Google displaying incorrect map of India : MoS, I & B Ministry, Rajyavardhan Rathore

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry Rajyavardhan Rathore said that the Survey of India has found out that Google is displaying an incorrect map of India on its different websites. He said that after complaints regarding display of incorrect map were received, Survey of India had looked in to the matter.

 

Google has been found by Survey of India to have been displaying incorrect map of India, said Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore in the Lok Sabha

On receipt of complaints regarding display of incorrect map of India by Google, Survey of India found that Google is displaying incorrect map of India on its different websites namely www.google.co.in (India), www.ditu.google.co.ch (China), www.google.pk (Pakistan) and www.google.org (General).

MoS, I&B Ministry, Mr. Rajyavardhan Rathore further said that displaying incorrect map of India is an offence under section 69-A of Information Technology Act, 2000.

Accordingly, matter was taken up by the Survey of India with Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Defence in a letter dated May 16, 2013 for necessary preventive or legal action at their end, the Minister said in his reply.

"Nodal officer has been appointed by the Survey of India to deal with such complaints," the Minister added.

Next generation reforms in power sector on the anvil: Bill seeking to amend certain provisions of Electricity Act, 2003 to be tabled in Parliament next week, says Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal

A Bill seeking to amend certain provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003 will be tabled in Parliament next week, said Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal. The Union Cbinet had approved the draft of the Bill on Wednesday. 

Union Power Minister, Piyush Goyal

Touted as the next generation reforms in the power sector, it would not only give the choice of supplier in the hands of small consumers of less than 1 mw, but also allow distribution companies to procure power from their own renewable energy plants to meet Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO). Aimed at creating a competitive market for retail buyers, open access would now allow consumers of less than 1 mw to choose their supplier. Under the Electricity Act 2003, only consumers with more than 1 mw demand can change their distribution company.  

Besides, under the proposed amendment, power generators, too, would be allowed to sell surplus power outside a state.

A major breather for the distribution sector is also the separation of content and carriage business. This entails that building infrastructure for power supply and the supply of power would be two different business entities. Besides, any power supplier could use the infrastructure.

The Bill has also an important insertion imposing ‘duty to connect, supply to request’, wherein last-mile supply would be done keeping in mind the economics and viability.

The Act proposes a National Renewable Energy Policy and a new ‘Renewable Generation Obligation (RGO)’.

5 new posts of ASG's for High Courts of Punjab and Haryana, Patna, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Gujarat

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday approved the creation of five new posts of Additional Solicitor General, one each in the High Courts of Punjab and Haryana, Patna, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Gujarat.

  

Cabinet meeting chaired by PM Modi : a file picture

According to a press release by the Press Information Bureau, the decision will strengthen the litigation machinery to represent the central government as a whole and specifically in these courts: “This will also help in conduct of litigation on behalf of Union of India efficiently and effectively.”

“The creation of these posts will also facilitate transaction of business in accordance with procedures and enable assigning of functions to legally trained persons. It will result in greater accountability of government departments to curb frivolous litigation and lessen the burden of government cases in these Courts,” says the press release explaining the rationale behind the creation of the new posts of ASG's.

Law to prevent 'honour killings' : difficult to fix a timeline as consultations with stakeholders needed: Union Law Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda

As many as 22 states and Union Territories have supported a Law Commission recommendation to bring a bill to prevent 'honour killings', but the Union Government on Thursday refused to fix a timeline to put in place a legal framework, saying a decision will be taken after due consultations.    A decision on introducing a legislation to prevent honour killings will be taken only after due consultations, said the Union Law Minister Union Law Minister Mr. D.V. Sadananda Gowda informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday that the policy decision to enact a legislation on the issue will be taken after considering the comments of all states and holding consultations with the stakeholders. "In view of the above, it would be difficult to fix a timeline in this regard," he said. The Law Commission’s report on 'prevention of interference with freedom of matrimonial alliances (in the name of honour and tradition)' was circulated to states for their comments.

"Till date, 22 state governments and Union Territories have sent their responses and are in support of the recommendations made by the Law Commission," he said in a written response. The response of other states are awaited and reminders have been issued to them. Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, UP, West Bengal and UTs of Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Pudducherry have supported the proposal to bring in a legal framework to prevent honour killings. The Law Minister said as the subject of the report falls in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, consultation with states is necessary. In its 2001 report, the panel, then headed by Justice P V Redi, had recommended brining a Bill "to provide for, in the interests of protecting individual liberty and preventing victimisation, prohibition of unlawful assemblies and other conduct interfering with the freedom of matrimonial alliances in the name of honour and tradition and for the matters connected therewith or incidental thereto." The draft legislation was named 'The Prohibition of Interference with the Freedom of Matrimonial Alliances Bill'. The report had referred to a Supreme Court decision "wherein a direction of far-reaching consequences has been given while laying down the proposition that the so-called honour killing comes within the category of rarest of the rare cases deserving death punishment.”

Odisha chit fund scam : CBI files chargesheet against former Advocate General of Odisha, Ashok Mohanty and 15 others

The Central Bureau of Investigation today filed a preliminary charge sheet in the case before the Special CBI Court in Bhubaneswar, against the Artha Tatwa (AT) Group, a major player in the  multi-thousand crore chit fund scam in Odisha. 

  

16 persons have been charge-sheeted in the case including AT Group chief Pradeep Kumar Sethy, BJD MLA from Banki Pravat Tripathy and former Advocate General of Odisha, Ashok Mohanty. 

The charge sheet, which cites 250 witnesses, has framed charges against the accused under several sections of the IPC, including 120 (B), 406, 411, 409, 420, 468, 471 of IPC and sections 4, 5, 6 of the Prize Chitt and Money Circulation (Banning) Act, 1978.

The preliminary charge sheet laid against the AT group said it duped investors of at least Rs 200 crore by floating seven companies in the state : : AT Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society, AT Multi state Cooperative society, AT Infra India Limited, AT Enterprises Private Ltd, Orison Properties Pvt Ltd, Kamyab TV Private Ltd, Tilakraj Publication Private Limited.

This is the second chargesheet filed by the CBI in the mega chit fund scam in Odisha which it is investgating as per the orders of the Supreme Court. The CBI had first laid a chargesheet in the chit fund scam case against Green India Private Limited on December 2.

The agency has registered 44 cases against as many companies for alleged swindling of deposits of investors who were lured through the offer of attractive returns on their investment. 

The complete list of the 16 persons charge sheeted today are as follows:

1- Pradeep Sethy, Chief Managing Driector (CMD)

2- Jyotiprakash Jayprakash, Director

3- Sambit Kumar Khuntia, Director

4- Shreekrushna Padhi, AT Accountant

5- Bikash Swain, Proprietor of Odia daily ‘Suryaprava’

6- Ranjan Kumar Dash, Co-founder of the Artha Tatwa (AT) Group and Founder of Swastik India Multi-State Cooperative Agency

7- Manoj Kumar Dash, Kamyab Television owner

8- Madhusudan Mohanty, Proprietor of Odia newspaper ‘Odisha Bhaskar’

9- Dharmendra Kumar Bothra, Real Estate broker

10- Deepak Chandratan Parekh, Mumbai-based stock exchange broker

11- Ashok Mohanty, Former Odisha Advocate General

12- Preeti Bhatia, Mumbai-based Model and Television Serial Producer

13- Pravat Kumar Tripathy, BJD MLA from Banki

14- Vineet Kumar Lalani, Builder

15- Dillip Kumar Mohanty, Businessman

16-Sagar Kumar Ray, Builder and Director ofOrisons Properties Limited