Uttar Pradesh
- Groundwater misuse may lead to Rs 1-2 lakh fine, jail
- From September, misuse or illegal extraction of groundwater is set to be a criminal offence leading to fine of Rs 1 lakh to 2 lakh or imprisonment up to one year. State government has formulated Uttar Pradesh Groundwater (Management and Regulation) bill 2017 (draft; TOI has a copy) to act against defaulters who may be from industrial, commercial, infrastructural sectors, or bulk or private users of groundwater.
- UP never had a law to conserve and protect groundwater. With the new bill, UP Groundwater Conservation, Protection and Development (Management, Control and Regulation) (draft) Bill 2010, which was pending since 2005, will be null and void.
- Quantum of punishment to offenders will double in case of repeated offence and the defaulter’s authorisation/NOC to use groundwater would be cancelled. Those extracting groundwater from Groundwater Regulatory Zone (over-exploited, critical and semi-critical areas or areas that have recorded more than 2cm-per-year fall in groundwater level in last five years) would face six months imprisonment, which could be extended to three years, and pay fine up to Rs 10 lakh.
- Contamination of groundwater by domestic effluent or sewage, rainwater from open land/fields going into aquifers or industrial and aquaculture waste disposal would will be a criminal offence and invite penal action. Imprisonment in such a case would be for at least two years which could be extended to three years and/or fine realised would be Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.
- Government agencies sanctioning or approving building plans will have to ensure that houses built on 100 square metre have installed rooftop rainwater harvesting and group housing/colonies install combined recharge system. Departments concerned will have to check waterlogging to prevent contamination of groundwater.
- A grievance redressal officer will be appointed in every district to resolve disputes, if any. A groundwater fund will be created in which receipts by way of fine, registration fees, extraction fee and others will be credited.
INTERNATIONAL
- Australia joins International Solar Alliance
- Australia became the 35th country to join the International Solar Alliance, an initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2015 in Paris.
- It is co-led by India and France.
- The aim was to support developing countries to boost their solar production capacity.
- The solar alliance, whose head office is in India, has grown stronger in the past two years with more countries joining the group and signing the agreement.
NATIONAL
- Cabinet approves selling 51% stake in HPCL to ONGC
- The Cabinet has given an in-principle approval to sell the government’s entire 51.11 per cent stake in Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd to Oil and Natural Gas Corp in a bid to create a state-run integrated oil major that can compete with private and foreign players.
- ONGC chairman Dinesh Sarraf said the shareholders of both companies would gain from the deal.
- The combined market value of ONGC and HPCL would be $42 billion.
- Environment Ministry approves Projects in 3 States under NAFCC
- The Union Environment Ministry approved three projects for climate change adaptation in three states viz. Rajasthan, Gujarat and Sikkim for funding under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC).
- Sikkim: The investment aims to address the issue of water security which are directly identified as climate resilience building interventions under the SAPCC.
- Rajasthan: It aims to bolster water security in villages under the Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan. It aims to enhance the adaptive capacity of villages by making them self-reliant in terms of water requirement.
- Gujarat: The project seeks enhance the adaptive capacity of natural resource dependent communities to climate change in targeted villages of Kachchh district.
- Google launches job applicant management tool ‘Hire’
- Google officially released a new tool named ‘Hire’ to help small and medium sized businesses recruit talent.
- The service is built on G Suite and will allow employers to track candidates’ contact information, resume details and calendar invites.
- It will allow business partners to share feedback within the candidate’s profile.
- UIDAI launches mAadhaar app for Aadhaar data on phone
- The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched ‘mAadhaar’, a new mobile application for syncing Aadhaar data on mobile phones. The app allows users to carry their unique Aadhaar information including name, date of birth, gender, address, and the linked photograph, on their smartphones. The app also allows users to lock or unlock biometrics data.
- The application allows users to have their Aadhaar profile on their mobile as a quick and convenient identification proof. It also lets users lock/unlock their biometric data that’s linked to Aadhaar via the app to secure their personal data. It also allows viewing and sharing updated Aadhaar profile via QR (Quick Response) code and sharing eKYC (electronic Know Your Customer) details with service providers such as telecommunications companies.
- TR Zeliang sworn in as 19th Chief Minister of Nagaland
- Senior Naga People’s Front (NPF) legislator TR Zeliang (65) was sworn in as the 19th chief minister of Nagaland. He was administered oath to office and secrecy by Governor P.B. Acharya. Earlier Governor had dismissed the Shurhozelie Liezietsu government under Clause (I) of Article 164 of the Constitution after he failed to prove majority on the floor of the Assembly.
Prior to it, Zeliang had staked claim to form government in Nagaland with a majority support of 47 members in the 60 member Legislative Assembly. TR Zeliang will now have to prove his majority on the floor of the House. This is his second stint as chief minister in a little more than three years.