Amit Das Gupta on Thursday(3rd Nov 2022) was appointed as an Honorary Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for his service to the Australia-India bilateral relationship.

 

Dasgupta is a tireless promoter of Australia-India relations, challenging the nations’ governments and people to realise the underlying potential of a stronger bilateral relationship.

 

As Consul-General of India to Australia from 2009 to 2012, Dasgupta was a staunch advocate for the principles of multiculturalism, which underpins contemporary Australia.

 

During this period, attacks against Indian students threatened Australia’s international reputation. Dasgupta’s personal efforts assisted in diffusing tensions and reassuring the Indian diaspora.

 

Dasgupta was instrumental in establishing the Australia-India Youth Dialogue. Now in its second decade, the Dialogue is a permanent fixture of the bilateral relationship and fosters connections between Australian and Indian young people.

 

Dasgupta continues to advance relations between the two countries as a Distinguished Fellow of the Australia India Institute, a Senior Fellow at the Society for Policy Studies, and the Inaugural Country Director of the University of New South Wales since 2016..

Source : The Print

Reliance Industries on Friday(4th Nov 2022) appointed appointed K V Kamath as Independent Director of the company for a period of five years.

 

"The Board of Directors has, at its meeting held today, based on the recommendation of the human resources, nomination and remuneration committee considered and recommended to the shareholders for approval the appointment of Shri K. V. Kamath as an Independent Director of the Company for a term of 5 (five) consecutive years with effect from the date of assumption of office by Shri K. V. Kamath," the company said in its filing.

 

KV Kamath has also been appointed as an Independent Director and non-executive Chairman for Reliance Strategic Investment Limited (RSIL).

 

* RSIL will be renamed as Jio Financial Services Limited (“JFSL") and the scheme of demerger approved by the board of directors for demerger of the financial services business. 

* KV Kamath is currently the Chairman of the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID)..

Source : Mint

The Supreme Court recently upheld the Employees 'Pension (Amendment) Scheme, 2014 of the Employees' Provident Fund Organistion as “legal and valid” while reading down certain provisions.

The court used its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to allow eligible employees who had not opted for enhanced pension coverage prior to the 2014 amendments, to jointly do so with their employers within the next four months.

 

 

Title : Enforcement of decrees, orders of Supreme Court and orders as to discovery, etc.

Provisions : This article has 2 provisions :

142(1) : The Supreme Court may pass an order for doing complete justice.

142(2) : It confers three different powers on the Supreme Court. They are :

* Securing the attendance of persons before it.

* Discovery and production of documents and

* Investigation and punishment of contempt of itself.

Article 142(1) : Doing Complete Justice :

 

* The objective of Article 142(1) is that the Supreme Court must not be dependent on the executive for the enforcement of its decrees and orders.

* Such dependence would otherwise violate the principles of independence of the judiciary and separation of powers, both of which are part of the basic structure of the Constitution.

* In Supreme Court Bar Association v. Union of India (1998), it was decided that this article

* Cannot be used to over-ride the existing law, but only to supplement the law and

* Can be invoked for procedure purposes only.

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) NITI Aayog recently launched the fourth edition of ‘Innovations for You’ coffee table book featuring 75 successful women entrepreneurs of India.

 

* 'Innovations For You' is a Coffee Table Book series with 3 editions being released previously.

* The book captures success stories of start-ups supported through Atal Incubation Centres, Atal Community Innovation Centres and Atal New India Challenges, three flagship programs under the Atal Innovation Mission.

* Each edition showcases the journey of entrepreneurs working in different sectors and is dedicated to creating new, disruptive, innovative products, services, and solutions that can pave the path for a sustainable future.

* The first edition was focused on the Healthcare sector; the second on Agriculture and the Allied sector and the third on Transport and Mobility.

Out of the 2900 plus startups supported by AIM, more than 850 plus are led by women. 

 

Objective : The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) including Self-Employment and Talent Utilisation (SETU) is Government of India's endeavour to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship esp. in technology driven areas.

Mission HQ : New Delhi.

Background: In 2016, Union Cabinet approved the establishment of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Self-Employment and Talent Utilisation (SETU) in NITI Aayog.

* Entrepreneurship promotion through Self-Employment and Talent Utilisation wherein innovators will be supported to become successful entrepreneurs and

* Innovation promotion to provide a platform where innovative ideas are generated.

Source : PIB

India's foreign exchange reserves logged their biggest weekly jump since September 2021 and also rose for the first time in three weeks for the week ended October 28, helped by gains in both foreign currency assets and gold reserves.

 

The foreign exchange reserves of Asia's third largest economy rose by $6.56 billion to $531.08 billion for the week ending Oct 28, 2022, according to data released today by the Reserve Bank of India.

 

However, the spot forex reserves are still sharply down from $607 billion in end-March and depleted by $111.37 billion from the record high of $642.45 billion seen on September 3, 2021.

 

The forex reserves have depleted for 11 weeks out of 13. The other time it got lucky was for the week ended Oct 7, when gains in gold reserves had lifted the forex reserves by just $204 million.

 

The foreign exchange reserves had fallen to their lowest level since July 2020 to $524.52 billion for the week ending Oct 21.

 

Foreign currency assets rose $5.77 billion to $470.85 billion for the week ending Oct 28. Gold reserves rose by $556 million to $37.762 billion..

Source : Economic Times

Uttarakhand chief minister "Pushkar Singh Dhami" inaugurated the 'Lakhpati Didi' fair at Survey of India Maidan, Hathibarkala in Dehradun on Friday(4th Nov 2022). The fair is part of an initiative undertaken by the BJP government to empower women in the state.

 

The Rural Development department of the Uttarakhand government has made preparations to make 1.25 lakh women from self-help groups 'lakhpatis' (earning over Rs 1 lakh) by 2025. As part of the initiative, the CM launched the 'Lakhpati Didi Yojana' on Friday(4th Nov 2022).

 

According to government officials, by 2025, which would coincide with completion of 25 years of formation of the state, 1.25 lakh of the 3.67 lakh women belonging to self-help groups will become 'lakhpatis' under a targeted livelihood initiative, as their annual income would cross Rs 1 lakh..

Source : Times of India

The city circular service of the Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) won the national ‘Commentation Award in Urban Transport’ in the category of ‘City with the best Public Transport System’.

 

The ‘Grama Vandi’ launched by the KSRTC, in association with local self-government institutions in the State, also won the Award of Excellence in Urban Transport.

 

Projects designed to strengthen public transport in all urban areas of India were considered for the awards instituted by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. 

 

The awards would be presented by Governor Arif Mohammad Khan in the presence of Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs "Kaushal Kishore" at the Urban Mobility India (UMI) conference to be held in Kochi on November 6, 2022. Said KSRTC here on Wednesday(2nd Nov 2022)..

Source : The Hindu

Eminent art critic and scholar in fine arts Vijayakumar Menon died at a private hospital here on Tuesday(1st Nov 2022) night. He was 76. He was undergoing treatment for renal disease for some time.

 

He authored many books on art. His important books include Adhunika Kaladarsanam; Ravivarma Padanam; Bharathiya Chitrakala-Irupatham Noottandil; and Bharathiya Lavanya Darsanavum Kala Parasparyavum. He translated many plays from foreign languages to Malayalam. Mr. Menon was a teacher at many art institutions.

 

Awards : He was the winner of many awards, including the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Award for best book on art; Kerala Sahitya Akademi’s endowment for Scholarly Literature; Kesari Puraskaram; and Gurudarsanam Award.

 

His body will be kept at Vyasagiri Ashram up to 10 a.m. on Wednesday(2nd Nov 2022), where he was staying for the last 32 years, and till 1 p.m. at Kerala Lalithakala Akademi. The body will be handed over to the Amala Medical College Hospital, according to sources close to his relatives..

Source : The Hindu

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister "Shivraj Singh Chouhan" on Wednesday(2nd Nov 2022) launched the state government's flagship 'Ladli Laxmi 2.0' financial assistance scheme to encourage girls to pursue higher education and make them independent. 

 

Chief Minister had launched the 'Ladli Laxmi' scheme in 2007, after he became the Chief Minister for the first time in 2005. The scheme provides monetary benefits to the eligible girl children to ensure they get good education and change the perspective of the society towards the birth of the girl child.

 

"During my public addresses earlier, I once raised a slogan 'Beti hai to kal hai' (there is no future without daughters), following which an old woman pointed at me and asked whether I will be able to make arrangement for the marriage of girls. 

 

That question agitated me so much that when I became an MLA for the first time in 1990, I started funding wedding of daughters," Mr Chouhan said at the launch of the Ladli Laxmi 2.0 scheme.

 

On the occasion, Mr Chouhan also transferred a total of Rs 1.85 crore into the bank accounts of 1,477 Ladli Laxmi scheme beneficiary girls to enable them to pursue higher education, and said it was a "historic" day. 

 

The Chief Minister said that after becoming Lok Sabha member in 1991 from Vidisha, he started funding marriage of girls from the money he used to get as allowances in his capacity as MP..

Source : NDTV

Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar inaugurated the SHILP SAMAGAM-2022 in, New Delhi on 2nd Nov 2022 in the gracious presence of Ministers of State for Social Justice & Empowerment  Sh. Ramdas Athwale, Ms. Pratima Bhoumik and Secretary, Social Justice & Empowerment Smt. Anjali Bhawra.

 

Addressing the Inaugration function Dr. Virendra Kumar said  that through various channel partners of the three corporations - NBCFDC, NSFDC and NSKDFC under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is  providing a good market system for the sale of products made by the artisans.

Shilp Samagam is organized from 1st November 2022 to 15th November 2022.

 

He said that in "Shilp Samagam - 2022" beneficiaries of top corporations have been invited to showcase and sell their handicraft products.

108 stalls have been allotted to them this year. Beneficiaries' products include metal craft products, wooden craft products, cane and bamboo items, ceramic products, handlooms and textiles, wooden utensils, jewellery, leather products, jute products, carpets/dairy, wooden craft products, Chennapatnam Wooden Toys, Phulkari Products, Water Hyacinth Products, Pickles & Organic Honey, Eri Embroidery Work & Sojni Embroidery Work, Screwpin Products, Case & Loin, Jacket, Rajasthani Jutti & Bead Work etc. and other products..

Source : PIB