Huge asteroid to fly close to earth on November 8

Mark your calendars for November 8, because that’s when a massive asteroid will sweep past the Earth.The asteroid called 2005 YU55 has a diameter of 1,300 feet and will approach the planet at 0.85 lunar distances.Due the object’s size and whisking by so close to Earth, an extensive campaign of radar, visual and infrared observations is being planned.

Eliminating endosulfan - Opinion

The decision of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants to include the pesticide endosulfan in the list of chemicals scheduled for elimination at the global level is a positive step. For the controversial insecticide to be replaced with benign alternatives, though, it is critical that official policy makes the development of low cost substitutes a priority. India has done well to reiterate its commitment to the phasing out of pollutants, which includes polychlorinated biphenyls, under the Convention. It has come up with a National Implementation Plan to cleanse the environment, while admitting that POPs have been found in human and animal blood and tissues, in the environment, and in foods. Given the evidence linking such chemicals to cancer, birth defects, diminished intelligence, and reduced immunity, there is a strong case to adopt the precautionary principle on the use of endosulfan. It is indeed significant that the World Health Organisation has classified this organochlorine insecticide as “moderately hazardous” and the POP Review Committee of the Stockholm Convention recommended its elimination on the ground that it could have adverse effects on human health and the environment.

Notification of Slums

‘Slums’ is a State subject. The data of notified slums is maintained by the State Governments. However, the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) has published a report namely “Some Characteristics of Urban Slum 2008-2009” based on its 65^th round sample survey on conditions of slum in the country. According to the NSS Report details of notified and non-notified slums in 10 States is annexed at Annexure-1. The Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation had set up a Committee to look into various aspects of Slum Statistics/Census and issues regarding conduct of slum Census 2011. The Committee has estimated the slum population in 2001 at 75.26 million and the State-wise details are as per Annexure-2.

Implementation of USHA Scheme

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation is implementing the Central Scheme of ‘Urban Statistics for Human Resource and Assessments (USHA)’ which aims at the development and maintenance of national database, MIS and knowledge repository relating to urban poverty, slums, housing, construction and other urbanization-related statistics in line with the national emphasis of strengthening statistical base of policies and programmes. Its key objective is to support the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and other Ministries with an information base and knowledge inputs for the purpose of planning, policy-making, project design, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, particularly in the context of programmes relating to urban poverty, slums and housing.

Encourage Organ Donation: Azad

The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad has called for stepping up the drive to generate awareness about organ and tissue donation in the society. The Minister noted that there is a huge gap between demand and availability of human organs and tissues. Shri Azad today released a book published by the Organ Retrieval Banking Organization of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, titled – “A Tribute to Life”. The book features the donors and their families who have taken the crucial decision of donating organs and tissues of their near and dear ones and rendered yeomen service to society by saving lives of many other people in need.

Vice-President Delivers 2nd UPSC Lecture on Governance; Calls for out-of-box thinking on Quality of Higher Civil Service

The Vice-President, Shri M. Hamid Ansari today called for out-of-the-box thinking on quality and content issues pertaining to our higher civil services. He was delivering the second lecture of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Lecture Series on Governance in New Delhi today. The lecture series aims at providing a forum for raising issues of contemporary relevance to governance and public administration. Shri Ansari said that the higher civil services in the country, therefore, must be role models of elite behaviour upholding the Rule of Law. This is not a homily; it is part of our constitutional scheme of things and a professional and moral obligation of a civil servant to the nation and to the citizens, he said. 

Tagore - The Poet, Songwriter, Philosopher, Artist and Educator

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) was the youngest son of Debendranath Tagore, a leader of the Brahmo Samaj. Rabindranath Tagore was born in Calcutta into a wealthy and prominent family.  His grandfather had established a huge financial empire for himself.  Tagore received his early education first from tutors and then at a variety of schools. Among them were Bengal Academy where he studied history and culture. and then  University College, London, where he studied law but left a year later for unlikeness of the weather.