15 OCTOBER 2014: India n Norway inks 13 Pacts

Ø  As many as 13 agreements were signed between Indian and Norwegian entities on the second and concluding day of President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to this Scandinavian nation. The agreements, which range from a statement of intent between the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment and setting up a state-of-the-art fish farming unit outside Delhi, also had IIT-Kanpur, Hyderabad University and several other educational institutions reaching accord with their Norwegian counterparts. The President, in his address to a joint business gathering, announced that Norwegian tourists would soon be given the visa-on-arrival facility, even as Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said Oslo would open a new consulate in Mumbai. As Mr. Mukherjee suggested that Norway’s $900-billion pension fund would increase its exposure to India, given the new Narendra Modi government’s intent to create an enabling business climate, Ms. Solberg said pension fund decisions were made independently of the government. The President hoped that there would be an “early conclusion” to ongoing talks for a free trade and investment agreement between India and the four-nation European Free Trade Association, of which Norway is a key member. Referring to the Modi government’s pitch to “Make in India,” Mr. Mukherjee said, “the Indian government is committed to a business-friendly environment — impediment-free, predictable, facilitatory and transparent.” At a separate press briefing, Ms. Solberg said the Norwegian government did not direct private investment but played the role of a “service provider” to business ventures.

Ø  Among the bills up for consideration in the winter session of Parliament is the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment (CLPRA) Bill, pending since December 2012. The proposed amendments to the Act will for the first time ban employment of children below 14 years in any occupation, bringing the law in consistency with the Right to Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009. The Bill prohibits employment of adolescents aged 14-18 years in hazardous occupations. The Ministry had sought public comments on the CLPRA Bill 2012 this June. A majority of the changes in the proposed Bill are the same as those in the Bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha by UPA Minister for Labour and Employment Mallikarjun Kharge in December 2012.

Ø  An inspector with the Jammu and Kashmir Police has bagged the International Female Police Peacekeeper Award 2014 instituted by the U.N. for her “exceptional achievements” while serving with the U.N. mission in Afghanistan. Shakti Devi, 38, currently deployed in the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), was also cited for her efforts towards helping victims of sexual and gender-based violence. The award is instituted by the U.N. Police Division.