revenue seen at 1.52 trillion rupees in 2011-12.
  • Service tax receipts seen at 820 billion rupees in 2011-12.
  • Economy expected to grow at 9 percent in 2012, plus or minus 0.25 percent.
  • Inflation seen lower in the financial year 2011-12.
  • Disinvestment in 2011-12 seen at 400 billion rupees.
  • Government committed to retaining 51 percent stake in public sector enterprises.
  • Net market borrowing for 2011-12 seen at 3.43 trillion rupees, down from 3.45 trillion rupees in 2010-11.
  • Gross market borrowing for 2011-12 seen at 4.17 trillion rupees.
  • Revised gross market borrowing for 2010-11 at 4.47 trillion rupees.
  • To create infrastructure debt funds.
  • FDI policy being liberalized.
  • To boost infrastructure development with tax-free bonds of 300 billion rupees.
  • Food security bill to be introduced.
  • To permit SEBI registered mutual funds to access subscriptions from foreign investments.
  • Raised foreign institutional investor limit in 5-year corporate bonds for investment in infrastructure by $20 billion.
  • Setting up independent debt management office; Public debt bill to be introduced in parliament soon.
  • Bills on insurance, pension funds, banking to be introduced.
  • To allocate more than 1.64 trillion rupees to defence sector in 2011-12.
  • Corpus of rural infrastructure development fund raised to 180 billion rupees in 2011-12.
  • To provide 201.5 billion rupees capital infusion in state-run banks in 2011-12.
  • To allocate 520.5 billion rupees for the education sector. Rs.21,000 crore for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
  • To raise health sector allocation to 267.6 billion rupees.
  • Rs.500 crore more for national skill development fund.
  • Rs.54 crore each for AMU (Aligarh Muslim University) centres at Murshidabad and Mallapuram.
  • Rs.58,000 crore for Bharat Nirman; increase of Rs.10,000 crore.
  • Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme wage rates linked to consumer price index; will rise from existing Rs.100 per day.
  • Infrastructure critical for development; 23 percent higher allocation in 2011-12.
  • Removal of supply bottlenecks in the food sector will be in focus in 2011-12.
  • To raise target of credit flow to agriculture sector to 4.75 trillion rupees.
  • 3 percent interest subsidy to farmers in 2011-12.
  • Cold storage chains to be given infrastructure status.
  • Capitalisation of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) of 30 billion rupees in a phased manner.
  • To provide 3 billion rupees for 60,000 hectares under palm oil plantation.
  • Food storage capacity to be augmented; 15 more mega food parks to be set up in 2011-12; of 30 sanctioned in previous fiscal, 15 set up.
  • Comprehensive policy on further developing PPP (public-private-partnership) model.
  • To move towards direct transfer of cash subsidy for kerosene, LPG and fertilizers.
  • Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission, headed by former Supreme Court judge B. Srikrishna, to complete its work in 24 months; to overhaul financial regulations.
  • Five-fold strategy against black money; 13 new double taxation avoidance agreements; foreign tax division of CTBT strengthened; strength of Enforcement Directorate increased three-fold.
  • Bill to be introduced to review Indian Stamp Act.
  • New coins carrying new rupee symbol to be issued.
  • Anganwadi workers salary raised from Rs.1,500 to Rs.3,000.
  • Housing loan limit for priority sector lending raised to Rs.25 lakh.

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India Union Budget 2011-2012-Key Highlights

Posted on 06 March 2011 by admin

· I-T exemption limit raised to Rs 1.80 lakh from Rs 1.60 lakh .
· Exemption for senior citizens raised to Rs 2.5 lakh
· Tax under women slab unchanged.
· Tax exemption raised to Rs 5 lakh for senior citizens of 80 years.
· To increase service tax on air travel
· Excise and customs duty proposals to result in the net gain of Rs 7,300 crore.
· Export duty rates on iron ore unified and kept at 20% ad valorem.
· Basic customs duty on agricultural machinery reduced to 4.5% from 5%
· Basic customs duty on raw silk reduced from 30 to 5 per cent
· Excise and customs duty proposals to result in the net gain of Rs 7,300 crore
· Nominal one per cent central excise duty on 130 items entering the tax net. Basic food and fuel and precious stones, gold and silver jewellery will be exempted.
· Peak rate of customs duty maintained at 10% in view of the global economic situation.
· Customs duty exemptions for hybrid auto parts.
· Nominal one per cent central excise duty on 130 items entering the tax net. Basic food and fuel and precious stones, gold and silver jewellery will be exempted.
· Standard rate of central exercise duty maintained at 10%.
· Central government debt in proportion to GDP will be 44.2% in 2011-12.
· 20% export duty on all grades of iron ore.
· Basic customs duty reduced on certain textile products
· No change in service tax rate of 10%.
· No change in central excise duty.
· Plan to levy 1% on 130 consumer items.
· Revenue deficit fixed at 2.3 per cent in revised estimates of 2010—11 and 1.8 per cent in 2011—12,
· Total plan expenditure will go up 100 per cent in nominal terms in the next year
· 15% tax on dividend for Indian cos from foreign unit.
· Direct Tax proposals result in expenditure of Rs 11,500 cr.
· To reduce surcharge on domestic companies to 5% from 7.5%
· MAT rate hiked to 18.5% from 18%.
· MAT on developers in SEZs to be levied.
· Fiscal deficit revised to 5.1% from 5.5% for FY’11
· Total expenditure raised by 13.4% at Rs 12.57 lakh cr over budget estimates
· Gross tax receipts estimated at 9.32 lakh cr for FY 2011-12
· Bill to amend India Stamp Act soon.
· Budget allocation of Rs 100 cr for Ladakh and Rs 150 cr for Jammu for implementation of projects identified by taskforce
· Old age pension to persons of over the age of 80 raised from Rs 200 to Rs 500
· Health allocation up by 20% to R 27,600 cr.
· Rs 9- lakh ex-gratia for defence personnel for 100% disability fighting Left-wing extremism.
· To set up 15 more mega food parks.
· Remuneration of anganwadi workers raised from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 per month. Helpers to get Rs 1,500 from Rs 750
· Tax free bonds of Rs 30,000 cr to be issued for infrastructure development. This will cover Warehousing Corporation, NHAI, IRFC and Hudco.
· Allocation under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana to be raised from Rs 6,755 crore in the current year to Rs 7,860 crore.
· Rs 50 cr grant to Aligarh Muslim University centres in Murshidabad in West Bengal and Malappuram in Kerala.
· Rs 200 cr for environmental remediation programme.
· Age for pension eligibility reduced from 65 years to 60 years under Indira Gandhi Yojana scheme
· To move insurance, pension and banking bills in Parliament
· Rs 500-cr for National Development Fund.
· Rs 400-cr as one-time grant for IIT-Kharagpur.
· Move to set up State Innovation Councils underway.
· Allocation to education sector raised to Rs 52,000 cr
· Scholarship scheme for SC/ST students in classes iX, X.
· Increase in allocation to higher education
· Increase in remuneration for Anganwadi workers from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 per month.
· Plan 17% increase in social sector spending.
· To introduce Food Security Bill
· Tax free bonds of Rs 30,000 cr to be issued for infrastructure development. This will cover Warehousing Corporation, NHAI, IRFC and Hudco.
· Fertiliser industry to be included under infrastructure category.
· New companies bill to be introduced.
· GoM to be set up to deal with corruption
· Five-fold strategy to deal with black money.
· Mega cluster for leather products to be introduced.
· Existing interest subvention scheme on short term farm loans at 7 % interest to continue.
· Self-assessment in customs to be introduced.
· Credit flows to farmers raised from Rs 3.75 lakh crore to Rs 4.75 lakh crore.
· Constitution Amendment Bill for introduction of GST in this session.
· Goods and Services Tax Bill this year.
· Direct Taxes Code Bill likely to be passed by Parliament next financial year after getting Standing Committee report.
· Public Debt Management Agency Bill in the next fiscal.
· Indian mutual funds to get direct access to foreign markets; FIIs to be allowed to invest in MFs.
· To liberalise FDI policy further.
· To extend infra tax breaks to fertiliser sector.
· To set up microfinance equity fund.
· Government to move towards direct cash transfer of cash subsidy as regards kerosene, LPG and fertilisers from March 2012 for BPL in view of large diversion.
· 3% interest subvention to farmers who repay in time.
· Nabard capital base to be increased by infusing Rs 10,000 cr
· Rural housing fund increased to Rs 3,000 cr
· Banks asked to step up lending to agriculture.
· Allocation under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana to be raised from Rs 6,755 crore in the current year to Rs 7,860 crore.
· Budget proposes to raise housing loan limit from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh for priority sector lending.
· Allocation for farm development hiked to Rs 7,860 cr.
· Rs 300 cr proposed to promote production of cereals.
· Indian micro-finance equity with SIDBI to be formed at Rs 100 crore.
· Rs 6,000 cr to be given to public sector banks to maintain capital-to-risk assets ratio norms
· RBI to bring in new guidelines for banking licences.
· Aiming Fiscal deficit of 3% by fiscal 2014
· Central electronic registry to reduce fraud cases.
· FII investment limit for infra corporate bonds hiked to $40 billion.
· Discussions on to further liberalise FDI policy.
· Preparation of GST rollout in final stages.
· Microfinance equity fund of Rs 100 cr proposed.
· Govt committed to hold 51% in PSUs.
· Rs 3,000 cr to Nabard for handloom societies.
· Women self-help group development fund to be set up.
· Direct transfer of subsidy for kerosene.
· Goods and Services Tax Bill to be introduced in Parliament this year.
· Direct Tax Code Bill likely to be passed by Parliament next financial year after getting Standing Committee report.
· Disinvestment target at Rs 40,000 cr.
· Direct Tax Code from April 2012.
· SEBI-registered MFs to be allowed direct access to foreign funds.
· Expect RBI to moderate inflation.
· Public Debt Management Agency Bill to be introduced next financial year.
· Current account deficit and average inflation in 2011-12 likely to be less than current year.
· FDI policy review done in Sept 2010.
· Economic growth in 2011-12 likely to be 9 per cent.
· Admits large-scale diversion of kerosene.
· Introduction of DTC will be a watershed moment.
· Debt managment bill to be introduced.
· Constitutional Amendment Bill on GST to be introduced.
· Expect agri sector to grow at 5.4% in 2011.
· Growth in 2010-11 broad-based.
· Economy resilient to shocks.
· RBI measures will further moderate inflation.
· GDP estimated growth at 8.6% in real terms.
· New dynamism in rural economy.
· Core inflation in check.
· Current account deficit is at 2009-10 levels, and is a matter of concern.
· Huge difference in wholesale and retail prices not acceptable.
· Total food inflation down from 20.2 per cent last year to 9.3 per cent in January  2011

·Revival in private investment should be sustainable.

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Labour Bureau and the History Labour Statistics in India

Posted on 26 February 2011 by admin

Labour Statistics in India may be said to have originated when the first national population census was conducted in 1872. This census gave not only the count of number of persons, but also the number of gainfully employed. Since then every census has thrown useful data on workers in different industries and occupations every 10 years. Besides the statistics on employment thrown by the census, other data on labour statistics until the Second World War, were collected on ad-hoc basis, mostly as a by product of administration of labour laws and not as a basis for formulation of labour policies. The Royal Commission on Labour in 1931 pointed out the need for systematic collection of labour statistics. It observed that the policy must be built on facts as the uncertainty of facts would lead to confusion and conflict regarding its aim. The Commission recommended the adoption of suitable legislation enabling the Competent Authority to collect and collate information regarding the living, working and socio-economic conditions of industrial labour. Further, the inflationary pressure during the early period of the Second World War gave rise to demands of workers for compensation in their wages necessitating setting up of machinery for measuring changes in prices. Accordingly, Government of India constituted & set up the Rau Court of Enquiry in 1940 under the Trade Disputes Act (1929) to recommend statistical machinery for measuring movement in prices. The Rau Court of Enquiry recommended compilation and maintenance of Cost of Living Index Numbers for measuring the rate of compensation to be paid to the workers for the rise in cost of living.

This recommendation of the Rau Court of Enquiry (1940) led to setting up of the Directorate of Cost of Living at Shimla in 1941 with the objective of conducting Family Budget Enquiries and compiling Cost of Living Index Numbers for important centres in the country on a uniform basis. The Directorate conducted enquiries during the period 1943-45.   However, with the increased Government intervention in the field of industrial relations during the Second World War, the need for more systematic collection and processing of labour statistics acquired significance.  The result was the enactment of Industrial Statistics Act in 1942 to facilitate collection of statistics on (a) matters relating to factories and (b) certain specified  areas of welfare and conditions of labour. Further, arrangements were made for the collection and processing of the data flowing from the administration of important labour Acts, such as the Trade Unions Act, 1926 and the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, etc. The need for more comprehensive labour statistics in the context of formulation of labour policy led to the setting up of the Labour Bureau on October 1, 1946 by rechristening the Directorate of Cost of Living with added functions. Since then Labour Bureau is engaged in collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of statistics on different facets of labour at All India level.

Main Functions of the Bureau

Labour Bureau is responsible for the collation, collection and publication of statistics and related information on wages, earnings, productivity, absenteeism, labour turn-over, industrial relations, working and living conditions and evaluation of working of various labour enactments etc. It is a storehouse of important economic indicators like Consumer Price Index Numbers for Industrial, Agricultural and Rural Labourers; wage rate indices and data on industrial relations, socio-economic conditions in the organised and unorganised sector of industry etc. The functions/activities of Labour Bureau can be classified under three major heads:
1. Labour Intelligence
2. Labour Research
3. Monitoring and evaluation studies under the Minimum Wages Act 1948.

1. Labour Intelligence:

(1) Construction and maintenance of various series of index numbers:

(a) Consumer Price Index Numbers (CPI) for (i) Industrial Workers (ii) Rural Labourers and (iii) Agricultural Labourers.
(b) Wage Rate Indices in respect of industries covered under the Occupational Wage Surveys.
(c) Index Numbers of (i) Money Earnings and (ii) Real Earnings
(d) Retail Price Indices for 31 Essential Commodities in Urban Areas.

(2) Providing serial statistics on Absenteeism, Labour Turnover, Labour Cost, Employment,  contract workers Earnings and industrial disputes.

2.  Labour Research: Conducting research studies/ surveys and bringing out publications on labour related matters in organized and unorganized sector. These include:
(1) Unorganised sector, SC/ST Labour both in Urban and Rural Areas, Women Workers ;
(2) Occupational Wage Survey in the organized sector
(3) Family Budget Enquiries.
(4) Rural Labour Enquiry.
(5) Survey of Labour conditions
(6) Contract Labour Surveys
(7) Annual Survey of Industries.
(8) Digest of Indian Labour Research.
(9) Statistical Profile on women Labour

3. Monitoring and Evaluation: Collects, Compiles and disseminates statistical information on various aspects of labour based on statutory and voluntary returns under different Labour Acts and surveys conducted. Details of information collected under the Acts are given  on web page- Statutory / Voluntary Returns)
4.  Publication of Indian Labour Journal (Monthly), Indian Labour Statistics (Annual), Pocket Book of Labour Statistics (Annual) and Indian Labour Year Book (Annual) giving authoritative and up-to-date statistics on various facets of Labour and on  current Labour scene in the country. ( List given on separate web-page).

Information courtesy : Labour Bureau website ,Government of India

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Directory of Important Indian Government websites

Posted on 17 February 2011 by admin

Directory of Important Web Links

A one-point source to know all about Indian Government websites at all levels and from all sectors.

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India's Five Year Plans at a Glance

Posted on 31 January 2011 by admin

India’s Five Year Plans at a Glance

The Five Year Plans.
The development plans are drawn by the Planning Commission to establish India’s economy on a socialistic pattern in successive phases of five year Periods-called the Five Year Plans.
Major Bodies Behind the Making of Five Year Plans
The organisation was set up to formulate basic economic policies, draft plans and watch its progress and implementation. It consists of:
(I) Planning Commission of India
(ii) National Planning Council
(iii) National Development Council and State Planning Commissions
DETAILS OF THE FIVE YEAR PLANS
FIRST FIVE YEAR PLAN (1951-56)
In July 1951, the Planning Commission issued the draft outline of the First Five Year Plan for the period April 1951 to March 1956. It was presented to the Parliament in December 1952. In the First Plan, agriculture received the main thrust, for sustaining of growth and development of industries which would not be possible without a significant rise in the yield of raw materials and food.
Objectives:
i) To increase food production.
ii) To fully utilise available raw materials.
iii) To check inflationary pressure.
Outlay: The total proposed outlay was Rs. 3,870 crore.
SECOND FIVE YEAR PLAN (1956-61)
The main objective was to launch upon industrialisation and strengthen the industrial base of the economy. It was in this light that the 1948 Industrial Policy Resolution was revised and a new resolution of 1956 was adopted. The Second Plan started with an emphasis on the expansion of the public sector and aimed at the establishment of a socialistic pattern of society.
Objectives:
i) A sizeable increase in national income so as to raise the level of living.
ii) Rapid industrialisation of the country with particular emphasis on the development of basic and key industries.
Outlay: The Second Plan proposed a total public sector outlay of Rs. 4,800 crores though actual outlay was only Rs. 4,672 crore.
THIRD FIVE YEAR PLAN (1961-66)
In the third Plan, the emphasis was on long-term development. The Third Plan report stated that during the five-year period concerned, the Indian economy “must not only expand rapidly but, at the same time, become self-reliant and self-generating.”
Objectives:
i) An increase in national income of more than 5 per cent annually. The investment pattern laid down must be capable of sustaining this growth rate in the subsequent years.
ii) An increase in the agricultural produce and to achieve self sufficiency by increasing food grain production.
iii) Greater equality of opportunities, more even distribution of economic power and reducing wealth and income disparities.
FOURTH FIVE YEAR PLAN (1969-74)
After the ‘Plan Holiday’, the Fourth Plan was begun in 1969.
Objectives:
i) To achieve stability and progress towards self-reliance.
ii) To achieve an overall rate of growth of 5.7 per cent annually.
iii) To raise exports at the rate of 7 per cent annually.
Outlay: The total proposed outlay was Rs. 24,880 crore, which included Rs. 15,900 crores as public sector outlay and Rs. 8,980 crore as private sector outlay.
FIFTH FIVE YEAR PLAN (1974-79)
The Plan was formulated against the background of sever inflationary pressure.
Objectives: In addition to removal of poverty and attainment of self-reliance, the Fifth Plan had the following major objectives.
i) 5.5 per cent overall rate of growth in Gross Domestic objectives.
ii) Expansion of productive employment and fuller utilisation of existing skills and equipment.
iii) A national programme for minimum needs and extended programmes of social welfare.
Outlay: A total outlay of Rs. 53,410 crore was proposed for the Fifth Plan.
SIXTH FIVE YEAR PLAN (1980-85)
The draft of the Sixth Five Year Plan (1978-1983) was presented in 1978. However, the plan was terminated with the change of Government in January 1980. The new Sixth Five Year Plan was implemented in April 1980.
Objectives:
i) To eliminate unemployment and underemployment.
ii) To raise the standard of living of the poorest of masses.
iii) To reduce disparities in income and wealth.
Outlay: The proposed outlay for the Sixth Plan totalled Rs.
1, 58, 710 crore.
SEVENTH FIVE YEAR PLAN (1985-90)
The draft of the Seventh Plan was approved on November 9, 1985 by the National Development Council. The plan was part of the long-term plan for the period of 15 years.
Objectives:
i) Decentralisation of planning and full public participation in development.
ii) The maximum possible generation of productive employment.
iii) Removal of poverty and reduction in income disparities.
EIGHTH FIVE YEAR PLAN (1992-97)
The Eighth Plan proposed a growth rate of 5.6 per cent per annum on an average during the plan period. The Eighth Plan focused on (i) clear prioritisation of sectors/projects for investment in order to facilitate implementation of the policy initiatives taken in the areas of fiscal, trade and industrial sectors and human development.
Objectives:
i) Generation of adequate employment of achieve near full employment level by the turn of the century.
ii) Containment of population growth through people’s active co-operation and an effective scheme of incentives and disincentives.
iii) Universalisation of elementary education and complete eradication of illiteracy among the people in the age group of 15 to 35 years.
THE NINTH FIVE-YEAR PLAN (1997-2002)
It began on April 1, 1997. The Ninth Plan was the first concrete attempt to translate the programme of economic reforms and the New Economic Policy within the framework of an indicative Plan. The Approach Paper to the Ninth Plan (1997-2002) was approved by the N.D.C. on 16th January, 1997.
Objectives:
i.) Priority to agriculture and rural development
ii.) Accelerating growth rate of economy
iii.) Food and nutritional security for all
iv.) Containing growth rate of population
v.) Empowerment of women and socially disadvantaged groups such as SC/ST, backward classes and minorities.
vi.) Promoting and developing participatory institutions like “Panchayati Raj” institutions, co-operatives and self-help groups.
TENTH FIVE YEAR PLAN (2002-07)
On December 21, 2002, the Tenth Five Year Plan was approved by the National Development Council (NDC). The Plan has further developed the NDC mandated objectives, of doubling per capita income in 10 years, and achieving a growth rate of 8% of GDP per annum. An 8% growth rate is considered necessary for achieving the social and economic targets of Tenth Plan Keeping in mind decadal growth performance and the steady acceleration that the country has recorded in growth over the past two decades, it is a realisable target. The plan has a number of new features, such as, for the first time
(a) It recognises the rapid growth of labour force over the next decade
(b) Addresses the issue of poverty and the unacceptably low levels of social indicators
(c) Adopted a “differential development strategy” to equate national targets into balanced regional development as there is vast difference in the potentials and constraints of each state
(d) Recognises that the governance is perhaps one of the most important factors for ensuring realisation of the Plan
(e) Identifies measures to improve efficiency, unleash entrepreneurial energy, and promote rapid and sustainable growth
(f) Proposes major reforms for agricultural sector making ‘agriculture’ the core element of the Plan.
Since economic growth is not the only objective, the Plan aims at harnessing the benefits of growth to improve the quality of life of the people by setting the following key targets:
1. All children to be in school by 2003 and all children to complete five years of schooling by 2007
2. Reduction in poverty ratio from 26% to 21%
3. Growth in gainful employment to, at least, keep pace with addition to the labour force
4. Decadal population growth to reduce from 21.3% in 1991-2001 to 16.2% by 2001-11
5. Reducing gender gaps in literacy and wage rates by 50%
6. Literacy rate to increase from 65% in 1999-2000 to 75% in 2001
7. Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) to be reduced from 72 in 1999-2000, to 45 in 2007
8. .Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) to be reduced from 4 per 1000 in 1999-2000 to 2 per 1000 in 2007
9. Providing portable drinking water in all villages
10. Cleaning of major polluted river stretches
11. Increase in forest/tree cover from 19% in 1999-2000 to 25% in 2007
ELEVENTH PLAN (2007-2012)
The United Progressive Alliance government issued a paper in the eleventh plan titled “Towards faster and more inclusive growth.” According to the approach paper, the monitorable targets of five-year plan are:
1. GDP growth rate to be increased to 10% by the end of the plan;
2. Farm sector growth to be increased to 4%;
3. Creation of seven crore job opportunities;
4. Reduce educated unemployed youth to below 5 percent
5. Infant mortality rates to be reduced to 28 per 1000 births;
6. Maternal death rates to be reduced to 1 per 1000 births;
7. Clean drinking water to all by 2009;
8. Improve sex ratio to 935 by 2011-12 and to 950 by 2016-17;
9. Ensure electricity connection to all villages and broadband over power lines (BPL) households by 2009
10. Roads to all villages that have a population of 1000 and above by 2009;
11. Increase forest and tree cover by 5%;
12. Achieve the World Health Organization standard air quality in major cities by 2011-12;
13. Treat all urban wastewater by 2011-12 to clean river waters;

14. Increase energy efficiency by 20 percent by 2016-17

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50 Questions and answers based on Indian Constitution,Parliament and Government

Posted on 18 November 2010 by admin

1.Who is known as the sculptor of the constitution of India’?
(a) Rajendra Prasad (b) V.V. Giri
(c) B.R. Ambedkar (d) Dr. S. Radhakrishnan

Answer : C

2.What is known as the “Little India”?
(a) City (b) Town (c) Village (d) State

Answer : C

3.A major obstacle to democracy is:
(a) Poverty of the people (b) Illiteracy
(c) Bureaucracy (d) Corruption

Answer : D

4.What is the function of the Gram Panchayat?
(a) To maintain law and order (b) To develop agriculture
(c) To maintain Sanitation (d) All of the above

Answer : D

5.Who is a “Lumbardar”?
(a) The head of a regiment (b) Head of Village
(c) Head of labourers (d) Nominee of the government

Answer : B

6.What is the lowest stage of the local government?
(a) Gram Panchayat (b) Panchayat samiti
(c) Zila Panchayat (d) District Council

Answer : A

7.What is known as the “Little India”?
(a) City (b) Town (c) Village (d) State

Answer : C

8.The mayor of the Corporation is:
(a) Elected by the people
(b) Elected by the members of the Corporation
(c) Appointed by the Chief Minister
(d) Appointed by the Government

Answer : B

9.Who collects the House Tax?
(a) Municipality or corporation (b) State Government
(c) Central government (d) District magistrate

Answer : A

10.What is the head of a Corporation known as
(a) President (b) Chairman (c) Alderman (d) Mayor

Answer : D

11.What is a Corporation?
(a) It is the same as municipality
(b) It is the municipality of a very big city
(c) It is a business undertaking (d) It is a limited company

Answer : B

12.What is the duty of the Municipality?
(a) To maintain law and order
(b) To keep the city neat and clean
(c) To collect taxes (d) To suppress crime

Answer : B

13.What is Local Self-Government?
(a) Government of the wife (b) Government of the husband
(c) Municipal government (d) Mental government

Answer : C

14.Who was the last Governor-General of India?
(a) Lord Mountbatten (b) Rajagopalachari
(c) Dr. Rajendra Prasad (d) Sarojini Naidu

Answer : B

15.Who is a gazetted officer?
(a) An officer with the red tape
(b) Bureaucrat
(c) Deputy Secretary
(d) The high officer of a department whose transfer is gazetted

Answer : D

16.Which is the most important and highest service?
(a) Indian Administrative Service (b) Indian Foreign Service
(c) Indian Police Service (d) Indian Information Service

Answer : B

17.Which is not an essential part of the Government?
(a) Cabinet (b) The Supreme Court
(c) Parliament (d) Indian Administrative Service

Answer : D

18.The Governor of a State is appointed by
(a) The State legislature (b) The Prime Minister
(c) The President (d) The Parliament

Answer : C

19.Who appoints the Chief Minister?
(a) The Governor of the State (b) The Prime Minister
(c) The Legislative Assembly (d) The Supreme Court

Answer : C

20.Who is a Chief Minister?
(a) Deputy Prime Minister
(b) The leader of the Union Territory
(c) The Leader of the Legislative Assembly in a State
(d) None of the above

Answer : C

21.Who elects the Prime Minister?
(a) The people (b) The President
(c) The Parliament (d) All of the above

Answer : C

22.The President of India is elected by:
(a) The members of Parliament
(b) The Members of Legislative Assemblies
(c) Both (d) Neither

Answer : B

23.The judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by
(a) The Prime Minister of India
(b) The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
(c) The President of India (d) The Indian parliament

Answer : C

24.When the President can declare emergency?
(a) When there is a breakdown of the constitutional machinery
(b) When security of India is threatened
(c) When financial stability is endangered
(d) Any or all of the above

Answer : D

25.Who is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces in India?
(a) The Prime Minister (b) The Commander-in-chief
(c) The President of India (d) Minister of Defence

Answer : C

26.Who Presides over the Rajya Sabha?
(a) The President of India (b) The Speaker of Lok sabha
(c) The Vice-President (d) None of them

Answer : C

27.Which body makes laws?
(a) The President (b) The Prime Minister
(c) The Parliament (d) The Supreme Court

Answer : C

28.In whom is the real power invested in India?
(a) The President (b) The Prime Minister
(c) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
(d) All of them together

Answer : B

29.What are the essential elements of a republic?
(a) Independence (b) Sovereignty
(c) Democracy (d) All of the above

Answer : D

30.The function of the judiciary is:
(a) To make laws (b) To enforce laws
(c) To interpret laws (d) All of the above

Answer : C

31.What is law-making authority of the government called?
(a) Legislature (b) Executive
(c) Judiciary (d) None of the above

Answer : A

32.In democracy:
(a) All people are equal
(b) All people are equal politically
(c) All people are equal economically
(d) None of the above is true

Answer : B

33.What is a government of the people, for the people and by the people?
(a) Dictatorship (b) Aristocracy
(c) Mobocracy (d) Ram Rajya

Answer : C

34.Which is a government of the people, by the people and for the people?
(a) Monarchy (b) Bureaucracy
(c) Oligarchy (d) Democracy

Answer : D

35.Who is a citizen?
(a) A person who lives in a city
(b) A citizen is one who enjoys full legal rights in a country
(c) Both (d) Neither

Answer : B

36.What are the qualifications of a judge of the High Court?
(a) Should have held a judicial office for not less than ten years
(b) Should have been advocate in a High Court for not less ten years
(c) Either (d) Neither

Answer : C

37.What are the qualifications of a member of Parliament?
(a) A citizen of India
(b) Not less than 25 years of age
(c) An elector of any parliamentary constituency
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

38.What are the functions of the Prime Minister?
(a) Constituting the Cabinet
(b) Presiding over the Cabinet
(c) Leadership of the House of the People
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

39.What are the basis principles of the Cabinet Government?
(a) Political homogeneity (b) Ministerial responsibility
(c) Leadership of the Prime Minister
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

40.What are the Emergency Powers of the President
(a) Emergency caused by war or internal disturbances
(b) Emergency Because of the failure of the Constitution
(c) Financial emergencies
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

41.What are the qualifications of the President of India?
(a) A citizen of India
(b) Over 35 years of age
(c) Eligible for election as a member of the Parliament
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

42.What is common between the President of India and the President of America?
(a) Name (b) Powers (c) Both (d) Neither

Answer : A

43.What are the Directive Principles for promoting International Peace?
(a) Promote International peace and security
(b) Maintain honourable relations between nations
(c) Foster respect for international law
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

44.What are the Directive Principles for shaping India into a Gandhian State?
(a) Organization of village panchayts
(b) promotion of prohibition
(c) Promotion of Khadi and village industries
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

45.What are the Directive Principle of developing India as a Welfare State?
(a) Fair distribution of Wealth
(b) Equal pay for equal work to men and women
(c) Free and compulsory education for children up to 14 years
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

46.What are Writs?
(a) Habeas Corpus (b) mandamus
(c) Quo warranto (d) All of the above

Answer : D

47.What is Right against Exploitation?
(a) Traffic in human beings is forbidden
(b) Forced labour is prohibited
(c) Children under fourteen years of age cannot be employed in factories
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

48.What is Right to Freedom?
(a) Right of speech and expression
(b) Right to assemble peacefully
(c) Right to form associations and unions
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

49.What does Article 17 of the Constitution Say?
(a) Untouchability is abolished
(b) The practice of untouchability is forbidden
(c) Practice untouchability is an offence
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

50.What are the Fundamental Rights?
(a) Right to property (b) Right to equality
(c) Right to Freedom of Religion (d) All of the above

Answer : D

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Indian Parliament-About Parliament of India

Posted on 26 September 2010 by admin

Parliament is the supreme legislative body of a country. Our Parliament comprises of the President and the two Houses-Lok Sabha (House of the People) and Rajya Sabha (Council of States). The President has the power to summon and prorogue either House of Parliament or to dissolve Lok Sabha.

The Constitution of India came into force on January 26, 1950. The first general elections under the new Constitution were held during the year 1951-52 and the first elected Parliament came into being in April, 1952, the Second Lok Sabha in April, 1957, the Third Lok Sabha in April, 1962, the Fourth Lok Sabha in March, 1967, the Fifth Lok Sabha in March, 1971, the Sixth Lok Sabha in March, 1977, the Seventh Lok Sabha in January, 1980, the Eighth Lok Sabha in December, 1984, the Ninth Lok Sabha in December, 1989, the Tenth Lok Sabha in June, 1991, the Eleventh Lok Sabha in May, 1996, the Twelfth Lok Sabha in March, 1998, the Thirteenth Lok Sabha in October, 1999, the Fourteenth Lok Sabha in May, 2004 and the Fifteenth Lok Sabha in May, 2009.

LOK SABHA

Lok Sabha, as the name itself signifies, is the body of representatives of the people. Its members are directly elected, normally once in every five years by the adult population who are eligible to vote. The minimum qualifying age for membership of the House is 25 years. The present membership of Lok Sabha is 545. The number is divided among the different States and Union Territories as follows:

(1) Andhra Pradesh 42

(2) Arunachal Pradesh 2

(3) Assam 14

(4) Bihar 40

(5) Chhattisgarh 11

(6) Goa 2

(7) Gujarat 26

(8) Haryana 10

(9) Himachal Pradesh 4

(10) Jammu & Kashmir 6

(11) Jharkhand 14

(12) Karnataka 28

(13) Kerala 20

(14) Madhya Pradesh 29

(15) Maharashtra 48

(16) Manipur 2

(17) Meghalaya 2

(18) Mizoram 1

(19) Nagaland 1

(20) Orissa 21

(21) Punjab 13

(22) Rajasthan 25

(23) Sikkim 1

(24) Tamil Nadu 39

(25) Tripura 2

(26) Uttarakhand 5

(27) Uttar Pradesh 80

(28) West Bengal 42

(29) Andaman & Nicobar Islands 1

(30) Chandigarh 1

(31) Dadra & Nagar Haveli 1

(32) Daman & Diu 1

(33) NCT of Delhi 7

(34) Lakshadweep 1

(35) Pondicherry 1

(36) Anglo-Indians (if nominated 2 by the President under Article 331 of the Constitution)

RAJYA SABHA

Rajya Sabha is the Upper House of Parliament. It has not more than 250 members. Members of Rajya Sabha are not elected by the people directly but indirectly by the Legislative Assemblies of the various States. Every State is allotted a certain number of members. No member of Rajya Sabha can be under 30 years of age.

Twelve of Rajya Sabha members are nominated by the President from persons who have earned distinction in the fields of literature, art, science and social service.

Rajya Sabha is a permanent body. It is not subject to dissolution but one-third of its members retire every two years. Rajya Sabha was duly constituted for the first time on April 3, 1952 and it held its first sitting on May 13, that year.

There are at present 245 members in Rajya Sabha, distributed among different States and Union Territories as follows:

(1) Andhra Pradesh 18

(2) Arunachal Pradesh 1

(3) Assam 7

(4) Bihar 16

(5) Chhattisgarh 5

(6) Goa 1

(7) Gujarat 11

(8) Haryana 5

(9) Himachal Pradesh 3

(10) Jammu & Kashmir 4

(11) Jharkhand 6

(12) Karnataka 12

(13) Kerala 9

(14) Madhya Pradesh 11

(15) Maharashtra 19

(16) Manipur 1

(17) Meghalaya 1

(18) Mizoram 1

(19) Nagaland 1

(20) Orissa 10

(21) Punjab 7

(22) Rajasthan 10

(23) Sikkim 1

(24) Tamil Nadu 18

(25) Tripura 1

(26) Uttarakhand 3

(27) Uttar Pradesh 31

(28) West Bengal 16

(29) NCT of Delhi 3

(30) Pondicherry 1

(31) Nominated by the President under 12 Article 80(1)(a) of the Constitution

Presiding Officers

Lok Sabha elects one of its own members as its Presiding Officer and he is called the Speaker. He is assisted by the  Deputy Speaker who is also elected by Lok Sabha. The conduct of business in Lok Sabha is the responsibility of the Speaker.

The Vice-President of India is the ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha. He is elected by the members of an electoral college consisting of members of both Houses of Parliament. Rajya Sabha also elects one of its members to be the Deputy Chairman.

Functions of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha

The main function of both the Houses is to pass laws. Every Bill has to be passed by both the Houses and assented to by the President before it becomes law. The subjects over which Parliament can legislate are the subjects mentioned under the Union List in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. Broadly speaking, Union subjects are those important subjects which for reasons of convenience, efficiency and security are administered on all-India basis. The principal Union subjects are Defence, Foreign Affairs, Railways, Transport and Communications, Currency and Coinage, Banking, Customs and Excise Duties. There are numerous other subjects on which both Parliament and State Legislatures can legislate.

Under this category mention may be made of economic and social planning, social security and insurance, labour welfare, price control and vital statistics.

Besides passing laws, Parliament can by means of resolutions, motions for adjournment, discussions and questions addressed by members to Ministers exercise control over the administration of the country and safeguard people’s liberties.

Difference between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha

(1) Members of Lok Sabha are directly elected by the eligible voters. Members of Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of State Legislative Assemblies in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.

(2) The normal life of every Lok Sabha is 5 years only while Rajya Sabha is a permanent body.

(3) Lok Sabha is the House to which the Council of Ministers is responsible under the Constitution. Money Bills can only be introduced in Lok Sabha. Also it is Lok Sabha which grants the money for running the administration of the country.

(4) Rajya Sabha has special powers to declare that it is necessary and expedient in the national interest that Parliament may make laws with respect to a matter in the State List or to create by law one or more all-India services common to the Union and the States.

Source and courtesy ,National Portal of India

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The Yashoda Scheme

Posted on 30 August 2010 by admin

With the inspiration of Yashoda in Mahabharata who cared and brought up lord Krishna, the Central Government with the help of Norway (Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI)) has launched “Yashoda Scheme” at Sambalpur for the first time in country.

NIPI wouldl contribute Rs.1.5 core for Orissa for implementation of the scheme. The Scheme was launched in the country after the success of ‘Janani Surakshya Yojana with an objective to bring a change in the post natal care.

Under the schemes the ”Yoshodas” would be recruited to look after the ”Bal Krishnas” on a monthly honorium of Rs 3000. Yashodas” would stay in hospitals for 48 hours and take care of the new born children. The ‘Yashodas’ would also look after the mothers of the new born children. Jharsuguda and Angul will be covered under the scheme very shortly.

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