22.09.2007

• I wrote something about India’s status in so far as the NPT (or NNPT) is concerned. Take a look at it in today’s Discover It blog.
• In today’s Time Pass blog, I share with you a good power point presentation sent by one of my friends regarding the importance of time management. Do take a look at it here.
• India’s thorium reserves
• It has one-fourth of the world’s reserves.
• It hopes to use this alternative nuclear fuel entirely in its programme in the future. This has the potential to alter India’s equations with the rest of the nuclear world.
• Information Technology Act in for review
• Two of the major flaws in the enactment relate to:
• Sexual abuse of children: the act of grooming the child for sexual relationships through online enticement or distributing/showing pornography or through online means to be made a criminal offence.
• Cyber terrorism: This has not been defined in the enactment.
• In addition it is also felt that the present law’s language is complex and needs to be thoroughly revamped.
• What is a green building?
• Green building is the practice of:
• increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use and harvest energy, water, and materials;
• reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, and
• having a good building life cycle through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal.
• Sunita Williams on a visit to India
• Her record: the only woman astronaut to stay in space for a period of 195 days – the longest ever by a woman astronaut.
• Inflation at a mere 3.32% now
• It has hit this 5 year record low. This is again largely attributed to the base effect.
• Direct tax collections at record levels
• During the first six months (upto September 15^th only) of this fiscal, they have crossed the Rs. 100,000 lakh crore mark. This is a growth of 41%.
• This implies that there is a significant jump in the income level of taxpayers.
• About night shift for women employees
• The government is bringing about legislative changes to allow women to work night shifts in factories. The move may be welcome provided India conforms to the existing ILO convention in this regard. One more reason for supporting such a move is that there are some jobs that are better suited for women – for eg., the population of the printed circuit boards. As long as their safety and security are ensured any such move is welcome.
• At present the Factories Act, 1948 stipulates that women should not be working in factories beyond 7 PM and 6 AM. However, states can make an exception for a factory to allow them to work until 10 PM if the workplace ensures their occupational safety and adequate protection is given to them.
• The ILO convention also provides that women should not be put on night shifts for at least 16 weeks before and after childbirth, including at least eight weeks before childbirth.
• Baikonur cosmodrome in Khazakhstan, Central Asia.
• This is the place from where Russia carries out most of its space launches.
• But now it is thinking of coming out with an alternate site somewhere in the Far East.
• Finally before logging of for today, do take our daily quiz here.