- October 16, 2003
- Young Achiever of the Week -Vinod Kumar- the Malayali Softball Champion
VINOD KUMAR.S.L who got selection to the Indian Softball team. "First time in kerala softball history a playar got selection t the Indian team & is going to participate 6th Asian softball championship held at Manila (Philippines) on 28th to 4th Nov. I have been playing softball last 8 years & Got so many individual prizes in state and national level matches," Vinod says. He is also the caption of Kerala team forthe last 5 years. Vinod is working in a private Ltd co. in Trivandrum as a computer Engg. Vinod's regards to all Keralamonitor family members. -keralamonitor.com
Government departments to demonstrate diversified online services under
Dubai eGovernment umbrella at GITEX Dubai 2003by KM Correspondent
21 departments will showcase their services at Dubai e-Government stand
Dubai -October 16, 2003The Dubai eGovernment stand at GITEX Dubai 2003 will witness strong
participation by 21 government departments and ministries who will showcase a host of
online services offered through the unified portal www.dubai.ae.The departments will demonstrate the applications of several systems
deployed by Dubai eGovernment to enable them to deliver improved services
through multiple channels, including mDubai, the channel for mobile services,
and AskDubai, the state-of-the-art contact centre."The participation of government departments at GITEX 2003 as part of
the Dubai e-Government stand, consolidates our efforts to project the
www.dubai.ae portal as the main gateway to access any service of any government
department," said Salem Al Shair, Director eServices, Dubai eGovernment. "The
portal is entering an important phase in which the government departments will
migrate to more efficient payment systems, and more innovative ways of
categorizing services. This will ensure the success of the
e-Government project which has adopted best-of-breed technologies to
bring about a revolution in the way people interact with the government".Briefing the participating departments at a meeting held recently at
the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Marwan Al Naqi, Project Manager
for GITEX at Dubai eGovernment, said: "This is going to be the biggest ever
participation by Dubai government departments in GITEX. It is also the
most significant, because there has been more sophistication and
upgrade in our services since our last participation in GITEX last year. It is
the perfect platform to showcase our eServices to a key audience that
has a high degree of awareness of computers and IT."Over 130 representatives from the participating departments took part
in the meeting. They were briefed on the various activities and the point
of sale and publicity material that has been designed for distribution
at the GITEX stand.Among the 21 departments demonstrating their online services at the
e-Government stand at GITEX are, Department of Health & Medical Services (DOHMS),
Dubai Development Board (DDB), Dubai Municipality, Dubai Civil Defence, Land
Department, Dubai Transport, Awqaf & Islamic Affairs Department, Real
Estate, Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Department of Civil Aviation,
Dubai Police, Department of Economic Development, Department of Tourism and
Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Dubai Government Workshop, Dubai Ship Docking Yard, Justice Department, Tanmia, Department of Information, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and
the Dubai Naturalization and Residency Administration (DNRD)."This is our second joint promotion of government departments under
the Dubai e-Government umbrella at GITEX," said Al Naqi. "It is a matter of
great pride to bring, under one roof, so many key departments to the
public. Their presence reflects their commitment to fulfill the objectives of
Dubai e-Government to automate and integrate services as part of Dubai's
ultimate goal of creating a wired community fully equipped to conduct government
transactions electronically. We have added more innovative services and
initiatives since our last participation in GITEX and we would like to
encourage visitors to try them out."The Dubai eGovernment stand located at Hall No. 6 at GITEX Dubai 2003,
will consist of 30 kiosks. Visitors to the Dubai eGovernment stand will
be able to view and test the hundreds of services now available online
for the members of the public and the business community, from various
government departments.Dubai Land Department will demonstrate the application of mDubai and
AskDubai, for more effective delivery of its online services such as request for
parcel plan, update ownership information, locating a parcel, letter of
ownership, real estate agent index and land transaction index.Dubai Development Board will showcase its online services utilizing Ask
Dubai, mDubai and eJob. The Department of Islamic Affairs (Awqaf) will
also highlight its applications of eJob for recruitment.Dubai Civil Defence will demonstrate how AskDubai is proving to be the
central contact centre to provide a highly effective link between the
various departments and the people.Dubai Municipality will highlight eServices in lab testing results of
Dubai Central Labs, food control health certificates, clinic health
certificates, veterinary certificates, online statistical information, building
services, Geographical Information System and parking fines inquiry.Committee to select 5 more IITs
NEW DELHI - October 16, 2003 A committee is to be set up shortly to select five institutions/colleges to be upgraded and converted into IITs. With these the number of IITs in the country will go up to 12. The Government had earlier set up an IIT at Guwahati and converted the Regional Engineering College, Roorkee to the another IIT, taking the total to 7 from 5. This information was given by the Minister for Human Resource Development and Science and Technology, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, here today while inaugurating the first international meet of the Alumini Association of the National Institute of Technology, Warangal.
Speaking about upgradation of Regional Engineering Colleges to IIT, Dr. Joshi said it is a slow process and will be done in a phased and gradual manner. About management of top institutions like IITs, IIMs etc the Minister said that these will be managed by professionals only and will have no political linkages. In fact, he said that at present, no such institution is under political management. The Managers are either scientists, technocrats or industrialists who have something to do with technology.
Describing technology as a tool towards national progress, the Minister underlined the need to drastically enhance our technological manpower. The intake of engineering colleges has gone upto 3 ½ lakh at present, from one lakh. The number of engineering colleges have risen to 1600. Still this is not enough for a country like ours. Dr. Joshi also pointed out that if we have to borrow technology from west, then why have such institutions. He also said that Regional Engineering Colleges have a purpose and that is to meet the local requirements. He made it clear that science is universal and technology is not, except highly advanced ones. Hence, he urged these institutions to concentrate on developing original technology. We must become masters of our own technology, as technology is power and wealth, he added.
The Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri Digvijay Singh who addressed the meeting said that converting RECs into NITs was a great vision. It is because of such great institutions India is known globally for its technological prowess. keralamonitor.com
Grameen Sanchar Sewak Scheme
NEW DELHI - October 16, 2003 The Grameen Sanchar Sewak (GSS) Scheme is gaining popularity with around 80 lakh metered calls being made during the period from December 24, 2002 till the end of August, 2003. As per the available information, 1962 Grameen Dak Sewak Delivery Agents (GDSDAs) covering about 8200 villages have been provided with fixed wireless terminals having display facility in a carrybag to offer door-to-door facility to the villagers.
The Grameen Sanchar Sewak (GSS) Scheme was launched in December last year through a pilot scheme to provide WLL facilities to villages devoid of telecom facilities through rural postmen carrying WLL mobile phones. This pilot scheme has been implemented through the GDSDAs of the Department of Posts (DoP) to be called as 'Grameen Sanchar Sewaks' who were willing to work as franchisees for the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) attached to the rural post offices. The telephone facility has been provided to the villages through the GSSs who carry a mobile fixed wireless terminal (FWT) with display unit facility in a carrybag and visits door-to-door to provide telephone facility to the rural population in his routine beat in the villages. The FWT costing around Rs.10,000/- has been supplied by the BSNL. In this pilot project, 1800 GSSs have been selected to extend telephone facility in about 8000 villages of the country. The scheme has been implemented in all the telecom circles, except Andaman and Nicobar, Haryana and Punjab. The scheme is applicable on the existing STD/ISD/PCO franchisee basis. The GSSs are entitled to 20% commission on all outgoing calls whereas DoP is entitled to 5% commission. The GSSs can charge Rs.5/- for passing on the message to the concerned persons in the villages.
National Handloom Exposition - India Weaves 2003- opens tomorrow
NEW DELHI - October 16, 2003 The National Handloom Exposition India Weaves' 2003 opens at Dilli Hat here tomorrow. The exposition will showcase traditional handweaves & prints of about 120 handloom corporation/cooperatives/primary societies/NGOs spread all over the country. It provides small-scale & cottage industries, handlooms weavers and artisans from remote and tribal areas a platform to display and transact sales of their products. The exposition, ever since, its inception, has registered an impressive attendance from individual and bulk buyers alike. The Exposition is famous for its wide range of handloom products including bed linen, tableware, upholstery, furniture, fabrics, clothings, carpets, durries, shawls, kutra, etc. in different fabrics, weaves and prints.
Special attraction at the India Weaves' 2003 this year will be kurta corner, a NIFT Nook, live demonstrations of weaving loom in action and block printing. Special guided tours will be conducted to the International Food Plaza where the master weavers will display their skills in block printing. The visitors would be engaged to customize the printing according to their taste on the fabric of their choice. The NIFT Nook will showcase latest creations from NIFT designers. Besides getting the best handloom products, visitors will also enjoy cultural evenings and food plaza.
The annual exhibition organised by the Association of Corporations and Apex Societies of Handlooms (ACASH) is one of the most successful initiatives by the Development Commissioner Handlooms, Ministry of Textiles. The exhibition will continue till the end of this month. keralamonitor.com
Follow liberal policy towards Linguistics Minorities, suggests NCLM Report
NEW DELHI - October 16, 2003 The problems of linguistic minorities are more acute in the linguistic islands and border areas. This has been observed in the 38th Annual Report of the National Commissioner for Linguistics Minorities. The Report suggested a liberal policy to be followed so that linguistic minorities do not feel neglected. The Report has recommended that the State Governments may post such officials as can understand and express themselves in the minority language of that area. It also recommends that State Governments should not only fully implement the agreed norms and safeguards for linguistic minorities but even relax the minimum percentage of people for such relief. In one other recommendation, the Report says that action should be taken for development on Tribal languages so that this important section of population is not at a disadvantage. The Report also recommends that each State/ Union Territory should have a dependable machinery in the form of a Committee headed by a Senior Officer to monitor the actual implementation of safeguards and should include senior representatives of various departments concerned with these safeguards. Highlighting the importance of safeguards, the Report says that 16.89% the country's population is part of linguistic minority of one state or the other.
The 38th Annual Report pertains to the period from July 1999 to June 2000. It was placed in both Houses of Parliament during the recently concluded Monsoon Session after it has been presented to the President.
New Zealand invited to invest in India
Agreed minutes of India- New Zealand JTC signed
NEW DELHI - October 16, 2003 India has invited New Zealand companies to invest in the country, while underlining the ongoing liberlisation of India's FDI policy as well as the process of economic reforms undertaken to enhance the flow of FDI into India. This is indicated in the Agreed Minutes of the 8th India-New Zealand Joint Trade Committee, which was signed here on 14th October by Shri Vinay Bansal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, who led the Indian delegation and Dr. Richard Grant, Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs & Trade, who led the New Zealand delegation. Both sides have recognised the need for greater two-way investment flows. Dr. Grant said that New Zealand had no constraints on outbound investment and also had an open and transparent foreign investment regime.
The two sides agreed to give due consideration to each other's requests on market access issues. In response to India's request for reduction in tariffs on textiles, clothing and footwear, the New Zealand side informed that its tariff policy review outcome would provide positive results for these items. The New Zealand side reiterated its request for reduction in tariff on apples, sawn timber, fibreboard, food processing equipment, dairy machinery and commercial refrigerators and freezers. In turn, Indian side stated that it would examine whether apple imports could be facilitated during off-season, especially in south Indian markets.
The two sides exchanged views on regional trade and economic developments, including India's growing economic engagement with ASEAN and New Zealand's involvement in the AFTA/CER Closer Economic Partnership. Both sides also discussed WTO issues. Both sides noted that though progress had been made in bilateral trade, the present level still did not reflect the true trade potential between the two countries. Regarding supply of New Zealand food products to Indian market it was agreed that the representatives of New Zealand Safety Authority would meet their counterpart in the Ministry of Agriculture to clarify the certification procedures.
The cumulative investment from New Zealand has reached US $ 99.9 million from 1991 till June 2003. The Indian side invited participation of New Zealand in the prestigious multi-product international trade fair scheduled at New Delhi in November 2003 as also in the INDIASOFT 2004 in February 2004. It was agreed that the next meeting of the JTC would be held in New Zealand on a mutually convenient date.
The principal products of Indian export include cotton yarn, fabrics, made-up etc., gems & jewellery, drugs, pharmaceuticals & fine chemicals, inorganic, organic and agro chemicals etc. The major products of Indian import include wool raw, coal, coke and birquities, raw rides and skins, leather, wood and wood products, newsprint etc.
India and South Africa agree to share information on clean technologies and National Park Management
South Africa has evinced keen interest to learn from New Delhi's experience in curbing air pollution in the National Capital Territory through introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) driven public transport vehicles. This was disclosed by the visiting South African Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Shri V.M. Moosa when he called on the Union Minister for Environment & Forests Shri T.R. Baalu there. South Africa is the third highest per capita green house gas emitter in the world today. Shri Moosa said there is tremendous scope for the two countries to co-operate in the field of clean energy sources.
The two sides took stock of the situation that have taken place after the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) Johannesburg in South Africa from August 26 to September 4, 2002 as well as matters relating to Climate Change. It may be recalled that Shri Moosa was the Chairman of the Ministerial Group of WSSD and Shri Baalu is the current President of Conference of Parties (COP-8) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), both landmark international events.
Shri Baalu extended a personal invitation to Shri Moosa for participation in the Technology Bazaar to be held at New Delhi from November 10-13, 2003. The objective of this event is to showcase state-of-the-art environmentally sound technologies with focus on climate friendly technologies. It is expected that well known firms in renewable energy, energy from waste, resource conservation and energy efficiency segments would participate in the Bazaar. Shri Baalu also informed that a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Conference would be held to coincide with the event. Shri Moosa assured participation of South African industry in these events.
In the bankdrop of some recent cases where wild animals have strayed out of forest areas and killed human beings and destroyed crops, Shri Baalu wanted to know how South Africa has tackledsuch situations. Shri Moosa informed that over population of elephants was a problem for South Africa. While scientific work is going on to control the fertility of the pachyderms, migratory routes have been allowed in co-operation with neighbouring countries.
There are 89 National Parks and 500 Wildlife Sanctuaries in India covering almost all eco-systems. Since South Africa is known for its abundant wildlife as well as its eco-tourism opportunities within national parks and Sanctuaries, both the countries highlighted the need for mutual cooperation in the areas of management of National Parks and Wild Life. It was agreed to exchange information and visits of experts on standardized environmental practices for national park management and promotion of low impact high yield eco-tourism. Shri Moosa invited a delegation of experts from India to visit South Africa. Similarly one South Afrcian wild life expert would soon visit India. keralamonitor.com
An umbrella legislation to provide labour protection, medical care, old age pension and insurance cover to the workers in the unorganized sector is on the anvil-PM
PM's employment programmes, quadrilateral road link network, rivers link project will generate employment in the unorganized sector- Dr. Sahib Singh
39th session of the Indian Labour Conference to discuss report of the Second National Commission on Labour, S.P Gupta Report on employment generation and social security issues pertaining to the EPF and ESIC
Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee while inaugurating the 39th Indian Labour Conference has said that the Government is fully aware that providing basic social security to the workers in the unorganized sector continues to be the biggest challenge before it. He said that the Central and some State Governments have set up welfare funds for different categories of occupations. The recently announced Universal Health Scheme and Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana cover the workers in the unorganized sector as well. An umbrella legislation to provide labour protection, medical care, old age pension and insurance cover to the workers in the unorganized sector is also on the anvil. He also urged the workers organizations to make these segments of our workforce a major focus of their activity.
Shri Vajpayee said that it is an occasion to revisit some of the issues that have figured prominently in the debate on economic reforms in recent years. He added, that 'I have come to the conclusion that India has suffered much because of the three types of beliefs. First, the belief that held that private enterprise is only for maximizing wealth for the employers. Second, the belief that held that there is a fundamental contradiction between the class of employers and the class of employees. Thirdly, there was the belief among some in the government - and that belief is still there to some extent - that their job is to control everything, and not to facilitate investment and growth. We have to change this mindset, we should replace it with a single overriding belief - namely, that faster growth in all sectors of the economy, and in all regions of our vast country, is critical for faster eradication of poverty.'
Union Labour Minister Dr Sahib Singh in his address said that employment generation is our first priority and with all-round development in the economic front, PM's programme for employment generation, quadrilateral road link project and river linking project will generate enormous employment in the country. We hope to fulfill the commitment of one crore employment in the country every year. . Dr. Sahib Singh said the skill development of the workforce is also an essential input not only to increase employability but also to increase the productivity and income level of the workers. Therefore, we have made special efforts to further expand and reorient the vocational training facilities . We have taken up the ambitious plan to set up 1000 IITs. He said that he has raised the issue of setting up and International Skill Development Fund in the last session of the International Labour Conference at Geneva.
Labour Minister also informed the conference that all out efforts are being made to provide social security to the workers through EPFO and ESIC. Recently, we have taken up a new project to construct one lakh houses for EPF subscribers. This will be a new dimension to social security to the workers. Dr. Sahib Singh allayed fears on contract labour Act saying that this will not be amended at the cost of social security measures. He said in fact social security measures will be strengthened even in case of fix term employment. The Minister informed the Conference about the expansion of the National Child Labour Programme and said that the NCLP has been extended to 150 new districts in addition to existing 100 ones and an allocation of over 600 crores has been provided in the Tenth Plan for this purpose.
The Labour Secretary Dr. P.D Shenoy delivered the welcome speech and said that the Indian Labour Conference is considered the Labour Parliament of India. He also outlined the proposed agenda of the conference. He said that as the focus of economic activities has shifted from organized to unorganized sector, the Conference is primarily going to discuss issues relating to them as arisen out of the recommendations of the Second National Labour Commission.
The Confrence was also addressed by workers' representative Shri HashuBhai Dave and employers' representative Shri C.P Jain. Shri Dave in his speech referred to the problems faced by the unorganized workers namely in realm of social security measures, right to strike, disinvestments and rising unemployment. He felt that there is a need to focus on the development of small scale industries.
The employers representative Shri C.P Jain emphasized the need of Government employers participation for all round development. He also highlighted the contribution being made by Public Sector Undertakings in the economic development of the Nation.
Shri K.C Pant, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission also attended the Inaugural function. The Conference is being attended by large number of State Labour Ministers, Workers' representatives, employers' representatives, senior labour officials from State Governments, official from Labour Ministry, representatives from several Central Ministries and International Organisations. Shri Baleshwar Rai, Additional Secretary proposed the vote of thanks.
World Food Day observedAgriculture Secretary asks multilateral agencies to amend aid disbursement practices
The Agriculture Secretary has called upon multilateral agencies to suitably amend their aid disbursement practices to facilitate more active participation of newly emerging aid providing countries like India. Shri R.C.A Jain was speaking at a function here today on the occasion of the 28th World Food Day. He said that many of the multilateral agencies have protocols and over-heads which countries like India can ill-afford. The Agriculture Secretary said that India clearly foresees a steadily increasing role for itself in providing assistance for multi- pronged and multifarious strategies of providing adequate food. The country has agreements on co-operation in the field of agriculture with a number of countries from the African Continent. These agreements provide for technical and material assistance for development of agriculture in such countries. In countries like Senegal and Somalia, such interventions have contributed significantly to boosting agricultural production and endowing the local farming communities with the requisite self-confidence to feed their countrymen. India is also actively involved in FAO's Programme of South-South Cooperation for food security and India's Missions are in active service in countries like Eritrea and Mozambique under the aegis of the FAO for development of local agriculture.
The Agriculture Secretary also stressed the need to enlarge the scope of food security and hunger alleviation. Pointing out that improvement in the per capita availability of food has not resulted in commensurate improvement in the quality of life, he called for large scale interventions to put in place an efficient and equitable public distribution system and address the problem of water scarcity for human and cattle consumption. Shri R.C.A.Jain also called for putting more emphasis on some long-term remedial measures as integral components of the fight against hunger. These include accelerated development of agriculture, evolution of location specific strategies of sustainable development particularly water management, over-all rural development and putting in place viable food safety nets.
Earlier, the Agriculture Secretary distributed awards and certificates to the winners of essay and elocution competitions held on the occasion of the World Food Day. Children from various Delhi Schools took part in these competitions. The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Department of Food and Public Distribution and the Food and Nutrition Board brought out special issues of their magazines on the occasion. An exhibition was also organized to highlight various aspects relating to the World Food Day.
The function was organized by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Food and Agriculture Organisaion and Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti. The theme of this year's World Food Day is "International Alliance Against Hunger". The World Food Day is observed on the foundation day of the FAO. It seeks to focus attention on global food and nutritional security. According to the estimates of the FAO , out of more than 800 million under-nourished people in the world, 294 million are in South Asia. More than 51 per cent of the under nourished in the below 5 year age group belongs to this region.
Tamil Nadu gets funds for watershed development
Ministry of Rural Development has released Rs. 328.76 lakh for planning and development of Watershed Projects to various districts of Tamil Nadu during 2003-04.
An amount of Rs. 287.86 lakh has been released to six districts under Drought Prone Areas Programme(DPAP). Out of this amount, Virudhnagar district gets Rs. 108.22 lakh, Trichirapalli - Rs. 6.75 lakh, Tiruvanamalai - Rs. 8.91 lakh, Karur - Rs. 14.36 lakh, Vellore - Rs. 39.88 lakh and Toothkudi district gets Rs. 109.71 lakh for implementation of Watershed Development Programme. The basic objective of the programme is to minimize the adverse effects of drought on the production of crops, livestock and productivity of land, water and human resources thereby ultimately leading to the drought proofing of the affected areas.
An amount of Rs. 40.90 lakh has been released for Watershed Development under Integrated Wastelands Development Project (IWDP) to Madurai district as second instalment of funds.
International Meet of Defence Universities begins
The 7th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Meet of Heads of Defence Universities, Institutions and Colleges has begun in New Delhi. The three-day meet will discuss the role of the military in providing assistance to the civil administration during natural calamities. It will also discuss the role of UN peace keeping forces which have assumed greater prominence since the end of the cold war.
Inaugurating the International meet Lt Gen SS Chahal, Commandant National Defence College said that the security environment world over is rapidly changing with resultant fallouts in the Asia-Pacific region. He stressed the need to evolve a consensual and complementary approach to tackle issues of common concern and cope with the present day challenges. He called for synergising our actions and expressed the hope that the meet will contribute towards developing military to military relations among the member countries of ARF significantly.
Outlining that the natural disasters are not confined to national boundaries he emphasized the need to evolve a framework and contingency plan which should be based on anticipation, accurate forecasting, preventive measures and timely relief. He said that the fall out of natural disaster could be substantially reduced which mutual cooperation, sharing of experiences and technical expertise.
Lt Gen Chahal commended the role of UN peace keeping forces in different parts of the world. He said wherever aberrations have occurred we need to take note of them and draw lessons for the future.
The meet is being attended by 19 countries, which include 8 ASEAN members and 11 dialogue partners. The major participants are Australia, China, European Union, Japan, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Myanmar. The ARF was formed in 1994 with a view to foster constructive dialogue and consultation on political and security issues of common concern. The forum also aims at making significant contributions towards instituting confidence building measures.
The 6th ARF Meet of heads of defence institutions was held at Moscow in September 2002. The current meet is being conducted by National Defence College, New Delhi.
Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2002 on schedule
The Union Public Service Commission will hold the Civil Services (Main) Examination from 25th October to 22nd November, 2002 as scheduled. It has been clarified by the UPSC that there is no change in the Examination schedule.Relaxations in quality norms for procurement of paddy in Bihar and Orissa
The Government has relaxed the quality norms for procurement of paddy under Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations for the farmers of Bihar and Orissa. This has been done to mitigate the hardship of farmers of these two States and on the request of the State Governments. The Government procuring agencies in Bihar and Orissa have been allowed to procure paddy containing damaged, discoloured, sprouted and weevilled grains upto 5 per cent against 3 per cent provided under the Uniform Specifications of paddy for the Kharif Marketing Season 2003-2004. Besides, the maximum limit in respect of immature, shrunken and shrivelled grains have beeen allowed upto 5 per cent against the limit of 3 per cent.
This relaxation will be applicable with immediate effect and will protect the farmers from the distress sale of paddy in these two States. On account of widespread rains and floods in most of the paddy growing areas of Bihar and Orissa this year, the standing paddy crop has been reported to be damaged which has affected the quality of the paddy. Such paddy was not found to be conforming to Fair Average Quality (FAO) norms prescribed by the Government.National Tax Tribunal Ordinance promulgated
The National Tax Tribunal Ordinance, 2003 (Ordinance 3 of 2003) was promulgated by the President today. The Ordinance will pave the way for the establishment of the National Tax Tribunal. The Tribunal will be headed by a retired Judge of the Supreme Court or a retired Chief Justice of a High Court.
The Tribunal will hear appeals on substantial questions of law against the decisions of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal and the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal. The references and appeals under the Direct and Indirect Taxes pending in the High Courts would stand transferred to the National Tax Tribunal once it is established.
