1. Union Government launched integrated women safety mobile app called Himmat
Union Government launched integrated women safety
mobile app called Himmat. The app was launched by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi.
Himmat is a mobile application of Delhi Police that will allow women to send a distress call to Police Control Room and their relatives in case of any emergency.
About Himmat App
• The app can be downloaded free of cost from the Delhi Police website - www.delhipolice.nic.in and also from the Google Play Store.
• The app is available on Android platform of smart phones and who put up in Delhi.
• A new user has to register with the Delhi Police website by sharing their name, mobile number and that of a minimum of two relatives or friends after the downloading the App.
• Once the User registers, the user will get a SMS on mobile number given at the time of registration with a download link and registration key. User has to enter this key in the registration window in the application, which is a one-time process.
• In case of an emergency, the user can send an alert by shaking her phone or by pressing the power button/soft button.
• Once the distress button is pressed, the app will start a 30-second audio and video recording on the phone which will be relayed to the Police Control Room (PCR) and the victim will get a call back from the PCR.
• An SMS alert will also be sent to minimum of five friends and relatives of the user and a status will be posted on his Facebook and Twitter timeline which will be connected to the App.
• All the details of the victim, including location and time will be transmitted simultaneously by the Police Control Room to the Police Patrol cars in the area and the local Station House Officer (SHO) through the Delhi Police Cyber Highway.
• It also has a help section that helps users how to use each section of the app and also has Safety Tips section, and First aid tips for women to help them in times of crisis.
• The app is to be used only when there is a threat to Life and Limb. Any false alerts will lead to cancellation of the registration after 3 such (False SOS alerts) incidents.
2. Koppillil Radhakrishnan retired as ISRO chief
Koppillil Radhakrishnan retired as the Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) . He was appointed as the Chairman of the organization in October 2009 as successor of G. Madhavan Nair.
Earlier, Radhakrishnan’s tenure as ISRO chief, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Space Commission was extended by four months in August 2014 till 31 December 2014.
Shailesh Nayak, a Secretary, Union Earth Sciences Ministry, will hold additional and interim charge as Chairman for a month or until a regular chief is named.
3. India's manufacturing PMI surges to two-year high of 54.5 in Dec: HSBC
The New Year has given a new hope for the manufacturing sector, as the HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) zoomed to two-year high of 54.5 in December against 53.3 in November.
The rise to due to combination of good orders both from home and abroad.
The PMI is a measure of factory production and based on the data compiled from monthly replies to questionnaires sent to purchasing executives in around 500 manufacturing companies. Index above 50 shows expansion, while below 50 indicates a decline.
4. French Economist Thomas Piketty turns down France’s top award
French economist Thomas Piketty has turned down France’s top award, the Legion D’Honneur.
He is the bestselling author of book Capital in the 21st Century which examines income inequality in society.
Earlier in 2014, cartoonist Jacques Tardi had turned down this award. Others who have refused this award include philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and radiology pioneers Pierre and Marie Curie.
Officier de la Legion d’Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour) is the highest award among Civilians and Military conferred by France upon French citizen as well as foreigners.
Some facts: Indian luminaries who have been decorated with France highest honor are Satyajit Ray, Lata Mangeshkar, Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan.
5. Former MoS for External Affairs Kamala Sinha passes away
Former Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kamala Sinha passed away in Syracuse, New York in US. She was 82.
About Kamala Sinha
She was born in Dhaka (now in Bangladesh) on 30 September 1932. She is grandniece of Jan Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.
She was married to freedom fighter and Bihar minister Late Basawan Singh, a native of Vaishali district, Bihar. She was initiated into politics by her husband.
6. 'Rethink on priority sector lending target necessary'
The Centre is doing a rethink on the target for priority sector lending and the issue is one of six topics that will be taken up for discussion and deliberation by bank and financial institution chiefs at the Gyan Sangam, which kicked off in Pune today.
“Since 1972, the 40 per cent target has remained constant and there is surely need for change in line with the recommendations of bankers and as regulators prepare a new prescription for PSL," Dr Hasmukh Adhia, Secretary, Department of Financial Services, said.
He was briefing reporters on the subjects that would be discussed at the two-day retreat for banks and financial institutions that will help prepare a draft for reforms in the financial sector.
Elaborating on the subject of universal financial inclusion, Adhia said in the last three months since the launch of the Jan Dhan Yojana, 10.3 crore new bank accounts had been opened, and 98.4 per cent of households had been covered by the scheme. Of these, 79.7 per cent had been given the Rupay card.
The Government was trying to get the Aadhaar card numbers seeded with bank accounts. Around 33 per cent of seeding has been achieved, he said, adding that the question now was how to keep the accounts active.
The other issues that needed to be addressed was how to mobilise the savings rate from 30 to 35 per cent using the accounts as channels for direct transfer and pension and insurance products and leveraging technology to improve banking technology.
7. Five new countries join UNSC as non-permanent members
With the start of a new year, five new countries - Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Venezuela and Spain - have begun their two-year term, replacing Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, South Korea and Rwanda.
Octavio Errazuriz, permanent representative of Chile to the UN, took over the rotating council presidency from Cherif Mahamat Zene, the Chadian UN ambassador who held the council presidency for December 2014.
According to the UN Charter, the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council are elected by the General Assembly, with five elected in October each year, to join the five permanent and veto-wielding members of Britain, China, France, Russia and the US.
8. Ashok Prasad appointed special secretary in Ministry of Home Affairs
Senior IPS officer Ashok Prasad has been appointed as the new Special Secretary of Home Ministry's crucial Internal Security division, a post which was vacant after Prakash Mishra was appointed as head of CRPF.
9. Suresh Prabhu initiates Rail reforms, decentralises tender process
In a major initiative to bring transparency and speed up decisions on tenders, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has dissociated himself from the process and empowered zonal railways and heads of production units to finalise them.
Currently, railways is plagued by long delays in tendering-related decisions. According to the new directions, considered the first step towards internal reforms in railways fiscal administration, all cases for acceptance of works and stores tenders, which as per extant delegations are referred to Railway Board, will now be dealt with and finalised by Zonal Railways and Production Units.
Full powers have been delegated to General Managers and Director Generals of production units as tender authority in this regard, said an official statement.
The step is expected to put General Managers and heads of PSUs in the driver's seat with regard to tendering process.
According to the new guidelines, in respect of stores and works tenders which are to be invited solely by Railway Board, it has been decided that for tenders up to Rs 500 crore, Tender Committee will consist of concerned Executive Directors and will be accepted at the level of concerned Additional Members who will be the Tender Accepting Authority.
For tenders valuing more than Rs 500 crore, Tender Committee will be at Additional Member level and Tender Accepting Authority will be the concerned Board Member.
For tenders being accepted at the level of Executive Directors and below, the existing practice will continue.
1. Union Government launched integrated women safety mobile app called Himmat
Union Government launched integrated women safety
mobile app called Himmat. The app was launched by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi.
Himmat is a mobile application of Delhi Police that will allow women to send a distress call to Police Control Room and their relatives in case of any emergency.
About Himmat App
• The app can be downloaded free of cost from the Delhi Police website - www.delhipolice.nic.in and also from the Google Play Store.
• The app is available on Android platform of smart phones and who put up in Delhi.
• A new user has to register with the Delhi Police website by sharing their name, mobile number and that of a minimum of two relatives or friends after the downloading the App.
• Once the User registers, the user will get a SMS on mobile number given at the time of registration with a download link and registration key. User has to enter this key in the registration window in the application, which is a one-time process.
• In case of an emergency, the user can send an alert by shaking her phone or by pressing the power button/soft button.
• Once the distress button is pressed, the app will start a 30-second audio and video recording on the phone which will be relayed to the Police Control Room (PCR) and the victim will get a call back from the PCR.
• An SMS alert will also be sent to minimum of five friends and relatives of the user and a status will be posted on his Facebook and Twitter timeline which will be connected to the App.
• All the details of the victim, including location and time will be transmitted simultaneously by the Police Control Room to the Police Patrol cars in the area and the local Station House Officer (SHO) through the Delhi Police Cyber Highway.
• It also has a help section that helps users how to use each section of the app and also has Safety Tips section, and First aid tips for women to help them in times of crisis.
• The app is to be used only when there is a threat to Life and Limb. Any false alerts will lead to cancellation of the registration after 3 such (False SOS alerts) incidents.
2. Koppillil Radhakrishnan retired as ISRO chief
Koppillil Radhakrishnan retired as the Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) . He was appointed as the Chairman of the organization in October 2009 as successor of G. Madhavan Nair.
Earlier, Radhakrishnan’s tenure as ISRO chief, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Space Commission was extended by four months in August 2014 till 31 December 2014.
Shailesh Nayak, a Secretary, Union Earth Sciences Ministry, will hold additional and interim charge as Chairman for a month or until a regular chief is named.
3. India's manufacturing PMI surges to two-year high of 54.5 in Dec: HSBC
The New Year has given a new hope for the manufacturing sector, as the HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) zoomed to two-year high of 54.5 in December against 53.3 in November.
The rise to due to combination of good orders both from home and abroad.
The PMI is a measure of factory production and based on the data compiled from monthly replies to questionnaires sent to purchasing executives in around 500 manufacturing companies. Index above 50 shows expansion, while below 50 indicates a decline.
4. French Economist Thomas Piketty turns down France’s top award
French economist Thomas Piketty has turned down France’s top award, the Legion D’Honneur.
He is the bestselling author of book Capital in the 21st Century which examines income inequality in society.
Earlier in 2014, cartoonist Jacques Tardi had turned down this award. Others who have refused this award include philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and radiology pioneers Pierre and Marie Curie.
Officier de la Legion d’Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour) is the highest award among Civilians and Military conferred by France upon French citizen as well as foreigners.
Some facts: Indian luminaries who have been decorated with France highest honor are Satyajit Ray, Lata Mangeshkar, Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan.
5. Former MoS for External Affairs Kamala Sinha passes away
Former Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kamala Sinha passed away in Syracuse, New York in US. She was 82.
About Kamala Sinha
She was born in Dhaka (now in Bangladesh) on 30 September 1932. She is grandniece of Jan Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.
She was married to freedom fighter and Bihar minister Late Basawan Singh, a native of Vaishali district, Bihar. She was initiated into politics by her husband.
6. 'Rethink on priority sector lending target necessary'
The Centre is doing a rethink on the target for priority sector lending and the issue is one of six topics that will be taken up for discussion and deliberation by bank and financial institution chiefs at the Gyan Sangam, which kicked off in Pune today.
“Since 1972, the 40 per cent target has remained constant and there is surely need for change in line with the recommendations of bankers and as regulators prepare a new prescription for PSL," Dr Hasmukh Adhia, Secretary, Department of Financial Services, said.
He was briefing reporters on the subjects that would be discussed at the two-day retreat for banks and financial institutions that will help prepare a draft for reforms in the financial sector.
Elaborating on the subject of universal financial inclusion, Adhia said in the last three months since the launch of the Jan Dhan Yojana, 10.3 crore new bank accounts had been opened, and 98.4 per cent of households had been covered by the scheme. Of these, 79.7 per cent had been given the Rupay card.
The Government was trying to get the Aadhaar card numbers seeded with bank accounts. Around 33 per cent of seeding has been achieved, he said, adding that the question now was how to keep the accounts active.
The other issues that needed to be addressed was how to mobilise the savings rate from 30 to 35 per cent using the accounts as channels for direct transfer and pension and insurance products and leveraging technology to improve banking technology.
7. Five new countries join UNSC as non-permanent members
With the start of a new year, five new countries - Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Venezuela and Spain - have begun their two-year term, replacing Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, South Korea and Rwanda.
Octavio Errazuriz, permanent representative of Chile to the UN, took over the rotating council presidency from Cherif Mahamat Zene, the Chadian UN ambassador who held the council presidency for December 2014.
According to the UN Charter, the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council are elected by the General Assembly, with five elected in October each year, to join the five permanent and veto-wielding members of Britain, China, France, Russia and the US.
8. Ashok Prasad appointed special secretary in Ministry of Home Affairs
Senior IPS officer Ashok Prasad has been appointed as the new Special Secretary of Home Ministry's crucial Internal Security division, a post which was vacant after Prakash Mishra was appointed as head of CRPF.
9. Suresh Prabhu initiates Rail reforms, decentralises tender process
In a major initiative to bring transparency and speed up decisions on tenders, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has dissociated himself from the process and empowered zonal railways and heads of production units to finalise them.
Currently, railways is plagued by long delays in tendering-related decisions. According to the new directions, considered the first step towards internal reforms in railways fiscal administration, all cases for acceptance of works and stores tenders, which as per extant delegations are referred to Railway Board, will now be dealt with and finalised by Zonal Railways and Production Units.
Full powers have been delegated to General Managers and Director Generals of production units as tender authority in this regard, said an official statement.
The step is expected to put General Managers and heads of PSUs in the driver's seat with regard to tendering process.
According to the new guidelines, in respect of stores and works tenders which are to be invited solely by Railway Board, it has been decided that for tenders up to Rs 500 crore, Tender Committee will consist of concerned Executive Directors and will be accepted at the level of concerned Additional Members who will be the Tender Accepting Authority.
For tenders valuing more than Rs 500 crore, Tender Committee will be at Additional Member level and Tender Accepting Authority will be the concerned Board Member.
For tenders being accepted at the level of Executive Directors and below, the existing practice will continue.
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