Uttar Pradesh
- UP looks to attract investors, vows secure environment
- The Uttar Pradesh government will conduct roadshows to woo investment and provide a safe and secure environment to industry as it looks to give a “tough fight” to developed states like Gujarat in attracting funds.
- UP Industrial Development Minister Satish Mahana said, Officials will be visiting different states like Gujarat, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra, and conduct roadshows in these states, while promoting UP as an investment destination. We will also interact with industrialists and prospective investors,” he said.
- He lauded the implementation of the GST and said that the new tax system will effectively eliminate the concept of tax heaven, which will benefit the state in the long run.
- “The government of UP intends to provide a safe and secure industrial environment in the state. Towards this, a dedicated police force headed by specialised officer will be deputed at industrial clusters/areas in regions like Noida, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Bundelkhand and Poorvanchal.”Integrated police cum fire station will also be established in major industrial clusters/areas,” Mahana said.
- The minister said that in the state budget for 2017-18 a provision of Rs 20 crore has been made for implementing Industrial Investment and Employment Generation Policy-2017.Also, funds have been provided for setting up the Special Investment Board to encourage industrial investment and a single window clearance system.
- Mahana also emphasised that the state government is implementing measures for ease of doing business in letter and spirit.
INTERNATIONAL
- Scientists develop new software that can crate 3D models from 2D photographs
- Scientists have developed new Artificial intelligence (AI) software called SurfNet that can create three dimensional (3D) models from 2D photographs.
- SurfNet software using hundreds of thousands of 2D shapes of objects can reconstruct it a model in 3Dimensions.
- It can be used in robotics, object recognition and even self-driving cars. SurfNet will give them the ability to understand the 3D environment around them using standard 2D cameras.
- Indonesia to host AFC U-19 Championship
- The Asian Football Confederation (AFC)Competition Committeeawarded Indonesia the hosting of the AFC Under-19 Championship 2018.
- The AFC U-19 championship is scheduled to be held from 18 October to 4 November 2018.
- The committee felt that Indonesia was regarded as the most favourable among the bidders.
NATIONAL
- Niti Aayog clears six proposals for high-tech public transport
- Niti Aayog has cleared proposals of the transport ministry exploring options to improve public transport. These proposals include mass rapid transportation technologies such as metrino, hyperloop, pod taxis, stadler buses, hybrid buses and freight rail road.
- The new technologies are being explored by the Government as current public transportation is unable to resolve the increasing traffic crisis in the country.
- Metrino:Fully automatic, driverless small pods travel independently suspended over an overhead network which is usually 5-10 meters above the ground.
- Podtaxi:Small automated vehicles/podcars/cable cars which carry a small number of passengers. The ropeway-like system runs on electricity and driverless pods and comes down at designated stations, thus removing the traffic burden from crowded roads.
- Hyperloop:A hyperloop comprises a sealed tube or series of tubes through which a pod may travel free of air resistance or friction conveying people or objects at speeds matching that of an aircraft.
· Union Cabinet clears minimum wage code bill
- The Union Cabinet approved the new wage code billwhich will ensure a minimum wage across all sectors by integrating four labour related laws.
The new wage code
- The Labour Code on Wages Bill will consolidate the Minimum Wages Act, 1948; the Payment of Wages Act, 1936; the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965; and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.
- The bill seeks to empower the Centre to set a minimum wage across all sectorsin the country and states will have to maintain that.
- However, states will be able to provide for higher minimum wage in their jurisdictionthan fixed by the central government.
- The new minimum wage norms would be applicable for all workers irrespective of their pay.
- At present, the minimum wages fixed by the Centre and states are applicable to workers getting up to Rs 18,000 pay monthly.
- This would ensure a universal minimum wage for all industries and workers, including those getting monthly pay higher than Rs 18,000.
- Aadhaar disrupting food security: Right to Food Campaign
- Right to Food Campaign, in a press release on Thursday, expressed shock and dismay at the arguments of Attorney General KK Venugopal in Supreme Court in the ongoing case on whether the right to privacy is a fundamental right.
- The Right to Food Campaign said it welcomed the recognition that the National Food Security Act (which includes the Public Distribution System, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and social security pensions) was important in realizing right to life. However, all reports so far point to the devastation and exclusion that Aadhaar-integration is causing in these programmes, Right to Food said, contradicting the claim by the government that Aadhaar was needed for these very schemes.
- The Right to Food Campaign feels that by putting all the focus on Aadhaar, the government is distracting attention from the real issues in the implementation of these programmes – the need to introduce pulses and oil in the PDS, eggs and other nutritious items in the MDM programme, timely payments in NREGA, raising its contribution to social security pensions from Rs200, and so on. The Campaign urges the nine-judge Constitution bench to take note of mounting evidence of the failure of Aadhaar in welfare programmes and demands that all notifications linking Aadhaar with welfare programmes (NREGA, PDS, MDM, pensions etc) be immediately withdrawn.