The Daily Brief – 13th September 2018

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Union Ministry of Railways has launched Rail Sahyog web portal (www.railsahyog.in). It will provide platform for Corporate and PSUs to fund creation of amenities at railway stations through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds. It will provide opportunity for industry, companies and associations to collaborate with Indian Railways.
Election Commission of India (EC) had removed NOTA (None of the Above) option from ballot papers of Rajya Sabha, Legislative Council elections following directive of Supreme Court. The NOTA option henceforth will be only available in direct elections such as Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. Supreme Court held that NOTA will destroy concept of value of vote and representation, and encourage defection that shall open doors for corruption which is malignant disorder. NOTA was introduced in 2013 after Supreme Court of India directed Election Commission to provide NOTA button in the electronic voting machines. 2014 Lok Sabha election was first general election to see its nationwide use of NOTA, where it polled 1.1% of the votes.
Justice Mukul Mudgal
Justice Mukul Mudgal was named Chairman of 11-member selection committee to pick this year’s Dronacharya and Dhyanchand awardees given as part of National Sports Awards ceremony. Dhyanchand award is bestowed on sportspersons for their lifetime achievements and Dronacharya award is presented to coaches for their outstanding and meritorious work. Justice Mudgal is retired Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court. Currently, he is deputy chairman of FIFA Governance Committee and Review Committee.
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay has recommissioned India’s oldest nuclear research reactor named ‘Apsara’, which was shut down permanently in 2009 for repair. The refurbished version of this reactor has been named as ‘Apsara-upgraded’ (Apsara-U) and also has double capacity compared to its earlier version. Apsara was the first nuclear research reactor in Asia. It had become operational in BARC’s Trombay campus in August 1956. The design was conceptualised in 1955 by Dr Homi Bhabha, the father of Indian Nuclear programme. Its name Apsara was coined by then Prime Minister Jawahar lal Nehru.
Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL) have signed agreement for implementation of e-VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati (e-VBAB) Network Project in Africa. The project is seen as digital bridge of knowledge and health between India and Africa. E-VBAB Network Project It is technological upgrade and extension of Pan-African e-Network Project (Phase 1) which was implemented in 48 partner countries from 2009 till 2017.
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued notification for bringing Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017 in force from 10th September, 2018. The Act safeguards rights of people living with HIV and affected by HIV. It also addresses HIV-related discrimination, strengthen existing programme by bringing in legal accountability and establish formal mechanisms for inquiring into complaints and redressing grievances.
The Ministry of Steel will be giving away first-ever-awards to the secondary steel sector on September 13, 2018, in New Delhi. The awards have been instituted in order to encourage the secondary steel sector, as it plays a key role as a growth engine for the national economy and employment generation. The secondary steel sector holds enormous potential for growth and opportunities in the country. The sector is bound to play a major role in actualising the growth target of 300 million tonnes of steel production capacity by 2030.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 12, 2018 approved a new umbrella scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan’ (PM-AASHA). The scheme aims to ensure that farmers get remunerative prices for their produce as announced in the Union Budget for 2018. It will give a major boost to the pro-farmer initiatives of the Government. The umbrella scheme ‘PM-AASHA’ comprises three sub-schemes: Price Support Scheme (PSS), Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) and Pilot of Private Procurement & Stockist Scheme (PPPS).