Vol 93 10th September 2015 to 16th September 2015

7/25/2019 Vol 93 10th September 2015 to 16th September 2015

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News from PIB & Various Sourcs

India needs National Lab Policy for Renewable EnergyProjects

I nd igenous Techn o logy Developm en t and St anda rd i za t i on i s

essen t i a l f o r t he g row th o f Renew ab le Ene rgy

Shri Piyush Goyal Union Minister of State (IC) for Coal, Power and New and Re-newable Energy said that a National Lab Policy is needed to address the testing, stan-dardization and certification renewable energy projects in the country. Such a policy docu-ment should bring out a clear work plan identifying the need of equipment and infra-structure including funds requirement. While inaugurating the National workshop onLab Infrastructure for Testing, Standardization, Certification and Inspection for Renew-able Energy Deployment Programme, here the Minister said that indigenous technologydevelopment and standardization is essential for the growth of renewable energy in thecountry. There is a need to pay more attention on ensuring quality and reliability of re-newable energy systems for effective promotion of renewable energy. Shri Goyalemphasised on maintaining consistency in manufacturing and confidence in reliability ofthese technologies/ systems to ensure that systems installed function properly.

The Minister stated that the Biogas needs to be given more attention to make it awell-organized industry. Improved biomass cook stoves should be promoted for cleancooking solutions, thereby addressing both fuel saving and health hazards concerns ofrural women and children. He further stressed that proper standardization will facilitate

financing options for deployment. We need to strengthen test facilities for proper testingto maintain quality of products. Also, training, proper inspection for checking the qualityof systems installed is needed, ensuring effective utilization of renewable energy. ShriGoyal hoped that the workshop will address are gaps streamlining the test protocols andstrengthening test labs for proper performance testing of renewable energy systems toensure the quality.

Shri Upendra Tripathy, Secretary, MNRE emphasised need of proper testing of re-newable energy systems following the standardized procedures to ensure the reliabilityso that they function properly when deployed at site.

The workshop was organized in view of the MNREs ambitious programme of 175

GW Renewable Energy Deployment Programme. The objective of this one day nationalworkshop was to discuss the standards and procedures being followed for effective imple-mentation of testing and certification, identifying the gaps to meet the needs of ensuringquality and reliability of the systems/ products/ components, taking into account tech-nology advancements and local requirements. Experts from test labs associated with test-ing and certification in solar, wind, etc. and representatives from SNAs participated in theworkshop.

Assessment of State Implementation of BusinessReforms Released

A report titled Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms was re-leased today. This report captures the findings of an assessment of reform implementa-tion by states, conducted jointly by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion
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(DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, the World Bank Group and KPMG as the knowl-edge partner, the Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) and the Federation of IndianChambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

The assessment, the first of its kind, has been conducted to take stock of reformsimplemented by states in the period January 1 to June 30, 2015 based on the 98-pointaction plan for business reforms agreed between DIPP and State and Union Territorygovernments on December 29, 2014.

According to the assessment, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand,Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan have implemented over 50 percent of the 98 pointaction plan business reforms studied in the assessment. Karnataka, Maharashtra andUttar Pradesh are also among the top 10 states in the assessment. No state has imple-mented 75 per cent or more of the proposed reforms.

The assessment recognises the fact that most states have already embarked on ambi-tious reform programs or expanded their ongoing reform efforts since the announcementof the 98-point action plan. The assessment has identified good practices on different

parameters. For example: Punjab leads in the area of Setting up a Business, as it fea-tures an online single window system for registrations and licenses that cover most of theregulatory services in the country. Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have also madesignificant progress in this area. Maharashtra, followed by Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh,were ranked highest in Obtaining Infrastructure Related Utilities, with clearly definedtimelines for electricity, water and sewage connections, and a reformed electricity con-nection application process. Similarly, Karnataka received the highest score on Register-ing and Complying with Tax Procedures. Due to its comprehensive automation andprocess reengineering efforts. Jharkhand leads the country in Carrying out Inspections,since its labour management system implementation has also focussed on inspections

reform.Across the country, states have made good progress in general tax reforms like man-

dating e-registration for VAT and CST; allowing online payment and filing of returns forvarious state taxes; providing e-filing support through service centres and helplines; andrisk-based tax compliance inspections. Twenty nine states allow VAT to be paid online,and 28 states allow CST to be paid online. While most states allow e-filing of VAT andCST, 21 states have established helplines for users. Twenty five states have definedtimelines for VAT registration and 21 have defined timelines for CST registration.

However, the report also flags a multitude of reforms that still need to be imple-mented effectively by most states. A majority of states are yet to begin implementingelectronic courts to resolve commercial disputes, i.e., infrastructure to allow for e-filing ofdisputes, issuance of e-summons, online payments, e-cause lists and digitally signed courtorders. Twenty six states are yet to introduce reforms along a wide range of labour in-spections under various acts, or on inspections related to building permits. About 25states lack online availability of information on land banks, and use of GIS systems totrack industrial land parcels.

The report also highlights the need to properly communicate, monitor and evaluatethese reforms, to ensure that their impact is being felt on the ground.

What this report does very well is to provide a roadmap for states serious about

improving their business environment and creating jobs. This has an inclusive objectiveas it is the small and medium enterprises which will gain the most from these reforms,saidOnno Ruhl, World Bank country Director in India. The World Bank stands ready toassist state governments in this important agenda, he added.


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Data for the assessment was collected through a structured questionnaire that wassent to each state and union territory government. Following the completion of the datacollection and state visits, the data was evaluated in detail jointly to ensure that the sameyardstick was applied to measure progress for all states

MDCs Represent more than Fifty per cent Of Worlds

Population: Javadekar

I nd ia Host s Mee t i ng o f L i ke -M inded Deve lop ing Coun t r i es fo r

t he Fi r s t T ime

The Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and ClimateChange, Shri Prakash Javadekar has urged negotiators to come up with a balanced text onall elements of the Durban Platform - mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage, fi-nance, technology development and transfer, capacity-building and transparency of ac-tion and support, while protecting the long-term interest of developing countries, basedon the principles of equity and CBDR (Common but Differentiated Responsibilities).

Welcoming the delegates at the inaugural session of the two-day meeting of Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs) here today, Shri Javadekar emphasised that inIndia, the issue of climate change has received fresh impetus under the leadership of thePrime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi. The Minister noted that the LMDCs repre-sent more than 50% of the worlds population. As a strong negotiating group, the LMDCshave played an instrumental role in anchoring the interest of developing countries in-cluding India, by taking a strong and unified stand on critical issues. India is hosting forthe first time, the meeting of the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) on ClimateChange.

The objective of this meeting is for negotiators from LMDCs to exchange, coordinateand harmonize views on the (ADP) negotiating text under the UNFCCC negotiations andto prepare strategies and way forward for the negotiations in the run-up to Paris. Themeeting is significant, as it comes at a crucial juncture in the negotiations, given the lim-ited time available before the CoP-21 in Paris.

Around 26 foreign delegates from 12 countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba,China, Ecuador, El Salvador, Malaysia, Iran, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Venezu-ela, including representatives from South Centre and Third World Network, participatedon the first day of the meeting.

Shauryanjali An Exhibition on 1965 War Opens

The exhibition titled Shauryanjali celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Indo-Pak Warof 1965 opened at the India Gate lawns today. The exhibition is an ode to splendid showof valour and sacrifice of Indian Armed Forces personnel for protecting the borders of thecountry. The exhibition has recreated the battle scene in various sectors beginning fromRann of Kutch to the ceasefire and Tashkent Summit. The battle of various types are alsoon display at the exhibition.

The Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information and Broadcasting ShriArun Jaitley said India scored a decisive victory in the War. Shri Jaitley described it as anostalgic occasion and recalled the overwhelming, emotional and material support that it

generated nationwide for the Armed Forces. He said the enemy was shown its place bythe professionalism of our Armed Forces. The Minister released two commemorativecoins of Rs. 50/ - and Rs. 5/ - denominations on this occasion.


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The Minister for Information and Technology and Communications Shri Ravi ShankarPrasad released a set of stamps and First Day Cover to commemorate the occasion. Hesaid the 1965 War was an event marked by many stories of valour and sacrifice of ourArmed Forces personnel.

He recalled the clarion call Jai Jawan Jai Kisan coined by Prime Minister Lal BahadurShastri and said that the nation rose in unison in support of our Armed Forces.

A special brochure was also released on the occasion. Releasing it, the Defence Min-ister Shri Manohar Parrikar said he was deeply influenced by the heroism of CompanyQuarter Master Havildar (CQMH) Abdul Hamid. Shri Parrikar said that this was firstmajor war that India won hands-down. He said a nation that remembers its history andits martyrs is a developed and secure country.

The event was attended among others by Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee andChief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral RK Dhowanand Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen MMS Rai.

A large number of veterans also attended the event. Among others Mrs RasoolanBiwi - wife of PVC recipient CQMH Abdul Hamid, Mrs Asha Rani - wife of Ashok Chakrarecipient Mr. Chaman Lal, Mrs Bharinder Dayal wife of MVC recipient Lt Gen RS Dayal,Mrs Zarine Mahir - daughter of Late Lt Col. AB Tarapore PVC (Posthumous) and MrsEarini Vaidya - daughter of former COAS Late General AK Vaidya attended the event.The Ministers took an avid interest to look at the various displays and artefacts relating tothe 1965 Indo-Pak War. Army personnel enacted a battle near Ichogil canal 50 years ago inthe Water Channels near India Gate.

Expert Group on tackling Cyber Crime submitted itsreport

Un ion Hom e Min i s t e r asked fo r im m ed ia te p rocessing and i t s

imp l emen t a t i o n

An Expert Group constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Dec.24, 2014 sub-mitted its report on Roadmap for Effectively Tackling Cyber Crimes in the Country tothe Ministry of Home Affairs after examining the global practices on cyber crime preven-tion.

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh took a presentation from the Membersof the Committee here today which was also attended by the Minister of State for Home

Affairs Shri Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary, Shri Rajiv Mehrishi, Home Secretary, ShriAshok Prasad, Secretary (IS), members of the Expert Group and senior officers of MHA.

Shri Rajnath Singh expressed keen interest in the issues relating to cyber crime andits impact on the public. He extensively dwelled on the criminal and other activities onthe internet which directly impacted on the general public particularly women and chil-dren and the establishment of appropriate infrastructure to redress such grievances inconvenient and time bound manner.

The Home Minister expressed serious concern on the growth in cyber crime as re-vealed by the statistics of National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB). Shri Rajnath Singh

directed the MHA to come up with concrete proposal regarding infrastructure, research,people friendly interface so that the matter could be considered at the highest level in awell defined timeframe.


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The five-member Expert Study Group comprising of Dr. Gulshan Rai, National CyberSecurity Coordinator, Professor N. Balakrishnan, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore,Dr. Rajat Moona, Director General, Center for Development of Advanced Computing(CDAC), Pune, Shri B.J. Srinath, Director General Cert-In, Dr. Manindra Aggarwal, Pro-fessor Computer Science, IIT Kanpur and Dr D. Das, Professor IIIT Bangalore and ShriKumar Alok, Joint Secretary (Centre State), made its recommendations on measures re-

quired to control cyber crime including legal and technical measures.

The Expert Group was set up with the main objective of:

I. Preparing a Road Map for effectively tackling the Cyber Crime in the country andgive suitable recommendations on all its facets.

II. Recommending possible partnerships with Public and Private Sector, NGOs,International Bodies and International NGOs.

Ken-Betwa to be Model Link Project of Inter-Linking ofRivers Says Uma Bharti

Six t h Mee t i ng o f Specia l Comm i t t ee fo r I n t e r - Link ing o f

Rivers Held

Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga RejuvenationSushri Uma Bharti has said that various clearances for Ken-Betwa link project are in theadvance stage of processing and the Government will start implementing this NationalProject as model link project of Inter Linking of Rivers (ILRs) programme after obtainingthe statutory clearances. Addressing the Sixth meeting of Special Committee for interlinking of river held in New Delhi today, the Minister said interlinking of rivers progammeis very important for enhancing water and food security of the country and would bevery helpful in providing water to water short, drought prone and rainfed areas. She saidthe Government is committed for implementation of ILR programme with the consensusand cooperation of the concerned State governments.

The Minister also informed the meeting that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) ofPar-Tapi-Narmada link project has been completed by National Water DevelopmentAgency (NWDA) and submitted to Governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra on August25, 2015. She said this is the third link project after Ken-Betwa and Damanganga-Pnjal forwhich the DPR has been completed. Sushri Bharti said the issue of water sharing betweenGujarat and Maharashtra in respect of Damanganga-Pinjal and Par-Tapi-Narmada link

project is now required to be taken up on priority. She said I would therefore urge boththe government of Gujarat and Maharashtra to address the issue of water sharing andarrive at an agreement so that the implementation of these two projects can be taken up atthe earliest. The Minister said task force for interlinking of rivers constituted by theMinistry has started its working and this will help in bringing speedy consensus amongstthe States on the link projects.

The Minister told the meeting that a team of senior officers of her Ministry led bySpecial Secretary had a meeting with Chief Secretary of West Bengal at Kolkata recentlyand discussed the proposal of Sankosh-Mahanadi link system which comprises four linksnamely Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga, Ganga-Damodar-Subarnarekha, Subarnarekha-Mahanadi

and Farakka-Sunderbans. The proposed link system would provide large irrigation ben-efits of about 10.5 lakh hact. besides domestic/ industrial water supply to West-Bengal.The State Government has been requested to agree to the proposal and to furnish theirsuggestions for its improvement.


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The Minister also remembered Shri Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya on his birthdaytoday. Paying rich tributes to him Sushri Bharti said he was a visionary engineer andstatesman who played a key role in building many dams and reservoirs of modern India.

Addressing the meeting Shri Chandra Prakash Chaudhary, Minister of Water Re-sources of Jharkhand said that Prefeasibility Report (PFR) of Sankh-Southkoel andSouthkoel-Subarnarekha river link projects prepared by NWDA has been put on hold

because of some objections by Government of Odisha. He said so far no meeting of thesub group constituted to consider these objections has taken place though all the detailssought by this group has been provided by the State Government of Jharkhand. Reactingto this the Union Minister for Water Resources directed that the meeting of sub groupshould be called within ten days. Shri Chaudhary also referred to PFR of Barakar-Subarnarekha river link and said that DPR of this project could not be taken up because ofthe non clearance from Damodar Valley River Regulation Committee (DVRRC). He urgedthe Minister to call a meeting of DVRRC at the earliest. The Minister further requested todeclare these projects as national projects so that adequate funds were available for theirimplementation. He also requested to fix a time frame for implementation of these projects.

Referring to the restoration of states share of water from surplus water of Mahanadiand Godavari, Shri MB Patil, Minister for Water Resources of Karnataka said that despitepersistent efforts of Karnataka, the concern of his State has not been brought back intofocus either by Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenationor NWDA. He said that PFR of Ponnaiyar (Krishnagiri) Palar link in Tamil Nadu asprepared by NWDA has taken into account an import of 271 Mcum (9.57tmc) upto theupstream of Krishnagiri dam available from drinking water supply of Bengaluru city.Shri Patil said in view of the right to use the regenerated water by Karnataka fromBengaluru water supply which is being drawn from Cauvery River, it would have beenappropriate not to have considered the 271 Mcum in the water balance study in favour of

Tamil Nadu. He was of the opinion that reckoning of the regeneration flow by NWDA inits water balance study ignoring Karnatakas interests is not correct.

Addressing the meeting Shri Vijay Shivtare, Minister of Water Resources ofMaharashtra said that with reference to Damanganga Pinjal link project his State should

be allocated water at 75% dependability instead of 90% dependability and as such, thesize of the tunnels/ water conveyance system should be designed to suit diversion of suchquantum of water, ensuring optimum use of diverted water. He suggested that duringwater deficit year, distress should be shared by Maharashtra and Gujarat in proportion ofwater allocation. Shri Shivtare was of the opinion that Damanganga- Pinjal link projectshould be declared as nation project and joint implementation board similar to Ken-Betwalink needs to be constituted early. He informed the meeting that the DPR of Par-TapiNarmada link has been submitted to his Government by NWDA on September 02, 2015and the State Government will send it comments to NWDA within two months time.

Senior officials from various States including West-Bengal, Haryana, Punjab, TamilNadu, Gujarat, MP, UP, AP, Odisha, Chattisgarh and Assam also attended the meeting.


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National News

World Hindi conference in Bhopal

The 10th World Hindi Conference in Bhopal saw a conflict of sorts, perhaps

inadvertently, between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union external affairsminister Sushma Swaraj, as suggested by their speeches during the inauguration ofthe conference by the PM.

Even as Sushma Swaraj expressed her concern over English's growing effect on Hindi,the PM's speech was liberally peppered with English words.

During the inauguration session, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, her deputyVK Singh and chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made efforts to use pure Hindiwords in their speeches even if they found some words difficult to pronounce.

Sushma Swaraj said, "I am pained to say that today, not only do we have to think of

promotion (Sanvardhan) of Hindi but also its protection (Sanrakshan). The wayEnglish's growing effect is reflected in Hindi, the language is losing its identity(Asmita)."

Sushma Swaraj who consciously chose to stick to Hindi words, accidentally usedEnglish word 'report' once after mentioning 'rapat' (the Hindi word for report) atleast twice. However, she corrected herself and stuck to Hindi.

However, when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi rose to speak, he used Englishwords several times in his speech. The English words that his speech featured included'agencies', 'Gandhian', 'stethoscope', 'thermometer', 'drainage', 'electrifying effect''secretariat', 'dictionary', 'Russia', 'Russian', 'requirement' 'technology', 'acknowledge','aspiration', 'values', 'digital world', 'message', 'convey', 'software', 'expert', 'app','market', 'modern', 'exclusive', 'inclusive', 'mobile phone', 'contact list' etc.

The PM's frequent use of English words appeared to be in sync with the message heimparted through his speech on Hindi language, in which he stressed the need fororganising workshops in Hindi and other Indian languages and including wordsfrom them in Hindi.

Modi, however, didn't talk of assimilating foreign languages in Hindi, but his speechsent out a message that Hindi needed to be made flexible.

Rail ministry to appoint consultant for HR audit The rail ministry is set to appoint an outside and independent Human Resource

(HR) consultant who will conduct Indian railways HR audit to identify gaps in HR-related policies and the lacunae faced in their implementation.

The consultant will take up auditing jobs of various HR functions includingrecruitment, selection and promotion for non-gazetted employees and interact withthe committee on HR issues headed by the executive director-training.

The railway board is looking for dynamic, experienced and result-orientedprofessionals for engagement on contract basis for an initial period of one year,

which is extendable based on performance and quality output. Post interviews forselection of candidates, who are required to be below 45 years, the consultant will beposted at the railway board on a monthly remuneration of Rs 50,000.


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The railway boards decision is in line with the budget promises made by rail ministerSuresh Prabhakar Prabhu in February. Asserting that the 1.3 million strong workforceof Indian railways is its strength, Prabhu had said in his budget speech in February,To prepare them (employees) for the future and for enhancing organisationalperformance, systematic HR audit will be undertaken.

Smart Cities rank low in swachh bharat ranking Many cities selected for new urban initiatives under the Centres flagship programmes

are found to be wanting on the sanitation front and are low on swachh bharat rankingcausing concern for the government.

With the states on course of preparation of city level plans under the flagship newurban initiatives of Smart City Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and UrbanTransformation (AMRUT) and Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana(HRIDAY), the common underlying concern is ensuring sanitation under all theseschemes.

Concern over cleanliness in urban areas is highlighted by the fact that only 3 of the98 cities selected so far under Smart City Mission figure among the top 10 clean citiesand most of the 12 HRIDAY cities ranked very low in Swachh Bharat Rankings,according to the data prepared by the Urban Development Ministry for 476 Class-1cities of the country.

UD Ministry is currently conducting workshops for states and urban local bodies fortheir understanding of various aspects of preparation of city level smart city plans.

Of the 98 cities identified, 88 of them were given swachh bharat rankings. Of these,only 3 cities Kochi, Tiruchirapally and Navi Mumbai are among the top 10 cleancities in the country.

While 29 of these 98 figured among the top 100 cities, in a matter of concern, 38 smartcity nominees were ranked beyond 200, including 20 between swachh bharat rankingsof 301-476.

Of the 12 HRIDAY Cities, 8 were given swachh bharat rankings. Of these, onlyWarangal (Andhra Pradesh) got a good swachh bharat rank of 33 while the remaining7 were ranked between 290 (Kanchipuram) and 430 (Amritsar). Swachh BharatRanking of other HRIDAY cities, which are of cultural and tourism importance areMathura (299), Gaya (334), Puri (398) and Varanasi (418).

Accordingly, sanitation has been made an integral component of all new schemes

like Smart City Mission, AMRUT and HRIDAY besides launching Swachh BharatMission.

He said under AMRUT, focus is on ensuring clean water supply and sewerageconnection to all urban households besides storm water drains while under SmartCity Mission the emphasis is on decentralized water and solid waste managementand application of smart solutions.

Under Swachh Bharat Mission, the principal objective is to eliminate open defecationand 100 per cent door-to-door collection, transportation and scientific disposal ofmunicipal solid waste. Convergence of these schemes in implementation should helpin achieving intended results including sanitation.

He also said that the purpose of setting up a meeting of about 100 Swachh BharatAmbassadors with President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday was to further galvaniseawareness generation activities about cleanliness.


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Contrary to the popular adage that small is beautiful, it turned out that small citiesare not necessarily the clean cities. Of the 482 towns and cities with a population ofabove one lakh each identified as AMRUT cities, 245 have a population between oneand two lakh each.

Of these, only 3 cities Hassan (Karnataka), Gangtok (Sikkim) and Halisahar (WestBengal) figured among the top 10 clean cities and 40 among the top 100 clean cities.

106 of these 245 cities were ranked low between 300 and 476.

Central Government has provisioned central assistance of Rs 48,000 cr for SmartCity Mission, Rs 50,000 cr for AMRUT for the next five years and Rs 500 cr for HRIDAYduring 2015- 17.

Under Smart City Mission, Rs 100 cr central assistance will be provided to each ofthe 100 selected cities per year with states and urban local bodies providing matchingfunds.

Sanitation projects including solid waste management have to be taken up withresources from other sources including borrowings and PPP.

Under AMRUT, Centre will provide 50 per cent of the project cost for universalcoverage of water connections and sewerage networks for cities with population ofup to 10 lakhs with states requiring to meet at least 20 per cent of project cost andmobilizing the rest from the resources of urban local bodies and other sources. Centralassistance will be 30 per cent for cities with population of more than 10 lakhs each.

Swachh Bharat Mission has been launched in urban areas last year at an estimatedcost of Rs 66,009 cr out of which central share is Rs 14,623 cr. Under this Mission,Centre will provide an assistance of Rs 4,000 each for construction of householdtoilets, 4 per cent of cost as Viability Gap Funding for construction of community

toilets and 20 per cent of cost as Viability Gap Funding for solid waste managementprojects.

Physical targets under Swachh Bharat Mission in urban areas include-constructionof 1.04 crore individual household toilets, over 5 lakh community and public toiletsand assisting 30 crore urban people with solid waste management services. 100 percent door-to-door collection of solid waste, its transportation and scientific disposalin 83,000 urban wards by 2019 are envisaged under the Mission.

In the eye,s of World Bank Gujarat is the best state forease of business

Gujarat, the state Prime Minister Narendra Modi ran for more than a decade, isIndia's best place for conducting business, the World Bank said on Monday, in areport that ranks the country's states in an effort to encourage them to cut red tape.

The report, prepared with support from KPMG on the request of the Modigovernment, gains importance by coming before the World Bank's annual DoingBusiness report, which ranks nations and is expected to be released next month.

Since taking charge in May 2014, Modi has set an ambitious target of improving by2017 India's national ranking from a woeful 142 of 189, below Pakistan and Iran, tothe top 50.

Last year, India slipped two spots in the report, and was ranked lower than Brazil,Russia, China and South Africa - mainly because of delays in approvals for startinga business, tax payments, getting bank loans and property registration.


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Monday's report suggested that such steps as offering single-window clearances foradministrative approvals, if followed by all states, could improve India's globalranking.

It said that states -- including the top five, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand,Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh -- had implemented reforms in online taxpayments, construction, permits, electricity connections and environmental clearancesin a specified time.

SC gives green signal to I-T probe against former CJI KG Balakrishnans kin

The Supreme Court on Tuesday favoured an I-T probe against former Chief Justiceof India K G Balakrishnan's family members for allegedly amassing propertiesdisproportionate to their known sources of income.

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C Pant said it was the duty of theIncome Tax department to find out their sources of income and sought assistance of

the attorney general in deciding a PIL seeking probe against Justice Balakrishnanand his daughter, son-in-law and brother for amassing disproportionate assets duringhis tenure as a judge and as CJI .

"Judges Protection Act may apply to some aspects but the I-T authorities can proceedagainst them. It is the duty of the I-T department to find out the sources of income. Ithas not been done," the bench said.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by NGO Common Cause alleging that propertiesworth of crores of rupees were purchased by family members of Justice Balakrishnanduring his tenure in the Supreme Court.

The petition, filed in 2013, also sought removal of Justice Balakrishnan as chairmanof National Human Rights Commission. He retired from the Commission in Maythis year.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO, told the bench that 21 propertieswere purchased by Justice Balakrishnan's family members whose sources of incomewere limited and they could not have bought the properties on their own. He alsoplaced sale deeds of the properties before the court.


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14/31

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15/31



International News

Taiwan might Elect Its First Woman as President

The people of Taiwan appear poised to elect their first female president. Two of the

three leading candidates in the January election, including the nominees of bothmajor parties, are women.

Women have led other Asian nations, but they have largely followed in the footstepsof male relatives. Not in this case. Rather, analysts say, the race reflects the fact thatTaiwan does a better job of putting women into political office than just aboutanywhere else in the world.

The front-runner in the current campaign is Tsai Ing-wen, 59, of the oppositionDemocratic Progressive Party. She lost her first bid for the presidency in 2012, buthas maintained a strong lead in polls this time. Her chief contender, from the long-

powerful Kuomintang, or Nationalist Party, is Hung Hsiu-chu, 67, the vice presidentof Taiwans legislature.

The contest contrasts sharply with the situation scarcely more than 100 miles awayin mainland China, which considers the self-ruled Taiwan part of its territory.

The mainland has had a dearth of female leaders despite a Communist Party ideologythat emphasizes the importance of women to society. Only two of the countrys 25Politburo members are women, and none has reached the top echelon of politicalpower, the Politburo Standing Committee.

US plans to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees next year

That number is significantly higher than the 1,500 Syrians that have been permittedto re-settle in the US since the start of the conflict.

The 10,000 figure is still much lower than the 340,000 asylum seekers who arrived inEurope this year.

Since the beginning of the conflict the US has given $4bn ($2.6bn) in aid.

The increase in accepting refugees displays a "significant scaling up" of UScommitment to accept people from conflict zones and help provide for their needs,"White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.

US Congress would have to to make a "significant financial commitment" in order toallow for additional 10,000 refugees to the US, Mr Earnest said.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has registered fourmillion Syrians as refugees, and it has asked governments around the world to resettle130,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016.

Key reasons why opponents hate the Iran nuclear deal

Even though opponents of the Iran nuclear deal cant win in Congress, they arentgoing to go quietly.

Conservative Republicans are vowing to take President Barack Obama to court,claiming he has broken the law by not providing Congress with all relevant documentspertinent to the deal.

Republicans in the House claim that the Obama administration has not provided


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Congress with the text of two so-called side agreements that the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency negotiated with Tehran. The law that gave Congress a chanceto review the agreement for 60 days required the president to give lawmakers allrelevant documents.

The conservative Republicans claim the 60-day clock never started and that theycant cast votes on the deal because they are still waiting for all the documents.

The administration says it doesnt have the separate agreements, and the nuclearinspection agency says confidentiality agreements prevent it from releasing them.

Opponents are outraged that Iran, a country that the State Department has labeled astate sponsor of terrorism, will be getting at least $100 billion in relief from economicsanctions that have choked Irans economy for years.

They worry that Iran will use the money to ramp up its weapons programs andexpand military assistance to forces in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and elsewhere thatoppose the U.S. and its allies

UN to allow Palestine flag to fly at United Nationsheadquarters.

The United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to allow Palestineflag to fly at United Nations headquarters.

Of the 193 UN members, 119 voted in favour.

The flag will be hoisted at the UN headquarters on Sept 30 when Palestinian PresidentMahmud Abbas will come to address the general assembly.

The United States and Israel were among eight countries that voted against the

resolution, which says the flags of non-member observer states like Palestine shallbe raised at (UN) headquarters (in New York) and United Nations offices.

Most of the 28-nation European Union was among the 45 nations that abstainedfrom voting. However, France and more than half a dozen others voted in favour ofthe Palestinian resolution after the EU split on the issue.

The Palestinians initially presented their initiative as a joint effort with the Holy See,but the Vatican said it would not co-sponsor the resolution and requested that itsname be removed from the text.

Senate vote in favour of Iran deal

Senate Democrats on Thursday handed U.S. President Barack Obama a major politicalvictory for his administrations nuclear deal with Iran, as they voted 58-42 to block aRepublican resolution rejecting agreement.

A sense of relief combined with exhilaration appeared to grip the White House afterthe vote and Mr. Obama described the vote as a historic step forward that thwartedan attempt to scupper the six-nation accord aimed at limiting Irans nucleardevelopment activities in exchange for a gradual reduction in economic sanctionsagainst Tehran.

Under legislation passed by the U.S. Congress in May this year, the deal will

automatically take effect unless both the House and Senate vote for a resolution ofdisapproval by September 17.

Welcoming his Democratic colleagues action on Capitol Hill, the President noted:


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Going forward, we will turn to the critical work of implementing and verifying thisdeal so that Iran cannot pursue a nuclear weapon, while pursuing a foreign policythat leaves our country - and the world - a safer place.

China,s growing presence in South China Sea

China was carrying out land reclamation in contested waters of the South China Seathis month, more than four weeks after saying it had stopped such activity, a U.S.expert said on Tuesday, citing recent satellite images.

The evidence of continued dredging in the Spratly archipelago could complicate avisit to the United States by Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, when U.S.concerns about China's assertive pursuit of territorial claims in Asia are expected to

be high on the agenda.

Bonnie Glaser, of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies thinktank, said images taken in early September showed dredging activity at both SubiReef and Mischief Reef in Spratlys.

The dredgers at Subi could be seen pumping sediment on to areas bordered byrecently built sea walls and widening the channel for ships to enter waters enclosed

by the reef.

At Mischief Reef, a dredger was expanding a channel to enable easier access forships, possibly for future use as a naval base, Glaser said.

China building airstrip on 3rd artificial island, imagesshow

New satellite images show that China has started construction of an airstrip on a

third artificial island in the South China Sea that will strengthen Beijing's militarycapacity in the contested waters, Western analysts say.

The photographs, released by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies inWashington, show preparation for airfields on Mischief Reef and Subi Reef,submerged reefs in the contested Spratly Islands that China has transformed intoislands, according to the centre.

The airstrip on Mischief Reef is about 30 kilometres from a small Philippine militarygarrison on an existing tiny island and will put the installation under great pressure,said James Hardy, Asia-Pacific editor of IHS Jane's Defense Weekly.

That airstrip will most likely be used for turboprop patrol, but it could easily beequipped for "full military action" if needed, Mr Hardy said. The most importantfunction of the strip, he said, will be as yet another site for Chinese listening devicesand early warning radar, much like the technology being installed on Woody Islandin the Paracel Islands of the South China Sea, which are also contested. Evidence ofthat will probably appear soon on Mischief Reef, he said.


18/31



Business and Economy

SEBI asks Raju family to pay more than Rs 1,800 crore

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Thursday asked ten entities

connected to the Satyam scam case including the ex-chairman of the erstwhile SatyamComputer Services Ltd., B. Ramalinga Raju and other family members to disgorgeover Rs.1,800 crore, which are ill-gotten gains made by them.

The SEBI order said that pursuant to the SEBI order on July 15, 2014, B. RamalingaRaju and B. Rama Raju have to jointly and severally disgorge Rs.56,16,85,195(Rs.26,62,50,000 and Rs.29,54,35,195) which they had earned by sale/ transfer ofshares held by them in Satyam Computers. Further SEBI asked SRSR Holdings Pvt.Ltd. (controlled by Raju brothers) to disgorge the wrongful gain of Rs.1,258.88 crore

jointly and severally with B. Ramalinga Raju and B. Rama Raju.

The other family members include, Chintalapati Srinivasa Raju, Anjiraju Chintalapati(since deceased). Ms. B. Appalanarasamma, Ms. B. Jhansi Rani, B. Rama Raju Jr., B.Suryanarayana Raju, B. Teja Raju and IL&FS Engineering and Construction CompanyLtd. (formerly known as Maytas Infra Ltd.) were also asked to disgorge the amounts.

SEBI ordered that these amounts would be paid, along with simple interest at 12 percent per annum from January 7, 2009, till the date of payment, within 45 days fromthe date of this order, that is, September 10, 2015.

Earlier, SEBI passed an order on July 15, 2014, wherein it had barred B. RamalingaRaju, B. Rama Raju (then Managing Director of Satyam), Vadlamani Srinivas (ex-CFO), G. Ramakrishna (ex-VP) and V.S. Prabhakara Gupta (Ex-Head of Internal Audit)

from the markets for 14 years and also asked them to return Rs.1,849 crore worth ofunlawful gains with interest.

Audit Bureau of Circulation elects office-bearers

Shashidhar Sinha CEO, IPG Mediabrands, was unanimously elected as Chairman ofthe Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) for 2015-16, according to an ABC press release.

He was elected at the bureaus 67th Annual General Meeting.

I Venkat of Eenadu was unanimously elected as Deputy Chairman.

The members on the ABC Council for 2015-2016 are: Advertising Agencies

Representatives Madhukar Kamath of Mudra Communications (as HonoraryTreasurer), Srinivasan K Swamy of RK Swamy BBDO, and CVL Srinivas of Group MMedia India Pvt Ltd; Publishers Representatives Amit Mathew of MalayalaManorama, Shailesh Gupta of Jagran Prakashan, Hormusji N Cama of BombaySamachar, Devendra V Darda of Lokmat Media, Sanjeev Vohra of Bennett, Coleman& Co Ltd, Benoy Roychowdhury of HT Media, and Chandan Majumdar of ABP PvtLtd; Advertisers Representatives Hemant Malik of ITC (Honorary Secretary),Debabrata Mukherjee of Coca-Cola India, and Sandip Tarkas of Future Retail.

Hormuzd Masani has taken over as Secretary General.

The ABC, which plays a key role in print measurement, will soon start measuringdigital audiences, according to the press release. In his new capacity as Chairman ofthe organisation, Sinha will implement the digital measurement project. The newservices will available to all digital properties which want to utilise them.


19/31



Over 50 Indian companies take part in India Expoexhibition in Sri Lanka

Over 50 Indian companies are participating in India Expo tradeexhibition in Colombo.

The India Expo 2015, a multi product and services exhibition was inaugurated by Sri

Lanka's Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen on Friday. The India Expo has been organised by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations

(FIEO) in association with Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the HighCommission of India in Colombo.

The companies that are participating represent various sectors, including constructionproducts, apparel and garments, cosmetics, agro products, pharmaceuticals, powerand electrical technology.

Drugmaker Abbott Healthcare tangles with Indianregulators over cough syrup complaint

Drugmaker Abbott Healthcare is challenging a state's accusation that a sample of thecompany's cough syrupcontained excessive levels of codeine, the second multinationalto question India's regulatory testing regime in recent months.

Whether the sample of Abbott's popular "Phensedyl" was a genuine product or afake has not been established, but the suspect batch of 80,000 bottles has not beenrecalled.

The state laboratory in West Bengal first raised the alarm last November.

The previously unreported case underlines the weakness of India's unwieldy and

poorly resourced drug and food regulatory system, the uncertainty it creates forforeign and domestic companies operating there and the potential risk to consumers.

Abbott Healthcare is a unit of U.S.-based Abbott Laboratories. Abbott Laboratoriesalso has a listed subsidiary in India, Abbott India Ltd.

Three months ago, Nestle was forced to withdraw its Maggi instant noodles fromIndian shelves because the food safety authority banned the snack after its testsshowed excess lead.

Current Account Deficit to Remain Comfortable in FY16:India Ratings

India's current account deficit is expected to remain "comfortable" in the currentfiscal year even as it rose sequentially to $6.2 billion in the first quarter, says a report.

Current account deficit for the first quarter of FY16 stood at $6.2 billion (1.2 per centof GDP), sequentially higher than $1.5 billion in the previous quarter, the report byIndia Ratings & Research said on Monday.

The current account deficit, however, was lower than $7.9 billion the first quarter ofFY15.

Current account deficit reflects a high outgo of forex and subsequently weakens the

domestic currency. Invisible receipts were mainly instrumental in improvement of current account deficit

in the first quarter of current fiscal year, it said.


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India Ratings said merchandise exports contracted for the third consecutive quarterand a worrying trend is that the magnitude of the contraction has been increasingwith each quarter.

On oil, it said crude oil prices are likely to remain soft for remaining part of 2015-16due to the sluggish global recovery and demand-supply situation in the crude oilmarket.


21/31

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22/31



India & the world

India vote in favour of Palestine

India was among 119 nations that voted in support of a UN general assembly

resolution granting the right to non-member observer states of Palestine and theVatican to raise their flags at the world body's headquarters along side the flags ofUN member nations.

The resolution 'Raising the flags of non-member observer States at the United Nations'was adopted on Thursday by a vote of 119 in favour to 8 against, with 45 delegationsabstaining.

Voting against the resolution were Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands,Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Tuvalu and the United States.

By the terms of that text, the general assembly decided that the flags of non-member

observer states maintaining permanent observer missions at headquarters shall beraised at headquarters and United Nations offices following the flags of the membersstates of the organisation.

The assembly took the decision noting the participation of non-member observerStates that maintain permanent observer missions at headquarters, of which thereare currently two - the Holy See and Palestine, in its sessions and work.

The text of the resolution also requested secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to take "themeasures necessary" for the implementation of the decision during the assembly's70th session, which begins on September 15, and within 20 days of the adoption ofthe resolution.

India's bid for permanent Security Council seat gets aboost as UN adopts negotiations on reforms

The UN General Assembly on Monday adopted a negotiating text by consensus forthe long-pending Security Council reforms, setting the stage for talks on the issue atits 70th session beginning Tuesday, boosting India's bid for a permanent seat in therevamped world body.

India termed as "historic" and "path-breaking" the adoption of the document, sayingthe decision puts the Inter-Governmental Process formally on an "irreversible text-

based negotiations path" and changes the "dynamics" of the negotiations on achievingUNSC reforms.

UN General Assembly President Sam Kutesa convened a plenary meeting to takeaction on the draft decision on the "Question of equitable representation on andincrease in the membership of the Security Council and related matters".

During the meeting, he also circulated letters containing the positions of key countries,including Russia, the US and China which refused to contribute to the negotiatingtext.ers

There was no voting on the decision to continue text-based UNSC reforms in the70th session of the General Assembly and it was adopted by consensus.

The draft decision contains a negotiating text which has positions of UN memberstates on Security Council reforms and how the powerful 15-nation body should beexpanded in its permanent and non-permanent categories.


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The adoption is a significant step towards beginning talks on the long-stalled reformsprocess in the 70th session of the Assembly on the basis of a negotiating text, a first inthe last seven years of Inter-Governmental Negotiations that have been conductedso far without the basis of any text.

India's Ambassador to the UN Asoke Mukerji said the "most important aspect" ofMonday's decision is the text circulated by Kutesa in July which "we have agreedwill be the guiding basis for our deliberations in the 70th General Assembly session".


24/31



Sports

India beat Malaysia 9-1 to enter semi-final of Junior AsiaCup

Skipper Rani Rampal led from the front and slammed a hat-trick as Indian evesthrashed Malaysia 9-1 in their last league game of the seventh womens Junior AsiaCup on Thursday.

By virtue of this win, India has qualified for the semi-final of the tournament.

The Indian eves started on an attacking note and penetrated the Malaysian circle inthe early minutes of the game.

Preeti Dubey rushed into the Malaysian circle and played a cross ball towards RaniRampal, who scored the first goal for India in the eighth minute.

Kohli' new boss of federer To co-own IPTL team 'UAERoyals'

Joining the IPTL bandwagon, India Test captain Virat Kohli has become co-owner ofthe UAE Royals, which will be led by Swiss great Roger Federer.

Federer had played for Micromax Indian Aces in the inaugural season and this seasonhe will be joined by Goran Ivanisevic, 2001 Wimbledon Champion Ana Ivanovic,Daniel Nestor, Kristina Mladenovic and Tomas Berdych.

The UAE leg of the league will be held from December 14-16 at the Dubai Duty Free

Tennis Stadium. The league has expanded to five teams for its second edition with the Japan Warriors

joining last season's champions, the Indian Aces, alongside the UAE Royals, thePhilippine Mavericks and the Singapore Slammers.

The league will begin in Japan from December 2 and culminate in Singapore onDecember 20.

Sania, Paes partner Hingis to finals

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis provided the storm-effect with some thunderousplay from the back of the court after late-afternoon showers disrupted the day'sschedule at the US Open.

The top seeds made their second successive Grand Slam final, having won Wimbledonin July, in stirring fashion. Hingis, 35, returned on court an hour later, partneringanother Indian Leander Paes to make the mixed doubles final, their second insuccession after their triumph at the All England Club.

Sania and Hingis beat the tough pairing of Italy's Flavia Pen netta and Sara Errani 6-4, 6-1 in 77 minutes. They await the winners of the second semifinal between CaseyDellacqua-Yaroslav Shvedova and Coco Vandeweghe-Ana-Lena Groenefeld.

Paes wins U.S.Open mixed double title All praise for partner Martina Hingis after clinching the U.S. Open mixed doubles

title, veteran Indian tennis star Leander Paes said he neither has the technique nor


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the calibre to match the Swiss legend but he tries to make up for it with hisperseverance.

Paes combined with Hingis to win a record ninth Mixed Doubles Grand Slam titleafter beating the American combo of Sam Querrey and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4 3-6 10-7 in the US Open final.

Soon after he won his historic U.S. Open title, Paes said more than the technique it ishis never-say-die spirit that has got him success.

He has now won nine mixed doubles major titles and trails only former partnerMartina Navratilova (10).

Shastri retained as team director till 2016

Ravi Shastri was on Sunday retained as the team director of the Indian cricket teamtill the 2016 T20 World Cup at home, based on the recommendations of the BCCIadvisory committee.

Shastri, who was appointed team director in August 2014, has been given anotherseven-month extension till the completion of the World T20 in April. The sixth editionof the tournament is scheduled to be held in India from March 11 to April 3.

The former Indian all-rounder took over the job after the England Test loss last year.The cricketer-turned-commentator then saw the team win the ODI series in England.

His two biggest achievements as team director are India's semi-final finish in the 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand along with Virat Kohli's Test sidewinning an away Test series against Sri Lanka after 22 years.

Acknowledging the performance of the Indian cricket team and the efforts of thecoaching staff in recent times, the advisory committee comprising Sachin Tendulkar,

Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman endorsed the extension of their tenure.

Along with Shastri, the committee also approved the extension of the assistant coachestill the T20 showpiece event next year. Sanjay Bangar stays on as the assistant coach(batting), Bharat Arun remains as bowling consultant and R Sridhar as the fieldingcoach.

Flavia Pennetta wonUS Open 2015,women single title

With her final shot in the 49th grand slam of her career, a beautifully struck off-forehand that scooted past the flailing racquet of a lifelong friend who had reached

so far to bring down a giant of tennis just a day earlier, Flavia Pennetta made history.. In front of a capacity crowd who had expected to see history of another kind that

derailed when Vinci halted Serena Williams tilt at the calendar Grand Slam in anastonishing semi-final Pennetta promptly announced her retirement.

One month ago I take the big decision in my life. This is the way I would like to saygoodbye to tennis, she told a capacity crowd.

It floored those who had paid big dollars to attend a final that, for the first time ever,sold out quicker than the mens decider, undoubtedly due to the Serena slam factor.

Billie Jean King, who was standing in the crowd, was seen to bellow No way

when the announcement was made. Fellow professionals took to social media to express their delight and dismay at the

same time, for Pennetta is clearly a popular figure on tour.


26/31



What the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi made of it is unclear, but he was clearlydelighted to witness the historic moment from Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Pennettas boyfriend, Fabio Fognini, who had earlier knocked Rafael Nadal out ofthe tournament, was another forced to make a quick dash back to New York aftermoving on to his next event.

Retirement at the top is not completely unprecedented. Pete Sampras never playedagain after winning the 2002 US Open, although he did not announce his intentionsfor another year. Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli retired a month after winningWimbledon in 2013.

Pennetta said she made the decision a month ago and had no great expectationsheading into the Open, despite boasting a solid record in New York.

The 26th seed toppled some quality rivals along the way. Sam Stosur was her fourth-round opponent, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova a quarter-final rivaland the world No 2 Simona Halep among the women she thrashed to reach the final.

Novak Djokovic win U.S open title Thrilled to win a point in the US Open final, and bent on proving a point, Novak

Djokovic leaped and roared and threw an uppercut, then glared at some of thethousands of spectators pulling for Roger Federer.

After winning another point in that game, Djokovic nodded as he smiled toward thestands. And moments later, Djokovic shook his right arm, bloodied by an early fall,and screamed, "Yes! Yes!" to celebrate a missed forehand by Federer.

Djokovic appeared to be all alone out there in Arthur Ashe Stadium, trying to solveFederer while also dealing with a crowd loudly supporting the 17-time majorchampion proclaimed "arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport" bythe stadium announcer during prematch introductions.

In the end, Djokovic handled everything in a thrill-a-minute final on a frenetic night.Frustrating Federer with his relentless defense and unparalleled returning, Djokovictook control late and held on for a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory Sunday to earn his secondUS Open title, third major championship of the year and 10th Grand Slam trophy inall..

Sania and Martina duo win U.S.open

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis came together in March this year and have been on

a roll ever since - notching doubles titles for fun. At US Open, the top seeded pairdid not lose a single set in a marauding performance from start to finish to earn theirsecond consecutive Grand Slam title.

The Indo-Swiss duo have been in red-hot form and on Sunday, stream-rolled pastthe fourth seeded pair of Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova. It took the topseeds only 70 minutes to wrap up the final 6-3 6-3 against the fourth seed Kazakh-Australian combination at Flushing Meadows.

Mirza and Hingis were in understandably upbeat mood speaking after the match.

Narsingh Pancham Yadav secured an Olympic quota

Narsingh Pancham Yadav secured an Olympic quota place for India after bagging abronze medal in the Men's 74kg Freestyle category, giving the country a reason tocheer at the World Wrestling Championship here.


27/31



With his third-place finish, Narsingh became the lone Indian to win a medal at theprestigious tournament as well as book a berth for the 2016 Rio Games. Top six ineach category qualifies for the Olympics. This is the first time that an Indian wrestlerhas earned an Olympic berth with a medal at the World Championship.

Double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar's absence from the mat for over an yearnow has made Narsingh a regular in the 74kg division.

It will now be interesting to see who between the veteran Sushil or 26-year-oldNarsingh ultimately board the flight to Rio next year to represent India in this category.As per rules, an Olympic berth is for the country concerned and not the wrestlerwho might have clinched it.

Other than Narsingh, India had a dismal show overall in the championship, whichconcluded today, as no one else could make it to the podium.


28/31



Science & Tech

Cell-free protein manufacturing platform a gamechanger

The human body has a novel way of turning its proteins on and off to alter theirfunction and activity in cells called phosphorylation -- the reversible attachment ofphosphate groups to proteins.

Using a special strain of E coli bacteria, the researchers built a cell-free proteinsynthesis platform technology that can manufacture large quantities of these humanphosphoproteins for scientific study.

This will enable scientists to learn more about the function and structure ofphosphoproteins and identify which ones are involved in disease.

Such knowledge could pave the way for new drugs for a myriad of diseases, includingcancer.

Trouble in the phosphorylation process can be a hallmark of disease, such as cancer,inflammation and Alzheimer's disease.

The human proteome (the entire set of expressed proteins) is estimated to bephosphorylated at more than 100,000 unique sites, making study of phosphorylatedproteins and their role in disease a daunting task.

Along with Yale University researchers, Jewett combined state-of-the-art genomeengineering tools and engineered biological "parts" into a "plug-and-play" proteinexpression platform that is cell-free.

Cell-free systems activate complex biological systems without using living intactcells.

Mix World Ozone Day

Reducing our carbon footprint, be it in our personal lives or industrial activity remainskey to saving the Earth from environmental degradation, say experts in the city asthe world observes the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer onWednesday.

More commonly known as the World Ozone Day, September 16 commemorates

the Montreal Protocol that was signed on this date by 24 UN member nations in1987, to limit and ultimately phase out the production of manmade chemicals likechlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and 95 other ozone-depleting materials.

The slogan for this year Ozone: All that is there between You and UV is meant toshow how human activity can impact the ozone layer and ultimately, the survival ofthe Earth and its environment as we know it.

The ozone layer forms a protective shield around the Earth and staves off theultraviolet radiation of the Sun.

Ozone in the lower atmosphere is harmful for human and plant life, while in the

higher level (stratosphere) it protects our planet against ultraviolet radiation. Hasina wins UN award on climate change

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been declared as one of the winners


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of the UN Champions of the Earth award in recognition of her "leadership and vision"in both making climate change an issue of national priority and advocating for aglobal response.

UNEP noted that Bangladesh is one of the world's most populated countries, withover 159 million people. It is also one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climatechange.

The award cites, among other initiatives, the progressive Bangladesh Climate ChangeStrategy and Action Plan of 2009, which made the South Asian nation the firstdeveloping country to frame such a coordinated action plan.

Bangladesh is also the first country to set up its own Climate Change Trust Fund,supported by nearly USD 300 million of domestic resources from 2009-2012.

The award also noted that the Bangladesh government currently earmarks 6 to 7 percent of its annual budget ? some USD 1 billion ? on climate change adaptation, withonly 25 per cent of this coming from international donors.


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Vol 93 10th September 2015 to 16th September 2015