Sushma to chair India-South Korea meet

The visit is crucial to improve ties with important partner in our “Act East policy”

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will chair the 8th session of the India-South Korea joint commission meeting along with her South Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se over the weekend.

The visit is important to improve relations with an important partner in our “Act East policy” said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin.

Ms. Swaraj is also expected to call on the South Korean President and Defence Minister apart from other senior officials.

This is the first multi-structured discussion between the two countries after the NDA government came into power and improving economic ties will be the major focus.

South Korea has a trade surplus and Ms. Swaraj will discuss steps to reduce it and also impress upon the South Korean industry to invest in India.

Recently, Ms. Swaraj cancelled the tender for eight mine sweeper vessels for the Navy in which a South Korean firm had been shortlisted.

Asked if it would be discussed, MEA Spokesperson said India sought cooperation from South Korea in ship building activities including the defence sector. “South Korea is a major ship building country and we welcome their participation in India as part of the ‘Make in India’ campaign,” he said.

Both sides will also take forward talks on implementing the civil nuclear agreement cooperation, particularly in R&D and personnel training, which was signed in 2011.

Protests fail to stop coal, insurance ordinances

The NDA government had recommended promulgation of ordinances on coal and insurance sector reforms after failing to get them passed in Parliament.

The decision on taking the ordinance route was taken by the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday.

Within hours of the Cabinet decision, the CPI(M) had urged President Pranab Mukherjee not to sign the ordinances.

In a letter to the President, CPI(M) leader in the Rajya Sabha Sitaram Yechury contended that since a select committee of the Rajya Sabha had scrutinised the Insurance Bill and had tabled its report, the draft legislation “remains the property of the House on which a decision is pending.”

Mr. Yechury also said that 13 of the 16 Bills taken up by the Lok Sabha in the Winter Session were passed without being referred to parliamentary standing committees.

The Congress, too, objected to the government’s ordinance route, accusing it of “subverting and weakening” institutions. Party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmad said the party would oppose the “Ordinance Raj.”

The government hopes the increased FDI cap would bring in additional capital inflow of $6 to 8 billion to the insurance sector.

While the Insurance Laws Amendment Bill 2008 had been approved by the Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha, it could not be taken up for discussion in Parliament owing to pandemonium over conversion row, among other issues.

The coal ordinance would allow for the e-auction of coal blocks to private companies for captive use, while allowing direct allotment of mines to State and central Public Sector Enterprises.

16 Rajasthan Ministers receive threat mail

Sixteen Ministers in Rajasthan have received e-mails purportedly from the Indian Mujahideen (IM) warning of terror strikes on Republic Day. Following this, security has been stepped up at important places.

Ten Cabinet Ministers and six Ministers of State received the mails on their official mail IDs on December 22. The mail purportedly sent by the Indian Mujahideen said: “We are Indian Mujahideen. You people be careful. We are going to give you a Big Bang surprise. You can do whatever you want, but it’s a challenge that we will carry out many bomb strikes in Rajasthan on January 26. Stop us if you can.”

Veracity being checked

Director-General of Police Omendra Bhardwaj told presspersons here that while the threat was being taken seriously, the police were ascertaining the veracity of the mails. Help had been sought from Interpol and other international agencies and the police were working in coordination with other security agencies.

Probe under way

Mr. Bhardwaj said there was no reason to panic and the anti-terror squad was investigating the matter.

Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said those who had sent the mail would be identified soon.

Allegedly sent by IM, the e-mails warn of bomb strikes on Republic Day

Raising growth rate a challenge: Jaitley

Finance Minister urges States to implement GST

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with Finance Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi during a pre-Budget meeting with State Finance Ministers in New Delhi on Friday.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday that the immediate challenge was to increase the growth rate during 2015-16, projections of which vary from 6 to 6.5 per cent.

He was making the opening remarks at a pre-budget meeting with State Finance Ministers here. Calling on States to implement jointly with the Centre the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Mr. Jaitley said the economic spin-off of implementing the reform would be hugely beneficial to both, according to an official release.

Most of the States supported the initiative of the Union government regarding the implementation of GST, the release said. States also welcomed the provisioning of Rs. 11,000 crore during this fiscal for Central Sales Tax compensation to them by Mr. Jaitley. The Centre’s assurance on full compensation of losses due to the GST rollout was also welcomed.

The Finance Minister said “India grows when States grow.” The growth in the services sector was good while that in agriculture was reasonable. He referred to the patchy growth in the manufacturing sector and said this was one of the biggest challenges for the Centre. He urged the States to work with the Centre in taking the economy back to the high-growth path. He told the States that the Fourteenth Finance Commission had submitted its report and it was under the consideration of the Central government.

The meeting was attended among others by Chief Ministers of three States (who hold the Finance portfolio) and 13 State Finance Ministers. It was also attended by Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha, Finance Secretary Rajeev Mehrishi, Revenue Secretary Shakti Kanta Das, Expenditure Secretary Ratan P. Watal, Financial Services Secretary Hasmukh Adhia and Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian.

It’s Raghuvar in Jharkhand

Raghuvar Das, a five-time MLA, was elected leader of the BJP legislature party on Friday, clearing the decks for his swearing-in as Jharkhand’s first non-tribal Chief Minister.

Mr. Das will be the 10th Chief Minister of the State.

In the evening, the MLA from Jamshedpur (East) met Governor Syed Ahmed and staked his party’s claim to form the government.

He is expected to take oath on December 28.

MASS (Mobile Access Surveillance System) to check crime in Salem(Tamil Nadu)

MASS -- CCTV camaras on police vehicle , police can monitor from inside the van and from their phones.

NABARD Recruitment (Grade A and Grade B Officers) for 2015

NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development ) is inviting Application for Grade A Officer and Grade B officer

Important Dates :-
Last Date for Online Application : 15th Jan 2015


Application Fee :
 General -
              Grade A -- Rs. 750/-
              Grade B --  Rs. 850/-
SC/ST/PWD
               Grade A -- Rs. 100/-
                Grade B -- Rs. 100/-

Online Application

Detailed Notification