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Forced to act after Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad’s assault on an Air India staff member, the civil aviation ministry on Friday announced new guidelines for the unruly behaviour of passengers on flights, news agency ANI reported. Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey while addressing a press conference announced that the ministry has put instances of unruly behaviour into 3 categories and falling in these brackets can lead to flight bans for passengers. According to the news agency Reuters, the step has been taken as India is looking at creating a national no-fly list of unruly passengers. The list will be maintained by the country’s civil aviation regulator, Civil Aviation Secretary R.N. Choubey said. Here is what can get you no-fly list on flights: –  Disruptive Behaviour:  Level 1 will be disruptive behaviour like physical gestures etc. The punishment in this category is a suspension for 3 months. –  Physical Abuse:  level 2 offences will include p...

1. Who of the following has the responsibility of the registration of voters a) Individual voters b) Government c) Election commission d) Corporations 2. Democracy exists in India, without peoples participation and co operation democracy will fail. This implies that a) Government should compel people to participate and cooperate with it b) People from the government c) People should participate and cooperate with the government d) India should opt for the presidential system 3. Which of the following are not the functions of the election commission 1) Conduct of election for the post of the speaker and the deputy speaker, Lok sabha and the deputy chairman, Rajya sabha 2) Conduct of elections to the state legislative assemblies 3) Deciding on all doubts and disputes arising out of elections a) 1 and 2 b) 1 and 3 c) 2 and 3 d) 2 4. Which of the following electoral systems have not been adopted for various elections in India 1) System of direct elections on the b...

After the Bihar elections, the passage of the goods and services tax (GST) bill in the Rajya Sabha looks increasingly uncertain. In any case, the time available does not permit implementation of the GST from April 1, 2016. This impasse provides an opportunity for the Centre to initiate the GST incrementally by taking three steps. First, mimic the GST at the Central level from April 1. Second, rework the GST bill. Third, integrate the GST implementation experience from Malaysia. By doing so, the Centre can bolster the confidence of industry while signalling to the states its commitment towards the GST. The Centre is empowered to impose a Central GST by merging the excise and service tax regimes. To be sure, nothing prevents the Centre from virtually integrating these two taxes by making them mimic the GST. Without comprehensively revising these laws, their levy can be made consistent with each other and the requirements of the GST through simple amendments by way of money bills and not...

  Political pundits are of the view that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat’s views on reservations — that they should be ‘reviewed’ — played a role in the BJP’s loss in Bihar. To be fair to Bhagwat, he has a point, except that he is the wrong person to talk about the subject. The RSS lacks the credentials — with its upper caste leadership and sensibility — to openly discuss social justice in contemporary India. However, the question of whether reservations, in jobs, higher education and legislatures, should be fine-tuned in keeping with changing socio-economic realities has been raised earlier. For instance, a paper,  Redesigning Affirmative Action  by Yogendra Yadav and Satish Deshpande ( Economic and Political Weekly , June 17, 2006) argues for a nuanced, multiple-indicator-based approach to deprivation in the case of ‘other backward classes’. While OBCs as a whole are a disadvantaged category, they are also a heterogeneous lot, with divergences betw...

Go as far as you can see, and when you get there, you’ll see farther, goes a saying attributed to Thomas Carlyle. The Supreme Court has gone as far as invalidating an attempt to provide a legislated  alternative to its own collegium system  of judicial appointments. After restoring the judge-made system, it has to necessarily see farther and come up with improvements that will enhance transparency in appointments and provide reasonable eligibility criteria for prospective judges. Having both struck down the Constitution amendment to set up a National Judicial Appointments Commission and admitted to serious shortcomings in the system it has been implementing for over two decades, the court has to take the next logical step of reforming the existing mechanism. It has embarked on a unique process to involve the entire society in the exercise by inviting suggestions from the public. For the first time, the average citizen will be involved in a process hitherto seen as arcane and...

A new era in monetary policy formulation is set to start with the Union Finance Ministry releasing the revised draft of the Indian Financial Code (IFC). It provides for the setting up of a Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to debate on monetary affairs and decide the policy rate. This move is in line with practices in many of the developing countries where the central banks have pursued the committee approach to address monetary policy issues. Currently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the monetary policy regulator, goes by the views of a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on such issues. The TAC comprises officials from the RBI besides a few external experts. It advises the central banker on the monetary policy stance based on macro-economic and monetary developments. However, the RBI Governor has the last word, and the right to veto any decision of the TAC. The draft IFC, submitted by the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC) headed by former Supreme Court judge B....

As the beef traders’ strike continues, lions, tigers and other carnivores in Mumbai zoos now get chicken as their primary feed. Keepers worry about the animals losing strength Palash, the largest tiger at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai, still paces his cage for the hour

Land-grabs for urban infrastructure and real estate are being promoted to bring investment and employment for a few, at the cost of lives and livelihoods of many Finance Minister Arun Jaitley claims that the  Land Ordinance 2014  was promulgated to bring 13 Acts within the purview of the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, before the six- month deadline to include them ran out on December 31, 2014. Despite controversy, the latest Amendment Bill  approved by the Lok Sabha , and currently facing a logjam in the Rajya Sabha, makes minor modifications to the Ordinance. Both replace acquisition for ‘private company’ with ‘private entity,’ that includes a “proprietorship, partnership, company, corporation, non-profit organisation or other entity under any law for the time being in force.” Exemptions from social impact assessments (SIAs) for all projects and consent provisions for private companies (80 per cent of land owners) and Public-Private Pa...

Opportunity to truly reform mining governance to balance economic growth with social justice and environmental safety has been lost Photo by Chandra Bhushan The upper house of Parliament on Friday passed the controversial mining bill, which is perceived as anti-people and pro-miners. The Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) (Amendment) Bill (MMDR), 2015, tabled before Parliament to amend the mining Act of 1957, was passed on the strength of 117 votes; 69 members voted against it and two abstained from voting. The members of Janata Dal (United) walked out in protest as voting started. 

The Hindu “Women have difficulty participating in the industrial labour force.” Photo shows women workers involved in clearing silt under MNREGS at a tank in Kumular. Photo: A.Muralitharan TOPICS labour labour dispute labour legislation work relations The primary policy challenge is to increase employability and help shift labour from agricultural to non-agricultural jobs Over 25 per cent of the world’s workers are Indian. And 300 million young people are set to enter the labour force by 2025. With an average age of 29, India’s population is in the middle of a demographic boom. By 2020, when the global economy is expected to run short of 56 million young people, India, with a youth surplus of 47 million, could fill the gap. It is in this context that  labour reforms are often cited as the way to unlock double-digit growth in India. Why reforms? Because India still does not use its vast labour force productively or judiciously. In 2014, India’s labo...

The desirability of a bicameral legislature at the State level has been debated since the days of the Constituent Assembly, and recent developments may revive the debate. Assam and Rajasthan want to join the small seven-member club of States (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh) with a Legislative Council in the country and Odisha is also examining the creation of one. A second chamber has always been attractive to those who believe in

The Finance Minister, in his budget speech, while acknowledging the limitations under the existing law, had conveyed the considered decision of the Government to enact a comprehensive new law on black money to specifically deal with black money stashed away abroad. He also promised to introduce the new Bill in the current Session of the Parliament.

(Reuters) - The Rajya Sabha passed a bill on Friday to auction mines that supply minerals like iron ore and bauxite for the first time, in a thumbs up for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bid to kickstart an industry that has languished for years. The passage of the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation bill by the Rajya Sabha was crucial for Modi because the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lacks a majority in the second chamber. The bill will now be taken up by the Lok Sabha, where BJP enjoys an overwhelming majority. A bill to auction coal mines is also likely to be passed later on Friday by both houses. The mining sector in Asia's third largest economy has been mired in controversy over the illegal allocation of resources, causing a near standstill in granting permits to open new mines for firms including South Korean steel giant POSCO. India was once the world's third-largest exporter of iron ore but is importing heavily now due to court action on il...

Ordinance to reform the mining sector will do more harm than good SOON AFTER President Pranab Mukherjee signed the ordinance to amend the archaic Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act of 1957, Union minister for steel and mines, Narendra Singh Tomar, announced it is a revolutionary step towards reviving the country’s mining sector. His ministry highlighted that the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment

It is not often that the King of Saudi Arabia receives visiting foreign dignitaries at the airport. That precisely is what King Salman did on Wednesday when he went to the Riyadh airport to lay out an ostentatious welcome to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. There is speculation that the Saudi Kingdom is seeking Pakistan’s military support to shore up its internal and external defences amidst mounting regional tensions. No announcements were made after Sharif met King Salman and other senior members of the Saudi Royal family. But security cooperation was reportedly at the top of the agenda.

Controversies have a way of fragmenting the narrative of stories. They also have a touch of scandal which generates not merely outrage but also an epidemic of political correctness. The recent ban of the BBC documentary, titled  India’s Daughter  , on the Nirbhaya rape case, is an example. I sat and watched the documentary. It is powerful and compelling. What holds one’s attention are the fragments of conversation from the convict and the quiet responses of the family. What is irrelevant or possibly elliptical to the movie is the commentary of the NGOs that spread out like politically correct icing. The reactions of Krishnan, Kanth, Seth, all sensitive people, are reasonable in themselves but they do not touch the core of the narrative.

As he swings across the  Indian  Ocean this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s biggest challenge is not  about  countering China. After  all , Beijing is far away and  India is right in the middle of the  Indian  Ocean. In the near term, the tyranny of  geography will limit the scope and intensity of Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean. Modi’s real problem is in Delhi, afflicted by a condition called continentalism, which has proved rather difficult to overcome.

People who think  about  the United Nations too much tend to develop distinctly strange views of  international  affairs. Seventy years old this year, the  world  organisation is not letting old age slow it down. Its aid workers and peacekeepers are on the frontlines, from the wars in the Middle East to Ebola-stricken West Africa. Yet, diplomats and UN officials often struggle to focus on the ugly realities of these crises. It is easy to get sucked into the minutiae of the UN’s ineffably complex rules of procedure  and committee work instead. If you sit in the  Security  Council (UNSC) or General Assembly in  New  York, these details appear to be of global importance.

Breaking  away from the traditional pension fund management system for  government employees, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) is planning to provide them with a variety of investment options where they can park their funds, including a choice to deploy 50 per cent of their contribution into equities. This will be a marked change from the  current  default scheme that allows up to 15 per cent of contribution to be invested into equities.

(Reuters) - India's government and central bank are set to consider proposals for the formation of a monetary policy committee that would take key decisions like interest rate changes, but have raised concerns over the central bank's independence. There are two competing proposals to establish a monetary policy committee, one from an external panel appointed by the finance ministry and another from the Reserve Bank of India. Monetary policy committees (MPCs) are a common feature in central banks globally. Below are the main points of the two proposals being considered in India as well as examples of MPCs in Britain and Brazil. RBI PANEL'S KEY PROPOSALS - Five-member committee Chairman: RBI Governor Vice Chairman: Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy Executive Director in charge of monetary policy Two external members picked by RBI Governor and Deputy Governor - Each member has one vote - No veto power for Chairman FINANCIAL SECTOR LEGISLA...