The National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) completed its flagship capacity building programme (CBP) for 58th batch of civil servants of Bangladesh, which was attended by 45 officers. The programme focused on imparting new knowledge in the field of public policies, programmes, governance, use of technology and new skillsets to the officers to design and execute effective public policies and programmes toimprove the quality of life of citizens.   In his valedictory address,Shri Bharat Lal, Director General, NCGGurged the officers to be responsive to the need of people and stressed on the critical importance of redressing public grievances in a time-bound manner.He appreciated the developmental partnership between the two countries and stated that this programme is an effort to empower the participants to newdevelopmentalparadigm and initiatives among other things.  He highlighted the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s mantra of ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’ and urged the public servants toreduce the gap between the citizens and the government, and do away with the old colonial mindset. He also pointed out that modern technology is a great enabler in bringing transparency and accountability. One should learn and adopt these modern tools of information and communication technology (ICT) to better serve the people.   He cited the examples of Aadhar, and Jal Jeevan Mission, and how subsidiesare being transferred to millions of farmers in just one click as technology is facilitating the delivery of services to citizens. Technology has brought tremendous efficiency in public service delivery and we must use it more.   Shri Bharat Lal also stressed the importance of building and maintainingmodern infrastructure for the larger public good and focused on the importance of having a continuous system of feedback.  He urged them to work closely with people and various other stakeholders, viz. community–based organizations, self-help groups and other civil society organizations to ensure that policies and programmesare developed in a participatory manner and are also environment, climateand disaster resilient.  He advised the participants to carry the learnings from this 2–weeks capacity building programme in the form of new ideas and best practices, and use them as a template for the larger good of society. Officers of Bangladesh appreciated the design of the programme and opportunity to listen to and have discussion with highly qualified domain experts and eminent people came as resource persons. So far, with the support of MEA and in close cooperation with the Indian Mission in Dhaka, NCGG has trained about 2,055 civil servants of Bangladesh. The National Centre for Good Governance was set up in 2014 by the Government of India as an apex-level institution under the auspices of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions. NCGGis mandated to work in the areas of public policy, governance, reforms, training and capacity building of civil servants of the country as well as of other developing countries.  It is to also work as a think tank of the government.  In partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), NCGG has taken up the responsibility to build the capacities of civil servants of developing countries. So far, it has imparted training to civil servants of 15 countries viz. Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, Tunisia, Seychelles, Gambia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Laos, Vietnam, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Cambodia. These trainings were found to be highly useful by the participating officers of different countries. Also, NCGG has been involved in the capacity building of civil servants from various states in the country. These programmes are much sought after and as desired by the MEA, NCGG is expanding its capacity to accommodate a higher number of civil servants from more countries as demand is on the rise. For the year 2023 –24, NCGG has effected 3-fold increase in this highly sought after programmes.     In this programme the NCGGshared various initiatives taken in the country suchas changing paradigm of governance, rejuvenation of rivers with special reference to Ganga, leveraging digital technology: changing rural landscape of India – Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Gramin, public-private partnership in infrastructure development, land administration, constitutional foundation of policy making, decentralization, public contracts and policies, fintech and inclusion, public  policy & implementation, election management, Aadhar as a tool of good governance, digital governance – case studies of passport seva & MADAD, e-governance and digital India UMANG, disaster management with special reference to coastal region, ethics in administration, overview of national security scenario, rural electrification initiatives in India, project planning, execution and monitoring – Jal Jeevan Mission,  Swamitva scheme: property validation for rural India, vigilance administration, anti-corruption strategies, investment promotion & entrepreneurship, Indian experiences in sanitation, circular economy, approach to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030, digital governance for healthcare among others. During the programme, the participants were also taken for exposure visits to PradhanmantriSanghralaya, Parliament,etc.The 58th Course was conducted by Dr A.P. Singh, Course Coordinator with the help of Dr. Sanjeev Sharma, Associate Course Coordinator andsupported by the capacity building team of NCGG.

Pakistan has decided to seek U.S. help for the revival of the stalled IMF loan programme, following the delay in the staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund, ARY News reported. According to sources within the Finance Ministry, the incumbent government has decided to seek Washington's help as the majority of the demands of the fund have been completed. "There is no need for further delay in the staff-level agreement." As per sources, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar will talk with the U.S. envoy this week. It has been learnt that there are chances of a staff-level agreement between Pakistan and the IMF this week. The virtual talks are also scheduled today with the International Monetary Fund. Talks were held between officials from State Bank of Pakistan and IMF on March 9. They discussed the points finalised in the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies. IMF had asked Pakistan to implement its demands before reaching a staff-level agreement for revival of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) stalled for months. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on March 11 said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan was out to create hurdles in the revival of the International Monetary Fund's programme which was reached during the previous PTI-led government, Pakistan Today reported. He said that the creation of chaos on roads is part of Imran Khan's agenda which aims at "fanning the fire of instability in the country." "The creation of chaos on roads and anarchy is part and parcel of Imran Niazi's agenda, aimed at fanning the fire of instability in the country," PM Sharif said in a short statement shared by Pakistan PM Office media wing on March 11. "The timid person did not allow the courts to search him as he is guilty," he added. PM Sharif said that the PTI chief did not want the poor people to come out of the problems, including inflation and economic pressure, as per the news report. He said that former Pakistan PM Imran Khan's evasion from courts shows "height of cowardice". PM Sharif said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif faced the worst kind of vengeance at the hands of NAB-Niazi connivance in the past. Mr. Sharif said that the PML-N leadership faced the ordeals of death cells and braved the unfounded cases of heroin, as per the news report. "Imran Khan's evasion from courts amounts to the height of cowardice", the PM observed. "First, he (Imran) left the IMF programme and now is resisting the courts," he said, adding Imran Khan had also deviated from his promises and ideals, according to Pakistan Today report. "We have faced the courts and laws in the trumped-up charges framed against our family members including sons, daughters and sisters," he added. Source: The Hindu

As part of the Centre’s ‘mega public outreach’ in Jammu and Kashmir, four Union ministers including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, have visited the region in the last week, a move which the locals termed as “people-friendly”. Under the mega outreach programme, as many as 70 Union ministers will visit J-K. The programme began after Shah’s three-day visit to the Union Territory starting October 3 (till 5), where he addressed public meetings in the Rajouri district of Jammu region and Baramulla district of North Kashmir. According to a report, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale visited Kashmir on October 6 and interacted with the media in Srinagar. After Athawale, Union Minister for Industries and Crafts Anupriya Patel visited the Ganderbal district on Wednesday, followed by Union Minister for Pashupalan, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Sanjiv Kumar Balyan who visited the Shopian district of south Kashmir. According to the report, he met the public delegation including panchayat members, a programme which was widely praised. According to the report, the locals said that the program has enabled them to connect directly with the government. The locals said that their problems reach directly to the concerned officers and they are also solved as earlier even minor work used to take a lot of time. They called the Centre’s outreach programme “people-friendly” and hoped that more such programmes will be organised in the future. Source: ANI

As part of the package, India has offered to set up an MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facility in Malaysia for its Russian-origin Su-30 fighter fleet as it is facing difficulties in procuring spares for the aircraft from Russia in view of western sanctions against Moscow.   India’s Tejas light combat aircraft has emerged as the top choice for Malaysia as the Southeast Asian nation looks at replacing its ageing fleet of fighter jets and the two sides are holding negotiations to firm up the procurement.   Malaysia has narrowed down on the Indian aircraft notwithstanding the stiff competition from China’s JF-17 jet, South Korea’s FA-50 and Russia’s Mig-35 as well as Yak-130, Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, R Madhavan, told PTI in an interview.   As part of the package, India has offered to set up an MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facility in Malaysia for its Russian-origin Su-30 fighter fleet as it is facing difficulties in procuring spares for the aircraft from Russia in view of western sanctions against Moscow.   “I am very confident about it unless some political shift takes place,” Madhavan said when asked whether the deal would be closed soon.   The top executive of the state-run aerospace behemoth said if the deal is sealed, it will give a “very good signal” to other prospective buyers of the aircraft and boost its overall export potential.   “It (the negotiation) is almost in the final stages. We are the only country which is offering them the support for their Su-30 aircraft as other than Russia, we are the only one who can support them to the extent that they require for the Sukhoi fleet,” Madhavan said.   It is learnt that the Chinese JF-17 was cheaper but could not match the technical parameters of the Tejas Mk-IA variant and the offer of maintenance of the Su-30 fleet as proposed by India. A team of high-ranking officials and experts is expected to visit India soon to take forward the procurement process. Malaysia is procuring the aircraft to replace its ageing fleet of Russian MiG-29 fighter planes. The number of aircraft that Malaysia is looking at procuring is not immediately clear.   Madhavan said Tejas is a much superior aircraft compared to JF-17 and FA-50 and that the selection of the Indian aircraft would provide Malaysia with the option to go in for future upgrades of the fleet.   Tejas, manufactured by HAL, is a single-engine and highly agile multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments. In February last year, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF). India has started work on the MK 2 version of the Tejas as well as on an ambitious USD 5 billion project to develop a fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).   “We actually are the only one who covered everything that they require and we met their budget requirements as well,” Madhavan said. “Nobody will offer them upgrades so fast as we would offer. They will have an alternative available in Tejas Mark 2 and they can even think of AMCA,” the HAL chief added.   He said HAL is going to maintain the same level of services to Malaysia as it has been giving to the IAF. Asked whether the supply of Tejas jets to the IAF will be impacted if HAL wins the Malaysian contract, Madhavan said the production of the aircraft would be ramped up depending on the requirement.   According to the plan, the HAL would start delivering the jets (Mk-IA variant) to the IAF in 2025 and all 83 jets will have to be handed over by 2030. Madhavan said if the deal with Malaysia is sealed, it will signal the acceptability of the aircraft, which would result in the opening up of many other options. “We now have a very good platform. It is the best in this category,” he said.   Source: indianexpress.com

    The All JK Youth Society under its Vice-President, Yana Mir organised a drug awareness programme in Government Girls High School, Amira Kadal, and around 500 girls from the school attended the event with enthusiasm. The event was attended by RLGP national General Secretary Sanjay Saraf, Apni Party spokesperson Shoaib Dar, JK People's Justice Front President Agha Syed Abbas Rizvi, activists Sahil Bashir Bhat, Aijaz Kashani, and Javid Beigh, the school Principal, and local corporator, Shaheena Bhat. The speakers highlighted the medical and social problems created by substance abuse. Informative speeches educated the students about how drugs enter the Valley, how these reach the youth, and how these impact the addicted youth with regard to their future life. Speakers spoke about how Kashmir can be saved from losing its entire generation to drug abuse and subsequent crimes. The event was of the many organised by All JK Youth Society which continues to work for youth empowerment in the Valley. Source: tribuneindia.com    

Indian Army organised a Volleyball tournament cum career counselling programme in South Kashmir's Anantnag with an aim to provide a suitable platform and opportunity to the youths in pursuing their passion. The programme was held under the theme of "Play hard, study harder". Many teams participated from the different parts of Kashmir and demonstrated great zeal towards the programme. Participants appreciated and demanded such an initiative to uplift the youth in the Valley. Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Sameer Ahmad Magray, a Participant said, "Due to Covid pandemic, we were locked up in homes, our education was also suffering. We are very happy that the Indian army organised this tournament. I felt refreshed after participating in the game. It should continue further."      Ishfaq Rather, another participant said along with participating in the game, career counselling was also given. This kind of tournament should take place in the valley so that youth can showcase their talent. "We really enjoyed the tournament. During the pandemic, we all were frustrated and many youths were engaged in wrong activities. The Indian army did a great job, this will help youth to showcase their talent as well motivate them for their career in future," Ishfaq said. Aquib Ahmad, a local resident said, "This is a really good initiative. We have been seeing that for a few years the Indian army is conducting this kind of tournament and helping the youth in making their career opportunities better." Source: ANI

A Non-Governmental Organisation organised a special awareness programme on surgical care during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Kashmir valley. A number of doctors and health experts participated in the programme. Though the government health sector has improved in the last few years, some reputed Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) are playing great roles in helping people during the pandemic. These organisations have the latest types of machinery and medical equipment including high-tech ambulances, oxygen concentrators, wheelchairs, and stretchers. The Jammu and Kashmir's Department of Health has also worked in association with these NGOs to help people at the time of emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking to ANI, Dr Nahida Nazir, Organiser of the event said the purpose of the event is to apprise people of the medical facilities so that people can get proper health benefits, especially surgical care during Covid crises. "The purpose of this event is to spread awareness. We have the latest eight and nine projects currently underway in the valley. Through this programme, we are reaching people so that they can utilise more and more services," Dr Nazir said. Irfan Rasheed, a local person said "The NGOs are doing a great job here. They are working with the government hospitals to help people. All deserve an appreciation for their work." Sehar Anjum, the counsellor said "these NGOs are proving free counselling and awareness programmes for the people. Due to this event, people get to know about the medical care that is being provided in the valley so that they can utilise benefits." Source: ANI

With the implication of over 85 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 153.80 crore as per provisional reports till 7 am today. According to the inforamtion given by the Union Health Ministry, India administered 85,26240 doses, taking the total vaccination coverage to 1,53,80,08,200. 60,405 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients (since the beginning of the pandemic) is now at 3,46,30,536. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 96.01 per cent. 1,94,720 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours. India's Active Caseload is presently at 9,55,319. Active cases constitute 2.65 per cent of the country's total positive cases. The testing capacity across the country continues to be expanded. The last 24 hours saw a total of 17,61,900 tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 69.52 crore cumulative tests. While testing capacity has been risen across the country, the weekly positivity rate in the country currently stands at 9.82 per cent and the daily positivity rate also reported to be 11.05 per cent. Source: ANI

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday condemned the Sindh government for not participating in the Rs106.1 billion Ehsaas Ration Programme (ERP) starting from Dec 31 and lamented that people of the province will not avail benefits of the programme aimed at providing relief to 20 million inflation-hit people in the country. On the other hand, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told Dawn that Balochistan had agreed to join the programme. Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are already taking part in the programme. Sixty-five per cent cost of the programme will be borne by the provinces while the Centre will contribute 35pc. Under the programme, a subsidy of Rs1,000 will be given to 20m beneficiaries on purchase of three consumer items — pulses, edible oil/ghee and wheat flour. “The prime minister strongly condemned stubborn attitude of the Sindh government for not participating in the social welfare programme depriving people of the province of its benefits,” the information minister said. He said Prime Minister Khan during recent inauguration of the Green Line Bus project in Karachi had asked the Sindh government to bury political differences and join the programme, but the provincial government was bent upon rejecting it. “When people from other parts of the country will get benefit of Ehsaas Ration Programme, people of Sindh will remain deprived of it,” he added. Mr Chaudhry said earlier Balochistan was reluctant to join the programme but now Chief Minister Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo had assured the Centre that his government would participate in the scheme. Under the programme, pulses, flour and edible oil/ghee will be available on subsidised rates for the registered persons at Utility Stores, superstores and thousands of designated general/grocery stores across the country. A subsidy of Rs22 will be given on flour, Rs105 on ghee and Rs55 on pulses. The Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government’s spokesman Saeed Ghani asked why the provincial government would contribute Rs17bn to the programme launched by the federal government. Talking to Dawn, he said instead of going for a hectic exercise of providing ration subsidy, the Centre should have given additional Rs1,000 to existing beneficiaries of Ehsaas programme. “We don’t have any extra money to contribute our share in the programme,” Mr Ghani said. When contacted, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation Sania Nishtar, who is supervising the Ehsaas Ration Programme, said the stance of the Sindh government was illogical because if the province had a system to provide relief to the people, it should itself launch such a programme and in that case it would be justified to refuse the Centre. She said launching the programme, meeting rules and regulations and providing subsidy to the people at their nearby grocery stores was not an easy job. Regarding Saeed Ghani’s suggestion to provide additional Rs1,000 to the beneficiaries of Ehsaas programme, Ms Nishtar said most of the people had demanded subsidy on grocery items, therefore, the ration programme was being launched to provide some relief amid high prices of food items. “Before approving the ration subsidy programme, the federal government also considered providing additional Rs1,000 to the registered beneficiaries but it rejected the option because the number of registered Ehsaas beneficiaries is 6m and Ehsaas Ration Programme will provide benefit to 20m people,” she added. Earlier, presiding over a meeting, Prime Minister Khan said the government had introduced the largest ever poverty alleviation and social protection programme in the country’s history. The meeting reviewed the ongoing welfare, social protection, poverty alleviation and basic health projects. About health insurance card, the PM said the Naya Pakistan Sehat Card was a unique health insurance facility which was unprecedented in the world. The meeting was given a briefing on the health card and Ehsaas Ration Programme. It was told that starting from January next year, all families in Punjab would get free medical treatment facilities of up to Rs1m a year. The participants were also apprised of the progress on the provision of subsidy to the low-income group under Ehsaas Ration Programme. While briefing on Ehsaas Koi Bhooka Na Soye, Langar Khana and Panahgah initiatives, the meeting was told that the projects were providing relief to the daily wagers, particularly during the winter season. The meeting was also briefed on Kamyab Jawan Programme, Naya Pakistan Housing programme and Sports Drive programme, besides discussing the coming local government elections in Punjab. The prime minister expressed satisfaction over the ongoing welfare projects and called for their completion within the stipulated time. Federal Ministers Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Shafqat Mahmood, Hammad Azhar and Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Senator Saifullah Niazi, MNA Amir Mahmood Kiani, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid attended the meeting. In a separate meeting, Prime Minister Khan said the regulatory authorities had a pivotal role to play for protection of rights of the people. “The regulators have to protect public interest by ensuring effective monitoring and compliance of the legal and regulatory requirements,” he said. Source: The Dawn

Tehran's nuclear programme is back under the spotlight as international talks between Iran and world powers to revive the 2015 nuclear deal restart on Monday in Vienna.    Tehran insists that its programme is exclusively peaceful but its recent ramping up of its nuclear activities has alarmed experts.    - Which limits has Tehran breached? -    Under the 2015 deal with Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the United States, Iran agreed not to enrich uranium above 3.67 percent, well below the 90-percent threshold needed for use in a nuclear weapon.    In addition, it was only allowed to have a stockpile of 202.8 kilogrammes in total -- equivalent to 300 kilogrammes in a particular compound form.    But since May 2019, Iran has announced successive breaches of the deal in reaction to the then US president Donald Trump's withdrawal from the agreement in 2018 and the reimposition of harsh sanctions.    According to the latest report from the UN's watchdog IAEA, Iran has now amassed a stockpile of 2,489.7 kilogrammes.    The total amount now includes 113.8 kilogrammes enriched to 20 percent, as well as 17.7 kilogrammes enriched up to 60 percent.    In addition, it has started producing uranium metal, "a key material used to make nuclear weapon cores, under a civil use pretext", according to Andrea Stricker, co-author of a recent analysis from the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security.    Under the 2015 deal, Iran promised not to produce the metal.    It has also made more progress operating advanced centrifuges – machines used for uranium enrichment -- than it had prior to the 2015 deal.    "Iran has made irreversible progress on advanced centrifuges and on enrichment including practising multi-step enrichment to shorten the process of moving to weapons-grade," Stricker told AFP.    - How close is it to a nuclear bomb? -    Iran denies wanting nuclear weapons, saying its activities are purely for peaceful purposes such as generating electricity and treating cancer patients.    Under the 2015 deal, "breakout time" -- the time needed to acquire the fissile material necessary to manufacture a bomb -- was about a year.    But with the recent developments, it is "much less", according to one diplomat.    "Enrichment to 60 percent could be around 99 percent of the effort to reach weapons-grade, which underscores the gravity of the situation," Stricker told AFP, citing a colleague's research, though she adds "there is no reason for hysteria".    According to Stricker, "Iran now possesses enough enriched uranium for four nuclear weapons, after further enrichment to weapons-grade".    - What safeguards are in place? -    Experts note Iran would also need to take other steps, besides enriching uranium, to have a bomb.    "Even if Iran produced enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon, it would need to convert that material into the nuclear core, and package that with explosives and other components to make a nuclear device," said Eric Brewer of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).    "Additional steps would be required to fit that device on top of a missile and have it work correctly," he told AFP.    IAEA inspectors also regularly visit Iran. Their access has been reduced since earlier this year, but their monitoring activities would still "help it detect a dash to a nuclear weapon fairly quickly", according to Brewer.    "The real challenge right now is that Iran's expanded nuclear activities, in particular its use of advanced centrifuges, are creating knowledge that is hard to erase with a simple return to the nuclear deal," he said. Source: AFP/BSS AH