panel for augmentation of Tribal Min budget
New Delhi: Noting that the allocation for Tribal Affairs Ministry for 2013-14 is “less than half of the projected requirement”, a Parliamentary Committee has made a strong recommendation to “substantially” augment its budget for effective implementation of welfare schemes. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment in its report has stated the Tribal Affairs Ministry had requested Rs 8,909.91 crore for 2013-14 but it was allocated only Rs 4,279 crore by the Planning Commission.
Mahesh Kumar is new Rly Board member
New Delhi: General Manager of Western Railway, Mahesh Kumar, has been appointed the new Member (Staff) of Railway Board. An alumnus of University of Roorkee (now IIT-Roorkee), Kumar is a 1975 batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers (IRSSE). He figures in the Guinness Book of World Records for commissioning the ‘largest Route Relay Interlocking’ in the world at Old Delhi Railway Station in shortest possible time of 36 hours.
Rare series of oriental records on display
New Delhi: Some of the extremely rare and valuable series of oriental records like Inayat Jung Collection (comprising 1,37,777 documents), Fort William College Collection Manuscripts, Tarikh-i-Alfi, Razmnama- Mahabharat (in Persian), Aaina-i-Sikhandar, Foreign- Persian documents (approximately 44,000 documents) are at the display at the National Archives of India. The display which will for public viewing till May 17 was inaugurated on Thursday by Prof Syed Shahid Mahdi, Member, ICCR.
1,500 IAS officer posts lying vacant: Govt
New Delhi: There is a shortfall of around 1,500 IAS officers as against the total authorised strength of 6,217, the Government said on Thursday. Uttar Pradesh with 135 posts of IAS officers lying vacant tops the list, followed by West Bengal (119), Madhya Pradesh (105) and Bihar (90), Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions V Narayanasamy told Rajya Sabha in a written reply.
Unutilised fund for disabled irks Par panel
New Delhi: Anguished over the lapse of funds allocated for the disabled people, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment has asked the Department of Disability Affairs to make all efforts for full utilisation of its budget in this current fiscal. In its report, it also termed “unacceptable” the reasons given by the Ministry for under-utilisation of funds.
Chhattisgarh Students meets Home Minister
New Delhi: A group of 20 students hailing from Naxal-affected areas of Chhattisgarh on Thursday met Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde here. The students, who had recently participated in the CRPF sponsored ‘Abujhmaad cup’- a football tournament, have been brought for the first time to a big city like Delhi by the paramilitary force. Shinde, according to a CRPF statement, urged the boys to become the ‘true ambassadors of democracy’ and shun any instigation for joining Naxal ranks.