The Evening Wrap: Cabinet approves assured 50% of salary as pension under UPS

Union Cabinet on August 24 approved an assured 50% of salary as pension for 23 lakh government employees who joined service under the National Pension System (NPS). The NPS is applicable for government employees joining the service after April 1, 2004. It was based on the premise of contribution rather than defined benefit applicable for employees prior to the NPS. Announcing Cabinet decisions, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) announced that government employees will now be eligible to get 50% of the average basic pay drawn over the last 12 months before the superannuation as pension. For this full pension or 50% of pay as the pension, he said, the eligibility service length will be 25 years. However, he said, it would be proportionate for a lesser service period up to a minimum of 10 years of service. NPS subscribers can now opt for the UPS, which offers assured pension applicable from the beginning of the next financial year. Last year, the Finance Ministry set up a committee under Finance Secretary T.V. Somanathan to review the pension scheme for government employees and suggest any changes, if needed, in light of the existing framework and structure of the NPS. Several non-BJP-ruled states have decided to revert to the DA-linked Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and also employee organisations in some other states have raised demand for the same. Briefing media, Cabinet Secretary-designate T.V. Somanathan said the new scheme is applicable from April 1, 2025. The benefits of the UPS are applicable for those retired and retiring till March 31, 2025, with arrears, he added. Cabinet nod to ‘BioE3’ policy for innovation-driven support to research and development The Union Cabinet on August 24 approved the ‘BioE3’ (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) policy for fostering high-performance biomanufacturing of the Department of Biotechnology. According to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the BioE3 policy seeks to include innovation-driven support for research and development and entrepreneurship across thematic sectors. “This will accelerate technology development and commercialisation by establishing biomanufacturing and bio-AI hubs and biofoundry”, he said. Along with prioritising regenerative bioeconomy models of green growth, this policy will facilitate the expansion of India’s skilled workforce and provide a surge in job creation. An official statement said, the policy will further strengthen the government’s initiatives such as a ‘Net Zero’ carbon economy and ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ and will steer India on the path of accelerated ‘Green Growth’ by promoting a ‘Circular Bioeconomy’. Our present era is an opportune time to invest in the industrialisation of biology to promote sustainable and circular practices to address some of the critical societal issues such as climate change mitigation, food security and human health, it said. To address the national priorities, the BioE3 Policy would broadly focus on the following strategic/thematic sectors: high-value bio-based chemicals, biopolymers and enzymes; smart proteins and functional foods; precision biotherapeutics; climate resilient agriculture; carbon capture and its utilisation; marine and space research, it said. India to be free of Naxal menace by 2026; time for final assault: Amit Shah “India will be free from Left Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026 and a strong and ruthless strategy is required for the final assault against the menace,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on August 24. The Minister stated this during a press conference in Raipur after he, along with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and senior central and police officers, reviewed the Maoist issue in the State and adjoining areas. Urging Naxals to shun violence, Shah announced that the Chhattisgarh Government would announce a “new look” surrender policy in 1-2 months. “A strong and ruthless strategy is required for launching the last assault against Naxals,” he said. The Home Minister said Naxal violence is a challenge to democracy and the menace has claimed about 17,000 lives in the country. He said there was a 53% drop in Naxal incidents during 2014–24 as compared to 2004–14. The Minister said the Government has been working to fill the security vacuum in LWE-hit areas, and the security personnel have undertaken operations along with development works. He said that besides the security forces, central agencies like the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) have also worked to dismantle Maoist finances. “We believe we will be able to free the country from Left Wing Extremism by March 2026,” Shah said. Asked about the now-scrapped Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the Home Minister said that the provision will not be restored ever. CBI takes over probe into financial irregularities at R.G. Kar Medical College The CBI on August 24 took over the case of alleged financial irregularities at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata during the tenure of former principal Sandip Ghosh, officials said. The action came on the directions of the Calcutta High Court which transferred the probe to the agency from a state-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT). “The CBI collected necessary documents from the SIT on Saturday (August 24) and proceeded to re-register the FIR”, the official said. The High Court issued directives on a petition by former Deputy Superintendent of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital Akhtar Ali, who requested a probe by the ED into alleged financial misconduct at the medical college during the tenure of Ghosh. The college has come into media glare following the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor on the campus on August 9, they said. The High Court had directed the CBI to submit a progress report on the investigation within three weeks. The court has scheduled a follow-up hearing for September 17 to review the report. Hyderabad-bound helicopter crashes in Pune; 4 occupants survive mishap A helicopter flying from Mumbai to Hyderabad crashed in Pune’s Mulshi tehsil on August 24 afternoon, police said. All four occupants survived the crash that took place near Paud, though they may have suffered injuries, an official said. “The captain of the helicopter is being taken to hospital, while the other three are stable. The helicopter belongs to Global Vectra company. The cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained,” he said. France opens terror probe after blast near synagogue An explosion outside a synagogue in southern France wounded a police officer early on August 24 in what authorities said was being treated as a potential terror attack. Security around Jewish sites was tightened following the blast outside the Beth Yaacov synagogue in the seaside resort of La Grande Motte, near the city of Montpellier. A fire was also started at the entrance of the synagogue, but was quickly put out, with two doors damaged, investigators said. President Emmanuel Macron called the incident “an act of terror”, adding on X that “the fight against anti-Semitism is a daily fight”. Two cars outside the synagogue burst into flames after a gas canister likely exploded inside one of the vehicles, police said. The blast wounded a police officer, police said, without providing any other details. La Grande Motte’s mayor, Stephan Rossignol, said that CCTV had picked up images of an individual setting fire to the cars. The potential suspect seen in the footage was brandishing a Palestinian flag, a source close to the probe added. Another source said that the man was carrying two empty bottles and had a Palestinian flag draped around his waist as left the scene on foot. One of the images also appeared to show him to be armed, possibly with a 9mm pistol, the source added. The explosion comes amid a heightened state of alert in France and other European countries because of the war in Gaza. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said France’s national anti-terror prosecutors had been tasked with probing the incident. “La Grande Motte’s synagogue was the target of an attack this morning,” Attal said in a post on X. “An anti-Semitic act. Once again, our Jewish fellow citizens are being targeted.” Earlier, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin called the incident “an obviously criminal act”. He said “all means are being deployed to find the perpetrator”. The police presence outside Jewish sites in France would be increased following the explosion, the minister added. Darmanin and Attal were to travel to the site of the explosion later in the day. There was, however, no religious service ongoing at the time of the incident, a police source said. A rabbi and four other people were inside the synagogue at the time but all were unharmed, investigators said. There was no immediate information about the gravity of the police officer’s injuries. Germany knife attack: Prosecutors don’t rule out terrorism Special police units on August 24 joined the search for an unknown man who carried out a stabbing attack at a crowded festival in the western German city of Solingen, killing three people and wounding at least eight others, five of them seriously. Markus Caspers, from the counterterrorism section of the public prosecutors office, told a news conference that authorities have not found the perpetrator. He said a terrorist motivation could not be ruled out. A 15-year-old boy was arrested. Police said he was suspected of knowing about the planned attack and not informing authorities but he was not the attacker. Police warned people to stay vigilant even as wellwishers started to leave flowers at the scene. Police established an online portal where witnesses could upload footage and any other information relevant to the attack. The attack took place in the crowd in front of one stage. Hours after the attack, the stage lights were still on as police and forensic investigators looked for clues in the cordoned-off square. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the perpetrator of the attack must be caught quickly and punished with the full force of the law. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke to the mayor of Solingen earlier in the day. There has been concern about increased knife violence in Germany, and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser recently proposed toughening weapons laws to allow only knives with a blade measuring up to 6cm to be carried in public, rather than the length of 12cm that is currently allowed. Russia Ukraine swap prisoners of war as Ukraine marks independence anniversary Russia and Ukraine exchanged over 100 prisoners of war on August 24 as Kyiv marked its third Independence Day since Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Ukraine said the 115 servicemen who were freed were conscripts, many of whom were taken prisoner in the first months of Russia’s invasion. Among them are nearly 50 soldiers captured by Russian forces from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol. The Russian Defence Ministry said the 115 Russian soldiers had been captured in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched their surprise offensive into Russia two weeks ago. The Ministry said the soldiers were currently in Belarus but would be taken to Russia for medical treatment and rehabilitation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X that the United Arab Emirates had again brokered the exchange, the 55th since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022. Photos attached to Zelensky’s post show gaunt servicemen with shaven heads and wrapped in Ukrainian flags. Officials from the two sides meet only when they swap their dead and POWs, after lengthy preparation and diplomacy. Neither Ukraine nor Russia discloses how many POWs there are in total. According to the U.N., most Ukrainian POWs suffer routine medical neglect, severe and systematic mistreatment, and even torture while in detention. There have also been isolated reports of abuse of Russian soldiers, mostly during capture or transit to internment sites. Ukraine marked its 33rd Independence Day on August 24 as its war against Russia’s aggression reaches a 30-month milestone. No festivities are planned and instead Ukrainians will mark the day with commemorations for civilians and soldiers killed in the war. In Brief: One unidentified militant was killed in a shootout in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district today. Officials said the shootout took place at a checkpoint in Watergam area of Rafiabad, Baramulla in north Kashmir. The gunfire was retaliated in which one militant was killed. The security forces rushed reinforcements to the encounter spot to track down any other suspect hiding there. However, the operation was called off later. Initial reports suggested that a pistol and a grenade were recovered from the encounter site. The identity and affiliation of the slain militant could not be ascertained immediately, officials said. [logo] The Evening Wrap 24 August 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Union Cabinet approves assured 50% of salary as pension under Unified Pension Scheme Union Cabinet on August 24 [approved an assured 50% of salary as pension]( for 23 lakh government employees who joined service under the National Pension System (NPS). The NPS is applicable for government employees joining the service after April 1, 2004. It was based on the premise of contribution rather than defined benefit applicable for employees prior to the NPS. Announcing Cabinet decisions, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) announced that government employees will now be eligible to get 50% of the average basic pay drawn over the last 12 months before the superannuation as pension. For this full pension or 50% of pay as the pension, he said, the eligibility service length will be 25 years. However, he said, it would be proportionate for a lesser service period up to a minimum of 10 years of service. NPS subscribers can now opt for the UPS, which offers assured pension applicable from the beginning of the next financial year. Last year, the Finance Ministry set up a committee under Finance Secretary T.V. Somanathan to review the pension scheme for government employees and suggest any changes, if needed, in light of the existing framework and structure of the NPS. Several non-BJP-ruled states have decided to revert to the DA-linked Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and also employee organisations in some other states have raised demand for the same. Briefing media, Cabinet Secretary-designate T.V. Somanathan said the new scheme is applicable from April 1, 2025. The benefits of the UPS are applicable for those retired and retiring till March 31, 2025, with arrears, he added. Cabinet nod to ‘BioE3’ policy for innovation-driven support to research and development The Union Cabinet on August 24 [approved the ‘BioE3’]( (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) policy for fostering high-performance biomanufacturing of the Department of Biotechnology. According to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the BioE3 policy seeks to include innovation-driven support for research and development and entrepreneurship across thematic sectors. “This will accelerate technology development and commercialisation by establishing biomanufacturing and bio-AI hubs and biofoundry”, he said. Along with prioritising regenerative bioeconomy models of green growth, this policy will facilitate the expansion of India’s skilled workforce and provide a surge in job creation. An official statement said, the policy will further strengthen the government’s initiatives such as a ‘Net Zero’ carbon economy and ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ and will steer India on the path of accelerated ‘Green Growth’ by promoting a ‘Circular Bioeconomy’. Our present era is an opportune time to invest in the industrialisation of biology to promote sustainable and circular practices to address some of the critical societal issues such as climate change mitigation, food security and human health, it said. To address the national priorities, the BioE3 Policy would broadly focus on the following strategic/thematic sectors: high-value bio-based chemicals, biopolymers and enzymes; smart proteins and functional foods; precision biotherapeutics; climate resilient agriculture; carbon capture and its utilisation; marine and space research, it said. India to be free of Naxal menace by 2026; time for final assault: Amit Shah “India will be [free from Left Wing Extremism]( (LWE) by March 2026 and a strong and ruthless strategy is required for the final assault against the menace,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on August 24. The Minister stated this during a press conference in Raipur after he, along with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and senior central and police officers, reviewed the Maoist issue in the State and adjoining areas. Urging Naxals to shun violence, Shah announced that the Chhattisgarh Government would announce a “new look” surrender policy in 1-2 months. “A strong and ruthless strategy is required for launching the last assault against Naxals,” he said. The Home Minister said Naxal violence is a challenge to democracy and the menace has claimed about 17,000 lives in the country. He said there was a 53% drop in Naxal incidents during 2014–24 as compared to 2004–14. The Minister said the Government has been working to fill the security vacuum in LWE-hit areas, and the security personnel have undertaken operations along with development works. He said that besides the security forces, central agencies like the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) have also worked to dismantle Maoist finances. “We believe we will be able to free the country from Left Wing Extremism by March 2026,” Shah said. Asked about the now-scrapped Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the Home Minister said that the provision will not be restored ever. CBI takes over probe into financial irregularities at R.G. Kar Medical College The CBI on August 24 took over the [case of alleged financial irregularities]( at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata during the tenure of former principal Sandip Ghosh, officials said. The action came on the directions of the Calcutta High Court which transferred the probe to the agency from a state-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT). “The CBI collected necessary documents from the SIT on Saturday (August 24) and proceeded to re-register the FIR”, the official said. The High Court issued directives on a petition by former Deputy Superintendent of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital Akhtar Ali, who requested a probe by the ED into alleged financial misconduct at the medical college during the tenure of Ghosh. The college has come into media glare following the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor on the campus on August 9, they said. The High Court had directed the CBI to submit a progress report on the investigation within three weeks. The court has scheduled a follow-up hearing for September 17 to review the report. Hyderabad-bound helicopter crashes in Pune; 4 occupants survive mishap A [helicopter flying from Mumbai to Hyderabad crashed in Pune]( Mulshi tehsil on August 24 afternoon, police said. All four occupants survived the crash that took place near Paud, though they may have suffered injuries, an official said. “The captain of the helicopter is being taken to hospital, while the other three are stable. The helicopter belongs to Global Vectra company. The cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained,” he said. France opens terror probe after blast near synagogue An [explosion outside a synagogue in southern France]( wounded a police officer early on August 24 in what authorities said was being treated as a potential terror attack. Security around Jewish sites was tightened following the blast outside the Beth Yaacov synagogue in the seaside resort of La Grande Motte, near the city of Montpellier. A fire was also started at the entrance of the synagogue, but was quickly put out, with two doors damaged, investigators said. President Emmanuel Macron called the incident “an act of terror”, adding on X that “the fight against anti-Semitism is a daily fight”. Two cars outside the synagogue burst into flames after a gas canister likely exploded inside one of the vehicles, police said. The blast wounded a police officer, police said, without providing any other details. La Grande Motte’s mayor, Stephan Rossignol, said that CCTV had picked up images of an individual setting fire to the cars. The potential suspect seen in the footage was brandishing a Palestinian flag, a source close to the probe added. Another source said that the man was carrying two empty bottles and had a Palestinian flag draped around his waist as left the scene on foot. One of the images also appeared to show him to be armed, possibly with a 9mm pistol, the source added. The explosion comes amid a heightened state of alert in France and other European countries because of the war in Gaza. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said France’s national anti-terror prosecutors had been tasked with probing the incident. “La Grande Motte’s synagogue was the target of an attack this morning,” Attal said in a post on X. “An anti-Semitic act. Once again, our Jewish fellow citizens are being targeted.” Earlier, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin called the incident “an obviously criminal act”. He said “all means are being deployed to find the perpetrator”. The police presence outside Jewish sites in France would be increased following the explosion, the minister added. Darmanin and Attal were to travel to the site of the explosion later in the day. There was, however, no religious service ongoing at the time of the incident, a police source said. A rabbi and four other people were inside the synagogue at the time but all were unharmed, investigators said. There was no immediate information about the gravity of the police officer’s injuries. Germany knife attack: Prosecutors don’t rule out terrorism Special police units on August 24 joined the [search for an unknown man]( who carried out a stabbing attack at a crowded festival in the western German city of Solingen, killing three people and wounding at least eight others, five of them seriously. Markus Caspers, from the counterterrorism section of the public prosecutors office, told a news conference that authorities have not found the perpetrator. He said a terrorist motivation could not be ruled out. A 15-year-old boy was arrested. Police said he was suspected of knowing about the planned attack and not informing authorities but he was not the attacker. Police warned people to stay vigilant even as wellwishers started to leave flowers at the scene. Police established an online portal where witnesses could upload footage and any other information relevant to the attack. The attack took place in the crowd in front of one stage. Hours after the attack, the stage lights were still on as police and forensic investigators looked for clues in the cordoned-off square. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the perpetrator of the attack must be caught quickly and punished with the full force of the law. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke to the mayor of Solingen earlier in the day. There has been concern about increased knife violence in Germany, and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser recently proposed toughening weapons laws to allow only knives with a blade measuring up to 6cm to be carried in public, rather than the length of 12cm that is currently allowed. Russia Ukraine swap prisoners of war as Ukraine marks independence anniversary [Russia and Ukraine exchanged over 100 prisoners]( of war on August 24 as Kyiv marked its third Independence Day since Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Ukraine said the 115 servicemen who were freed were conscripts, many of whom were taken prisoner in the first months of Russia’s invasion. Among them are nearly 50 soldiers captured by Russian forces from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol. The Russian Defence Ministry said the 115 Russian soldiers had been captured in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched their surprise offensive into Russia two weeks ago. The Ministry said the soldiers were currently in Belarus but would be taken to Russia for medical treatment and rehabilitation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X that the United Arab Emirates had again brokered the exchange, the 55th since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022. Photos attached to Zelensky’s post show gaunt servicemen with shaven heads and wrapped in Ukrainian flags. Officials from the two sides meet only when they swap their dead and POWs, after lengthy preparation and diplomacy. Neither Ukraine nor Russia discloses how many POWs there are in total. According to the U.N., most Ukrainian POWs suffer routine medical neglect, severe and systematic mistreatment, and even torture while in detention. There have also been isolated reports of abuse of Russian soldiers, mostly during capture or transit to internment sites. Ukraine marked its 33rd Independence Day on August 24 as its war against Russia’s aggression reaches a 30-month milestone. No festivities are planned and instead Ukrainians will mark the day with commemorations for civilians and soldiers killed in the war. In Brief: [One unidentified militant was killed in a shootout]( in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district today. Officials said the shootout took place at a checkpoint in Watergam area of Rafiabad, Baramulla in north Kashmir. The gunfire was retaliated in which one militant was killed. The security forces rushed reinforcements to the encounter spot to track down any other suspect hiding there. However, the operation was called off later. Initial reports suggested that a pistol and a grenade were recovered from the encounter site. The identity and affiliation of the slain militant could not be ascertained immediately, officials said. Today’s Top Picks [[US Open 2024: Preview and analysis of the men’s and women’s draw | In Focus podcasts] US Open 2024: Preview and analysis of the men’s and women’s draw | In Focus podcasts]( [[AMMA in the defensive after more women actors demand action, male superstars continue silence] AMMA in the defensive after more women actors demand action, male superstars continue silence]( [[COVID-19: anosmia as a marker for susceptible brain damage] COVID-19: anosmia as a marker for susceptible brain damage]( [[Eight years on, NIV Pune still relies on U.S. CDC for Zika test kits] Eight years on, NIV Pune still relies on U.S. CDC for Zika test kits]( Copyright© 2024, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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