World Culture Festival starts in Delhi

NEW DELHI Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the opening on Friday of a giant music and dance festival that has been criticized for environmental damage and the possible safety risks of its enormous stage.
Large crowds braved heavy rain for the start of the event, crossing army-made pontoon bridges across Delhi's main river, the Yamuna, to the "World Culture Festival", where 35,000 dancers and musicians will perform to an expected audience of millions over three days.
Modi, the star guest at the opening ceremony, sat next to organizer Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a well known guru, on a specially built VIP stand, as hundreds of holy men chanted in harmony and women dressed in red and gold danced to drum beats on the stage below.
The festival has pitted Ravi Shankar against environmentalists, concerned about damage to the nature-rich floodplain, and the Delhi police, who said the 7-acre (3-hectare) stage - which organizers say is the world's largest - lacked a safety certificate.

India's top environmental court this week fined Ravi Shankar's organization 50 million rupees ($750,000) and questioned why authorities had allowed the festival to be held in such an environmentally sensitive area, but it did not stop the event going ahead.
Green groups say the event will destroy the biodiversity of the 1,000-acre (400-hectare) site by ripping up vegetation, flattening land and altering the river's flow.

Ravi Shankar has rejected criticism and promised to leave the area better than he found it.
Delhi police expressed concern about whether organizers were equipped to manage such a large number of people, warning of the potential for "utter chaos".

The Yamuna, a tributary of the Ganges and the source for much of Delhi's water, is revered by many Hindus who bathe in it, despite high levels of industrial and human waste.

PSLV-C32 successfully launches India's Sixth Navigation Satellite IRNSS-1F

In its thirty fourth flight, ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C32, successfully launched the 1,425 kg IRNSS-1F, the sixth satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) this afternoon from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. This is the thirty third consecutively successful mission of PSLV and the twelfth in its 'XL' configuration.

After PSLV-C32 lift-off at 1601 hrs (4:01 pm) IST from the Second Launch Pad with the ignition of the first stage, the subsequent important flight events, namely, strap-on ignitions and separations, first stage separation, second stage ignition, heat-shield separation, second stage separation, third stage ignition and separation, fourth stage ignition and satellite injection, took place as planned. After a flight of 19 minutes 34 seconds, IRNSS-1F Satellite was injected to an elliptical orbit of 284 km X 20,719 km inclined at an angle of 17.866 degree to the equator (very close to the intended orbit) and successfully separated from the PSLV fourth stage. After separation, the solar panels of IRNSS-1F were deployed automatically. ISRO's Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan, Karnataka took over the control of the satellite.

In the coming days, four orbit manoeuvres will be conducted from MCF to position the satellite in the Geostationary Orbit at 32.5 deg East longitude.

IRNSS-1F is the sixth of the seven satellites constituting the space segment of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. IRNSS-1A, 1B, 1C, ID and IE, the first five satellites of the constellation, were successfully launched by PSLV on July 02, 2013, April 04, 2014, October 16, 2014, March 28, 2015 and January 20, 2016 respectively. All the five satellites are functioning satisfactorily from their designated orbital positions.

IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide position information in the Indian region and 1,500 km around the Indian mainland. IRNSS would provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Services (SPS) - provided to all users – and Restricted Services (RS), provided to authorised users.

A number of ground stations responsible for the generation and transmission of navigation parameters, satellite ranging and monitoring, etc., have been established in eighteen locations across the country.

IRNSS-1G, the remaining satellite of this constellation, is scheduled to be launched by PSLV in April 2016, thereby completing the IRNSS constellation.

Waste Water Recycling by RO Companies

New Delhi : Government is aware that a drawback of Reverse Osmosis Technology is that some water gets wasted due to the use of this technology. However, application of Reverse Osmosis in drinking water treatment systems is preferable when the Total Dissolved solids (TDS) in raw water is high or there are multiple contaminants in raw water which warrant the use of Reverse Osmosis technology. Further, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has issued specification on Reverse Osmosis based point of use water treatment system in its specification IS 16240:2015. The specification states that RO system is not recommended for arsenic level above 0.1 mg/1 and fluoride level about 8.0 mg/1. also, the minimum recovery shall be equal to or more than 20 percent.

State Governments take several measures for providing safe drinking water to the people of the State by using different water purification technologies/processes like pre-chlorination, aeration, coagulation, sedimentation, filtration , disinfection etc. Central Government supplements the efforts of the State Governments in this regard through various schemes and programmes.

Central Government has been taking necessary action for encouraging recycle and reuse of water among different stakeholders including government and private industries. The National Water Policy, 2012 has also recommended that the recycle and reuse of water, including return flows, should be the general norm. The Policy has further recommended that recycle and reuse of water, after treatment to specified standards, should also be incentivized through a properly planned tariff system.

This information was given by Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Prof. Sanwar Lal Jat in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

Standards certification for products and services concerning health, safety, and environment to be made mandatory

New BIS Bill provides compensation to the consumers if the goods and services do not conform to the standards

Self-declaration of conformity of the Standards introduced along with stringent penalty provisions for violation for ease of doing business 

Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2016 passed by the Parliament yesterday, is a major step forward in ensuring high quality products and services in the country. The provisions in new Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, will promote a culture of quality of products and services through mandatory certification and also through voluntary compliance of Indian standards. The Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha yesterday after getting the nod of Lok Sabha on 3rd December, 2015. Some of the salient features of the bill are:

• The Bill empowers the Government to bring any article, process or service, which it considers necessary from point of view of health, safety, environment, prevention of deceptive practices, security etc, under the mandatory certification regime.  This will help consumers to get quality products and will also help in preventing import of sub-standard products;
• In order to supplement ease of doing business by limiting unnecessary field inspections, the Bill has provisions for self-declaration of conformity of the Indian Standards for certain categories. Simultaneously stringent penalty provisions have been made for violation of compliance to the standards which include imprisonment up to two years or with fine up to ten times of the value of goods produced or sold, or with both.
• As per provisions of the bill, BIS can now order recall of products, not confirming to the standards, in addition to cancellation of the license of the manufacturer.
•  BIS can also order compensation to the consumers in case goods and services do not conform to the standards.
• The Bill empowers the Government to implement mandatory hallmarking of precious metal articles such as Gold and Silver.
•  As the service sector in the country has grown and now become major part of the economy, so to ensure quality of kea services such as health services, education services now services and systems have also been included under the standardization regime in addition to articles and processes.
•  The Bill positions the Bureau of Indian Standards as the National Standards Body.

‘Nari Shakti Puraskar-2015’ conferred on 22 Institutions/Individuals by the President

International Women's Day 08 March 2016

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi with the award winners of "Nari Shakti Puraskar - 2015", in New Delhi on March 08, 2016. The Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi is also seen.

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee conferred the ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar-2015’on the occasion of International Women’s Day today.  The awards are given every year by the Ministry of Women & Child Development to institutions and individuals who have made exceptional contribution towards empowerment of women.

            Speaking on the occasion, the President Shri Pranab Mukherjee said that it is intolerable that in this day and age, women are still being exposed to barbaric brutality and violence because they are women. He said that the government, civil society and public at large should pledge to work together for developing relevant legal, administrative and other measures to ensure the safety and security of our mothers and sisters. The President said the best practices for the development of women - that have worked well at the grassroots in States and Union Territories should be adopted and up-scaled in Government of India schemes. The president explained that the key - and urgent - priority is to develop a comprehensive approach to the holistic empowerment of women.

            In her introductory speech, the Minister for Women& Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi said that the Nari Shakti Award is the highest and most prestigious Indian National award conferred by the President of India upon exceptional women in recognition of their achievement in promoting positive change and being examples among women. The women recognized by this award have a history of overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles through courage and foresight to bring about positive change they wish to see in the world, the Minister added.

Outlining the priorities of her Ministry, Smt Maneka Gandhi said that the Government is fully committed to promote women’s rights and gender equality in all policies and planning. The ‘BetiBachao, BetiPadhao’ (BBBP) launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister last year to save the Girl Child, Educate the Girl Child, has shown paradigm shift in attitudes towards the girl child.

 The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi with the award winners of "Nari Shakti Puraskar - 2015", in New Delhi on March 08, 2016.

Lauding the efforts made by the state of Haryana, the WCD Minister said that a year after the launch of BBBP many states have shown improvement and particularly Haryana has shown exemplary improvement in sex ratio at birth which  improved to 903 in December, 2015, the first time in a decade that it had crossed 900. Initially, BBBP Scheme was implemented in 100 selected Districts and keeping in mind the criticality of the issue and the success of the scheme, the BBBP Scheme has been now expanded to additional 61 districts covering 11 States/UTs, the Minister announced.

            Smt Maneka Gandhi highlighted the major steps taken by the Ministry of Women and Child Development  for safety and security of women as well as their welfare including One Stop Centres to provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence, Scheme for Universalization of Women Helpline intended to provide 24 hours immediate and emergency response to women affected by violence, the SABLA scheme for out-of-school adolescent girls which is being expanded to cover all districts of the country, the Special Mahila Police Volunteers scheme and the Gender Champion programme among others.

The government  of India confers “Nari Shakti  Puraskars” on eminent  women and institutions rendering distinguished service  to the cause of women  especially  belonging   to the vulnerable  and marginalized  sections  of the  society . The recipients draw from institutions and individuals.

Nari Shakti Puraskar include Institutional awards in 6 categories instituted in the name of illustrious daughters of India i.e. Rani  Rudramma  Devi, Mata Jijabai, Kannagi Devi, Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang, Devi Ahilyabai Holkar and Rani  Lakshmibai. Besides, there are Individual awards in two categories for courage & bravery and for making outstanding contributions to women’s endeavour / community work/ making a difference / women empowerment.  

Nari Shakti Puraskar carries a cash   award of Rs. 2 Lakh and a certificate for institutions and Rs.1 Lakh and a certificate for individuals.

This year, 7 awards have been given in the Institutional Category and 15 in the Individual Category.  

India celebrates Maha Shivaratri on 07 March 2016, Monday

Maha Shivaratri is a famous Hindu festival celebrated each year in reverence of Lord Shiva. Shivaratri or Mahashivaratri (Night of Shiva) is a Hindu festival, celebrated all over the country with great enthusiasm. The festival is exclusively dedicated to Lord Shiva who is known by hundreds of names. Maha Shivratri is the day to rejoice and pray to the almighty for wellness. On this day, Hindu people offer prayers to the Lord Shiva and also observe fasting (vrata) throughout the day.

Maha Shivaratri is a popular Hindu festival. It is celebrated every year in reverence of the Lord Shiva. Maha Shivaratri festival is also widely known as 'Shivaratri'. It means the 'Great Night of Shiva'. This auspicious day is believed to be the day of convergence of divine powers of Lord Shiva and Goddess Shakti.

The festival falls every year around 13th night or 14th day in the Krishna Paksha of the of Magh (as per Shalivahana) or Phalgun (as per Vikrama) in the Hindu Calendar. Shivaratri is celebrated on 13th day of Falgun month - the last month of Hindu calendar.

Shivaratri is great festival of convergence of Shiva and Shakti. Chaturdashi Tithi during Krishna Paksha in month of Magha is known as Maha Shivaratri according to South Indian calendar. However according to North Indian calendar Masik Shivaratri in month of Phalguna is known as Maha Shivaratri. In both calendars it is naming convention of lunar month which differs. However both, North Indians and South Indians, celebrate Maha Shivaratri on same day.

Shivaratri means the "great night of Shiva". Shivaratri is the night when Shiva is said to have performed the Tandava Nritya, or the dance of primordial creation, preservation and destruction.Epics claim that Mahadeva married Goddess Parvathi on this day.

The festival is principally celebrated by offerings of Bael leaves, fruits, flowers and incense to Lord Shiva.  Shiva is worshiped in the form of a lingam - a pillar often placed on a receptacle that represents female creative energy. Together it represents the union of organs, and the totality of creation. All through the day the devotees, On this day Shiva devotees observe fast and chant the sacred Panchakshara mantra dedicated to Lord "Om Namah Shivaya".  Shivaratri is also spelled as Shivratri, Shivarathri and Sivaratri.

Vrat Vidhi – One day before Shivaratri Vratam, most likely on Trayodashi, devotees should eat only one time. On Shivaratri day, after finishing morning rituals devotees should take Sankalp (संकल्प) to observe full day fast on Shivaratri and to take food next day. During Sankalp devotees pledge for self-determination throughout the fasting period and seek blessing of Lord Shiva to finish the fast without any interference.

You can see huge crowd of devotees outside the Shiva temples where they come for early morning prayers. The prayers continue throughout the night of Mahashivratri and Lord Shiva’s followers offer coconut, As this is a dark fortnight, devotees light and diyas (a made usually of clay, with wick made of cotton and dipped in ghee) throughout the night. This is signified as a symbol of spiritual manifestation. Mahashivratri is one of the major festivals in India and everybody from kids to old-age people like to participate in one way or the other. Lord Shiva is also known as a ‘Destroyer’ or ‘Transformer’ according to the Hindu religion and he is worshiped not only in India but also in other neighboring countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka.

It is believed that on this day the planetary position in universe evokes the spiritual energies very easily. Religious penances are carried out to gain boons through the practice of medication and yoga. People worships lord Shiva whole day and chants "Om Namah Shiva". Some devotees also perform Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra to seek divine blessings of Lord Shiva

It is celebrated across India and is a holiday in the following states in 2016: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand Uttar Pradesh

                                         

ISO : Environmental management guidance standard now published

Following the revision of ISO 14001, the newly revised ISO 14004 helps organizations get the most out of their environmental management system.

 

Managing environmental impacts – and the effects they are having on business – is a growing imperative for organizations, regardless of size or type. A sound environmental management system (EMS) helps measure and manage environmental factors, making it good not only for business but for society as a whole.
The newly revised ISO 14004:2016, Environmental management systems – General guidelines on implementation, provides organizations with support to help with the implementation of an EMS. It is designed to complement, but is not limited to, ISO 14001, ISO’s standard for environmental management systems.
Dr Anne-Marie Warris, Chair of ISO/TC 207/SC 1, the technical committee that developed the standard and undertook the revision, said:
“The new version of ISO 14004 provides organizations with further details and information in relation to the new ISO 14001:2015. Some of the changes include a focus on protecting the environment, environmental performance, life-cycle perspective, leadership and strategic environmental management.”
ISO 14004:2016 is available from your national ISO member or from the ISO Store.

International Women's Day 2016

The 2016 theme for International Women’s Day is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”. The United Nations observance on 8 March will reflect on how to accelerate the 2030 Agenda, building momentum for the effective implementation of the new Sustainable Development Goals. It will equally focus on new commitments under UN Women’s Step It Up initiative, and other existing commitments on gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s human rights. Events The official UN commemoration will take place in the Trusteeship Council at the UN Secretariat in New York City from 10 a.m.-12.45 p.m. It will consist of a series of musical performances and two panel discussions. The first, from 10-11.15 a.m., will reflect on what a gender-equal planet means and how to achieve it by 2030 by joining the efforts of the United Nations, governments, civil society and the private sector. For the second panel, entitled “The Push for Parity”, panelists will probe the progress made in achieving gender equality in the UN system, examine the challenges remaining and unpack how to mainstream gender perspectives from 11.15 a.m.–12.45 p.m. See the flyer. Watch the live webcast here, from 10 a.m.-12.45 p.m. on 8 March! Also on 8 March, Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri will ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange in New York at 9 a.m. Similar events will take place in 34 countries around the world as part of joint awareness-raising efforts with the Global Compact. Around the world, UN Women is organizing International Women’s Day events in more than 40 countries, including: a friendly hockey match between a men’s and women’s team in Tanzania on 5 March; a march and cycling rally in New Delhi, India on 6 March; a festival with live musical and dance performances in Palestine on 8 March; marches, a football match and painting expositions across Albania from 5-8 March; and a women’s “run to Step It Up” in São Paulo, Brazil on 20 March—to name just a few. Speeches and messages UN Secretary-General's message for 2016 “We have shattered so many glass ceilings we created a carpet of shards. Now we are sweeping away the assumptions and bias of the past so women can advance across new frontiers,” says UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message for International Women’s Day 2016. UN Women Executive Director’s message for IWD 2016 “Each one of us is needed—in our countries, communities, organizations, governments and in the United Nations—to ensure decisive, visible and measurable actions are taken under the banner: Planet 50-50: Step It Up for Gender Equality,” says UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka in her message.
About IWD
The United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March during International Women’s Year 1975. Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions. International Women’s Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe. Since those early years, International Women’s Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women’s movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women’s conferences, has helped make the commemoration a rallying point to build support for women’s rights and participation in the political and economic arenas. Increasingly, International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

India files dispute against the US over non-immigrant temporary working visas

Zurich : On 3 March 2016, India notified the WTO Secretariat that it has initiated a WTO dispute proceeding against the United States regarding measures imposing increased fees on certain applicants for two categories of non-immigrant temporary working visas into the US, and measures relating to numerical commitments for some visas. According to India, the measures appear to be inconsistent with US commitments under the General Agreement on Trade in Services.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) deals with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.

The request for consultations formally initiates a dispute in the WTO. Consultations give the parties an opportunity to discuss the matter and to find a satisfactory solution without proceeding further with litigation. After 60 days, if consultations have failed to resolve the dispute, the complainant may request adjudication by a panel.

Reuter reports that ``In its filing, India said the new U.S. visa measures seemed inconsistent with the WTO commitments the United States had made, because the moves treat Indian IT workers in the United States less favorably than their American counterparts.


In December, the U.S. Congress doubled the cost of sponsoring H-1B visas to $4,000 each and L-1 visas to $4,500 each as part of a major spending bill. Indian business lobby NASSCOM estimated that would inflate costs for Indian IT export firms by $400 million a year.``

Promotion of Soil Test Based Balanced and Judicious Use of Chemical Fertilizers, Bio-Fertilizers and Locally Available Organic Manures

The Government is promoting soil test based balanced and judicious use of chemical fertilizers, bio-fertilizers and locally available organic manures like Farm Yard Manure, compost, Vermi Compost and Green manure to maintain soil health and its productivity.

‘Soil Health Card’ (SHC) scheme has been launched in February 2015 to assist State Governments to evaluate fertility in all 14 crore farm holdings and issue soil health cards to farmers regularly in a cycle of 2 years. Soil health cards provide information to farmers on nutrients status of their soil along with recommendations on appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility.

In order to reduce use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers in the country, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is recommending Integrated Pest Management (through a combination of agronomic, chemical and biological methods) and Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) envisaging conjunctive use of both inorganic and organic sources of nutrients. Besides, split application and placement of fertilizers, use of slow releasing N-fertilizers and nitrification inhibitors, inclusion of legumes in cropping system, adoption of Resource Conservation Technologies (RCTs) and fertigation are also being advocated. ICAR also imparts training, organizes Front Line Field Demonstrations to educate farmers on all these aspect.

Under the scheme ‘Strengthening and Modernisation of Pest Management Approach in India’ farmers are educated to adopt Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as cardinal principle and main plank of plant protection strategy in overall crop production programme. Under the ambit of (IPM) programme, the Government of India has established 31 Central IPM Centres which conduct Farmers Field Schools (FFSs) to educate farmers about mechanical, cultural and biological control measures including use of biopesticides against different crop pests and weeds and judicious use of chemical pesticides as a measure of last resort.

The Insecticides Act 1968 and the Rules framed there under mandate that pesticides are registered for use in agriculture in India only after a detailed evaluation of safety. Once registered, a pesticide is legally obligated to display and carry approved labels and leaflets containing critical information on safe use of pesticides for the benefit of farmers & extension functionaries etc. Application of pesticides in accordance with instructions on the label and leaflets is not likely to cause any harm to human health.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Sh. Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundaria in Rajya Sabha today.