3 SEPTEMBER 2014: Govt. committee 2 reform Green Laws!!!

Ø  As he wrapped up a packed Japan visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared to be on a mission — hard-selling India and “Indian-ness,” depending on his audience. If he declared that India was replacing “red tape” with “red carpet” to businesspersons, he expounded on the Bhagvad Gita, the merits of eating together as a family and even sari-wearing competitions to the expatriate community later in the day. Mr. Modi spoke at five events, including at a women’s university, the India-Japan Association and a Nikkei-organised gathering.

Ø  The Union Human Resource Development Ministry will soon draw up a list of schools and colleges with alumni who won accolades as great scientists, scholars and legends globally, and help upgrade and restore these institutions. The exercise, to be carried out in collaboration with the States, has a twin purpose — it will honour the alma mater of these accomplished persons and also help to resurrect these institutions. The States have been asked to collate information on these institutions which have famous alumni but are in need of financial aid or general upgrade. “There are many such institutions in the country from where people like physicist and Nobel laureate C.V. Raman, genius mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan or the famous physicist Satyendra Nath Bose graduated from, but need rejuvenation. We need to find out the condition of their physical infrastructure and how well their education programmes are being run. The Ministry will offer financial help and logistical support to the schools and colleges,” said a senior official in the Ministry.

Ø  The former Attorney-General of India G.E. Vahanvati died in Mumbai following a heart attack. Mr. Vahanvati was appointed as the 13th AG from June 2009 for a three-year term.

Ø  A four-member high-level committee has been set up under the former Cabinet Secretary T.S.R. Subramanian to examine five laws administered by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change. The five laws to be put under the scanner are Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980; Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974; and The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

Ø  The Centre unveiled a kala-azar rapid diagnosis kit as part of its strategy to combat the disease which predominantly strike Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh. The kit developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) was released by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.