Iraq: Blix Says U.S., U.K. Should Provide More

Information To Back Claims

Agricultural Insurance Company from Next Year 36 Food Parks approved, Kerala to get one

Press Council May get more Powers; Sushama

New Delhi --December 20, 2002 The Information and Broadcasting Minister, Smt. Sushma Swaraj has said that the Government would consider providing more powers to the Press Council of India including the penal powers which the Council wants in order to enforce its decisions on offenders. She said the Government is also considering to set up an independent Broadcasting Regulatory Authority for the electronic media to check the onslaught on our culture, traditions and other undesirable telecasts. She invited suggestions from women organizations in this regard so that Government could take an overall view before arriving at a decision.

Inaugurating the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of the All India Women's Conference here today, Smt. Swaraj regretted that a large number of serials telecast mostly on private electronic channels are showing the women in a very derogatory manner as if women are always conspiring, quarrelling on small issues and indulging in intrigues. She said the advertisements both in print and electronic media are showing semi-nude pictures of women, treating woman as a commodity to boost the sale of different products. In films also women are either shown as submissive and meek or only as objects of pleasure. The struggling and successful aspects of women are not projected to inspire others, Smt. Swaraj regretted.

Smt. Swaraj also inaugurated a seminar on "Women and Media" and released a First Day Special Cover issued by the Postal Department on the Platinum Jubilee of AIWC. Prominent mediapersons who participated in the seminar included Smt. Usha Rai, S/ Rajdeep Sardesai, Prabhat Dabral and Deepak Chaurasia.- keralamonitor.com

Agricultural Insurance Company from Next Year

Agriculture Insurance Company of India Ltd. is expected to become operational from January, 2003. The Company is being promoted by General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and four Public Sector General Insurance companies. This was stated in Rajya Sabha today by the Minister of State for Agriculture Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav in a written reply to Prem Chand Gupta. It was stated that some shortcomings such as inadequate coverage for farmers, crop, risk commitments, large unit area of insurance etc. were noticed in erstwhile Comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme (CCIS). To overcome these shortcomings and on the demands of the States/Union Territories, the Government introduced National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) from Rabi 1999-2000 season.

During the course of implementation of NAIS for 3 years, some suggestions like limiting the sum insured up to Rs. 50,000/-, retaining 50% premia subsidy to small and marginal farmers, rationalization of premia structure, coverage of perennial crops etc. were received from the implementing States/UTs. In view of the suggestions given by the states and provision in the scheme for its review, a process for the review of NAIS has been initiated. A proposal for the review of NAIS has been prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Finance, for the consideration of Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC).
The proposed modified scheme would cover more crops (perennial crops) and provide for smaller unit area of insurance. Small and marginal farmers will continue to avail 50% premia-subsidy etc. At the same time, financial liability of the Government may be reduced because of further rationalization of premium structure and limiting the sum insured up to Rs. 50,000/-. keralamonitor.com

36 Food Parks approved, Kerala to get one

Ministry of Food Processing Industries has so far approved 36 Food Parks for grant of financial assistance in different States. Maximum five food parks have been approved in Madhya Pradesh followed by four in Maharashtra. Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh & West Bengal have been granted approval for three food parks each, whereas Haryana, Karnataka and Manipur will have two food parks each. One food park each has been approved in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chattisgarh, Mizoram, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu & Tripura. In several food parks, construction work is in progress. Ministry has undertaken comprehensive review of the progress of food park projects, and built in provision to ensure convergence of different schemes on food parks. This was stated in Rajya Sabha today by the Minister of State of the Food Processing Industries N.T. Shanmugam in a written reply to Ramachandra Khuntia. keralamonitor.com

Better Prediction of Mansoon Planned

A multi-pronged approach is to be adopted for better prediction of monsoon rainfall. This strategy was recommended by a brainstorming session on monsoon-2002, held recently in Bangalore, by the Department of Science and Technology. The all-India monsoon rainfall this year was deficient by nearly 20 percent. The session was of the unanimous opinion that this monsoon turned out to be an intriguing one. None of the methods developed for empirical prediction which have been reasonably successful over a decade could predict drought this year. The complex atmospheric / climate models of leading global centres also did not suggest a drought over India.

The meeting focussed on July-2002, during which an unprecedented deficit of 49 percent was observed. The possibilities of modifications in the model to predict extremes such as July-2002 were discussed. It was decided to go in for developing better empirical methods and further investigations with general circulation models, to improve the predictions in the future.

Before embarking on the multi-pronged approach the scientists attending the brainstorming session felt that more observations over the ocean with ships, buoys and floats will be required. Special observational experiments such as BOBMEX conducted over Bay of Bengal and ARMEX over the Arabian Sea will have to be done on a regular basis. Further research in atmospheric models aimed at developing a unified model which can generate robust simulations of the monsoon and its variability is essential, the scientists observed. It was also decided to work more on ocean models for simulating the conditions over the Indian Ocean from the enhanced observational network, as part of the multi-pronged strategy. keralamonitor.com