Source: Reserve Bank of India
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Category: Economy
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MIL-OSI Economics: Money Market Operations as on September 20, 2024
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MIL-OSI Australia: Road upgrades pave the way for safer journeys for Glen Innes motorists
Source: New South Wales Premiere
Safer and more reliable journeys are on the way for motorists and freight operators in the Glen Innes region, with road upgrade works starting soon thanks to $13.5 million from the Albanese and Minns Governments.
Glen Innes Severn Council has been approved to receive 2 packages of disaster funding under the jointly funded Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements and the Regional Roads and Transport Recovery Package.
The DRFA will allow Glen Innes Severn Council to complete improvement works on 9 local roads across the region including sections of Strathbogie Road, Rangers Valley Road, Furracabad Road, Glen Leigh Road, Pinkett Road, Shannon Vale Road, Haymarket Road, Maybole Road and Golf Links Road. The Shannon Vale Road upgrade was completed in February 2024.
The Regional Roads and Transport Recovery Package will help Glen Innes Severn Council carry out improvement work on regional roads including sections of Emmaville Road and Wellington Vale Road.
The work includes strengthening through cement stabilisation of the base pavement and resealing to make the roads better able to withstand prolonged periods of wet weather and flooding.
Geotechnical and design investigations are underway for both packages, with work expected to start later this year.
Quotes attributed to Senator Jenny McAllister, Minister for Emergency Management:
“The Albanese Government is working with the NSW Government and local councils to ensure communities have resilient infrastructure they can rely on every day. We are working to ensure all road users are connected and make it home safely to their loved ones every day.
“The Albanese Government is delivering reliable infrastructure and assets that keep regional communities in NSW connected and safe, especially during times of severe weather.”
Quotes attributed to Jenny Aitchison, Minister for Regional Transport and Roads:
“This is great news for Glen Innes, in particular, for the villages of Emmaville and Deepwater.
“Emmaville Road and Wellington Vale Road provide a critical link for residents and businesses to the major centre of Glen Innes.
“These improvements being funded by the Australian and NSW Governments, will improve safety significantly while also ensuring reliable roads for residents in all types of weather.”
Quotes attributed to NSW Labor’s spokesperson for Northern Tablelands, Peter Primrose MLC:
“It’s great to see all levels of government working collaboratively to improve regional roads across NSW.
“This important work is ensuring our rural and regional communities remain connected throughout natural disasters and can bounce back quicker.”
Quotes attributed to Bernard Smith, Glen Innes Severn General Manager:
“We’re assessing all our local roads and preparing to start major repairs on Pinkett Road, Rangers Valley Road, Glen Legh Road, and Emmaville Road segments by September. Construction will begin in summer 2024/2025, with additional roadworks on Maybole Road, Golf Links Road, and others continuing through early 2026. These improvements are essential for better travel and safety in our region.
“The design phase for our regional roads is progressing well, with Emmaville Road set for delivery in December 2024. These upgrades, including the remaining segments of Emmaville Road and Wellington Vale Road planned for the 2025/26 financial year, are crucial for enhancing transport links and supporting regional development across our towns.
“This grant allows our council to fortify essential infrastructure, making it more disaster resilient. By upgrading our roads and transport networks, we’re ensuring they serve our community effectively, now and in the future.
“The support and resources provided by Transport for NSW are invaluable. Their expertise and commitment to enhancing regional transport infrastructure align perfectly with our goals for Glen Innes Severn.”
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MIL-OSI Australia: The night shift: 24-hour economy strategy puts needs of night-time workers first
Source: New South Wales Premiere
Workers on the night shift represent one in five, or 21% of workers in NSW – or more than 870,000 people.
The refreshed NSW 24-Hour Economy Strategy, A New State of Night, outlines the work and programs of the Office of the 24-Hour Commissioner as it expands its remit to support night-time economies across the state, rather than just in Greater Sydney.
The strategy will move beyond a focus on the hospitality and entertainment economy to one that supports a myriad of night workers – such as nurses, doctors, paramedics, police, drivers, retailers, cleaners, security guards and workers in manufacturing and construction across the state.
Despite the essential nature of their roles, these people are often in less secure work, are often paid less and have fewer transport options, fewer childcare options, reduced safety and less retail and food options. Improving their experience requires a whole-of-government effort.
Recent research has revealed people in NSW working between the hours of 6pm and 6am is forecast to grow by between 5% and 13% by 2031, implying a structural shift in the way the NSW economy operates, with a larger proportion of people working during the night.
The NSW Government has been working to support the state’s night-time economy and improve vibrancy by changing regulation and legislation that constrains businesses. The second tranche of the Government’s vibrancy reforms coming later this year will propose to remove more red tape and provide greater support for special events and hospitality and live music venues.
This strategy places a strong emphasis on data collection to inform policy development to ensure the NSW Government, local councils and private sector partners can effectively balance the night-time revival, safety and public amenity.
An example of how the strategy will work in action is how the NSW Government supporting workers in the Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct, one of the state’s most concentrated night workforce areas, with 4500 night-time workers. The precinct is open around the clock and home to three hospitals, a major university and five medical research centres.
Workers across the precinct and the wider community will benefit from a raft of programs designed to enhance safety and activation including:
- $600,000 for Spot On, through the Permit/Plug/Play and Open Streets programs, to support collaboration across local businesses to unlock the potential of public streets and spaces
- $400,000 in Community Improvement District funding backing businesses to get organised, with government, and make the most of their public spaces and local character to draw more visitors and more life to their district.
- $200,000 for Heart of Randwick in the Uptown program, to support greater collaboration between the health and education campuses, businesses and the council to amplify its night-time offerings
- The precinct also recently received $500,000 in Safer Cities funding, to improve lighting and safety particularly for workers going to and from work after dark.
Other night-time worker centres include Port Kembla, a manufacturing hub with over 3,500 night-time workers.
In Liverpool, the Health and Academic Precinct employs around 4,500 night-time workers.
Another focus will be the new Western Sydney Airport precinct which will run 24/7 and will grow to employ around 200,000 people.
As part of the strategy, the Office of the 24-Hour Commissioner will consult across industry to identify the pain points and bring a whole-of-government approach to solving these issues.
For more information, visit: www.nsw.gov.au/business-and-economy/24-hour-economy/24-hour-economy-strategy.
Minister for Roads, Music and the Night-time Economy and Minister for Jobs, John Graham said:
“Night-time workers make up 21% of the NSW workforce. They play an important role in our communities and economies. They are nurses, doctors, paramedics, police, drivers, retailers, cleaners, security guards and workers in manufacturing and construction. They are often paid less and have less secure work.
“This growing group of essential workers deserves safe environments and adequate services. They should be able to get a coffee before they start work or a decent meal when they finish.
“Meeting their needs represents an enormous opportunity for the night-time economy. But this requires us to plan as well for the night as we do for the day.”
“This strategy has an emphasis on data to both measure results as well as design better policy interventions.
“We will continue to work alongside industry, businesses, councils and communities across NSW to ensure our state’s night-time economy reaches its true potential.
“Our goal is to highlight our state as a safe and exciting night-time destination – not just for people looking for a great night out but for the people working hard to keep our state running at night.”
24-Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues said:
“The Strategy we have developed is purposefully ambitious, but it is also full of practical ideas, solutions and strategic opportunities to bring our vision to life.
“We know that people, especially night workers, want more amenity and safety at night – especially with the industry expected to grow by 5% to 13% by 2031. This includes activating outdoor spaces, diversity of offerings and safe, accessible transport.
“We know that positive outcomes are possible when State Government, local councils and industry line up behind one plan. And with our work now extending across the State, it’s appropriate we have a strategy that continues to unite stakeholders to ensure NSW is as vibrant at night, as it is during the day.”
Member for Coogee, Marjorie O’Neill said:
“The Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct operates 24/7, with staff across emergency, wards, portering, catering, and support services always ready to serve.
“We are working with the Precinct partners and district to improve our streetscapes and make better connection to our local communities. We are grateful for the Community Improvement District and Uptown Programs that enable us to make the Precinct safer and more vibrant for our workforce, students and local communities.”
South Eastern Sydney Local Health District CEO Tobi Wilson said:
“At the Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct, there are staff onsite 24 hours a day 365 days a year from those ready for us in the emergency departments to ward staff, porters, catering and support staff.
“We are working with the Precinct partners and district to improve our streetscapes and make better connection to our local communities. We are grateful for the Community Improvement District and Uptown Programs that enable us to make the Precinct more vibrant for our workforce, students and local communities.”
Background
Research conducted in 2024 by SGS Economics & Planning on behalf of the Office of the 24-Hour Commissioner found:
- The top industry by the number of night-time employees is Health Care and Social Assistance, with approximately 166,000, followed by
- Accommodation and Food Services and Arts and Recreation Services, with around 155,200.
- The Transport, Postal and Warehousing sector employs approximately 90,500 people during night-time hours, closely followed by
- Retail Trade with 87,100 workers.
- The Office of the 24-Hour Commissioner will consult with industry to understand the key challenges and barriers with government to develop appropriate policy measures and initiatives to sustainably develop night-workforce participation.
The 24-hour Economy Strategy will serve as the NSW Government’s new blueprint to cement NSW as a safe, worldclass nightlife destination for visitors, locals and workers alike.
The refreshed strategy’s five key pillars are:
- An Enabling Regulatory Framework – Regulatory and legislative amendments aimed at bringing back vibrancy to enable diverse, sustainable and safe night-time economies across NSW.
- Vibrant Coordinated Precincts and Places – Fostering collaboration among businesses, councils and other stakeholders to support precinct building and place-based economies.
- Night-time workers, culture and industry collaboration – Collaborate across government and industry to support night-time workers, businesses, and cultural entrepreneurs to thrive in the 24-hour economy.
- Safety, Mobility, Access and Inclusion – Enabling ease of movement to and from precincts while championing the wellbeing and safety of all within the night-time economy.
- Authentic Storytelling – Celebrating the unique stories of our districts and promoting the experiences they offer to locals, visitors and workers.
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MIL-OSI Video: UpLink: Investing in Water Innovation
Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)
Water is crucial for human life and the economy, with its economic use value estimated at 60% of global GDP. However, investment in water solutions remains significantly low.
This is the full audio from a studio session on 12 September, 2024 with leading investors and innovators discussing the untapped potential in water solutions and exploring the findings of the recently launched community paper ‘Investing in Water: A Practical Guide.’
Panelists:Kelven Lam, Investment Manager, Emerald Technology Ventures Romeo Bütler, Principal, Verve Ventures Catalina Pfenniger, Strategy Director, Kran Nanobubble Anna Huber, UpLink Project Lead, Innovation Ecosystems, World Economic Forum (moderator)
You can watch the session here: https://www.linkedin.com/events/investinginwaterinnovation7237072505000067072/theater/
Links:Investing in Water: A Practical Guide: https (https://wef.ch/4d6u9GA) ://wef.ch/4d6u9GA (https://wef.ch/4d6u9GA)
Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts (http://wef.ch/podcasts) :
YouTube: (https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts) – https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts
Radio Davos (https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos) – subscribe (https://pod.link/1504682164) : https://pod.link/1504682164
Meet the Leader (https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader) – subscribe (https://pod.link/1534915560) : https://pod.link/1534915560
Agenda Dialogues (https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/agenda-dialogues) – subscribe (https://pod.link/1574956552) : https://pod.link/1574956552
Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club (https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub) : https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub
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MIL-OSI Economics: What’s at stake for Latin America and the Caribbean at COP16 in Cali?
Source: CAF Development Bank of Latin America
At a time when the planet faces the most severe environmental challenges in its history, caused by the existing economic model, COP16 on Biodiversity will be the ideal stage for Latin America and the Caribbean to reaffirm their role as a region of solutions and raise their voice in the global debate on the accelerated loss of biodiversity. The region must advocate for a vision that considers people and communities whose survival is closely tied to unique and endangered ecosystems. The measures taken to preserve the region’s biodiversity have the potential to set a global example, advancing towards a harmonious and respectful coexistence with nature.
All countries in the region have ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a 1993 agreement aimed at conserving biodiversity, sustainably using its components, and ensuring fairness in the use of genetic resources. However, few have presented action plans to advance biodiversity protection by 2030. These plans are among the historic milestones achieved at COP15 in Kunming-Montreal in 2022, where 23 key targets were set to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and four goals to achieve positive biodiversity by 2050. In Cali, progress on these action plans will be reviewed, and two critical issues for the world’s most megadiverse region will be addressed: establishing a fair and equitable framework for access to the benefits of genetic resources and creating a new framework for tracking the committed mobilization of 200 billion dollars by 2030.
COP16 is also expected to bring together initiatives that conserve and sustainably use biodiversity through innovative financial instruments, such as debt-for-nature swaps, green bonds, and biodiversity certificates. Additionally, there will be active participation from the private sector and philanthropy, which are increasingly focused on ecosystems and the risks posed by biodiversity loss. Special attention will be given to the key role played by local communities and indigenous peoples, promoting ways to incorporate ancestral knowledge into climate, sustainability, and biodiversity agendas. On all these fronts, the voice of Latin America and the Caribbean will be crucial.
The region’s leading role is primarily due to its rich biodiversity: it hosts 60% of the world’s biodiversity, and six of its countries (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela) are classified as megadiverse. These figures also make biodiversity a factor for regional integration, with ecosystem connectivity being key to conservation, and a crucial tool for positioning Latin America and the Caribbean in global sustainability discussions.
The strategic ecosystems of Latin America and the Caribbean are essential for maintaining the planet’s environmental balance. They span across the region, are interconnected with each other and with other hemispheric ecosystems, and provide key services that ensure the livelihoods of local populations. Among these ecosystems are the páramos, Patagonia, the Caribbean, the Tumbes forests in the Chocó and Magdalena, the Atlantic Forest, the Mesoamerican biological corridor, the mangroves, the Amazon, the Humboldt Current, the Gran Chaco, and Pantanal, among others. Thus, COP16 will be a historic moment to introduce new narratives into the global debate on biodiversity.
CAF at COP16
With the Latin America and Caribbean Pavilion, CAF will bring the region’s voice to COP16 to highlight its leading role in preserving global biodiversity. CAF aims to generate discussions on the value of strategic ecosystems, the importance of the blue economy, the role of science and youth, the need for innovative financing systems, and the communities and territories on the front lines of biodiversity preservation.
CAF will address biodiversity loss and the use of financial resources with a fresh perspective, placing communities that have direct relationships with the natural environment at the center of decision-making. These communities are best positioned to design actions that lead to ecosystem regeneration in ways that are consistent with the social and environmental context.
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MIL-OSI Economics: CAF promotes a global network of scientists to protect the biodiversity of Latin America and the Caribbean
Source: CAF Development Bank of Latin America
CAF is fostering dialogue with scientific institutions to ensure the voice of science is heard ahead of COP16 and the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. This effort aims to help promote and implement science-based solutions in its operations and in dialogue with countries.
In this context, CAF, which will host a Latin America and Caribbean Pavilion open to all countries in the region at COP16, convened over twenty international scientific institutions to raise awareness about the importance of data, science, regional collaboration, and the application of scientific methods to solve problems related to biodiversity loss and restoration. The Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Astrid Schomaker, closed the event, highlighting the importance of science. The conclusions of the meeting, along with CAF’s proposals to address the identified challenges, will be presented in Cali.
“We are engaging with scientists to identify what we can do to be more effective in preserving biodiversity. We need to understand how scientific recommendations can be translated into efficient public policies and explore new ideas and proposals that help us find solutions to the dilemmas modern societies are facing due to climate change,” said Sergio Díaz-Granados, CAF’s Executive President.
CAF’s work with international scientists aims to strengthen multilateralism by connecting scientific advances and generating new lines of work being carried out in various countries to stop and reverse biodiversity loss.
“To halt biodiversity loss, it is essential to develop robust scientific knowledge and, most importantly, put it into practice. This requires creating communication channels that accelerate the implementation of science-based policies and integrate them into national development agendas and business strategies,” said Alicia Montalvo, CAF’s Manager of Climate Action and Positive Biodiversity.
In this regard, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) plays a fundamental role by fostering closer ties between the scientific community and decision-makers to build capacity and strengthen the use of science in public policy development. CAF aims to reinforce this work by bringing science closer to public and private financial institutions, promoting investment in biodiversity.
CAF’s commitment to an ecosystem and science-based approach
Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the richest regions in terrestrial and marine biodiversity. IPBES values the region’s terrestrial and coastal ecosystem services at $24.3 trillion per year. The region is home to six of the world’s seventeen megadiverse countries (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela) and contains between 60% and 70% of all known species, approximately 25% of tropical forests, and the most biodiverse habitat on the planet: the Amazon rainforest.
In this context, CAF has adopted an ecosystem approach in its operations, addressing not only the needs of countries for the integrated management of land, water, and living resources but also the needs of ecosystems for sustainable and equitable conservation and resource use.
Examples of this new approach include the Program for Integrated and Sustainable Management of Sargassum in the Greater Caribbean, which will benefit Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela through the promotion of sustainable sargassum management. Other examples include the coral reef restoration project in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Costa Rica; The Americas Flyways Initiative (AFI), which aims to identify and conserve more than 30 critical landscapes along migratory routes in North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean; and projects to strengthen the management of protected natural areas in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama.
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MIL-OSI Banking: What’s at stake for Latin America and the Caribbean at COP16 in Cali?
Source: CAF Development Bank of Latin America
At a time when the planet faces the most severe environmental challenges in its history, caused by the existing economic model, COP16 on Biodiversity will be the ideal stage for Latin America and the Caribbean to reaffirm their role as a region of solutions and raise their voice in the global debate on the accelerated loss of biodiversity. The region must advocate for a vision that considers people and communities whose survival is closely tied to unique and endangered ecosystems. The measures taken to preserve the region’s biodiversity have the potential to set a global example, advancing towards a harmonious and respectful coexistence with nature.
All countries in the region have ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a 1993 agreement aimed at conserving biodiversity, sustainably using its components, and ensuring fairness in the use of genetic resources. However, few have presented action plans to advance biodiversity protection by 2030. These plans are among the historic milestones achieved at COP15 in Kunming-Montreal in 2022, where 23 key targets were set to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and four goals to achieve positive biodiversity by 2050. In Cali, progress on these action plans will be reviewed, and two critical issues for the world’s most megadiverse region will be addressed: establishing a fair and equitable framework for access to the benefits of genetic resources and creating a new framework for tracking the committed mobilization of 200 billion dollars by 2030.
COP16 is also expected to bring together initiatives that conserve and sustainably use biodiversity through innovative financial instruments, such as debt-for-nature swaps, green bonds, and biodiversity certificates. Additionally, there will be active participation from the private sector and philanthropy, which are increasingly focused on ecosystems and the risks posed by biodiversity loss. Special attention will be given to the key role played by local communities and indigenous peoples, promoting ways to incorporate ancestral knowledge into climate, sustainability, and biodiversity agendas. On all these fronts, the voice of Latin America and the Caribbean will be crucial.
The region’s leading role is primarily due to its rich biodiversity: it hosts 60% of the world’s biodiversity, and six of its countries (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela) are classified as megadiverse. These figures also make biodiversity a factor for regional integration, with ecosystem connectivity being key to conservation, and a crucial tool for positioning Latin America and the Caribbean in global sustainability discussions.
The strategic ecosystems of Latin America and the Caribbean are essential for maintaining the planet’s environmental balance. They span across the region, are interconnected with each other and with other hemispheric ecosystems, and provide key services that ensure the livelihoods of local populations. Among these ecosystems are the páramos, Patagonia, the Caribbean, the Tumbes forests in the Chocó and Magdalena, the Atlantic Forest, the Mesoamerican biological corridor, the mangroves, the Amazon, the Humboldt Current, the Gran Chaco, and Pantanal, among others. Thus, COP16 will be a historic moment to introduce new narratives into the global debate on biodiversity.
CAF at COP16
With the Latin America and Caribbean Pavilion, CAF will bring the region’s voice to COP16 to highlight its leading role in preserving global biodiversity. CAF aims to generate discussions on the value of strategic ecosystems, the importance of the blue economy, the role of science and youth, the need for innovative financing systems, and the communities and territories on the front lines of biodiversity preservation.
CAF will address biodiversity loss and the use of financial resources with a fresh perspective, placing communities that have direct relationships with the natural environment at the center of decision-making. These communities are best positioned to design actions that lead to ecosystem regeneration in ways that are consistent with the social and environmental context.
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MIL-Evening Report: Offering end of life support as part of home care is important – but may face some challenges
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Tieman, Matthew Flinders Professor and Director of the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying, Flinders University
Earlier this month, the government announced major changes to aged care in Australia, including a A$4.3 billion investment in home care.
Alongside a shake up of home care packages, the Support at Home program will include an important addition – an end of life pathway for older Australians.
This pathway will allow access to a higher level of in-home aged care services to help Australians stay at home as they come to the end of their life. Specifically, it will provide an extra A$25,000 for palliative support when a person has three months or less left to live.
This is a positive change. But there may be some challenges to implementing it.
Why is this important?
Older people have made clear their preference to remain in their homes as they age. For most people, home is where they would like to be during their last months of life. The space is personal, familiar and comforting.
However, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows most people who die between the ages of 65 and 84 die in hospital, while most people aged 85 and older die in residential aged care.
This apparent gap may reflect a lack of appropriate services. Both palliative care services and GPs have an important role in providing medical care to people living at home with a terminal illness. However, being able to die at home relies on the availability of ongoing support including hands-on care and assistance with daily living.
Family members and friends often provide this support, but this is not always possible. Even when it is, carers may lack confidence and skills to provide the necessary care, and may not have enough support for and respite from their carer role.
The palliative care funding offered within Support at Home should help an older person to remain at home and die at home, if that is their preference.
Unless someone dies suddenly, care needs are likely to increase at the end of a person’s life. Supports at home may involve help with showering and toileting, assessing and addressing symptoms, developing care plans, managing medications, wound dressing, domestic tasks, preparing meals, and communicating with the person’s family.
Occupational therapists and physiotherapists can assist with equipment requirements and suggest home modifications.
End of life supports may also involve clarifying goals of care, contacting services such as pharmacists for medications or equipment, liaising with organisations about financial matters, respite care or funeral planning, as well as acknowledging grief and offering spiritual care.
But we don’t know yet exactly what services the $25,000 will go towards.
What do we know about the scheme so far?
The Support at Home program, including the end of life pathway, is scheduled to start from July 1 2025.
We know the funding is linked to a prognosis of three months or less to live, which will be determined by a doctor.
Further information has indicated that an older person can be referred to a high-priority assessment to access the end of life pathway. We don’t know yet what this means, however they don’t need to be an existing Support at Home participant to be eligible.
The pathway will allow 16 weeks to use the funds, possibly to provide some leeway around the three-month timeline.
Although more details are coming to light, there are still some things which remain unclear.
Home care providers will be looking for details on what can be covered by this funding and how they will work alongside primary care providers and health-care services.
Older people and their families will want to know the processes to apply for this funding and how long applications will take to be reviewed.
Everyone will want to know what happens if the person doesn’t die within three months.
We’re awaiting certain details on what this new pathway will involve.
Ground Picture/ShutterstockSome challenges
Ready availability of appropriate supports and services will be crucial for older people accessing this pathway. Home care providers will therefore need to assess how an end of life pathway fits into their operational activities and how they can build the necessary skills and capacity.
Demand for nurses with palliative care skills and allied health professionals is likely to increase. Providing end of life care can be especially taxing so strategies will be needed to prevent staff burnout and encourage self-care.
How pathways are implemented in rural and remote areas and in different cultural and community groups will need to be monitored to ensure all older people benefit.
Effective coordination and communication between home care, primary care and specialist palliative providers care will be key. Digital health systems that connect the sectors could be helpful. Family engagement will also be very important.
Escalation pathways and referral pathways should be established to enable appropriate responses to emergencies, unexpected deterioration, and family distress.
Finally, accurately determining when someone will die can be difficult. Knowing when the last three months of life starts may not be easy, particularly where frailty, cognitive issues and multiple health concerns may be present.
This might mean some people are not seen as being ready for this pathway. Others may not be willing to accept this prognosis. An older person may also be expected to live with a terminal illness for many months or years. Their palliative care needs would not be met under this pathway.
Despite these challenges, the announcement of an end of life pathway within the home care program is timely and welcome. As a population we are living longer and dying older. More details will help us be better prepared to implement this scheme.
Jennifer Tieman receives grant funding from Department of Health and Aged Care and from SA Health. She is affiliated with Palliative Care SA, Palliative Care Australia and the Australian Institute for Digital Health.
– ref. Offering end of life support as part of home care is important – but may face some challenges – https://theconversation.com/offering-end-of-life-support-as-part-of-home-care-is-important-but-may-face-some-challenges-239296
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MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Prime Minister attends the CEOs Roundtable
Source: Government of India (2)
Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 7:01AM by PIB Delhi
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi interacted with technology industry leaders in New York in a Roundtable anchored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), School of Engineering. The tech-roundtable focused on Artificial Intelligence and Quantum; Biotechnology and Life Sciences; Computing, IT and Communication; and Semiconductor technologies.
The CEOs participated in a deep dive with Prime Minister on the evolving technology landscape at a global level and how these cutting-edge technologies are contributing to the well-being of people around the world including in India. They touched upon how technology is being leveraged for innovations, which have the potential to revolutionize the global economy and human development.
Prime Minister appreciated the efforts of the MIT School of Engineering and its Dean for bringing the technology leaders together. He noted that technology collaboration and efforts such as the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies [ICET] lie at the core of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. He stressed that in his third term, India will make every effort to become the third largest economy in the world. He encouraged the companies to take advantage of India’s growth story for collaboration and innovation. They can co-develop, co-design, and co-produce in India for the world, harnessing the opportunities from India’s economic and technological growth. He assured the business leaders of India’s deep commitment to protection of intellectual property and to fostering tech-innovation.
Prime Minister highlighted the economic transformation happening in India, particularly in electronics and information technology manufacturing, semiconductors, biotech and green development. He stated that his government was committed to making India a global hub of semiconductor manufacturing. He also dwelt on India’s BIO E3 policy to develop India into a biotech powerhouse. On AI, he noted that India’s policy is to promote AI for All, underpinned by its ethical and responsible use.
The CEOs expressed their strong interest in investing and collaborating with India. India’s growing prominence as a global technology hub, driven by its innovation-friendly policies and flourishing market opportunities, got much appreciation from the tech-leaders. They also agreed that investing in startups would be a synergistic opportunity to innovate and develop newer technologies in India.
MIT Professor Anantha Chandrakasan, Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer at the Institute and Dean of the MIT School of Engineering, who chaired the roundtable, thanked Prime Minister and CEOs for their participation, affirming MIT’s commitment to advancing technology and making it accessible for global good.
List of CEOs who attended the Roundtable:
Serial Number
Name of the company
Name of the CEO
1
Accenture
Ms. Julie Sweet, CEO
2
Adobe
Mr. Shantanu Narayen, Chairman, President, and CEO
3
AMD
Ms. Lisa Su, CEO
4
Biogen Inc
Mr. Chris Viehbacher, CEO
5
Bristol Myers Squibb
Mr. Chris Boerner, CEO
6
Eli Lilly and Company
Mr. David A. Ricks, CEO
7
Google
Mr. Sundar Pichai , CEO
8
HP Inc.
Mr. Enrique Lores, CEO & President
9
IBM
Mr. Arvind Krishna, CEO
10
LAM Research
Mr. Tim Archer, CEO
11
Moderna
Dr. Noubar Afeyan, Chairman
12
Verizon
Mr. Hans Vestberg, Chairman and CEO
13
Global Foundaries
Mr. Thomas Caulfield, CEO
14
NVIDIA
Mr. Jensen Huang, Founder, President and CEO
15
Kyndryl
Mr. Martin Schroeter, CEO
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MJPS/BM
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MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: English rendering of PM’s address to the Indian Diaspora, New York, USA
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 3:58AM by PIB Delhi
Bharat Mata ki – Jai!
Bharat Mata ki – Jai!
Bharat Mata ki – Jai!
Namaste U.S.! Now even our “Namaste” has gone multinational, transitioning from local to global, and it’s all because of you. Every Indian who holds Bharat close to their heart has made this possible.
Friends,
You’ve come here from far and wide. Some faces are familiar, while others are new. Your love is a great honour for me. I recall the days when I wasn’t a PM, wasn’t a CM, wasn’t a leader at all. Back then, I used to come here as an inquisitive traveller, eager to see and understand this land, carrying many questions in my mind. Even when I held no official position, I had already toured almost 29 states in America. Later, when I became a CM, I continued connecting with you through technology. As a PM, too, I’ve received immense affection and warmth from you. In 2014, it was Madison Square; Sam Jose in 2015; Houston in 2019; Washington in 2023; and now New York in 2024, and each time, you surpass the last record.
Friends,
I’ve always recognized the strength of the Indian diaspora. Even when I held no official post, I understood it, and I understand it today. You have always been Bharat’s strongest brand ambassadors for me. That’s why I call you the ‘Rashtradoot’ (nation’s emissaries). You’ve connected America to Bharat and Bharat to America. Your skills, talent, and commitment are unparalleled. Though you’ve crossed seven seas, no ocean is deep enough to separate you from the Bharat that resides in your hearts. What Maa Bharti has taught us, we can never forget. Wherever we go, we treat everyone like family. Embracing diversity, living it, and integrating it into our lives—these are our values, embedded in our very being. We are from a country with hundreds of languages and dialects, home to every religion and sect. Yet, we move forward as one and united. In this very hall, some speak Tamil, others Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Marathi, or Gujarati. Our languages may differ, but our spirit is one: “Bharat Mata ki Jai” (Victory to Mother Bharat), the spirit of Indianness. This is our greatest strength in connecting with the world. These values naturally make us ‘Vishwa Bandhu’ (global friend). As our scriptures say, तेन त्यक्तेन भुंजीथा: meaning those who sacrifice are the ones who truly enjoy. We find happiness by doing good to others and by sacrificing. Wherever we live, this spirit remains unchanged. We contribute maximum to the societies we live in. In America, be it as doctors, researchers, tech professionals, scientists, or in other professions, you’ve soared high, and the world has witnessed it. Just a short while ago the T-20 Cricket World Cup was held here and the USA team played amazingly, and the world has also seen the contribution of the Indians living here in that team.
Friends,
For the world, AI means artificial intelligence, but I believe AI stands for America-India. This America-India spirit is the AI power of the new world, elevating Bharat-America relations. I salute all of you, the Indian diaspora.
Friends,
Wherever I go in the world, I hear nothing but praise for the Indian diaspora from every leader. Just yesterday, President Biden invited me to his home in Delaware. His warmth and hospitality were truly touching. This honour is for 140 crore Indians, for your hard work, for the millions of Indians living here. I extend my gratitude to President Biden and to all of you.
Friends,
The year 2024 is crucial for the world. On one side, we see conflicts and tensions among nations, while on the other, some countries are celebrating democracy. Bharat and America are together in this celebration of democracy. Elections are upcoming here in the U.S., while Bharat has already held its elections. These elections in Bharat were the largest in human history. You can imagine: almost double the number of voters as the total population of the U.S., and more voters than the entire population of Europe! So many people cast their votes in Bharat. When we see the scale of Bharat’s democracy, it fills us with pride. A three-month-long polling process, 15 million polling staff, over a million polling stations, more than 2,500 political parties, more than 8,000 candidates, thousands of newspapers in different languages, hundreds of radio stations, TV news channels, millions of social media accounts, lakhs of social media channels—all of this makes Bharat’s democracy vibrant. It’s an era of expanding freedom of expression, and our electoral process undergoes scrutiny at this level.
And friends,
This long election process has led to something unprecedented in Bharat this time. What happened? What happened? What happened? ‘Abki Baar – ’ (This time again—), ‘Abki Baar – ’ (This time again—), ‘Abki Baar – ’ (This time again—)!
Friends,
Our government has been re-elected for the third time. This hadn’t happened in Bharat in the last 60 years. The mandate the people of Bharat has given us is huge and significant. In this third term, we have even greater goals to achieve. We must move forward with three times the strength and three times the speed. You’ll remember one word: PUSHP (flower). Yes, consider it a lotus, I have no objections. PUSHP, and I define this PUSHP. P for Progressive Bharat, U for Unstoppable Bharat, S for Spiritual Bharat, H for Humanity First Bharat, and P for Prosperous Bharat. Together, these five petals of PUSHP will shape a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India).
Friends,
I am the first Prime Minister of Bharat born after independence. During the freedom struggle, millions of Indians dedicated their lives to Swaraj (self-rule). They didn’t think of their personal interests or comfort zones; they forgot everything and fought against the British. Some were hanged, some were shot, some endured torturous imprisonment, and many spent their youth in jail.
Friends,
We couldn’t die for our country, but we can surely live for it. Dying wasn’t in our destiny, but living is our destiny. Right from day one, my mind and mission has been clear. I couldn’t give my life for ‘Swaraj’ (independence), but I decided to dedicate my life to ‘Suraj’ (good governance) and a ‘Samridh’ (prosperous) Bharat. A large part of my life was spent wandering across the country for years. Wherever I found food, I ate; wherever I found a place to sleep, I slept. From the shores of the ocean to the mountains, from deserts to snow-covered peaks, I met people from every region, got to know and understand them. I gained first-hand experience of my country’s life, its culture, and its challenges. Though my path was different, destiny brought me into politics. I never imagined becoming a Chief Minister, but I became Gujarat’s longest-serving CM for 13 years. I remained Gujarat’s Chief Minister for 13 years and then people promoted me to Prime Minister. But the lessons I learned traveling through the country have shaped my governance model, both at the state and central levels. Over the past 10 years, the success of this governance model is evident to you and the world. And now, with great trust, the people of Bharat have given me a third term. I approach this third term with three times the sense of responsibility.
Friends,
Today, Bharat is one of the world’s youngest nations. Bharat is filled with energy and dreams. Every day, new records are being set. Every day, new news. Just today, we received great news: Bharat won gold in both men’s and women’s categories at the Chess Olympiad. But let me tell you one more thing, which will require even more applause. For the first time in nearly 100 years, this has happened! The whole country and every Indian is proud of our chess players. There’s another AI driving Bharat. And what is that? It is A for Aspirational and I for Bharat: Aspirational Bharat. This is our new energy. The aspirations of millions of Indians are driving Bharat’s growth. Every aspiration is giving rise to new achievements, and every achievement is fuelling new aspirations. In just one decade, Bharat has risen from the 10th to the 5th largest economy. Now every Indian wants Bharat to quickly become the third-largest economy. Today, a large section of Bharat’s population has seen their basic needs met. Over the past 10 years, crores of people have gained access to clean cooking gas, piped water, electricity, and toilets. These crores of people now aspire to a better quality of life.
Friends,
Now, the people of Bharat don’t just want roads; they want magnificent expressways. Now, the people of Bharat don’t just want rail connectivity; they want high-speed trains. Every city in Bharat aspires to have metro services, and every city wants its own airport. Every citizen, whether from a village or a city, wants world-class facilities, and we are seeing the results of these aspirations. In 2014, only 5 cities in Bharat had metro services; today, 23 cities have metros. Bharat now has the second-largest metro network in the world, and it is expanding every day.
Friends,
In 2014, only 70 cities in Bharat had airports; today, more than 140 cities have airports. In 2014, fewer than 100 gram panchayats had broadband connectivity; today, more than 200,000 panchayats have it. In 2014, Bharat had around 140 million LPG consumers; today, the number has risen to over 310 million. What used to take years to accomplish is now being completed in months. There is a new confidence in Bharat’s people, a determination to reach their goals. Development in Bharat is becoming a people’s movement, and every Indian is becoming an equal partner in this movement of development. They believe in Bharat’s success and in its achievements.
Friends,
Today, Bharat is a land of opportunities. Bharat no longer waits for opportunities; Bharat creates opportunities. Over the past 10 years, Bharat has prepared a new launching pad for opportunities in every sector. Look at this – just in the last decade, and this will make you proud, 25 crore people have been lifted out of poverty. How did this happen? It happened because we changed the old mindset and approach. We focused on empowering the poor. We connected more than 500 million people to the banking system, provided more than 550 million people with free medical treatment up to 500,000 rupees, gave over 40 million families proper housing, and through collateral-free loans, we provided millions of people with ease of credit. Many such initiatives helped people lift themselves out of poverty, and those who have emerged from poverty today form the neo-middle class, which is driving Bharat’s development at a faster pace.
Friends,
We have prioritized women-led development alongside women’s welfare. The crores of houses built by the government have been registered in the name of women. Out of the crores of bank accounts opened, more than half were in women’s names. Over the past decade, 10 crore Indian women have joined the Micro Entrepreneurship Scheme. Let me give you another example. We are making significant efforts to integrate agriculture with technology in Bharat, and today, drones are being used extensively in farming. While drones may not be new to you, what might surprise you is this: do you know who is taking responsibility for them? It’s rural women. We are training thousands of women to become drone pilots, and this remarkable technological revolution in agriculture is being driven by rural women.
Friends,
The areas once neglected have now become national priorities. Bharat is more connected today than ever before. You may be astonished to learn the current size of Bharat’s 5G market. Would you mind if I told you? Today, Bharat’s 5G market is larger than that of the United States, and this achievement has been made within just two years. Now, Bharat is working on Made-in-India 6G. How did this happen? It happened because we devised policies to advance this sector. We invested in Made-in-India technology, affordable data, and mobile phone manufacturing. Today, nearly every major mobile brand in the world is Made in India. Bharat is now the second-largest mobile manufacturer globally. There was a time, before my tenure, when we were importing mobile phones; today, we are exporting them.
Friends, Bharat no longer lags behind. Now, Bharat creates new systems and leads the way. Bharat has introduced the world to a new concept of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). DPI has promoted equality and become a powerful tool in reducing corruption. Bharat’s UPI is now capturing the world’s attention. While you may have a wallet in your pocket, in Bharat, people have both physical wallets and e-wallets on their phones. Many Indians no longer carry physical documents, as they now use DigiLocker. When travelling to airports, they seamlessly use DigiYatra. This has become the launching pad for digital public infrastructure, innovation, job creation, and every related technology.
Friends,
Bharat will not stop now, nor will it slow down. Bharat envisions a future where as many global devices as possible operate on Made-in-India chips. We have made the semiconductor sector the foundation of Bharat’s accelerated growth. In June last year, Bharat announced incentives for the semiconductor industry, and just a few months later, the foundation stone for Micron’s first semiconductor unit was laid. To date, five such units have been approved in Bharat. The day is not far when you will see Made-in-India chips here in America as well. This small chip will elevate Bharat’s journey towards development to unprecedented heights, and that’s Modi’s promise.
Friends,
The resolve and commitment towards reforms in Bharat today are unprecedented. Our Green Energy Transition Programme is a prime example of this. Despite accounting for 17 percent of the world’s population, Bharat’s contribution to global carbon emissions is only 4 percent. We played no part in harming the planet. In fact, compared to the rest of the world, our impact is nearly negligible. We, too, could have fuelled our growth by relying on carbon emissions, but we chose the path of green transition, guided by our deep-rooted respect for nature. As a result, we are investing heavily in solar, wind, hydro, green hydrogen, and nuclear energy. Bharat was the first country in the G20 to achieve the Paris climate goals. Since 2014, our solar energy capacity has increased by over 30 times. We are working to make every home in the country a solar-powered home. To achieve this, we have launched an extensive rooftop solar mission. Today, our railway stations and airports are transitioning to solar energy. From homes to streets, Bharat has embarked on a journey towards energy-efficient lighting. These efforts are generating a large number of green jobs in Bharat.
Friends,
21st-century Bharat is advancing through education, skills, research, and innovation. You are all familiar with the name Nalanda University. Not long ago, Bharat’s ancient Nalanda University was revived in a modern form. Today, it’s not only the university but also the spirit of Nalanda that is being reborn. We are creating a modern educational ecosystem that attracts students from across the globe to come to Bharat and study. Over the past 10 years, something remarkable has happened in Bharat. In this period, one new university has been built in Bharat every week, two new colleges have been established every day, and one new ITI has opened each day. In a decade, the number of IIITs has risen from 9 to 25, IIMs from 13 to 21, and AIIMS has tripled to 22. The number of medical colleges has nearly doubled in the same period. Today, even the world’s top universities are coming to Bharat. Bharat is now renowned. The world has long witnessed the power of Indian designers; now it will witness the brilliance of ‘Design in India’.
Friends,
Today, Bharat’s partnerships are expanding globally. Previously, Bharat followed a policy of Equal Distance, but now it embraces a policy of Equal Proximity. We are also becoming a strong voice for the Global South. You may have noticed that, due to Bharat’s initiative, the African Union was granted permanent membership at the G20 Summit. Today, when Bharat speaks on the global stage, the world listens. Not long ago, when I said, “This is not the era of war,” the gravity of the statement was understood worldwide.
Friends,
Whenever there is a crisis anywhere in the world, Bharat is one of the first to respond. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we sent vaccines and medicines to over 150 countries. Whether it was an earthquake, a cyclone, or a civil war, we were among the first to offer assistance. This is a reflection of the values and teachings passed down by our ancestors.
Friends,Bharat is emerging as a new catalyst on the global stage, and its influence will be felt across all sectors. Bharat’s role will be crucial in accelerating global growth, promoting global peace, advancing climate action, closing the global skills gap, driving innovation, and stabilising the global supply chain.
Friends,
For Bharat, power and capability are symbolised by “ज्ञानायदानायचरक्षणाय”, meaning knowledge is for sharing, wealth is for caring, and power is for protecting. Therefore, Bharat’s priority is not to impose its dominance but to enhance its influence. We are not like fire that burns; we are like the sun’s rays that provide light. We do not seek to dominate the world but to contribute to its prosperity. Whether it’s promoting yoga, advocating for superfood millets, or championing the Mission LiFE vision (Lifestyle for the Environment), Bharat is prioritizing human-centric growth alongside GDP-centric growth. I urge you all to promote Mission LiFE as much as possible here. Small changes in our lifestyle can have a significant positive impact on the environment.
You may have heard, and perhaps some of you have already participated, in a movement that’s gaining momentum in Bharat. Across the country, people are planting a tree in honour of their mothers (Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam). If your mother is alive, plant a tree along with her. If she is no longer with us, plant a tree in her memory – carry a picture of her with you and plant a tree. This movement is taking place in every corner of Bharat, and I encourage all of you to initiate a similar campaign here. This will not only honour the mothers who gave us life but also our Mother Earth.
Friends,
Bharat today dreams big and pursues those dreams with determination. The Paris Olympics concluded just a few days ago, and the next host will be the USA. Soon, you will also witness the Olympics being held in Bharat. We are making every possible effort to host the 2036 Olympics. Whether in sports, business, or entertainment, Bharat has become a centre of global attraction. Today, Indian leagues like the IPL rank among the world’s top leagues, and Indian films are making waves internationally. Bharat is also soaring in global tourism. There is a growing interest in celebrating Indian festivals across different countries. I notice that people in cities everywhere are now learning Garba for Navratri—this reflects their love for Bharat.
Friends,
Today, every country seeks to learn more about Bharat. I have something else that will bring you joy. Just yesterday, America returned 300 ancient inscriptions and statues to Bharat, some as old as 1,500 to 2,000 years, which had been stolen from Bharat So far, the United States has returned around 500 such artefacts to Bharat. This is not just about the return of a few items; it is a tribute to our rich heritage spanning thousands of years. It is a matter of pride for Bharat and for all of you. I am deeply grateful to the US government for this gesture.
Friends,
The partnership between Bharat and the United States is growing stronger by the day. Our collaboration is for the benefit of the world. We are enhancing cooperation across all sectors, and your convenience has been taken into account as well. Last year, I announced that our government would open a new Consulate in Seattle, which has now become operational. I had also sought your suggestions for the opening of two more consulates, and I am pleased to inform you that, based on your feedback, Bharat has decided to open two new consulates in Boston and Los Angeles.
I am also delighted to announce the establishment of the Thiruvalluvar Chair for Tamil Studies at the University of Houston. This will further help in propagating the philosophy of the great Tamil saint Thiruvalluvar to the world.
Friends,
This event of yours has truly been remarkable. The cultural programme that took place here was fantastic. I have been informed that thousands of people wished to attend this event, but the venue proved to be too small. I apologise to those whom I couldn’t meet today. I look forward to meeting all of you next time, at another venue on another day. However, I know the enthusiasm will remain the same, and the passion will remain undiminished. May you all stay healthy and prosperous, and continue to strengthen the India-US friendship. With these wishes, I extend my heartfelt thanks to you all!
Join me in saying:
Bharat Mata ki Jai!
Bharat Mata ki Jai!
Bharat Mata ki Jai!
Many thanks.
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered
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MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Prime Minister addressed the Indian community in New York
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 12:28AM by PIB Delhi
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today addressed a large gathering of the Indian community at an event in Long Island, New York. Over 15,000 people attended the event.
Prime Minister was welcomed by the community with exceptional warmth and enthusiasm. Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister noted that the India-US relationship is profoundly enriched by the Indian American community, which plays a pivotal role in fostering ties between the two great democracies. Prime Minister spoke about his meeting with President Biden the previous day in his home in Delaware. This special gesture reflected the bridge of trust that the Indian community has built with the United States.
Prime Minister spoke about his vision for Viksit Bharat by 2047. He noted that the largest democratic exercise in human history had given him a historic third term, in which he was committed to work for the progress of India with ever greater dedication. He highlighted transformative changes in India in the last decade- from creation of next-generation infrastructure to pulling 250 million people out of poverty, India’s economic growth and going from being the 10th largest economy to the 5th largest, and now aiming at becoming the third largest economy in the world.
Prime Minister underlined the government’s commitment to pursuing reforms to meet the aspirations of the people. He referred to the new vibrancy in the country, with innovation, entrepreneurship, start-ups, financial inclusion and digital empowerment propelling growth and prosperity. He highlighted the transformative impact at the grassroots level of women-led development and green transition.
Prime Minister noted that India was a major contributor to global growth, prosperity, peace and security, climate change action, innovation, supply and value chains, and in filling global skill-gaps. India’s voice today resonated deeper and louder in the global arena, he added.
Prime Minister announced plans to open two new Indian consulates in the US- in Boston and Los Angeles – and a Thiruvalluvar Chair of Tamil studies in the University of Houston. These initiatives would further strengthen the living bridge between India and its diaspora in the United States. He expressed the hope that the Indian diaspora, with its strong convening strength, would continue to play a crucial role in fostering closer ties between India and the US.
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MJPS/SR/BM
(Release ID: 2057690) Visitor Counter : 77
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MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: ‘International Daughter’s Day’: India Post is giving concrete shape to Prime Minister’s ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign, daughters are getting empowered through Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana
Source: Government of India (2)
‘International Daughter’s Day’: India Post is giving concrete shape to Prime Minister’s ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign, daughters are getting empowered through Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana
4.50 lakh Sukanya Samriddhi accounts of daughters opened in Post offices of North Gujarat Region – Postmaster General Shri Krishna Kumar YadavDepartment of Posts made 487 villages as complete Sukanya Samriddhi Gram in North Gujarat Region, securing future of daughters
Posted On: 22 SEP 2024 5:44PM by PIB Ahmedabad
Under the ‘Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana’ launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi under ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, while many accounts of daughters up to age of 10 years have been opened in post offices, in many villages, accounts of all eligible daughters have been opened and declare them as complete Sukanya Samriddhi Gram. On ‘International Daughter’s Day’ (22 September), Postmaster General of North Gujarat Region, Ahmedabad, Shri Krishna Kumar Yadav said that till now about 500 villages in North Gujarat region have been made complete Sukanya Samriddhi Grams. Sukanya accounts of all eligible girls up to age of ten years have been opened in these villages in the post office. Not only this, in these villages, if there is an announcement of the birth of a daughter in any house, the postman immediately reaches there to open her Sukanya account. Postmaster General Shri Krishna Kumar Yadav said that with this step which is taken towards economic empowerment of daughters, more than 4.50 lakh accounts of Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana have been opened in the post offices of North Gujarat region, while 15.22 lakh accounts have been opened in the Gujarat circle. All eligible girls are being connected to it by running campaigns in various schools and Dak Chaupals in villages.
It is noteworthy that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had launched Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana in January 2015 under the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign. Under this, Sukanya Samriddhi account can be opened in any post office for a minimum of ₹ 250 for girls up to age of ten years. Postmaster General Shri Krishna Kumar Yadav said that a minimum of ₹ 250 and a maximum of ₹ 1.5 lakh can be deposited in a financial year. In this scheme, money will have to be deposited only for 15 years from opening the account. When the daughter turns 18 years of age, 50 percent of the deposited amount can be withdrawn and the entire amount can be withdrawn after 21 years from the date of opening the account. At present the interest rate is 8.2 percent and there is also a provision for income tax exemption on the deposited amount.
Postmaster General Shri Krishna Kumar Yadav said that Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is not only a medium of investment, but it is also linked to the bright and prosperous future of daughters. Social dimensions of this scheme along with the economic dimensions are also important. The amount deposited in this will be solely for the daughters, which will be useful in their education, career and marriage. This scheme will also promote women empowerment and self-reliant India in future by empowering daughters.
AP/GP/JD
(Release ID: 2057603) Visitor Counter : 116
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MIL-OSI New Zealand: Business urges a global-facing CER partnership
Source: BusinessNZ
The Dialogue provided an opportunity to explore the future development of the CER framework, including the Single Economic Market (SEM) agenda, the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement (TTMRA) and the CER Investment Protocol, and to discuss collaboration on regional and global trade issues.The ANZLF CER Business Dialogue was attended by the New Zealand Minister for Trade, Hon Todd McClay, and Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator the Hon Don Farrell.The Ministers joined ANZLF CEO delegates for a discussion on how to enhance trans-Tasman economic and trade cooperation through:- Streamlining regulations and standards to boost competitiveness and facilitate seamless trade
- Jointly developing and promoting an attractive single investment environment for both domestic and foreign investors
- Strengthening supply chains to mitigate risks and ensure business continuity in times of crisis
- Leveraging technology to modernise trade processes, including the transition to paperless trade documentation and the adoption of coherent digital standards for areas like digital identity verification, cyber security, e-commerce, and data exchange.
Australian ANZLF Co-Chair and CEO of CyberCX, John Paitaridis, emphasised the ANZLF’s role in fostering strong relationships between business and political leaders to ensure a healthy and vibrant trans-Tasman relationship. Mr Paitaridis noted that for twenty years the ANZLF has helped develop the SEM agenda and influenced a raft of policies, ranging from border control to business regulation.“The ANZLF brings trans-Tasman business leaders together to advance the trans-Tasman relationship,” Mr Paitaridis said, “Our engagement with Ministers in Rotorua underscored the importance of the ANZLF as a platform for dialogue and active collaboration. It also spoke to the Prime Ministers’ recent joint statement acknowledging the ANZLF’s relevance to business and effectiveness as a voice to governments.”Spark NZ CEO, Jolie Hodson, highlighted the need for a more outward-looking approach to the trans-Tasman relationship. Ms. Hodson said, “CEOs emphasised the importance of promoting CER to the world, and ensuring the SEM agenda remains modern and, forward-thinking, attractive to foreign investors by pursuing regulatory coherence wherever possible and embracing new opportunities in the digital economy.”Mr Paitaridis concluded, “By aligning our policies, enhancing investment frameworks, supporting innovative supply chain solutions and digitising the trade relationship, we can ensure our two countries remain match fit for a modern trade relationship.”Australia DelegationJohn Paitaridis, CEO, CyberCX and ANZLF Co-ChairBran Black, CEO, Business Council of AustraliaPaul Corbett, General Manager, New Zealand, CPB ContractorsTracey Evans, Managing Director, AureconRanj Samrai, Australia Director, ANZLFNew Zealand DelegationJolie Hodson, CEO, Spark NZ and Acting ANZLF Co-ChairJason Boyes, CEO, InfratilRoger Gray, CEO, Port of AucklandTraci Houpapa, Chair, Federation of Māori Authorities and ANZLF Indigenous Business Sector GroupSimon Limmer, CEO, IndevinAmelia Linzey, CEO, BecaStephen Jacobi, New Zealand Director, ANZLFSimon Le Quesne, New Zealand Associate Director, ANZLF. -
MIL-OSI New Zealand: CPAG disappointed Child Poverty Reduction Minister rejected official advice to get NZ back on track to meet child poverty targets
Source: Child Poverty Action Group
A recently released Treasury briefing reveals that Louise Upston, Minister for Child Poverty Reduction, rejected official advice that would get New Zealand back on track to meet the 2028 target of halving child poverty.CPAG Executive Officer, Sarita Divis states, ‘Not only has the Minister rejected official advice, she has not provided any solid evidence, modelling or data that shows her chosen path will result in us meeting the 2028 goal of halving child poverty.’The Treasury briefing note reveals DPMC officials advised child poverty targets could be reached if Ministers agreed to invest around $3 billion per year. As economist Bernard Hickey points out, that figure is less than 1 per cent of GDP, and very near the $2.9 billion Ministers approved to deliver on tax cuts for landlords.DPMC also provided the Minister with two other specific options, but chose to reject both options, and double-down on the more ambiguous plan of ‘cutting taxes’ and ‘growing the economy’ in order to lift children out of poverty.Divis states, ‘We can accept that different Ministers might have different approaches to reducing child poverty, but Upston has not provided any compelling evidence that her plan will indeed work. At this point her plan appears to be more “concepts of plan” rather than a well-evidenced work programme.’‘We know that ending child poverty is the right and compassionate thing to do. We have signed up as a country to halve child poverty and ensure all children have what they need to live up to their potential. The Minister of Child Poverty Reduction needs to be the greatest champion.’BackgroundIn 2018 all political parties then in government, except Act, supported the introduction of the Child Poverty Reduction Act and the goal to halve child poverty by 2028 (from 13% in 2018 to 6% in 2028 on the material hardship measure). Under the CPRA, intermediate targets are set every three years.In June this year, Louise Upston, increased the third intermediate targets on two out of three measures, meaning an extra 24,000 children will remain living in material hardship.The Treasury briefing revealed DPMC officials provided specific advice which would allow child poverty reduction targets to get back on track. This included advice that ‘new investment, for instance through Working For Families (WFF) tax credit changes, would provide greater certainty about achievable reductions by 2027/28.’ But this advice was rejected. -
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Business – EMA highlights mindfulness in the workplace for Mental Health Awareness Week – EMA
Source: EMA
The Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) is supporting Mental Health Awareness Week by reminding businesses of the importance of mindfulness in the workplace.According to EMA Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald, by applying the principles of mindfulness, workers experience less stress, better self-awareness and awareness of others.2024 Workplace Wellbeing surveyLast month, the EMA and nib New Zealand (nib) released the 2024 Workplace Wellbeing survey results, which showed declining mental and physical health, as well as concerns about family wellbeing as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.“With employees experiencing financial strain, health issues, concerns for the future and more, it’s no surprise that they’re seeking stability in their current workplaces. It’s clear that when employers take steps to proactively manage wellbeing, employees respond positively, helping to alleviate some of the broader societal pressures,” he says.Better understanding of how anxiety is triggered“Mindfulness and resilience training have become recognised as essential skills to live and lead in uncertain times and the EMA has significant expertise in these areas.“Our courses include the neuroscience of stress and anxiety, which we apply to relatable experiences both in and out of the workplace.“By understanding where and how anxiety issues are triggered, we become better placed to ‘short circuit’ negative thinking before it snowballs into bigger issues. We can’t control what happens to us, but we can better control how we interpret and react to these issues.”McDonald says the EMA is focussed on supporting both its members and the wider business community through the current economic challenges.“The most important asset for any business is its people. That’s why it’s so important to help employers understand what might be going on with their team and consider how to respond.“We’ve got a range of resources, tools and learning programmes that are designed to help small to medium businesses drill down into the challenges and identify the right solution for them,” he says.Further informationMore information on EMA courses on Mental Health Awareness Training and other Workplace Wellbeing Learning can be found here: Workplace Wellbeing Courses: Upskill Professional Training | EMA https://ema.co.nz/learning/workplace-wellbeing/portfolio/ -
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Government Cuts – PSA strongly opposes any clawback on flexible work arrangements
Source: PSA
Govt job cuts to blame for Wellington’s ills, not working from homeThe Government’s reckless decisions to axe thousands of public service jobs are what is hammering the Wellington economy, not working from home.“If the Government really cared about the Wellington economy, then it shouldn’t have cut thousands of hard working, dedicated public service workers from its payroll,” said Duane Leo National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.“The directive from Public Service Minister Nicola Willis to reduce numbers of people working from home is just a scapegoat for the real problem which is of the Government’s own making.“Taking the spending power of thousands of public service workers out of the Wellington economy is what is damaging businesses, and the Government must take full responsibility for its poor leadership and economic management.“Simply telling workers to come back to the city a few more days a week won’t revive the Wellington economy. In a cost-of-living crisis, people are already saving money by making their own lunches and cutting down on coffees and after work drinks.”The decision is out of step with modern workplaces, across the private and public sector and around the world which have embraced flexible working because of its many benefits.The latest Shaping Business Study by 2Degrees underlines this with the majority (51%) saying it has increased productivity and more than a third (37%) saying it helps to recruit and retain staff.“Many public servants already have flexible working built into the employment agreements that have been negotiated by unions and employers. The Government can’t just disregard negotiated employment agreements.“Workers have made decisions around their family life based on these agreements, and its particularly important for our disabled kaimahi. Flexible work arrangements make it easier for those who face challenges being in the office every day to have rewarding and productive 40-hour weeks.“The PSA will be backing our members to stand together to hold onto their legal entitlements.“This directive is just par for the course from a government which has consistently attacked public service workers and the role they play in supporting the economy.“More job cuts are likely, and the Government has made it clear in the latest Workforce Policy Statement that it wants to clamp down on pay rises.“All the evidence shows austerity doesn’t work. The Government should be investing in public services and stop blaming public service workers for the damage caused by its own policies,” said Duane Leo. -
MIL-Evening Report: View from The Hill: The Greens’ demands on the RBA make for bad economic policy. Is it also crazy politics?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
When the Greens tell Labor they’re ready to negotiate, what they usually mean is they’re preparing to make populist demands that can’t or shouldn’t be met.
So it is with their “ask” on the Reserve Bank legislation.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers wants to split the Reserve Bank board into two, one to run monetary policy and the other to administer the bank.
He got close to agreement with the Liberals, but then they saw an advantage in walking away. The Greens jumped in to fill the void, demanding an interest rate cut in exchange for their support.
“Both the Treasurer and the RBA Governor have said the reforms are important. Now they know what they have to do to get them done – provide some much needed relief to mortgage holders,” the minor party’s treasury spokesman Nick McKim said on social media on Monday.
“We are unashamedly using our political power to fight for mortgage holders who are getting smashed by high interest rates.
“The power exists for the Treasurer to bring down interest rates. Time to stop the pretence that the RBA is independent.
“Time for Jim Chalmers to end his ritual ashen-faced handwringing, end the pretence there’s nothing he can do, and intervene to bring down interest rates,” McKim said.
“We are deliberately bringing the RBA into the centre of the political debate where it belongs. The RBA board are unelected technocrats, not high priests who are beyond criticism. Every decision they make is political.”
When it comes to the Greens, the government gives as good as it gets.
“The Greens are out of control,” Finance Minister Katy Gallagher told the ABC on Monday. “It’s crazy what they’re saying to us,” adding, rather primly, that it was “a bit unseemly” for McKim to be “issuing ultimatums”.
Leave aside the unseemly – that’s a common political trait. What about the crazy?
What the Greens are demanding is bad economic policy. Whether it is crazy politics remains to be seen.
From time to time the Reserve Bank comes under sharp criticism, from experts and from the public.
Chalmers and McKim agree on one thing – the “smashing” power of high interest rates.
But the bank’s essentially independent status is a bulwark against monetary policy becoming the creature of short-term politics, as McKim would have it.
(The bank isn’t totally independent. Section 11 of the RBA Act gives the treasurer the power to overrule it, with statements from both the treasurer and bank tabled in parliament. The section has never been invoked.)
What the Greens are proposing, having the treasurer use his power to overrule the bank board to get his way on legislation, is irresponsible.
It’s also illogical. The whole point of the proposed dual boards is to strengthen the bank’s expertise as the independent setter of monetary policy. But McKim wants, in essence, to scrap that independence.
The stand on the Reserve Bank is typical of the Greens policy positions more generally. They’re presently holding up the government’s housing legislation in the Senate, making demands they know the government won’t meet, such as controls on rents.
When challenged, the Greens point out that after playing hardball on earlier housing legislation, they won extra funding.
They’re probably hoping the government will decide to buy them off this time with some more housing money. Notably, they have delayed the latest bills rather than vote them down. To do this they’ve teamed up with the Coalition – expediency overcomes ideology with these bedfellows.
Monday’s announcement that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has launched legal action against Coles and Woolworths over their allegedly misleading behaviour on product discounts feeds right into the Greens’ (and the Coalition’s) policy for the power to break up the big supermarkets.
The government reacted on Monday by releasing an exposure draft of its mandatory food and grocery code of conduct, which has been in the pipeline for some time. A government inquiry by former Labor minister Craig Emerson argued against divestiture powers but it’s easy to understand how cash-strapped families struggling with grocery bills could see that as appealing.
In general, is wild economics savvy politics? We won’t know until after the election.
The Greens were on a roll in 2022. They ended up with four lower house members, up from the one (leader Adam Bandt) they had before. The extra seats, all in Queensland, were won from both Labor (one) and the Liberals (two).
They also came out of the election with a record dozen senators (now 11, after Lidia Thorpe’s defection).
In the hunt for more lower house seats, the Greens would hope to pick up votes from those on the left who see Labor as too conservative, people financially hurting who are attracted to populist solutions, and young voters turned off the major parties.
Given its present radicalism, one wonders whether the Greens will hold the two Brisbane seats they won from the Liberals.
It’s difficult to chart the likely trajectory of the Greens, given their small share of the vote, and the heavier concentration of their support in particular areas. But Labor is certainly afraid of them. With the government on the back foot, it knows the potential attraction of easy-sounding solutions.
The Greens hope there will be a minority Labor government after the election, and that they would be in a position to twist that government’s arm on multiple issues.
The risk for them, however, is that if they overreach now, some of their potential but still undecided voters might become wary about how they would behave if their power was much enhanced.
Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. View from The Hill: The Greens’ demands on the RBA make for bad economic policy. Is it also crazy politics? – https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-the-greens-demands-on-the-rba-make-for-bad-economic-policy-is-it-also-crazy-politics-239595
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MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health – Heroes Hit the Streets for Heart Kids This Week – Join the Mission to Support Kiwi Families!
Source: Heart Kids NZ
On Friday, September 27, and Saturday, September 28, 2024, Heart Kids NZ will bring kind-hearted ‘Heroes’ to street collection sites across Aotearoa New Zealand for their annual street appeal, ‘Heroes for Heart Kids,’ coinciding with World Heart Day on Sunday, 29 September.This vital appeal raises awareness and much-needed funds to support children with heart conditions and their families. We encourage all Kiwis to support this important cause by donating at collection sites across the motu, online at www.heroesforheartkids.org.nz or by texting ‘HERO’ to 2427 to donate $3.Every week, 12 families in Aotearoa NZ receive the heart-breaking news that their child has a heart condition. Unfortunately, there is no cure for childhood heart conditions, and these families face ongoing challenges.This is where Heart Kids NZ steps in – providing lifelong practical and emotional support not only to heart kids, but to their entire whānau. Heart Kids NZ walks alongside families, offering vital care through every stage of life. Our support begins in infancy and continues throughout childhood, teenage years, and into adulthood, as heart conditions often require ongoing management.We understand that the impact of a heart condition is not limited to the child but affects the entire family. That’s why we offer comprehensive support, providing guidance, resources, and emotional care to siblings, parents, and caregivers. Whether it is navigating hospital stays, preparing for surgeries, or managing everyday challenges, Heart Kids NZ is here to ensure no family ever faces their journey alone.Heart Kids NZ receives no government funding and relies entirely on the generosity of donors and the public to ensure no heart family ever faces their journey alone. With your help, we can continue offering these essential support services.A Family Battling Long QT Syndrome: Lleyton and Lilian’s Inspiring Fight Against a Rare Heart ConditionLleyton Barrow was born in October 2010 with Tetralogy of Fallot and had his first open-heart surgery at just six weeks old. His first year was spent in and out of the hospital, undergoing multiple procedures, including a cardiac catheter procedure at eight months old to widen his narrow pulmonary arteries. Over the years, Lleyton has undergone more than five cardiac catheter procedures and, at age six, had a reveal device implanted under his skin to monitor his heart.At just 2.5 years old, Lleyton faced his second open-heart surgery. Shortly after, he was diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome – a hereditary heart condition that affects the electrical system of the heart. This meant a lifetime of medication and carrying an automatic external defibrillator (AED) with him everywhere he goes.Now 14 years old, Lleyton has just had another open-heart surgery, but he has not let his heart condition slow him down. A sports enthusiast, he loves cricket, basketball, and spending time with his friends. Lleyton remains focused on living life to the fullest and dreams of working in the medical field when he grows up.Lleyton’s younger sister Lilian, now 9 years old, was also diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome and has just had a reveal device implanted. Like her brother, she takes medication and has an AED at home. Thankfully, Lilian’s condition has had minimal impact on her life, and she enjoys hockey, dancing, and attending Heart Kids NZ’s annual camps, where she has found comfort in meeting other heart kids like herself.Lleyton and Lilian’s mum, Claire Sword, shared how Heart Kids NZ has been a lifeline for their family.“Heart Kids NZ has provided us with support, resources, advice, and hope. I remember attending my first Heart Kids NZ event with Lleyton as a tiny baby, struggling with low oxygen levels. Seeing older heart kids running around, smiling, and living life gave us so much hope.”Claire hopes their family’s story will inspire other heart families. “Now, when I look at Lleyton and Lilian, I see the hope that inspired us and hope their journey inspires others too.”Heart Kids chief executive, David Pimblott says that with the support of generous Kiwis, the organisation can continue to provide the vital resources, care, and hope that heart kids and their whānau need.“At Heart Kids NZ, we understand the immense challenges that heart families like Lleyton and Lilian’s face every day. Our mission is to ensure no family has to navigate this journey alone. The courage these young people show, in the face of life-threatening heart conditions like Long QT Syndrome, inspires us all.”Join the MissionBe a hero for heart kids by supporting Heart Kids NZ’s street appeal. Whether you donate in person or online, every contribution helps provide life-changing support to children like Lleyton and their families.To Donate:Text ‘HERO’ to 2427 to donate $3About Heart Kids NZ- Heart Kids NZ is the only national organisation in Aotearoa providing lifelong support to children with heart conditions. From birth through to adulthood, we offer practical, emotional, and financial support to help families navigate the challenges of living with a heart condition.
- Every year in Aotearoa NZ, over 600 major heart surgeries and procedures are performed on children or babies (sometimes in their first few hours of life). For many this will not be their last and they will continue to face the day-to-day challenges associated with their heart condition.
- Annually, approximately 50 heart children will lose their battle and become heart angels.
- Congenital heart defects are the number one cause of death for infants and newborns in Aotearoa NZ.
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MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Cramer: NIFA Awards $1.6 Million to NDSU
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced a $1,600,000 investment in North Dakota State University (NDSU) to support research pertaining to the economics of markets and trade. Specifically, the award will be distributed to the following projects at NDSU:
$800,000 to support a project assessing the resilience of the supply chain systems of corn and soybeans, the drought-induced impediments in the network under uncertainty, and the resulting impacts on trade, food security, and farm income.
$800,000 to support a project assessing the impacts of regulations for genetically modified organisms. -
MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy , Sullivan, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Hold VA Accountable for Financial Shortfall
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and 12 Republican colleagues introduced the Protecting Regular Order (PRO) for Veterans Act to hold the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) accountable for a Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) budget shortfall of $3 billion. This bill institutes a three-year requirement for the VA to submit quarterly in-person budget reports to Congress to encourage greater oversight and financial accountability. Additional financial shortfalls would result in the withholding of bonuses for senior VA and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) personnel.
“The VA has a massive budget shortfall. The Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA) recently hired 10,000 additional employees. Did the VBA not know they needed these employees when they suggested their original budget? Did the VBA blow through its budget hiring employees knowing it would run out of money expecting Congress to automatically cover the difference? How much are the employees being paid? What are they doing?” said Dr. Cassidy. “If a federal agency runs a mid-year massive budget hole, taxpayers should ask these questions.”
“Telling Congress we have to provide $3 billion to the VA in a matter of days or our constituents won’t get their benefits—without any accountability or reforms—is a shocking failure in leadership and management,” said Senator Sullivan. “It is incumbent upon the Secretary to appear before the committee and answer questions, but remarkably, he declined to do so. This is not a great victory as some are spinning it. The VA has a duty to provide congressional oversight committees with high-quality, in-person briefings explaining these shortfalls in the future—earlier than just a month in advance. In light of this budgetary fiasco and the millions of dollars’ worth of bonuses improperly distributed to VA executives, I’ve put forward commonsense legislation to require the VA to abide by a basic level of accountability and oversight. Let me be clear: We will fund this shortfall. Our veterans deserve and rely upon their hard-earned benefits. But, going forward, our veterans also expect a much higher standard of accountability from VA leaders. I expect the Secretary and other VA leaders to come to the table with clear answers as to how these deficiencies keep happening and how they are going to prevent them in the future.”
Cassidy and Sullivan were joined by U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS), Steve Daines (R-MT), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Ted Budd (R-NC), Mike Braun (R-IN), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Thom Tillis (R-NC).
Click here for the full bill text. -
MIL-OSI USA: OSHA pledges to reevaluate proposed rule after Senator Coons, colleagues call to protect volunteer firefighters from burdensome regulations
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
WASHINGTON – This week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) responded to calls by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and their colleagues to reevaluate and exempt volunteer fire departments from parts of a proposed rule that would apply burdensome new regulations to volunteer fire departments in Delaware and across the country.
“Delaware’s volunteer fire companies already face unprecedented challenges trying to keep their communities safe,” said Senator Coons. “OSHA’s proposed rule– while well-intended – would add a massive burden to under-resourced and understaffed volunteer fire departments, requiring expensive new equipment and trainings that the departments cannot afford. I’m glad OSHA is listening and responding to our shared concerns. I will always recognize our firefighters’ bravery and work to ensure they can fully protect the communities they serve.”
“Volunteer fire departments and rural communities have made their voices heard, and I am pleased OSHA has listened and is reevaluating the proposed rule,” said Senator Moran. “This is a great first step, and I encourage Kansans to continue sharing their views with OSHA on how this rule would place a financial burden on volunteer fire departments.”
OSHA proposed a new rule earlier this year that would require fire departments to furnish new reports, trainings, equipment, and health services.
In August, Senator Coons and Moran called on Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor Julie Su to exempt volunteer fire departments from parts of the proposed rule. The effort was also supported by Senators John Boozman (R-Ark.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Angus King (I-Maine), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).
This week, OSHA issued a statement that it is reevaluating the financial and regulatory impact the rule would have on volunteer firefighters: “OSHA has received comments in response to the NPRM [Notice of Proposed Rulemaking] from many stakeholders, including volunteer emergency responders, fire chiefs, trade organizations, and members of Congress, which raise serious concerns about the economic feasibility of the proposed standard for volunteer fire departments. OSHA takes these concerns seriously. This new information will help the agency make the necessary determinations about whether the proposed standard is feasible for volunteer organizations.
“OSHA is committed to taking steps in any final standard, consistent with the rulemaking record, to assess and minimize detrimental effects on volunteer fire departments. If supported by the record, this may include excluding voluntary emergency response organizations entirely based on these feasibility concerns.”
The full statement from OSHA can be found here.
OSHA will hold a public rulemaking hearing on November 12, 2024, and stakeholders are encouraged to provide comments for the hearing. Instructions for how to participate in the hearing are available on the Emergency Response rulemaking webpage. -
MIL-OSI USA: H.R. 6235, Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2023
Source: US Congressional Budget Office
H.R. 6235 would reauthorize and expand activities administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) related to the research, observation, and control of harmful algal blooms and hypoxia. Harmful blooms occur when colonies of algae grow uncontrollably and become toxic, which also may lead to reduced oxygen (or hypoxia) in the water. The bill would authorize the appropriation of $27.5 million annually from 2024 through 2028 for those purposes, which includes expanding the membership and activities of an existing interagency task force and establishing a new program to create technologies to mitigate and control harmful algal blooms. In 2024, NOAA allocated $31.5 million for those activities.
The bill also would authorize the appropriation of $2 million to address harmful blooms and hypoxia events that would have a significant detrimental effect on the environment, economy, or public health of a state.
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MIL-OSI USA: Greg Landsman misleads voters in campaign ad
Source: US National Republican Congressional Committee
The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –
September 20, 2024
Sleazy politician Greg Landsman has been caught misleading voters in his campaign ad, where he claims “Members of Congress are using insider information to get rich trading stocks. That’s crazy,” and “I don’t take corporate PAC money because I want you to know I’m with you and not billionaires.”
Well, a new report shows Landsman actually failed to disclose his own transactions for months—a violation of the STOCK Act. He also held shares in oil and pharmaceutical companies—industries he’s railed against
“Sleazy politician Greg Landsman is engaging in more sleazy politics… not surprising! Ohio voters deserve transparency from their representative — not lies in campaign ads just to score a vote.” — NRCC Spokesman Mike Marinella
Read more from the Washington Free Beacon here or see excerpts below.
Dem Rep. Greg Landsman, An Aggressive Financial Ethics Crusader, Failed To Disclose His Stock Trades
The Washington Free Beacon
Meghan Blonder
September 19, 2024Rep. Greg Landsman (D., Ohio) has spent years pushing government ethics reforms and demanding more financial transparency from public officials. But the congressman failed to disclose his own transactions for months—a violation of the STOCK Act, a campaign finance expert told the Washington Free Beacon.
As a Cincinnati city councilman, Landsman introduced reforms “aimed at restoring public trust in government,” such as an ethics commission “tasked with local reporting of financial disclosure forms” and investigating complaints, CityBeat reported in 2020. He continued his ethics crusade after winning a House seat, claiming this month in a reelection ad that “members of Congress are using insider information to get rich trading stocks. That’s crazy.”
But Landsman filed a required disclosure form in August showing that he failed to report more than 87 financial transactions within the legally required timeframe. That failure, according to Craig Holman, an ethics lobbyist with the progressive think tank Public Citizen, is a violation of the STOCK Act, a 2012 law intended to combat insider trading through financial transparency. The August disclosure also showed Landsman held shares in oil and pharmaceutical companies—industries he’s railed against.
“Rep. Landsman is required to file a periodic transaction report no later than 45 days after each transaction,” Craig Holman told the Free Beacon. The majority of Landsman’s transactions, 63, were from 2023, with 19 dating back to January that year. Each violation carries a $200 penalty.
[…]
Still, the Democrat’s failure stands at odds with his aggressive advocacy for financial transparency for government officials. In 2020, then-councilman Landsman pushed several local reforms following Cincinnati corruption scandals. In addition to the ethics commission, he proposed hiring a chief ethics officer and creating mechanisms to punish or even remove officials who violate campaign finance rules.
“We need people to know that this is a highly effective government, one that is fair, and one that people can trust. We also need good people in public service to stay, and for good people considering public service to join what I believe to be incredibly important and noble work,” Landsman told CityBeat at the time.
In his September reelection ad, Landsman called Washington “a mess.”
“I don’t take corporate PAC money because I want you to know I’m with you and not billionaires,” Landsman said.
His belated financial disclosure, meanwhile, showed he held shares in some of the most profitable companies of all time, including Nvidia, BlackRock, CrowdStrike, Amazon, and Microsoft. It also showed he bought and sold stocks in Diamondback Energy, an oil and natural gas company, as well as in Horizon Therapeutics, formerly Horizon Pharma.
In March 2022, Landsman accused his opponent, then-Rep. Steven Chabot (R.), of being beholden to those industries.
“He’ll be with Big Pharma and Big Oil. I’ll be with our children and families,” he wrote.
The next month, Landsman published a press release titled “Pharma Over Families: Chabot Chooses Chaos in Fight to Lower Costs” and called out political contributions his opponent received from pharmaceutical companies.
“[T]hat’s whose side he’s on…not ours,” Landsman wrote.
Landsman bought and sold up to $30,000 in Horizon shares between January and February 2023, while his wife sold as much as $15,000, according to his financial disclosure. He also bought up to $65,000 in Diamondback shares and sold up to $30,000 between January 2023 and July 2024.
Landsman spent his 2022 congressional campaign criticizing oil and gas companies, calling them “out of control.”
“Oil and gas corporations are making record profits right now,” he posted to X. “They’re price gouging. It’s outrageous, totally unfair to our working families, and a disaster for our economy.”
Landsman’s 2024 campaign website says he’s fighting to “hold polluters accountable” and is working to direct federal funds to “renewable energy, sustainability, and environmental restoration in Southwest Ohio.”
Diamondback focuses on the “acquisition, development, exploration and exploitation of unconventional, onshore oil and natural gas reserves in the Permian Basin in West Texas,” its website states.
Helwig did not comment on the Free Beacon inquiries about Landsman’s specific investments.
This is not the first time Landsman failed in his responsibilities to the government. In March 2022, the state of Ohio filed a tax lien against the Democrat and ordered him to pay interest on unpaid taxes he owed through his accounting firm Landsman & Associates, the Free Beacon previously reported. Still, Landsman voted eight times to raise taxes and fees over a four-year period as a city councilman—even as he acknowledged his constituents were “struggling.”
The Landsman household income, according to finance documents, totaled more than $380,000 in 2022. During a debate, the Ohio Democrat described the rising inflationary costs of gas and groceries as “very frustrating” for him and his wife.Read more here.
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MIL-OSI USA: Dr. Radha Plumb, DOD Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, Delivers Remarks at the Advana Industry Day
Source: United States Department of Defense
Good morning, everyone. This a great event and these events don’t happen without a lot of teamwork so I would like to take a moment to acknowledge and thank all our teams who have put in so much time and work leading up to it. A special thanks to the teams that made this happen in CDAO – our Acquisition & Assurance, Mission Analytics, and Enterprise Platform and Services and our Air Force acquisition team partners at AFICC. And thanks to you all for joining us here today.
I want to take a few minutes to provide some context to the more in depth briefs you’ll get today and preview our Advancing AI Multiple Award Contract – which at a $15 billion dollar ceiling and 10-year period of performance will be one of the largest data and AI government acquisition actions ever. Before I talk at you for the next 10 minutes – let me start with the Who, then move to the “Why” and the “How” — to include more details on the AAMAC.
As most of you know, I am the Pentagon’s Chief Digital and AI Officer. Our mission is to accelerate adoption of digital and AI solutions across DOD. I sort of think of this as having two parts: Advancing deterrence by ensuring our warfighters have the very best digital capabilities and beating bureaucracy by ensuring our critical business functions – like financial management, logistics, and health care – have the digital solutions to deliver for the warfighters and the taxpayers.
What that means in practice is that I oversee that teams that do everything from the policy and governance process to the teams that deliver and sustain the data and AI infrastructure to the teams that work with key customers around DOD to ensure they have the right digital solutions. Functionally – we approach this broad mission by aligning our teams into three buckets: ENABLE, SPEED, and SCALE. From the outside our structure can feel opaque, so I think it’s worth sharing in some detail how we’re organized and how we coordinate to across our teams to deliver for the Department.
- ENABLE encompasses the writing of policies and then the processes that promulgate and oversee these practices across DOD. This includes setting formal standards, delivering best practices, building templates and tools, and also defining acquisition pathways and processes to put capabilities in the hands of DoD users.
- SPEED relates to areas where we put direct investment and staff expertise to develop and deliver solutions on an accelerated timeline – to really prove out the art of the possible. You all are seeing that in the advanced command and control space with the work in GIDE and the recent minimum viable capability for CJADC2.
- SCALE is focused on the delivery of large, central enterprise platforms that include data stacks; development environments and test and evaluation tools to build capabilities; the data, analytic, and AI enabled products that spread insights across the enterprise; and the assurance processes to build an interoperable ecosystem of platforms and products that are technically sound, secure, and work together to deliver real value. My Deputy CDAOs – Eugene Kuznetsov and Garrett Berntsen – who lead these “SCALE” functions in CDAO, will talk more about their efforts later today.
As many of you know – CDAO is a new organization. We began by combining pockets of excellence across AI, data, and analytics teams in DoD. And, while each of these teams had promising work, when combined they were truly greater than the sum of their parts. As we move into our third year, we are working to create that flywheel that connects these ENABLE, SPEED, and SCALE functions to drive the digital transformation across the entire defense enterprise.
Okay – so then WHY are we here today. The short answer is – Open DAGIR
In May we announced Open DAGIR, which stands for Open Data and Applications Government-owned Interoperable Repositories. {I know…it’s a mouthful]
But the Open DAGIR construct is actually straightforward in nature – it is a holistic approach that aligns the architecture (that is platforms, data, and applications) and acquisition approaches (governance, budget, incentives and industry engagements.) The structure is driven to create speed, flexibility, interoperability and is made up of three parts:
(1) enterprise-level infrastructure to ensure reliable, enduring access to the Government-owned, Contractor-operated technology stacks that can onboard new capabilities quickly.
(2) enterprise-wide applications that we procure through license agreements to streamline access and standardize a core set of digital tools.
(3) a transparent and agile acquisition process to prototype and where appropriate scale new digital solutions.Open DAGIR is by construction not about by a single company or product – it is a way to leverage a competitive acquisition process to rapidly procure and integrate best-in-class technology from industry to meet specific DoD requirements and ensure interoperability.
In July we held our first Open DAGIR Insight Day, which outlined how we use our experimentation series – GIDE—to identify new technical capabilities to solve novel challenges focused on our strategic command and control requirements. The digital tools and underlying infrastructure that enable what we call “strategic command and control,” a critical warfighting function. This was the first line of effort under Open DAGIR.
Today we are here to talk about our second line of effort – focused on enabling enterprise-level data-driven digital solutions with tools ranging from advanced analytic applications that can yield greater insights in a fraction of the time to AI-enabled applications that can transform critical functions from the boardroom to the battlefield. And much of this builds off the work of Advana – our Advanced Enterprise Analytics at the Department of Defense – program.
Before we talk about Advana’s future, it’s worth talking a bit about the journey. I returned to the Department in early 2021 and was Deputy Secretary Hicks’ Chief of Staff. In 2021, she outlined a north star for creating Data Advantage with five Data Decrees. Inherent in that document was a recognition that the Department’s data ecosystem is distributed and heterogeneous. To balance the value of this federated ecosystem with the need to integrate data, she established Advana as the single enterprise data analytics platform for the Department’s leadership. Since then, Advana has grown to DOD’s largest data platform – rapidly reaching over 100,000 users, connecting 500+ source systems and proving out the promise of data-driven digital solutions. Later today you will hear from several members of our team and key customers about Advana’s successes. Their journey and the growth of the platform has been truly remarkable and is a testament to the Department’s rapid digital transformation. Rooted in these successes but with many lessons learned, we are now evolving Advana – everything from the scope to the technical architecture to the acquisition approach to meet the needs of the future. Advana was a critical enabler along our data transformation but it could never be singular end-state solution for all of DoD’s data needs. DoD – which has an $800 billion dollar budget, 3 million employees, a health care system with 9 million beneficiaries, and supply chain with 3 times the suppliers of Walmart. We have more ground vehicles than major shipping companies, more planes than major commercial airlines. We operate 24/7 and cover all contingencies. Globally, the analytic and AI requirements of the DoD are broad and deep and so – we in CDAO knew we needed to continue to adapt and modernize our data backbone to meet those needs.
So – HOW are we going to meet these diverse needs?
That’s really the future of Advana – to move beyond a singular, vertically integrated stack and applications to a more federated ecosystem. To do that and to ensure we can integrate the existing data and analytic infrastructure with future solutions, we are executing a series of technical enhancements – called “Advana 1.2” – that will ensure more explicit government stewardship of the platform – to include improved pathways for integration and government-owned environment for development. This will allow us to accelerate the addition of new software capabilities, and allow the Advana data infrastructure to be more easily interoperable with other platforms. You will hear more details about these architecture upgrades from our platforms lead and really one of the builders of Advana 1.0– Alex O’Toole—later today.
In parallel – under the Open DAGIR construct, we are moving from a single award contract to a multiple award IDIQ contract that will be open to a wide range of potential vendors, called the Advancing AI Multiple Award Contract (AAMAC). This 10-year, $15 billion dollar ceiling IDIQ will be the largest data and AI government acquisition action in history and will be open for customers across DoD. The AAMAC will help scale our data backbone and bring in new digital tools to meet more varied needs from a wider population of DoD users, encourage vendor diversity and partnerships, and drive innovation and mission delivery at scale. It will also set the foundation for transformative investments into data and AI across the DoD enterprise to make real this Open DAGIR construct.
Let me try to unpack what I mean by the Open DAGIR construct – at the heart of the Open DAGIR approach is a common foundation to enable broad data access and interoperability in tools. This allows data that is ingested and enriched by one set of tools to be used in another tool set. In other words, every platform, tool, and application within the Open DAGIR ecosystem will need to meet a common baseline set of requirements for interoperability and, where possible, integration.
Our teams will drive the core elements of commonality and flexibility across key technical architecture elements such as:
- Building a common architecture or backbone to support data interchange and discoverability across platforms, tools, and applications.
- Establishing common enterprise APIs and a common approach to federated data governance.
- Standing up a federated governance process based on alignment with core principles but allowing different solutions to compliance – a sort of trust but verify construct.
- Establishing interoperable stacks- a clear pipeline and pathway for successful applications.
So in addition to the acquisition and technical upgrades, in the coming months, you’ll see CDAO defining these core technology principles to enable interoperability, including things as basic as: “how do we define a platform?” or “how do we define an application?” to the more complex but still critical “what are the minimum data parity standards we need to set across Open DAGIR platforms?” and “how is intellectual property protected for third party developers while ensuring government insights?”
Through the Open DAGIR approach, our intent is to add transparency and support industry innovation by protecting vendor proprietary applications and intellectual property, and simultaneously maintain appropriate Government ownership and access to our data and infrastructure.
The end-state we’re striving for is very achievable – it’s about delivering the right capability delivery on the right timeline. And that means creating a transparent and accessible set of requirements, a collaborative environment for industry innovation, the right protections for intellectual property, and flexible and agile license agreements fit for various stages of prototypes, production, or sustainment.
Our goal with Open DAGIR and the forthcoming AAMAC is to lay the foundation for more predictable and repeatable tools and processes that match technology solutions with the resources and acquisition pathways to put solutions in the hands of DoD users.
America’s enduring advantage is our vibrant and creative industry. On the government side – our measure of success is our ability to partner quickly and effectively to deliver those innovative new solutions to our warfighters. We – simply put – cannot afford to fail. And this is truly a partnership with industry – we need your dedication, innovation, and candid feedback to help us drive digital transformation across the DoD enterprise at SCALE.
Let me close by calling out the elephant in the room – I know we in DOD are not always easy to work with. The acquisition process can be daunting and feel cumbersome and slow, and it can be hard to know who to call. Let me assure you – we’re trying to be less hard to work with
This Industry Day is just one of multiple opportunities over the next few months for partners across industry to actively engage in plenary/educational sessions alongside CDAO to talk about Open DAGIR and provide meaningful feedback on our approach for the framework and the future of Advana. We have RFIs, challenges, and future industry days. We’re working with a variety of industry associations and groups to set up smaller feedback sessions. We look forward to continuing the conversation and engaging with you all as we strive to solve some of DoD’ toughest and most complex data and AI challenges.
Thank you for your time and we welcome your feedback.
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MIL-OSI Canada: Saskatchewan Leads The Nation In Retail Trade Growth
Source: Government of Canada regional news
Released on September 20, 2024
Growth in province’s retail trade ranks first in both month-over-month and year-over-year categories
According to data released today by Statistics Canada, Saskatchewan ranks first among the provinces for year-over-year growth in retail trade. Retail trade sales in the province increased by 6.3 per cent from July 2023 to July 2024 (seasonally adjusted), reaching $2.2 billion.
“The growth we are seeing in our retail sector is a vitally important leading economic indicator, which shows the current strength of Saskatchewan’s economy and points to our continued leadership position in Canada,” Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison said. “This growth is creating new opportunities for the people and families of our province. With the strongest job growth in the country, lowest rate of inflation, and record investment, Saskatchewan’s strong and vibrant communities are well positioned now and into the future.
“Our government will continue to work alongside our industry partners and job creators to protect and promote the interests of Saskatchewan residents.”
The value of retail trade in Saskatchewan increased by 3 per cent in July 2024 compared to June 2024 (seasonally adjusted), also ranking first in terms of percentage change among the provinces.
The Monthly Retail Trade Survey compiles data on sales, including e-commerce sales, and the amount of retail locations by province, territory, and selected census metropolitan areas from a sample of retailers.
Retail sales is a measure of total receipts at stores, or establishments, that sell goods and services to final consumers.
The province continues to see positive outcomes in several key economic areas, with Saskatchewan currently maintaining the lowest year-over-year rate of inflation according to the Consumer Price Index, at 1.1 per cent.
Statistics Canada’s latest GDP numbers also indicate that Saskatchewan’s 2023 real GDP reached an all-time high of $77.9 billion, increasing by $1.2 billion, or 1.6 per cent. This places Saskatchewan second in the nation for real GDP growth, and above the national average of 1.2 per cent.
Private capital investment is projected to reach $14.2 billion in 2024, an increase of 14.4 per cent over 2023. This is the highest anticipated percentage increase in Canada.
The province has revealed “Securing the Next Decade of Growth: Saskatchewan’s Investment Attraction Strategy,” in conjunction with the launch of the investSK.ca website. These initiatives are positioned to amplify growth in Saskatchewan, serving as pivotal instruments in driving further development.
To learn more, visit: investSK.ca.
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For more information, contact:
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MIL-OSI Canada: Manitoba’s Affordable Energy Plan Launches Historic Partnerships in Wind Generation
Source: Government of Canada regional news
September 20, 2024
Manitoba’s Affordable Energy Plan Launches Historic Partnerships in Wind Generation
Next Generation of Energy Will Keep Rates Low for All Manitobans: Kinew
The Manitoba government is unveiling the plan to build the next generation of affordable energy, Premier Wab Kinew, Finance Minister Adrien Sala, minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro, and Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt announced today.
“We are giving you the freedom to make climate-friendly choices by making those choices more affordable,” said Kinew. “Building more energy capacity starts with a new government-to-government partnership in wind, the best source of new clean energy. By building out the grid we’ll keep rates low for everyone and put more Manitobans to work in good union jobs. Together we’ll build the next generation of affordable energy to power Manitoba’s future.”
For the first time in the province’s history, the Manitoba Affordable Energy Plan formalizes into government policy Indigenous-owned, utility-scale electricity resource supply through the creation of government-to-government partnerships with Indigenous nations in wind generation, while ensuring Manitoba Hydro stays public.
“Manitoba has some of the lowest energy costs in the country, thanks to decades of investment in Manitoba Hydro’s clean energy grid and skilled workforce,” said Sala. “But we can’t just take it for granted. Now it’s time to build on our advantage to ensure we have low rates, good jobs and clean energy for years to come.”
Other actions in the plan include:
- Creating an Indigenous loan-guarantee program to provide First Nations and Métis the capital support and capacity to participate in the energy transition and finance new partnerships in wind generation.
- Refurbishing Manitoba Hydro generating stations to unlock up to 200 megawatts of power.
- Ending the first-come, first-served approach for large grid connection to better align with Manitoba’s economic development goals.
- Strengthening energy codes for homes and buildings to generate long-term energy savings for Manitoba families.
- Stronger oversight of the oil and gas sector with regular provincial inspections to ensure environmental safety and reliability.
- Installing new Manitoba Hydro owned and operated public electric vehicle chargers.
- A renewed focus on energy security with stronger protections in place for procurement and data management to keep Manitoba’s energy supply safe and secure.
“Our plan supports Manitoba’s path to net zero emissions by 2050 and will help us protect our air, land and water for future generations,” said Schmidt. “By making clean energy choices more affordable, we’ll help families save money while they save energy.”
To read the plan, visit https://manitoba.ca/energyplan.
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MIL-OSI Security: Woman admits to submitting false disaster relief applications resulting in $620,000 loss
Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)
HOUSTON – A 34-year-old former Houston resident has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
From March 2020 until March 2021, Cora Chantail Custard conspired with others to submit false and fraudulent loan applications for financial assistance both personally and on behalf of others.
The co-conspirators submitted false applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and multiple state unemployment insurance agencies.
Over the course of the conspiracy, Custard resided in both Houston and San Antonio.
As part of her plea, Custard admitted to using her Facebook account to advertise her services to file fraudulent disaster relief applications. Custard’s posts repeatedly described the scheme to her social media followers as “doing apps,” with the ability to obtain between $6,000 and $8,000 for an application within four to seven days of filing.
Custard submitted or caused the submission of over 100 fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications, at least 36 of which resulted in advance payments totaling $345,000.
Further investigation revealed Custard filed at least 30 fraudulent FEMA Disaster Benefit applications related to Hurricane Laura in August 2020 and Hurricane Sally in September 2020. At least 16 of those fraudulent applications resulted payouts totaling approximately $75,000.
Additionally, Custard committed several other fraudulent acts like filing over 100 false unemployment insurance applications in Michigan, Illinois and several other states for her own and others’ benefits. At least 20 of those fraudulent applications resulted in payments totaling approximately $200,000.
Due to her actions, multiple agencies lost a total of $620,000.
U.S. District Judge David Hittner will impose sentencing in January 2025. At that time, Custard faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
She was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
The Department of Homeland Security-Office of Inspector General (OIG), IRS-Criminal Investigation, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Social Security Administration-OIG, SBA-OIG and Department of Labor-OIG conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen M. Lansden is prosecuting the case.
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MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Fitzgerald’s Performance Over Politics Bill Passes in House
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05)
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) issued the following statement after his bill, the Performance Over Politics Act, was passed on the House floor.
“While shareholder engagement remains an important aspect of corporate governance, the consideration of shareholder proposals that deviate from the company’s strategic direction or long-term goals has transformed boardrooms into partisan platforms where political agendas overshadow sound financial management,” said Rep. Fitzgerald. “In an effort to curb the growing politicization of shareholder meetings, I was pleased to see my legislation—Performance Over Politics Act—pass as part of the Prioritizing Economic Growth Over Woke Policies Act on the House floor today. My bill works in unison with the larger legislative package to counter the political ESG movement and strengthen our financial system.”
The Performance over Politics Act permits issuers to set aside for three years resubmission of shareholder proposals that are substantially similar to proposals that received less than 10% of the vote once in the previous five years, received less than 20% twice in the previous five years, or received less than 40% three times in the previous five years. A 2009 study noted that costs directly incurred by companies due to such proposals were estimated at $87,000 per proposal, totaling $90 million annually. The goal of the bill is to respect the decisions of the majority of shareholders and encourage more rather than less public companies – and get politics out of the boardroom.
This bill was passed as a part of H.R. 4790, the Prioritizing Economic Growth Over Woke Policies Act.
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MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Mike Garcia’s Veterans Benefits Continuity and Accountability Act Signed into Law, Protecting Benefits for 7 Million Veterans
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Garcia (CA-25)
Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Mike Garcia’s (CA-27) legislation, H.R. 9468, the Veterans Benefits Continuity and Accountability Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024, was officially signed into law, securing critical benefits for 7 million veterans. This legislation addresses the $2.883 billion budget shortfall at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), ensuring that veterans’ benefits payments continue uninterrupted starting October 1st.
“As soon as I heard about the VA budget shortfall, I made a commitment to the veterans of CA-27 that I would fix the problem and ensure they received their benefits on time. This legislation delivers on that commitment. We can’t afford to leave these heroes who answered their nation’s call to duty high and dry without the medical care and GI Bill benefits they earned,” said Rep. Garcia. “This is a big win for our veterans, but they should never have been put into this stressful position in the first place. It’s unacceptable that the VA’s gross incompetence risked breaking the government’s promise to our heroes. I’m proud to have led the effort to step in where the VA failed and fix this before it became a disaster.”
Rep. Garcia’s legislation also implements strong oversight measures to identify the root cause of the shortfall and to prevent similar issues in the future. It mandates the VA to open its financial records to Congress and requires an independent investigation by the VA’s independent Inspector General to determine how such a large shortfall was allowed to occur.
“We can’t afford to just give the VA a blank check and expect the root cause of the issue to be solved. This isn’t just about funding—it’s about fixing a broken system and ensuring that our veterans aren’t left behind because of bureaucratic failures,” said Rep. Garcia. “We owe it to them to honor their service and fulfill our country’s promise to them. We’ve made a commitment to these men and women, and we cannot afford to fall short..”
Rep. Garcia’s Veterans Benefits Continuity and Accountability Supplemental Appropriations Act received strong bipartisan support in Congress and was swiftly signed into law by the President. -
MIL-OSI USA News: FACT SHEET: Biden- Harris Administration Highlights New Actions to Support Women’s Economic Security
Source: The White House
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing new resources to support women’s economic security and convening stakeholders to discuss the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to ensure that women age with the financial security that they deserve.
Under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, working age women’s labor force participation is the highest on record, the gender pay gap has narrowed, and the Administration is ensuring that women have access to good jobs and safe workplaces free from discrimination. Still, women—and women of color in particular—experience workplace inequities throughout their lives, including as a result of discrimination, pay disparities, occupational segregation, and unpaid caregiving responsibilities. These inequities can add up to millions of dollars lost over the course of a lifetime and contribute to a retirement savings gap between men and women. While women typically retire with less savings than men, they are also living longer—thereby, experiencing more financial strain as they age.
The Council of Economic Advisers is releasing a new issue brief on the Economic Security of Older Women highlighting the economic challenges that compound over the course of a woman’s life and underscoring that women are more vulnerable to economic shocks. The issue brief also highlights Biden-Harris Administration policies that have helped mitigate these challenges and ensure women’s economic security as they age.
Since Day One, President Biden and Vice President Harris have fought to improve women’s economic security and protect and strengthen Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid—lifelines for millions of women. From lowering prescription drug costs for millions of seniors through the historic Inflation Reduction Act to issuing new rules to ensure that the financial advice that Americans get for retirement is in their best interest, the Biden-Harris Administration is taking action to support women’s financial security. The Biden-Harris Administration is also closing gaps in women’s health research, ensuring that women enter retirement more securely, supporting families’ access to care, and protecting women from financial fraud and scams.
As part of the ongoing efforts to support women’s economic security, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing the following new actions:
Supporting Employment Training and Housing for Seniors. The Department of Labor (DOL)—through the Senior Community Service Employment Program—is awarding more than $200 million in new grants to support training and employment for older adults. Through these grants, participants—the majority of whom are women—are connected to jobs, gaining critical workplace skills and a pathway to financial stability. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing nearly $3 million in funding for the Elder Justice Innovation Grants. Because traditional emergency housing options often cannot meet the needs of older adults, older women experiencing abuse are often forced to return to unsafe environments; these funds will support emergency and transitional housing tailored to the needs of older women.
Providing New Resources to Help Support Women’s Retirement Security. HHS is announcing a new guide to services and resources—including tools for retirement planning and financial literacy—to assist women in planning for a healthy financial future in older age. DOL is publishing resources to assist women navigating challenging retirement scenarios, including a new effort to educate attorneys and advocates on qualified domestic relations orders, a critical step in dividing a couple’s retirement assets in the event of a divorce. The Department of Treasury is publishing a new issue brief on the unique challenges that many women face in retirement, and how the Biden-Harris Administration’s implementation of the SECURE 2.0 Act—including the Saver’s Match, emergency savings provisions, and expanded coverage for part-time workers—will help mitigate the gender retirement savings gap. And the Social Security Administration is releasing a new resource for women and their families about how they can better access Social Security benefits and services.Protecting Women’s Earnings and Savings. The Consumer Protection Financial Bureau (CFPB) is announcing new efforts to help older women—who are more vulnerable to certain financial frauds and scams—protect their hard-earned savings. Today, the CFPB spotlighted the legal challenges faced by surviving spouses—often women—who may be pursued for their spouse’s medical debt. Some states have enacted laws making clear that surviving spouses are not responsible for their deceased partners’ debts, and others limit the circumstances in which a surviving spouse is responsible; however, the CFPB has found that debt collectors may try to capitalize on a surviving spouse’s vulnerabilities by attempting to collect their deceased spouse’s unpaid medical bills without real consideration of whether the surviving spouse actually owes the debt. This follows the CFPB’s proposed rule earlier this year, announced by Vice President Harris, which proposed to remove medical bills from most credit reports, increase privacy protections, help to increase credit scores and loan approvals, and prevent debt collectors from using the credit reporting system to coerce people to pay. The CFPB will also release a report on the barriers that older Americans face in banking that financial institutions must work to address, including loss of a spouse, cognitive challenges, and changes in health. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is releasing a new resource highlighting enforcement activities and public education efforts to combat sex and age discrimination.
Today’s announcements build on the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions to help ensure women age with financial security, including—
Lowering Health Care Costs for Women
The President and Vice President believe that health care is a right, not a privilege, and have expanded health care to millions more Americans while lowering health care costs. The Administration continues to build on, strengthen, and protect Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act and has signed historic new laws to lower prescription drug costs and health insurance premiums. The President’s prescription drug law, the Inflation Reduction Act, is directly benefiting women with Medicare, including nearly 30 million women enrolled in Medicare Part D. These actions are especially important for women, who typically face higher health care costs than men and who are more likely than men to take less medication than was prescribed because of cost—with even greater disparities for women of color. To help address these challenges, the Biden-Harris Administration is:- Lowering the Cost of Insulin. The Administration is delivering on the President’s promise to lower health care costs by capping seniors’ insulin costs at $35 for a month’s supply. As a result, all 3.4 million Medicare Part D enrollees who filled an insulin prescription in 2023 had their insulin costs capped at $35 per month, saving some seniors hundreds of dollars for a month’s supply and lowering costs for about 733,000 women enrolled in Part D and B.
- Capping Out-of-Pocket Prescription Drug Costs. Under the President’s leadership, HHS is implementing a $2,000 out-of-pocket cap for prescriptions drugs costs for Medicare Part D enrollees. In 2025, when the cap goes into effect, nearly 19 million seniors and other beneficiaries are projected to save $400 per year on prescription drugs.
- Lowering the Cost of Prescription Drugs. For the first-time ever, the Administration announced new, lower prices for the first ten drugs selected for Medicare drug price negotiations, including for drugs that women disproportionately use. For example, one of the first 10 drugs is Enbrel—an arthritis treatment; women comprise 72 percent of the enrollees who use Enbrel; a woman with Medicare who takes Enbrel and pays $1,777 today for a 30-day supply would pay only $589 to fill her prescription when the negotiated prices take effect—a 67% decrease in out-of-pocket costs.
- Lowering the Cost of Health Insurance. Millions of women are saving an average of $800 on health insurance premiums thanks to the Administration’s expansion of the Premium Tax Credit. This expansion has helped drive health insurance coverage to a record high, while the Affordable Care Act continues to ensure that insurance companies cannot charge women more just because of their gender.
Supporting Women’s Financial Security
The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that women are supported throughout their working lives—by ensuring access to high-quality jobs, robustly enforcing workplace antidiscrimination laws, and closing gender wage gaps—and as they enter retirement. The Administration is working to ensure women’s financial security as they age by:
- Safeguarding Social Security Equity and Efficiency. Social Security is the bedrock of financial security for American seniors and for millions of Americans with disabilities. President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to protecting and strengthening Social Security. SSA also administers the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, which provides monthly payments to people with disabilities and older adults who have little or no income and resources; older women are more likely than older men to rely on SSI, making up 64% of SSI recipients aged 65 or older. To simplify and increase access for individuals, SSA announced the first phase of an online, streamlined SSI application; published three final rules simplifying how non-monetary support from friends and family is counted; and initiated efforts to expedite decisions for people with severe disabilities. SSA has also deployed a targeted outreach strategy to ensure that beneficiaries are aware of the benefits SSA pays to widowed and divorced spouses and dependents of eligible workers—a population disproportionately comprised of older women. To help ensure that all beneficiaries receive the benefits that they are entitled to, SSA is also translating more materials into more languages, improving access to interpretation services, and developed a Limited English Proficiency Toolkit. The Biden-Harris Administration is fighting to ensure that SSA has the funding they need to continue administering these crucial programs.
- Protecting Women’s Retirement Savings. Earlier this year, DOL issued a final rule to close loopholes and ensure that the financial advice that Americans get for retirement is in their best interest. DOL’s rule will protect the millions of Americans, including millions of women, who are diligently saving for retirement when they rely on advice from trusted professionals on how to invest their savings. The rule will require trusted investment advice providers to give prudent, loyal, and honest advice, and prevent them from providing recommendations that favor the investment advice providers’ interests—financial or otherwise—at retirement savers’ expense. These new safeguards will save tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars per impacted middle-class saver. The Administration is also implementing the SECURE 2.0 Act, which allows survivors of domestic abuse to elect to receive penalty-free distributions from an employer-sponsored retirement plan.
- Providing Housing Security for Vulnerable Women. The Department of Housing and Urban Development continues to support housing for older Americans, including through the Home Equity Conversion Mortgages for Seniors program, which allows seniors to withdraw a portion of their home equity for additional income, and the 202 program, which offers direct loans and capital for the provision of secure and supportive housing facilities for older persons. These programs—which predominantly support older women— allow senior homeowners to age in place and help expand the supply of affordable housing by providing low-income older Americans with options that allow them to live independently but in an environment that provides support for daily necessities.
Supporting Families’ Access to Care
The Biden-Harris Administration—through implementation of the President’s Care Executive Order—is working to ensure that older women have the support they need as they age as well as to care for the ones they love. Even as older adults require care, they are also often the ones who provide it. One in four older women provide some form of unpaid caregiving, and, without training and support, their health, well-being, quality of life, and financial future can suffer. The Administration is supporting families’ access to care by:
- Ensuring Safety and Quality Care in Long-Term Care Facilities. Adequate staffing is proven to be one of the measures most strongly associated with safety and good care outcomes. To ensure safety and quality care, earlier this year, Vice President Harris announced that HHS finalized a rule to require all nursing homes that receive federal funding through Medicare and Medicaid to have 3.48 hours per resident per day of total staffing, including a defined number from both registered nurses and nurse aides. This means a facility with 100 residents would need at least two or three registered nurses and at least ten or eleven nurse aides as well as two additional nurse staff (which could be registered nurses, licensed professional nurses, or nurse aides) per shift to meet the minimum staffing standards. Many facilities would need to staff at a higher level based on their residents’ needs. It will also require facilities to have a registered nurse onsite 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide skilled nursing care, which will further improve nursing home safety. And HHS released a new “know-your-rights” resource for women to ensure that women can access safe and culturally competent health care free from discrimination and with protections to their privacy.
- Supporting Family Caregivers. Through the American Rescue Plan, the Administration provided $145 million to help the National Family Caregiver Support Program deliver counseling, training, and short-term relief to family caregivers and other informal care providers. HHS issued a report documenting actions taken by the Biden-Harris Administration to implement the first-ever National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers; these actions have created new initiatives that directly support family caregivers, strengthened existing programs, and improved coordination across the federal government to improve the lives of family caregivers. HHS has also taken steps to support family caregivers’ access to training and beneficiary information during the hospital discharge planning process, published the Guiding and Improving Dementia Experience Model to support people living with dementia and their caregivers, and announced new funding opportunities to develop new approaches to support family caregivers. HHS also published a guide to help older women find programs and services—such as respite care, support groups and individual counseling—to help them maintain their own health and well-being while being a caregiver for others. And the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) launched a program to provide mental health counseling services to family caregivers caring for our nation’s heroes.
- Investing in Care Infrastructure and Supporting Caregivers and Care Workers. The Administration is committed to raising the wages and quality of care worker jobs, and to investing in care infrastructure. In March 2024, SBA announced new funding opportunities to support small businesses in the child care sector as well as the creation of a child care business development guide, which will provide resources for child care businesses on starting and running a business throughout the business life cycle. In addition, SBA is launching a lender campaign to highlight the resources SBA has available to support small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses, including child care businesses, and will discuss additional reforms to support the growth of child care capacity across the country. The Administration is also taking steps to ensure Service members and military spouses—the vast majority of whom are women—have the support they need to care for themselves and their families while serving our country, including by strengthening hiring and retention of military spouses across the federal government, and expanding access to child care and other employment resources. And the Department of Labor has published sample employment agreements so domestic home care, child care, and long-term care workers and their employers can help ensure all parties better understand their rights and responsibilities.
Protecting Women from Financial Fraud and Scams
The Biden-Harris Administration is working to protect the savings that older Americans have worked their entire lives to build. Each year, Americans over 60-years-old lose billions of dollars to scams. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and other regulatory agencies are taking action to crack down on frauds and scams that too often target older Americans by—
- Protecting Older Women from Financial Fraud. FTC is pursuing actions against scammers who target or disproportionately impact older adults in their schemes, including those who conduct prize, sweepstakes, and lottery scams; tech support scams; and family and friend impersonation. Last year, FTC’s past enforcement efforts resulted in relief of more than $285 million to consumers.
- Equipping Older Women with Tools and Resources to Protect Against Scams. FTC chairs the Scams Against Older Adults Advisory Group focused on expanding consumer education and outreach efforts; improving industry training on scam prevention; identifying innovative or high-tech methods to detect and stop scams; it has produced a report on what research shows are effective tactics in scam-prevention messaging. And the CFPB has released resources to assist older adults—who are disproportionately women—navigate later-in-life challenges, such as resources to navigate critical financial moments after losing a spouse; tools to avoid financial exploitation; and information to help safeguard finances.
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