Friday, May 31, 2013

Carbon dioxide causing increase in the acidity of Arctic Ocean

Thursday, May 30, 2013

UIDAI launches online authentication services

Japan restarts operating Dreamliner flights

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Russian Space debris hits the “Pegaso” (Pegasus) nanosatellite of Ecuador; What is Kessler syndrome ?

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Janani Suraksha Yojana

Janani Suraksha Yojana

May 23rd, 2013
Age eligibility norm to get financial aid under JSY relaxed
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has relaxed the eligibility criteria for the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), which provides financial assistance to mothers for institutional deliveries. As per new changes, Below Party Line (BPL) women can access JSY benefits irrespective of their age and number of children.
What is JSY?
  • Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) was launched in 2005 with an aim to enable women — especially those from vulnerable sections — to access institutional delivery. This was done to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality.
Why these changes?
It was found that a majority of women, who needed JSY benefits, remained out of the purview of the scheme because they had to prove they were 19 years of age and had no more than two children. Besides this, highest maternal mortality is reported among girls aged 14-15; the majority of these were out of the purview of the JSY as they were unable to produce proof of age or verify the number of children they had. Thus it was felt that age criteria and the requirement to prove number of children must be done away with in order to bring these left out sections into this scheme.
What were the existing norms?
Sub-section within Low Performing States:
In Rural Areas:
  • Rs 1400 to the woman who delivered in a government facility or accredited private facility
  • Rs. 600 to Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) in rural areas.
In the urban areas
  • Rs.1,000 the woman who delivered in a government facility or accredited private facility
  • Rs. 400 Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA)
In High Performing States (those with good health indices, such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka), assistance for institutional delivery was available to women from BPL/SC/ST households, aged 19 or above and only up to two live births for delivery in a government or private accredited health facility.
Sub-sections within High Performing States:
In Rural Areas:
  • Rs. 700 to the woman who delivered in a government facility or accredited private facility
  • Rs. 600 to Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA)
In Urban Areas:
  • Rs. 600 to the woman who delivered in a government facility or accredited private facility
  • Rs. 400 to Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA)
Further, in all States/Union Territories, the scheme provided Rs. 500 to BPL women — aged 19 or above and who deliver up to two live births — who prefer to deliver at home. With the amendments, all women who deliver at home will be entitled to this amount, basically for nutrition.
What are the changes?
As per the changed norms:
  • All women from BPL category, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in all States and Union Territories will be eligible for JSY benefits if they have given birth in a government or private accredited health facility.
  • BPL women who prefer to deliver at home can also get JSY benefits.
  • Below Party Line (BPL) women can access JSY benefits irrespective of their age and number of children.
What is the performance outlook of JSY?
As per the Government the scheme has resulted into an increase in institutional deliveries — from 47% in 2007-08 to 72.9% in 2009 (Coverage Evaluation Survey) and, most recently, to approximately 79% — as per Health Ministry data.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Rotavac- India’s first indigenously developed rotavirus vaccine unveiled

Scientists produce ‘world’s lightest material’: “Carbon aerogel”

Saturday, May 18, 2013

India enters Arctic Council with Observer status

Devas investors move The Hague against Antrix

Inflation Indexed Bonds (IIBs)

Inflation Indexed Bonds (IIBs)

May 18th, 2013
RBI to launch Inflation Indexed Bonds in June 2013
As stipulated in the Budget 2013-14, the government, in consultation with the RBI, has decided to launch Inflation Indexed Bonds (IIBs) to wean away investors from the yellow metal (Gold) to paper-based savings instruments. This new investment instrument with provide an alternative for those who were in recent times going in for investment in gold as a hedge against inflation.
IIBs with a maturity period of 10 years will be launched each month by RBI with the objective of diverting household savings from gold into these hedged bonds up to Rs.15,000 crore this fiscal.
For appropriate price discovery and market development the IIBs will also be auctioned to institutional investors such as Pension Funds, Insurance, and Mutual Funds as it will create demand for IIBs and help in making them tradable in the secondary market.
What are IIBs?
Inflation-Indexed Bonds or IIBs are are bonds where the principal is indexed to inflation. They are thus designed to cut out the inflation risk of an investment. These bonds will be linked to the inflation index of the country (Wholesale Price Index or WPI) and serve as a better investment option as compared to physical assets like real estate and gold. Higher the inflation, higher the returns.
Why this step?
The step is being taken to de-motivate investments in gold as bulging imports of the yellow metal has been adversely affecting the country’s Current Account Deficit (CAD), which had surged to a historic high of 6.7% in the third quarter of 2012-13. Last month, imports of gold and silver soared by 138% on an annual basis to $ 7.5 billion.
How would IIBs help?
As per RBI, IIBs would help in:
  • Boosting domestic savings and reversing the declining savings-to-GDP ratio.
  • Providing households and other investors a competitive option against gold and real estateIn the wake of rising inflation last year, there was considerable flow of investments from financial savings to safe-haven assets like gold that resulted into higher imports of the metal. This led to current account deficit or CAD widening to 4.9% of GDP at the end of September 2012.
  • Giving investors choice to use IIBs as good hedging instruments against inflation.
How will the Index ratio be determined?
The IR (index ratio) will be computed by dividing reference index for the settlement date by reference index for the issue date, and the final inflation data based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) will be used for providing inflation protection. Besides, in case of revision in the base year for WPI series, base splicing method would be used to construct a consistent series for indexation.
The conflict b/w International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is expected to end soon with both the Indian representatives from the government and sports bodies reached an agreement in a meeting with IOC officials. The IOC has agreed to lift the ban on IOA once it holds fresh election as per the amended constitution of the IOA.
What is the issue?
The membership of the IOA was suspended in December 2012 owing to differences in election procedures of IOA administration body.  IOC wanted that election for top posts of IOA to be held as per Olympic Charter, which insists that organizing committees for each country remain autonomous and free of government influence. But India’s national sports code does not adhere to these requirements, and consequently, a New Delhi court ordered the IOA to hold an election as per government’s sports code instead of adhering to the IOC’s charter.
What is the solution reached?
The IOA has acquiesced to the demand of IOC to amend its constitution in line with the government’s Sports Code. Following this a fresh election will be held for top administrative posts of IOA.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Graphene could be used for high-efficiency digital storage

Monday, May 13, 2013

Ministry for Women & Child Development unveils the World Bank aided ISSNIP programme

Kerala against creation of buffer zone in any populated area suggested in Western Ghats Report

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Acidification on the rise in Arctic Ocean

SEBI gives nod to $10 million Startup Village Angel Fund

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Centre starts Pentavalent Vaccine programme in high-risk areas

Thursday, May 2, 2013

IMF warns Asia of “Middle Income Trap” and asset bubble

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

India expresses concerns to Saudi Arabia over ‘Nitaqat’