Question hour reverted to normal slot

Having failed to find acceptance among the major political parties for conduct of question hour in the afternoon, the Rajya Sabha on Monday reverted back to the original practice of conducting the same as the first business of the day.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari took the initiative to shift question hour to the afternoon slot following continued disruption of House business in the morning. However, the experiment could not find favour with different political parties.

Even as the House returned to the old practice, the Opposition forced adjournment on various issues soon after the Chairman read out the obituary statement on the opening day of the Session.

MCI amendment Bill tabled in Lok Sabha

The government on Tuesday introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha seeking to increase the tenure of the Board of Governors of the Medical Council of India (MCI) from one to two years.

The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2011, provides for extending the board's tenure till May 2012. It was introduced by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare S. Gandhiselvan.

The Indian Medical Council Act was amended after the MCI was dissolved in 2010 following the arrest of its then president, Ketan Desai, by the CBI on corruption charges.

The MCI was replaced with a board, which was reconstituted in May this year by extending its term through an ordinance.

The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill was necessitated by delay in enactment of legislation to set up a National Commission for Human Resources for Health (NCHRH).

C. Rangarajan, chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, on Tuesday favoured decontrolling diesel prices.

Addressing reporters on the sidelines of the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Indian Overseas Bank, Mr. Rangarajan said: “At some convenient point, we should really start the process of deregulation of diesel prices” as they should reflect international crude prices.

Asked about the Index of Industrial Production that had a slower growth rate in the first quarter of this year, he said the IIP figures were expected to pick up later this year. “We expect it will pick up in the second half and reach about 7.5 per cent,” he said.

To a query on whether the Reserve Bank of India would continue to hike the lending rates, Mr. Rangarajan said the RBI strategy would hinge on the behaviour of inflation.

“If that [inflation] does not come down, then the present policy [by the RBI] will continue,” he said.

Former Foreign Secretary and U.S. Ambassador-designate Nirupama Rao has been selected for the annual award instituted by the Sree Chithira Tirunal Trust for the year 2011. The award comprises Rs.1 lakh and a citation.

Former U.S. Ambassador T.P. Sreenivasan, who was the chairman of the judging committee, said Ms. Rao was chosen for the award for her role in shaping the country's foreign policy and her deep understanding of the India-China border issues. The jury included educationist N.A. Karim, Cochin Port Trust trustee P.K.R. Nair, Sree Chithira Tirunal Trust chairman T. Raveendran Thampi, and managing trustee T. Satheesh Kumar. Mr. Sreenivasan said the date of the function would be announced later.

Audi to start used car business in India by year-end

Gurgaon: German luxury car maker Audi today said it will start operations for its used car business in India by the end of this year, expecting it to account for up to 20 per cent of its new car sales in future.

Air India incurred loss of over 5,500 cr in 2009-10

New Delhi: National carrier Air India incurred a loss of over Rs 5,500 crore during the 2009-10 fiscal, the government said today.

Brahmasree Malliyoor Sankaran Namboothiri passed away

Eminent Sanskrit scholar and Bhagavatham proponent Malliyoor Sankaran Namboothiri passed away in Kuruppanthara,near Kottayam‘Bhagavata-Hamsam’ Brahmasree Malliyoor Shankaran Namboothiri (91) was a well known proponent of ritual narration of Bhagavatam-stories.
Obama Signs Bill To Raise Debt Ceiling
US President Barack Obama signed an agreement raising the US Government’s debt ceiling The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 74 to 26 The new law instantly authorized the Treasury to borrow an additional $400 bn, with additional borrowing allowed later The Bill also planned to reduce the nation’s $14.3 trillion deficit by at least $2.1 trillion over 10 years After an intense debate for weeks, the House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 269 to 161 As per the bill, a bipartisan committee in Congress to work in order to find further savings in federal budgets..
New Chairperson of NCW: Mamta Sharma
New chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW): Mamta Sharma Succeeded Ms Girija Vyas Ms Sharma was a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly and President of Rajasthan State Women Congress Committee.

26th Asian Men’s Elite Boxing Championship starts in South Korea

The 26th Asian Men’s Elite Boxing Championships starts in Inchio, South Korea 160 boxers from 23 nations entered the Asian Boxing Confederation’s biggest event of the year 10-member Indian squad is participating in the tournament The Indian squad consists qualified athletes such as Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Amandeep Singh, talented Santosh Harijan, Asian Championships silver medalist Jai Bhagwan Singh, Beijing Olympian Dinesh Kumar and Commonwealth Games winner Paramjeet Samota .

NSSF: National Social Security Fund

NSSF approved by the Union Cabinet of India NSSF intended for unorganized sectors, likely to profit 43.3 crore workers in the unorganized sector.