Latest news with #IEC
The Hindu
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
APNRTS aiming to empower Telugu diaspora, increase per capita income by 50 per cent: Ravi Vemuri
With an aim to empower the Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) from the State, the Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society (APNRTS) is planning to increase 50 per cent of their per capita income in the coming 10 years. In order to achieve that, it will require certain initiatives like the establishment of an Import Export Centre (IEC), and the appointment of recruiting agents across the globe to ensure proper employment for the upcoming generation, among others. In an interview with The Hindu, Ravi Kumar Vemuri, president of the APNRT said that Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has directed the institution to work towards empowering the Telugu diaspora across the world. Mr. Ravi said that the society will organise a recruiting agents' conclave by inviting agencies in India that provide employment opportunities abroad, and NRIs who are interested to join as recruiting agents in their respective countries. The conclave is likely to be organised within a month. With the help of the conclave, the society is aiming to provide an environment suitable for employment opportunities for the youth of the State, he said. Stating that new employment opportunities in different sectors have opened up in North America, Europe, and Australia, he advised the youth from A.P. to make the most of what was available. Explaining that the Chief Minister had instructed to empower the NRIs as entrepreneurs, Mr. Ravi said that the IEC will try to create a platform where the NRIs will be encouraged to start their own business, by using the resources in India, or abroad. All these ideas are at a primary stage and will be refined by taking suggestions from all stakeholders. The society will also appoint liaison officers, apart from providing certain privileges for NRIs, such as an appreciation letter from Chief Minister for the work delivered by them, interactive session with him, and TTD darsan, among others.
The South African
a day ago
- Business
- The South African
Here's who donated to SA's political parties in Q4
South Africa's political parties declared nearly R231 million in private donations during the 2024/25 financial year, according to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). However, new legislation threatens to dilute transparency just as the country approaches the 2026 local government elections. The IEC's latest quarterly disclosure report shows that R14.19 million was declared in the fourth quarter (January-March 2025), a notable dip reflecting ongoing trends of lower contributions outside election periods. Only three parties – the ANC, Democratic Alliance (DA), and ActionSA – made disclosures during this period. ANC : R7 million R4 million from Chancellor House Trust R3 million from Naspers Limited (Chancellor House has donated R11 million in 2024/25 — still under the R15 million legal cap) : DA : R6.19 million R3 million from Naspers R1.04 million (in-kind) from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) for internal training and strategy R743,687 from Main Street 1564 Smaller contributions from Polyoak Packaging, DKS Cleaners, and private individuals : ActionSA : R1 million From African Equity Corporation (Pty) Ltd : The Political Party Funding Act (PPFA), enacted in 2018 and enforced from 2021, was a landmark law meant to regulate and increase transparency in party financing. It: Required donations above R100 000 to be disclosed to be disclosed Capped annual donations from a single source at R15 million Banned funding from foreign governments and state-owned entities Introduced public funding via the Represented Political Parties Fund and Multi-Party Democracy Fund (MPDF) However, this framework is now under threat. Earlier this year, Parliament passed a resolution – not yet enacted – to double both: The minimum disclosure threshold to R200 000 to The maximum annual private donation limit to R30 million per donor This is despite criticism from civil society and findings by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) that South Africa's R15 million cap already made it an international outlier in donation limits. Civil society watchdog My Vote Counts (MVC) has fiercely criticised the proposal and has filed legal action to block it. The group said the changes are 'a step backwards for democracy' and undermine the public's right to access information on political funding. 'If the president signs off on this, it will lead to greater secrecy just as South Africa prepares for another heated election cycle,' MVC said. 'It's a fruit of the poisoned tree.' While parties like the ANC and DA consistently report large donations, the EFF and MK Party – both major players in the 2024 elections – declared R3.2 million and just R380 555, respectively, in the entire 2023/24 cycle. These low figures raise red flags about undeclared funding and enforcement loopholes. With municipal elections looming in 2026 and campaign activity ramping up, political donations are expected to increase – but transparency may decrease if the president enacts the Parliamentary resolution. Despite tight finances, no increase in public party funding has been approved for 2025/26, making parties more dependent on private backers. Yet, without robust regulation, civil society fears the system is becoming more opaque and vulnerable to undue influence. Total 2024/25 declared donations : R231 million : R231 million Top Q4 donor : Naspers (R6 million combined to ANC and DA) : Naspers (R6 million combined to ANC and DA) Donation threshold (pending change) : R100 000 → R200 000 : R100 000 → Annual cap (pending change): R15 million → R30 million Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
JA Solar Wins RETC "Overall Highest Achiever" Award for the Sixth Consecutive Year
BEIJING, July 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- JA Solar, a global leader in the PV industry, was again recognized for excellence in product quality, performance, and reliability. The company's flagship n-type module, DeepBlue 4.0 Pro, was awarded the "Overall Highest Achiever" distinction in the 2025 PV Module Index Report released by the Renewable Energy Test Center (RETC), marking JA Solar's sixth consecutive year to receive this top-tier honor. The annual report, issued by U.S.-based RETC, is one of the most trusted benchmarks in the PV industry. The report evaluates PV modules from global manufacturers using rigorous testing protocols that go beyond standard IEC certification requirements. Only modules demonstrating consistently strong performance across all key indicators—quality, performance, and reliability—earn the "Overall Highest Achiever" title. In the 2025 assessment, only 13% of all tested products met this standard. JA Solar's DeepBlue 4.0 Pro module stood out in 12 individual test categories, most notably damp heat (DH), potential-induced degradation (PID), ultraviolet-induced degradation (UVID), and efficiency—more than any other brand in this year's evaluation. These results underscore DeepBlue's all-round strength in long-term durability and power output, particularly under extreme environmental conditions. The RETC recognition follows closely on the heels of another international validation: JA Solar's DeepBlue 4.0 Pro was named a "Top Performer" in the 2025 PV Module Reliability Scorecard published by PVEL, another globally respected independent testing lab. "Our long-standing commitment to delivering high-quality, high-reliability modules stems from a focus on creating real value for our customers," said Aiqing Yang, Executive President of JA Solar. "These repeated recognitions from authoritative institutions like RETC and PVEL affirm the strength of our technology and reinforce customer trust in our products worldwide." Already deployed in a wide range of utility-scale and distributed PV projects across the globe, the DeepBlue 4.0 Pro series is performing strongly in the field. Built on JA Solar's advanced n-type technology platform, the module offers high energy yield and stable operation, making it a compelling choice for investors and project developers focused on long-term returns and sustainability goals. As JA Solar celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, the company remains dedicated to advancing photovoltaic innovation and supporting the global transition to clean energy through reliable, high-performance products.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Community engagement, transparency must for digital land survey: Inbasekar
Kasaragod District Collector K. Inbasekar has stressed the need for deep community engagement and transparency in the digital land survey exercise. He was speaking on the topic 'Citizen-centric digital survey—public participation and IEC strategies' at the Bhoomi national conclave on smart land governance at Kovalam on Friday. Mr. Inbasekar pointed out that community participation and transparency were the cornerstones of digital land survey. Since landowners actively participated in the survey process by providing information and documents and pointed out mistakes and asked questions, their role was key to creating accurate land record database. Trust building He also called for empowerment of citizens through building trust. Technology was an enabler in creating trust. Landowners could, through their profile, verify their land records and raise complaints any time. Before the launch of the Digital Survey Mission, workshops were held for MLAs to make them aware of the technology adopted and the survey procedure. Workshop were also held for local body members to make people aware of their responsibilities during the survey. Discussions were held with survey staff to motivate them to look at the survey exercise as a mission, he said. Survey sabhas Survey sabhas by including Kudumbashree groups, youth groups, and local leaders were held. Personal engagement with landowners was another feature. Survey schedules were disseminated through digital platforms. And, it was coordinated by ward members to ensure that everyone was cooperating. Survey jagratha samitis were mobilised at ward level before the survey to educate the people on technology and procedures. He emphasised the need for people to be present during field visits to increase public trust. Verification camps held after the survey were important for the people to examine draft land records and flag errors so that complaints after notification could be reduced. This could be done online and grievances could be submitted. Acceptance of survey was possible when they trusted the system, which had to be transparent, Mr. Inbasekar said.
The Hindu
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
More than 22,000 camps held in nine days to take DAJGUA to tribal villages
In the last nine days, the government has held more than 22,000 'Jan Seva' camps as part of its push to ensure saturation coverage of the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry's Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA). The Centre said it had reached over 53 lakh Scheduled Tribes (ST) individuals, helping them avail the benefits of the schemes. The DAJGUA package was launched in 2023 and brings together about 25 interventions from 17 line Ministries for full scheme saturation under various government programmes to about 68,000 villages dominated by ST communities. As part of this, the government is currently undertaking an information, education, and communication (IEC) outreach to over 5.5 crore tribals in more than one lakh villages and habitations of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) across 550 districts of the country. The DAJGUA programme is a 'central feature' of the Indian Government's celebration of the Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh being commemorated to mark the 150th birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda. The IEC campaign under DAJGUA was launched on June 15 and will go on till July 15. In the nine days of the campaign so far, the government said that through the Jan Seva camps, it had been able to achieve 1.38 lakh Aadhaar enrolments, 1.68 lakh Ayushmaan Bharat card registrations, 46,000 PM Kisan registrations, the addition of 22,000 PM Ujjwala beneficiaries, and 32,000 new PM Jan Dhan accounts. The government's big push on this scheme has come with Governors, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, and State Ministers taking the lead in launching and supporting the IEC campaign for the DAJGUA programme, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Ladakh, Governor Mangubhai Chhaganbhai Patel in Madhya Pradesh, and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Assam. In addition to the above-mentioned enrolments, the government has been helping people get other documents that may assist them in availing the benefits of government schemes. Some examples include helping people get caste certificates, domicile certificates, and Forest Rights Act pattas. 'DAJGUA provides legal aid, nutrition support, health check-ups, and the facilitation of Forest Rights Act (FRA) claims, while also onboarding tribal start-ups — making it a convergence-based model that exemplifies what proactive, inclusive governance can achieve,' the Centre said in a statement on Tuesday. 'This Abhiyan is a tribute to our tribal brothers and sisters who live in harmony with nature. It is not just an outreach programme — it is a revolution in inclusive governance,' the statement quoted Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram as saying.
