Manipur News

MNS:- The Law Commission of India in their 230th Report has mentioned the matter of appointment of ‘Uncle Judges’ in the High Courts, wherein it is said that the Judges, whose kith and kin are practicing in a High Court, should not be appointed in the same High Court.
The appointment of Judges in the High Court and Supreme Court is made under the Memorandum for Appointment of Judges which has been laid down following the Supreme Court Judgments in 1993 and 1998. Under this, responsibility for initiation of proposals for appointment of Judges in the High Court and Supreme Court is with the Chief Justice of the High Courts/Supreme Court. Under Article 217 of the Constitution, a person who has been an advocate for 10 years in a High Court or in two or more such Courts in succession is qualified to be considered for appointment as the Judge of the High Court.
Thus, under the Constitutional Provision, Chief Justice can recommend judges from the Bar to be appointed as the judge of the High Court. In this situation, kith and kin of those appointed as judges and practicing in the High Court is likely. With a view to correct the situation, judicial standards are being prescribed for the judges in the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2012 which has been passed by Lok Sabha already.
This was stated by the Minister for Law and Justice Dr. Ashwani Kumar in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/uncle-judges-syndrome/

MNS:- The Law Commission of India in their 230th Report has mentioned the matter of appointment of ‘Uncle Judges’ in the High Courts, wherein it is said that the Judges, whose kith and kin are practicing in a High Court, should not be appointed in the same High Court.
The appointment of Judges in the High Court and Supreme Court is made under the Memorandum for Appointment of Judges which has been laid down following the Supreme Court Judgments in 1993 and 1998. Under this, responsibility for initiation of proposals for appointment of Judges in the High Court and Supreme Court is with the Chief Justice of the High Courts/Supreme Court. Under Article 217 of the Constitution, a person who has been an advocate for 10 years in a High Court or in two or more such Courts in succession is qualified to be considered for appointment as the Judge of the High Court.
Thus, under the Constitutional Provision, Chief Justice can recommend judges from the Bar to be appointed as the judge of the High Court. In this situation, kith and kin of those appointed as judges and practicing in the High Court is likely. With a view to correct the situation, judicial standards are being prescribed for the judges in the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2012 which has been passed by Lok Sabha already.
This was stated by the Minister for Law and Justice Dr. Ashwani Kumar in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/uncle-judges-syndrome/

MNS:- The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is implementing e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP) that addresses core aspects of Panchayats’ functioning viz. Planning, Monitoring, Implementation, Budgeting, Accounting, Social Audit etc., with the aim to make their functioning more efficient, accountable and transparent. Imparting computer education at rural level is not sought to be achieved through this Mission Mode Project.
In so far as providing ICT infrastructure, including computers to Panchayats under this MMP is concerned, the States, have been advised to utilize available funds from different sources for the purpose such as 13th Central Finance Commission Grants, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF), Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana (RGSY), etc.
This information was given by the Minister of Panchayati Raj Shri V. Kishore Chandra Deo in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Panchayati Raj has been conducting evaluation of the implementation of 73rd Constitutional Amendment in the form of State of Panchayat Report since 2006-07. The last State of Panchayat Report is available for the year 2008-09. Similarly, Ministry of Urban Development have undertaken a study on “Impact of the Constitution (74th Amendment) Act on the Working of Urban Local Bodies”. (Study undertaken by the National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi & other organizations and report submitted in November 2005). The services to the citizens being provided by the Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) vary from State to State depending upon devolution of powers to the Panchayati Raj Institutions by the respective State Governments. The extent of devolution is studied by the Ministry through an independent agency every year. The study shows that there is progressive devolution of powers to Panchayats from year to year.
Under Article 243G of the Constitution, States Legislatures are to endow the Panchayats with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of self-governance. Since Article 243G allows discretion to the States in the matter of devolution of powers to Panchayats, States vary in the extent to which they have devolved powers to Panchayats and Municipalities.
States are incentivized to devolve powers to Panchayats as mandated in Part IX of the Constitution, through Panchayat Empowerment and Accountability Incentive Scheme (PEAIS). In order to increase the capacity of elected representatives and functionaries of Panchayats, Ministry of Panchayati Raj implements capacity building program under Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) and Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana (RGSY)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/provision-of-computer-to-panchayats-for-computer-education/

MNS:- The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is implementing e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP) that addresses core aspects of Panchayats’ functioning viz. Planning, Monitoring, Implementation, Budgeting, Accounting, Social Audit etc., with the aim to make their functioning more efficient, accountable and transparent. Imparting computer education at rural level is not sought to be achieved through this Mission Mode Project.
In so far as providing ICT infrastructure, including computers to Panchayats under this MMP is concerned, the States, have been advised to utilize available funds from different sources for the purpose such as 13th Central Finance Commission Grants, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF), Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana (RGSY), etc.
This information was given by the Minister of Panchayati Raj Shri V. Kishore Chandra Deo in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Panchayati Raj has been conducting evaluation of the implementation of 73rd Constitutional Amendment in the form of State of Panchayat Report since 2006-07. The last State of Panchayat Report is available for the year 2008-09. Similarly, Ministry of Urban Development have undertaken a study on “Impact of the Constitution (74th Amendment) Act on the Working of Urban Local Bodies”. (Study undertaken by the National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi & other organizations and report submitted in November 2005). The services to the citizens being provided by the Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) vary from State to State depending upon devolution of powers to the Panchayati Raj Institutions by the respective State Governments. The extent of devolution is studied by the Ministry through an independent agency every year. The study shows that there is progressive devolution of powers to Panchayats from year to year.
Under Article 243G of the Constitution, States Legislatures are to endow the Panchayats with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of self-governance. Since Article 243G allows discretion to the States in the matter of devolution of powers to Panchayats, States vary in the extent to which they have devolved powers to Panchayats and Municipalities.
States are incentivized to devolve powers to Panchayats as mandated in Part IX of the Constitution, through Panchayat Empowerment and Accountability Incentive Scheme (PEAIS). In order to increase the capacity of elected representatives and functionaries of Panchayats, Ministry of Panchayati Raj implements capacity building program under Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) and Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana (RGSY)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/provision-of-computer-to-panchayats-for-computer-education/

MNS:- India strongly advocates an early and meaningful reform of the United Nations to make it better equipped to serve the needs of the world community. In this context, India has called for expansion of the UN Security Council to make the UN more effective and reflective of contemporary geo-political realities. The Government of India has been actively working along with other like-minded countries for building support among the UN membership for a meaningful restructuring and expansion of the UN Security Council. India has, in collaboration with Brazil, Japan and Germany, together known as the G-4, proposed expansion of the membership of the UN Security Council from the present fifteen to twenty-five with the addition of six permanent and four non-permanent members, including from Asia, Africa and Latin America. The efforts of the G-4 and other pro-reform countries played an instrumental role in starting text-based inter-governmental negotiations in the UN on the subject of Security Council reform in July 2010. Recognizing that there is widespread support to take the reform process towards a concrete outcome, the G-4 Foreign Ministers in a meeting in February 2011 decided to press ahead with all necessary steps to achieve at the earliest an expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of the Security Council. This G-4 initiative garnered cross-regional support and demonstrated that a wide coalition of Member States support it. The G-4 Foreign Ministers in their latest meeting held in New York in September 2012 agreed on the need to stay united and sustain the growing momentum in favour of expansion of the Council in both categories of membership.
Many leading countries have expressed support for the G-4’s proposal for expansion of the Security Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership. Among the permanent members of the Security Council, UK and France have supported the G-4 proposal as well as the candidatures of the G-4 countries for permanent membership of an expanded Council. USA is in favour of limited expansion in permanent and non-permanent membership of the Council and would like the new permanent members to be selected on the basis of their contribution to maintenance of international peace and security. Russia and China have also articulated support for expansion of the Security Council but they would like any expansion to be limited, gradual and based on the widest possible consensus among the UN membership.
Several countries, including but not limited to the US, Russia, UK, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, Brazil and South Africa, have expressed support for India’s claim for permanent membership in an expanded Security Council. This support has been conveyed in various fora, including, in bilateral discussions with the Government of India. However, the question of India`s membership of the Security Council would only be considered after an agreement on the nature and extent of expansion of the Council is arrived at in accordance with the provisions of the UN Charter.
The Minister of External Affairs Shri Salman Khurshid said this in a statement laid on the Table of the House in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/permanent-membership-of-un-security-council/