Recognition to NSFs

The Government has introduced annual recognition procedure for the National Sports Federations (NSFs) from the year 2010. The NSFs which complied with the Government guidelines and furnished complete information/documents sought by the Government have been granted annual recognition. 51 NSFs have been granted recognition by the government for the year 2011. This was stated by Shri Ajay Maken, Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports, in the Lok Sabha today, in a written reply to a question by Dr. Nilesh N. Rane & Dr. M. Jagannath. The Government does not deal with the State level Federations/ Associations.

Punchhi Commission

The Punchhi Commission on Centre – State relation was constituted on April 28, 2007 by the UPA government, under the chairmanship of former Chief Justice of India Justice Madan Mohan Punchhi, which submitted its report on April 20, 2010. The Punchhi commission made very pertinent observations regarding the qualifications, appointment and removal of governors. As for qualifications pertaining to governor, the Punchhi Commission was forthright in suggesting that the nominee should not have participated in active politics at even local level for at least a couple of years prior to his appointment.

[Essay] Is Gandhian Mode of Protest (Satyagraha) still relevant?

Satyagraha is the method of resistance and mass movement developed by Gandhi during his days in South Africa and later epitomised in India during its freedom struggle against British Empire. Satyagraha was developed as a broad term for techniques of civil disobedience, non cooperation, hunger strike and protest. Satyagraha is a portmanteau of the Sanskrit words Satya (meaning "truth") and Agraha ("insistence", or "holding firmly to"). For Gandhi, Satyagraha went far beyond mere "passive resistance" and became strength in practising non-violent methods. Later on Satyagraha went to become the most successful resistance technique and inspired many other great leaders like Martin Luther King Junior, Nelson Mandela and others. Not only it led to freedom of our country but also created a cadre of thousands of activists for whom it became a mode of life and they were there to shape India's future in right form to ensure not just independence but also to the face challenges that a newly developed nation face.

SASS moves Apex Court against NTCA move to restrict pilgrim movement in PTR

The Sabarimala Ayyappa Seva Samajom (SASS) has moved the Supreme Court of India against the proposal of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to restrict pilgrim movement through Tiger Reserves, including the Periyar Tiger Reserve that houses Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, by introducing new guidelines for Project Tiger and tourism.

India Signs Loan Agreement with World Bank for US$ 500 Million for Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan

An agreement between Government of India and the World Bank for loan of US$ 500 million (equivalent) from World Bank for the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) was signed recently . The agreement was signed by Shri Prabodh Saxena,Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of India and Mr. Onno Ruhl, Country Director, World Bank (India) on behalf of the World Bank. Representative(s) from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of School Education & Literacy and officials from the World Bank were present among others.

Brief overview of Green Building Ratings.

Everybody is talking of energy conservation and green buildings, but did you know that India has only 267 certified green buildings so far? To promote sustainable architecture, a system of green ratings has now been evolved specifically for India, that closely mirrors global environmental standards.

What does green mean?

A ‘green building’ is one that has minimum impact on its immediate and global environment. Its construction and subsequent operations do minimum or no harm to the ecology.