Blood Donation Camp by VOSS92 on Gandhi Jayanti-News covered by esteemed the Samaj on dtd 30th October 2015, Pg-13

VOSS92 wishes many many happy returns of the day to dear Jayashree Sahu(Zoology) & Dr.Sushree Mishra(Hist) on World Heart Day.All members are wished to take care of their heart.

Members of VOSS92 wish happy birthday to dear Arjun Biswal(Stat) & Dr.Jayanta Parida(Pol.Sci)

Members of VOSS92 wish happy birthday to dear Dr.Jatin Mohanty(Hist), Executive Member, VOSS92.

Members of VOSS 92 wish a happy birthday to dear Minati Das(Hist)

Members of VOSS-92 wish happy birthday to Dr.Bharati Pal(Hist) & Snigdha Das(Pol.Sci)

Blood Donation Camp 2015 will be organised by VOSS 92 on Gandhi Jayanti @ OAS Association, Kharvela Nagar.

A preparatory meeting for Blood Donation Camp has been arranged on 19th Sept 2015 at the residence of Asst.Secy, (Samita Panda). Manoj Deo, Vice President has presided the meeting and Babita Kar, Secy,  & Pranab Kumar Das, Treasurer,  briefed about the financial status of VOSS &  prepared the estimate  for the camp in consultation with all advisory & executive body  members. Members have been requested in the meeting to pass on the message to all members residing at Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri & Khurda to participate as volunteers for smooth arrangement of the camp. It is expected that about 100 donors from different colleges of  Bhubaneswar will participate in the camp voluntarily . Vice Chancellor, Utkal University will inaugurate the camp at 9 AM at OAS Association . So members are requested to reach the venue by 8.30 AM positively. Among others Advisory Committee members like Arun kumar Ghosh, Manoj Kumar Rout, Pitabasa Jena, Priyabrat Nayak, Rabi Narayan Padhi, Gadadhar Rath(Convenor) & Samita Panda, Asst.Secy, special invitee Kshirod kumar Panigrahi , Proud Member & Lita Mishra(Mohapatra), Org. Secy participated in discussions. Points raised by Rabi Narayan Padhi has been noted for discussion in the coming quarterly meeting to be held on 2nd Oct 2015 after BDC. Gadadhar Rath, Convenor has been requested in the meeting to send messages to all members  through whatsApp, face Book ,Way to SMS and through email to remain present and to  contribute their membership fee @ Rs200/-  & donations (optional) as much as members like to meet the expenditure for a noble cause like BDC. Members may transfer the amount to VOSS account  instead of deposit to avoid inter branch charges. Meeting ended with thanks to all members for participation and special thanks to Samita Panda for arranging the meeting in a planned manner. 

Members of VOSS 92 wish a happy Ganesh Chaturthi .

Vice President Greets People on ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’

The Vice President of India Shri M. Hamid Ansari has extended his warm greetings and good wishes to the people of our country on the auspicious occasion of ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’ marking the birth of Lord Ganesh. In his message, he has said that Lord Ganesh is revered as embodiment of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. To invoke Lord Ganesh before the start of any good work is a common practice across our country. 

Following is the text of Vice President’s message : 

“I extend my warm greetings and good wishes to the people of our country on the auspicious occasion of ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’ marking the birth of Lord Ganesh. 

Lord Ganesh is revered as embodiment of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. To invoke Lord Ganesh before the start of any good work is a common practice across our country. 

May this festival bring peace, harmony and prosperity in our lives.” 

Source-PIB

Ex-post facto approval to additional employment of 50 days over and above 100 days per household under Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA) in areas hit by drought or natural calamities

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its ex-post facto approval to provide an additional 50 days of unskilled manual work in the financial year over and above the 100 days assured to job card holders, in such rural areas where drought or natural calamities have been notified. This will enable States to provide additional wage employment to the rural poor in drought affected areas. The poorest rural households will benefit from this, as it will help in immediate absorption of rural seasonal unemployment, and reduce rural distress.

To provide immediate relief to farmers, in view of the deficit monsoon during Kharif 2015, the Government of India has already taken a number of decisions. Orders on these measures have already been issued to all State Governments, which will implement them on the basis of assessed need.  The various decisions are:

1.                  Diesel Subsidy Scheme for farmers in affected areas: It has been decided to provide diesel subsidy to farmers to enable them to provide life saving irrigation through diesel pump sets in drought and deficit rainfall areas to protect standing crops (allocation of Rs.100 crore). Farmers in the affected regions will be covered during the current South-West monsoon period till 30^thSeptember, 2015.  The scheme on Diesel Subsidy will be implemented with the participation of the State Governments/UT Administration, with a view to offset the cost of diesel used for pumping water for providing supplementary irrigation/protective irrigation. The scheme will be applicable to such districts/talukas/areas where the rainfall deficit is more than 50 percent as on 15th July, 2015, (as reported by the India Meteorological Department); to such districts/talukas/areas, which have been declared as drought affected area by the respective State Govt./ UT Administration; areas with prolonged dry spell continuously for 15 days, i.e. scanty rainfall (deficit of 60 percent or more of normal) for any continuous 15 days period, after the onset date of Monsoon as per reports of IMD. It is proposed to provide 50 percent subsidy on the cost of diesel (Rs 2000 per hectare) to affected farmers, limited to a maximum of two hectares per farmer. The cost of assistance provided shall be shared between the Government of India and the State Government/UT Administration concerned on 50:50 basis.

2.                  Enhancement of ceiling on Seed subsidy: Enhancement of ceiling on Seed subsidy. In order to  compensate farmers in drought affected districts for the additional expenditure incurred in the sowing and /or purchasing appropriate varieties of drought resistant seeds, it has been decided to raise the extant ceiling on seed subsidy by 50 percent  over existing levels for distribution in drought notified districts. The enhancement is valid till 31.12.2015.

3.                  Interventions for saving perennial horticulture crops:Appropriate input support measures will be provided to rejuvenate water stressed horticulture crops, with an additional allocation of Rs.150 crore. The scheme is to be implemented in all drought affected districts / blocks in the country which are covered under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), being implemented by Dept. of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare. Farmers in drought affected districts/ blocks will be provided assistance at the rate of Rs.6000/- per hectare as per cost norms for a maximum area of two ha per beneficiary, for taking up appropriate combination of interventions. Assistance so provided through subsidy shall be shared between the Government of India and the State Government/UT Administration concerned on 50:50 basis. 

4.                  Implementation of additional fodder development programme: Assistance will be provided for additional interventions for production of fodder for mitigating adverse impact of drought on livestock (allocation of Rs.50 crore). Farmers in drought affected districts/ blocks will be provided assistance at the rate of Rs.3200/- per hectare as per cost norms for a maximum area of two ha per beneficiary for taking up additional production of fodder in these districts/blocks. Assistance so provided through subsidy shall be shared between the Government of India and the State Government/UT Administration concerned on 50:50 basis.

5.                  Flexible allocation under RKVY and other centrally sponsored schemes: States have   been advised to keep aside about 5 to 10 percent of fund allocated under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) for undertaking appropriate interventions, if the situation so warrants, to minimize the advance impact of an aberrant monsoon on the agriculture sector. 10 percent of the allocation under Centrally Sponsored Scheme may be utilized in flexible manner by States to meet contingent requirement arising out of deficient rains.

6.                  Crop contingency plan: Ministry of Agriculture, through ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Hyderabad has prepared detailed crop Contingency Plans for 600 districts. States have been advised to prepare/ update/ fine-tune Contingency Plans for each district in consultation with CRIDA-ICAR and State Agriculture Universities and to prepare location specific remedial measures based on these contingency plans in the event of late arrival of Monsoon/long dry spells/scanty rainfall/drought conditions e.g. tying up availability of seeds and other inputs for implementing Contingency Plans. As seen from the experience of last year, these are highly useful in case of a deviant monsoon.  These plans are available at the website of Dept. of Agriculture & Cooperation, Minstry of Agriculture as well as Central Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Hyderabad.

7.                  Advisories to the states: State Governments have already been advised to initiate advance remedial action e.g. constructing water harvesting structures under MGNREGA  and other such schemes, promoting agronomic practices for moisture conservation, promoting cultivation  of less water consuming crops and restoring irrigation infrastructure by desilting canals, energizing tube-wells, replacing/repairing faulty pumps. States have also been requested to carry out periodic assessment of preparation for Kharif crops, particularly contingency crops and also investment made in water conservation structure under various schemes like Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWWP) to verify their utility in harvesting the rainfall.

8.                  Availability of seeds and other inputs for Kharif, 2015:Availability of seeds and other inputs is being monitored / reviewed on a continuous basis in the weekly Crop Weather Watch Group (CWWG) meetings being held in the Department of Agriculture. Weekly video conference with States is also being held to get first-hand information about State’s preparedness and to advise States appropriately whenever needed.

9.                  SMS Advisory: The Ministry, through the m-kisan portal sends SMS advisories to registered farmers. These advisories include weather based SMS advisories, advisories to suggest measures to minimize adverse impact of extreme weather event. Ministry through various operators has sent about 700 crores SMS in the last one year. These SMS are sent by ICAR/SAU, KVK, AMFU etc. and district level state Government officials.

10.              Crisis management plan for drought for the year 2015: A Crisis Management Plan (CMP) for Drought has been in place and is available at the website of Dept. of Agriculture & Cooperation, Min. of Agriculture. The plan has also been updated recently in consultation with Stakeholder Ministries/Departments. The Agriculture Minister has also requested all Chief Ministers, vide his letter dated 12.05.2015, to direct the officers concerned to expedite preparation of State level Management Plans on Drought.

11.              SDRF/NDRF funds - First Instalment of SDRF released: The State Government is primarily responsible for providing necessary relief in the wake of natural calamities. Government of India supplements the efforts of state Governments with financial assistance. For undertaking relief measures, funds are available with State Governments in the form of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). Additional financial assistance, over and above SDRF, is considered from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for natural calamities of severe nature and is approved on the basis of Memorandum received from the State Government in accordance with established procedure, keeping in view items and norms in vogue for assistance. The first instalment of SDRF has already been released to State Governments. SDRF funds, besides others, can also be used for emergency supply of drinking water in rural and urban areas, as per the approved guidelines.
Source-PIB

Appointment of Additional Judges in High Courts

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of article 224 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Asapu Ramalingeswara Rao, to be an Additional Judge of High Court of Judicature a Hyderabad for the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, for a period of three months with effect from 21st September, 2015. 

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of article 224 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Dama Seshadri Naidu, to be Additional Judges of the Kerala High Court, for a period of three months with effect from 21st September, 2015. 

Source-PIB

FRIENDLY INTERACTION - More Foreign Visits by Warships As India Increases Maritime Focus

NEW NAVY RECORD: From Iran to Saudi Arabia and Israel, the Navy pulls off visits to 40 nations

The Indian Navy has managed to send frontline warships to almost 40 nations in the past year, creating a record on engagements across the world and reflecting the foreign policy focus of the government. The Navy has also pulled off the almost impossible by deploying warships to nations as diverse as Iran and Iraq -within ten days of each other -as well as Saudi Arabia and the UK, all within the past month.Several Navy officers ET spoke with said that this is the first time that over three dozen nations have been directly engaged, calling it a significant increase in interaction with friendly foreign nations.“In the past 12 months, Indian warships have been deployed from the western Pacific in the east to the west coast of South Adriatic and have shown the flag in almost all major ports and interacted with friendly navies in the region,“ Navy chief Admiral RK Dhowan told ET.
The nations visited is diverse and reflects Indian interests across the world -from Vietnam, Japan, Singapore and Myanmar in the east to Egypt, Turkey , France and Spain in the west. Frontline warships like the indigenously made stealth frigate, INS Sahyadri, have even sailed as far as Hawaii within the past year. “This unprecedented footprint in the Indian Ocean Region and beyond reflects the role the Navy plays in shaping the maritime environment in our area of interest,“ Admiral Dhowan said.
Sources told ET that the increase in engagements across the world reflected Prime Minster Narendra Modi's increasing focus on foreign relations and plans to steadily increase Indian presence even further as newer platforms join service. Modi, who will be addressing top military commanders onboard aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya next month, has already made it clear that his government's priority is on the maritime domain with most major modernisation projects cleared pertaining to the Navy , including an ambitious Rs 1 lakh crore plan to construct six nu clear powered attack submarines indigenously .
“There is possibly no other major Navy that would be welcome in places as diverse as Iran, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Our warships sailed into ports in all three nations within two weeks, with Saudi Arabia being the last on September 10. This reflects India's good relations with nations across the world,“ an officer told ET.
Source-The Economic Times

President of India Presents Rajbhasha Awards

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the Rajbhasha awards on the occasion of Hindi Divas at a function held in New Delhi today (September 14, 2015). 

The President congratulated the award winners honoured today for their commendable work in Hindi. He urged everyone to come together to propagate the use of Hindi. He said that Hindi has achieved a number of milestones since independence. Hindi is credited to be the vehicle of Indian thought and culture. The language is also a link between our traditional knowledge, ancient civilization and modern progress. Our efforts should be to increase the use of Hindi in Science and Technology, so that participation of all, including the rural population, can be ensured in the progress of the country. For this, it is essential that simple translation of literature pertaining to technical knowledge is made available in Hindi and other Indian languages. He said he was happy to note that in offices, the use of Hindi in Information Technology is increasing. He said that Hindi has it's own imprint on the fast changing global economic scenario. Millions of Indian diaspora around the world are using Hindi as a link language. This has given a new identification to Hindi at the international level. 

Source-PIB

Nominations for Padma Awards close today

Today is the last day for receiving the recommendations / nominations for the Padma Awards, 2016. Nominations may be sent at the address mentioned below in the prescribed proforma alongwith a brief narrative citation (maximum 800 words):

The Home Minister/ the Home Secretary

Government of India

Ministry of Home Affairs

North Block

New Delhi-110001

Nominations received later than this evening or without the prescribed proforma and citation will not be considered.

For further details click ‘Awards and Medals’ on the Union Home Ministry’s website: www.mha.nic.in

The notification is available on the Union Home Ministry’s website with the link:

http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/PadmaAwards2016_010515_0.pdf

Source-PIB

VOSS 92 met Utkal VC on teachers day. Voss 92 will organise Blood donation camp at Vanivihar on Gandhi Jayanti.

 VOSS 92 will organise a Blood donation camp at Utkal University, Vanivihar on Gandhi Jayanti(2nd October). Dr.Ashok Kumar Das, V.C will grace the event as guest. V.C has appreciated the activities undertaken by VOSS and invited VOSS to give feedback during visit of NAAC team. V.C also appreciated the proposal of VOSS to release a commemorative stamp on Utkal University in Platinum Jubilee to be held in 2018 & will take necessary action to send a proposal to Union Govt through State Govt. V.C has also invited VOSS to arrange Seminars, Swachh Bharat program & other activities in University campus . VOSS members also discussed on status of Central University to Utkal, bounary issue,  repairing of buildings and construction of Hostels also.V.C has advised VOSS members to submit proposals time to time  for development of University as Alumni members.VOSS members are requested to extend their support for development of University also.

Members of VOSS 92 wish happy Janmastami to all .

Memsers of VOSS 92 wish their Teachers/Professors on teachers day. Happy Teachers Day Sir.

Minister for Human Resource Development, Smt. Smriti Irani at the presentation of the CBSE Awards to Teachers and Mentors 2014, in New Delhi on September 03, 2014. The Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Prof. (Dr.) Ram Shankar Katheria, the Secretary, School Education and Literacy, Dr. Subash Chandra Khuntia and other dignitaries are also seen.

Source-PIB

Stamp Released on Women Empowerment on 2nd Sept 2015

Empowering women to participate fully in economic life across all sectors is essential to build stronger economies, achieve internationally agreed goals for development and sustainability, and improve the quality of life for women, men, families and communities. United Nations Development Program (UNDP) focuses on gender equality and women’s empowerment not only in term of human rights, but also because they are a pathway to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and sustainable development. 

The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive principles. The Constitution not only grants equality to women but also empower the State to adopt measure of positive discrimination in favour of women. 

Within the framework of a democratic polity, our laws, development policies, plans and programmes, have aimed at women’s advancement in different spheres. The National Commission for Women was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1990 to safeguard the rights and legal entitlements of women. The 73rd and 74th Amendments (1993) to the Constitution of India have provided for reservation of seats in the local bodies of Panchayats and Municipalities for women, laying a strong foundation for their participation in decision making at the local levels. 

Even though the women’s movement and a wide-spread network of non- Government Organizations, which have strong grass-roots presence and deep insight into women’s concerns, have contributed towards inspiring initiatives for the empowerment of women, there still exist a wide gap between the goals enunciated in the Constitution, legislation, policies plans, programmes, and related mechanisms on the one hand and the situational reality of the status of women in India, on the other. 

A holistic approach to women’s health which includes both nutrition and health services requires to be pursued where attention needs to be given to the needs of women and the girl at all stages of the life. The reduction of infant mortality and maternal mortality, which are sensitive indicators of human development, continues to be a priority concern. 

The Department of posts organized a nation-wide competition inviting entries for the designs of commemorative postage stamps on the theme “Women Empowerment”. Based on selected entries, a set of four stamps and a miniature sheet on the theme was released by Hon’ble Minister of Communication & Information Technology Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad here today. 

Source-PIB