Homes for poor to get clean cooking solution
New Delhi: Homes for poor being built under the Government’s ambitious rural housing scheme will now get a clean cooking energy solution too. Noting that traditional “chulha” has a direct impact on the health of inhabitants of the house, especially women, the Union Rural Development Ministry on Friday directed the states to converge its ‘Unnat Chulha Abhiyan’ which envisages developing a cost-effective improved biomass cook-stoves in the country with the rural housing programme ‘Indira Awas Yojana’ (IAY). The ‘Unnat Chulha Abhiyan” is an initiative of the New and Renewable Energy Ministry.
Task force on citizenship applications approved
New Delhi: As a first step to grant Indian citizenship to nearly one lakh Hindu refugees from Pakistan and Bangladesh, the Home Ministry on Friday approved setting up of a task force to monitor and expedite processing of their citizenship and long Term Visa (lTV) applications. Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed matters relating to grant of citizenship that takes a long time for completion of the entire process and decided to set up the task force.
Jitendra Singh to visit J&K flood hit areas
New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday will visit flood affected areas of Jammu & Kashmir to take stock of the situation and oversee rehabilitation work. “I have been in touch with senior officials in the flood affected areas of the state. I am going to Reasi tomorrow to take stock of situation there,” Singh said. The Minister will hold talks with senior administrative officials and seek ways for early resumption of Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra, which was temporarily suspended on Thursday in view of heavy rains lashing parts of the state.
Express views freely: Uma urges officials
New Delhi: Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati on Friday urged her ministry officials to express their opinions “without any fear and hesitation” and asked them to send their views directly to her through sealed envelopes. During a meeting of the director-level officials of her ministry here, Bharati asked them to give their free and frank opinion on all issues.
Dalai lama’s visa yet under consideration: SA
New Delhi: Amid reports that South Africa has denied a visa to the Dalai lama, the African nation’s High Commissioner to India France K Morule on Friday said his visa has not been denied yet and the application is under consideration. Morule said he will be meeting the Dalai lama’s representatives here tomorrow on further action required to be taken on granting visa to the spiritual leader, who was going to attend the 14th World Summit of Nobel Peace laureates in Cape Town next month.
Recommend names in order of merit: Govt
New Delhi: All selection or search-cum- selection committees mandated to recommend candidates for various posts should send names for these in order of merit. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has observed that in some of the cases submitted by the various ministries or departments, the selection committees or search-cum- selection committees were found to have not recommended the panel in order of merit or preference.