Modernisation of Employment Exchanges
For a long time, the Employment Exchanges have been fulfilling the objectives by carrying out various activities assigned to them, such as registration of job seekers, submission of candidates against notified vacancies, collection of labour market information and...Mughal Garden to Open for Public from Feb’13th
The Mughal Gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan will be opened for public viewing this year on all days from 13th February to 11th March from 1000 hrs. to 1700 hrs., except on Mondays being maintenance days. Entry into the Gardens will be open only up to 1600 hrs.
The entry and exit into the Gardens will be via Gate No. 35 of the President’s Estate, which is located at the extreme end of Church Road, about 300 meters West of Cathedral Church.
Entry for handicapped persons using wheelchairs will be through the Rashtrapati Bhavan Reception. Such persons can arrive at Rashtrapati Bhavan through Hukmi Mai Marg or Rajpath along with their escorts. Entry and Exit for visually challenged persons will be through the Gate No.12 (North Avenue) of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Visitors are requested not to bring any water bottles, briefcases, handbags/ladies purses, cameras, radios/transistors, cell phones, arms/ammunitions and eatables. Such articles, if any, will not be allowed to be carried into the Mughal Gardens and will have to be deposited at the entry point at the owner’s risk.
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New NCTE Rule for Min Qualification for Teachers
The National Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993 came into force on 1st July 1995 with an objective to achieve planned and coordinated development of teacher education system in the country and ensure proper maintenance of norms & standards in the above system.
The Act mandates the NCTE to lay down guidelines on minimum qualifications for a school teacher with a view to ensure uniform quality of teaching in the schools. The NCTE has framed regulations to discharge this function which are binding on all States in the matter of appointment of teachers.
Recently it came to the notice of this Department that Supreme Court in the case of Basic Education Board, U.P. Vs. Upender Rai & others, held that NCTE Act does not deal with educational institutions like primary schools, etc and thus in the matter of laying minimum qualification for appointment as teachers, the NCTE Regulations will not be applicable, and the State Legislation/Rule on the subject will prevail.
In the above judgement a Central Law was interpreted by the Supreme Court, but neither the NCTE nor the Union of India was impleaded in the case. A review Petition filed by NCTE in the Supreme Court was also not admitted. Therefore, a decision has been taken to amend the NCTE Act in order to clarify that the Act applies to schools, teachers and the NCTE is empowered to lay down the minimum qualifications for a person to be eligible as a teacher in schools.
The National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill 2009 will be moved in Parliament for consideration.
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POPs – the Dirty Twelve
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are persistent and extremely toxic. Even released in relatively small quantities they degrade very slowly. POPs are lipophllic and hence bioaccumulates in the fat tissue of organisms once exposed. They move from one level to higher level in the food chain and biomagnity. Furthermore, POPs have the ability to travel and concentrate in the environment and biota of regions far away from the original source of production through the long –range transport mechanisms through air and water. Thus POPs is an issue of national, regional and global concern.
Broadly , a group of pesticides & Insecticides consisting of Alpha BHC, Beta BHC, Gama BHC (Lindane) ,OP DDT, PP DDT, Alpha Endosulphan, Beta Endosulphan, Dieldrin, Carboryl (Carbamate), 2.4D, Aldrin, Malathian, Methly Parathian, Anilophos, Chloropyriphos are POPs.
Factsheet by Ministry of Environment and Forests, India
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