Cabinet approves MoU with Hungary on water management

The Union Cabinet on October 13; 2016 gave its nod for signing of an agreement with Hungary for cooperation in the field of water resources, including innovations in irrigation technology. The MoU will be signed between Ministry of Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation and the Ministry of Interior, Hungary. It will enhance bilateral cooperation in the field of water management, on the basis of equality and mutual benefits.

$ Cabinet approves an IIM for Jammu

The Union Cabinet on October 13, 2016 approved the establishment and operation of an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Jammu at a cost of nearly Rs 62 crore. The 20th IIM of the country will function from a temporary campus at Old Government College of Engineering and Technology for the initial four years, from 2016 to 2020.

Currently there are 19 IIMs in the country, and 13 of them are located at Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Kozhikode, Shillong, Ranchi, Raipur, Rohtak, Kashipur, Trichy and Udaipur. Six other IIMs, which were started in 2015, are located at Amritsar, Sirmaur, Nagpur, Bodhgaya, Sambalpur and Vishakhapatnam.

Centre brings draft Bill to resolve tricky issue of Centre brings draft Bill to resolve tricky issue of

riverwater sharing

Seeking to resolve several inter-state disputes over river water sharing through a model legislation, the Centre on October 12, 2016 came out with a draft National Water Framework Bill, 2016, providing for a mechanism to develop and manage river basin in an integrated manner so that every state gets "equitable" share of a river's water without violating rights of others.

The draft Bill also pitches for establishing River Basin Authority for each inter-state basin to ensure "optimum and sustainable" development of rivers and valleys and devises an integrated approach to conserve water and manage groundwater in a sustainable manner. Since water is a 'state' subject, the proposed legislation will not be binding on states for adoption even if it becomes a law through Parliament in due course.

 

16 New panel to identify gaps in Indo-Bangla border safety

The home ministry on October 6, 2016 set up a new committee to identify gaps in management of the India-Bangladesh border and suggest ways to plug these, almost a month after a similar panel submitted its findings on the security scenario along the eastern border. Home minister Rajnath Singh gave the go-ahead to constitution of the panel, to be headed by former home secretary Madhukar Gupta, who also Led the committee on management of the western border.

Govt OKs MoU with EU on water management

The government on October 5, 2016 approved signing of an MoU with the European Union to enhance the country's capabilities in water resources management. The MoU envisages strengthening the technological, scientific and management capabilities of India and the EU in the field of water management on the basis of "equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit".

0 Amendments to HIV Bill get Cabinet nod

The Cabinet on October 5, 2016 cleared amendments to a bill on HIV prevention and control that makes discrimination in employment against people affected by AIDS punishable with two years in jail and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. The amendments state that unfair treatment in employment, educational institutions, healthcare, residing or renting property and standing for office will be bad in law. An HIV positive person is also not obligated to reveal his health status, unless required by a court order.

The bill provides for appointment of an ombudsman by states to inquire into complaints related to violations and penal actions in case of noncompliance. Around 21 lakh people are estimated to be living with HIV in India.

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