Disha Grand Issue

8/21/2019 Disha Grand Issue

1/75

Disha Grand Issue January March 2014 Om Rankers Creator

OM RANKERS CREATOR, SCO 371-373, 4 TH FLOOR, SEC 34A, CHANDIGARH. CONTACT: 78140-11022, 78143-11022 Page 1


2/75



DISHA 2014 GRAND ISSUECONTENTS

PREFACE 3PICK OF THE MONTH 4

INTERNATIONAL 10NATIONAL 16ECONOMY 23CORPORATE 33ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT 41SPORTS 42SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 51NEWS CAPSULE 60Persons in News 60Person Appointed 63

Person Resigned 64Person Died 65Awards | Honours 66Exhibition | Fare 70Report | Survey 71Books & Author 72Day | Week | Year 72Miscellaneous 73General Knowledge Facts 74


3/75



DISHA GRAND ISSUE

PREFACEThis grand edition of our monthly magazine DISHA has been designed toprovide latest updates of events that occurred in the month of JANUARY -MARCH 2014. The GRAND ISSUE covers each and every importanthappening of the month that made news and carries any probability of beingasked in different types of competitive exams like IAS, PCS, SSC, Banking,NDA, CDS, LIC, Railway and all other government jobs.

The events happening in the sections like International (bilateral and Indiasrelation with the world), National, Economy, Science and Technology,Environment and Ecology, Corporate, Sports, Important Personalities, Booksand Authors, Awards and Honours, Important Dates, Reports and Surveys andmore all are covered in detail.

Representation of verified facts and figures along with fine-tuned analysis makesthe events easy to understand and perceive. The aspirants of competitive examswill definitely be benefitted by the content of the eBook.


4/75



MARCH 2014

Rural Water Supply and Sanitation ProjectThe Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)on 2 January 2014 gave its

nod for the implementation of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project for LowIncome States of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. The project will beimplemented with the assistance of the World Bank over a period of six years (from2013-14 to 2019-20). This project will benefit the rural population of about 78 lakhpersons including 44 lakh scheduled castes and more than 8 lakh Scheduled tribes. Theproject will help the people with improved piped water supply which will coverapproximately 17400 habitations in 2150 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the following 33districts of the four States. The total Project cost of 6000 crore rupees will be financedthrough Government of India [from the National Rural Drinking Water Programme

(NRDWP) allocation 33 percent], State Government (fund sharing as per NRDWP guidelines 16 percent), beneficiarycontribution (1 percent) and external financing (World Bank-IDA funds 50 percent). Government of India will repay theamount of US$ 500 million extended as credit by the World Bank over a period of 25 years with 1.25 percent interest rate.

National Waterway-4 project in Tamil NaduUnion Government launched the project for the development of the stretch of 37 Kilometer of the National Waterway-four(NW-4) between Sholinganallur to Kalpakkam in South Buckingham Canal in Tamil Nadu. The project was launched on 24January 2014. NW-4 covers a total length of 1078 Km consisting of Kakinada-Puducherry Canal systems integrated withGodavari and Krishna Rivers. Main components of the project include dredging and excavation to develop navigationalchannel, construction ofthree terminals and navigationallocks, replacement of oneexisting bridge at Kelambakkam,and installation of navigational aids.The project is expected to becompleted in two years with 123

crore rupees. The project willease out the transportationproblems in Chennai suburbs toa great extent besides promotingtourist movement to important tourist spots at Mahabalipuram and Puducherry.

National Waterways of IndiaNational Waterway 1:will starts from Allahabad to Haldia with a distance of 1620 km. The NW 1 runs through the Ganges,Bhagirathi and Hooghly river system. It will be the longest National Waterway in India.National Waterway 2: a stretch on Brahmaputra River from Sadiya to Dhubri in Assam state.National Waterway 3:run from Kollam to Kottapuram. The 205 km long West Coast Canal is Indias first waterway with alltime navigation facility.National Waterway 4 :connect Kakinada to Pondicherry through Canals, Tank and River Godavari along with KrishnaRiver.National Waterway 5: connects Orissa to West Bengal using the stretch on Brahmani River, East Coast Canal, Matai Riverand Mahanadi River Delta.


5/75



FEBRUARY 2014

National Waterway 6:It is the proposed waterway in Assam state and will connect Lakhipur to Bhanga in river Barak.

National Urban Health Mission launchedNational Urban Health Mission was launched by the Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on 20 January 2014 inBangalore.

Cantilever Pamban Bridge completed 100 yearsFirst cantilever bridge of India, Pamban Railway Bridge, completed its 100 years. On this occasion former President of India

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam inaugurated the centenary celebrations of the Pamban Bridge. The

centenary celebrations will take place from 27 January 2014 to 29 Janaury 2014. To markthe occasion, Abdul Kalam unveiled the centenary plaque of the Pamban Bridge. Healso released the book titled Marvels of South Indian Railway. The 65.23-metre-longrolling central lift span was given a fresh coat of paint and decorated with light. Thecentral lift span was named after Scherzer, German engineer who designed and built thespan. It opens up like a pair of scissors to allow vessels to pass through under the bridge.The 2.06 km long Pamban Railway Bridge connects the pilgrim island of Rameswaramwith Tamil Nadu. The bridge was officially opened for the train traffic on 24 February1914. The bridge was put to test for the first time in December 1964, when a severe

cyclonic storm hit this part of the area.About Cantilever BridgeA cantilever bridge is built using cantilevers, structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end.

Heinrich Gerberwas one of the engineers to obtain a patent for a hinged girder in 1866 and is recognized as the first tobuild one.The Hassfurt Bridge over the Main River in Germany with a central span of 124 feet (38 meters) was completed in1867 and is recognized as the first modern cantilever bridge.

Policy Guidelines for Land Management by major ports approvedThe Union Cabinet on 2 January 2014 approved the Policy Guidelines for Land Management by Major Ports, 2014. LandPolicy is one of the most significant policy frameworks guiding the overall functioning and development of the port sector.

Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2013 Passed

Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2013was passed by the Lok Sabha on 18 December 2013. Earlier, the Bill was passed by theRajya Sabha on 17 December 2013 after some amendments.The Bill seeks to establish an anti-corruption watchdog that will have in its purview even the office of Prime Minister. TheLokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2013 was passed by voice vote amid the opposition from the members Seemandhra region whowere protesting against division of Andhra Pradesh to create Telangana state.During the passage of the Bill, Samajwadi Party members staged a walk out from the Parliament while Shiv Sena Partymembers voted against the Bill. The passage of the Bill has been welcomed by anti-corruption crusader and social activistAnna Hazare. He sat on the fast for the Lokpal Bill passage for the fourth time on 10 December 2013. Among theamendments accepted by the government are delinking of the mandatory creation of lokayuktas by the state governments,one of the provisions which had stalled the passage of the bill in December 2011.A Brief HistoryThe term Lokpal is an Indian version of the Swedish term Ombudsman. The institution of Ombudsmanwas first established in

Sweden in 1808. In India, the term Lokpal was first used by the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1963 and in 1966 aLokpal for the Centre and Lokayukta for each State were proposed.Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill was first introduced in the Fourth Lok Sabha in 1968 .The Bill was re-introduced in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001 and 2011 but was never passed.

Assembly Elections 2013 ResultsBharatiya Janata Party (BJP)on 8 December 2013 won the state assembly election in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan andChhattisgarh. In Delhi assembly elections BJP emerged as the largest party and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in its debutemerged as the second largest party pushing the ruling party Congress as the third party. In Chhattisgarh, BJP won 49 seatsand the opposition party Congress won 39 seats. In Madhya Pradesh the party won 161 seats, whereas the main oppositionparty Congress was able to secure 58 seats. In Rajasthan, BJP won on 162 seats by reducing the ruling party Congressgovernment to 21 seats only.

Harsher punishment for milk adulterators favoured by SCThe Supreme Court of India on 5 December 2013 favoured punishment of life imprisonment to people indulging inproduction and marketing of adulterated milk. The court has also asked the state governments to make amendment in laws ashas been done by the Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha.The Supreme Court bench that comprised of Justice K SRadhakrishnan and Justice A K Sikri said that the punishment of six months jail term mentioned in Food Safety Act is grossly


6/75



JANUARY 2014

inadequate. The decision of the Supreme Court came after hearing the Public-Interest Litigations (PIL) seeking its direction tostate governments to stop practice of milk adulteration, which is rampant in various states.The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)was established under the Food Safety supervising casespending trial, surveillance of the Court. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India is the AdministrativeMinistry for the implementation of FSSAI.Definition of Adulteration - Adulterant means any material which is or could be employed for making the food unsafe or sub-standard ormis-branded or containing extraneous matter.

UNESCO released 11th EFA Global Monitoring Report 2013-14.UNESCO released the 11th Education for All Global monitoring Report 201314 on 28January 2014. The theme of the report is Teaching and Learning: Achieving quality for all.

1. The EFA Global monitoring Report 2013 14 vividly underlines the factthat people

in the most marginalized groups have continued to be denied opportunitiesfor

education over decades.

2. The report has advocated putting in place a robust global post-2015 educationframework to tackle unfinished business while addressing new challenges.

Main Highlights of the Report1. Pre-primary Education. Improve the number of people having access to pre-

primary education.2. Universal Primary Education.Decrease the number of people who give primary

education a miss.3. Lower Secondary Education.Build foundation skills in adolescents through lower

secondary education.

About the Global Monitoring ReportThe Education for All Global Monitoring Report was established in 2000 at Dakar in Senegal. The main objective of thereport is to inform, influence and sustain commitment to achieving the Education for All goals by 2015. At the UNESCOSummit in April 2000, 1100 participants from 164 countries adopted the Dakar framework for Action, Education for All:Meeting Our Collective Commitments.

Infrastructure Development in IndiaIntroductionIndia is the fourth largest economy in the world. However, one factor which is a drag on its development is the lack of worldclass infrastructure. In fact, estimates suggest that the lack of proper infrastructure pulls down Indias GDP growth by 1 -2

percent every year. The fast growth of the Indianeconomy in recent years has placed increasingstress on physical infrastructure, such aselectricity, railways, roads, ports, airports,irrigation, urban and rural water supply, andsanitation, all of which already suffer from asubstantial deficit. The goals of inclusive growth

and a 9 percent growth in GDP can be achievedonly if this infrastructure deficit is overcome. Todevelop infrastructure in the country, thegovernment is expected to revisit issues of

budgetary allocation, tariff policy, fiscal incentives, private sector participation, andpublic-private partnerships (PPPs)withresolve.There are many issues that need to be addressed in different infrastructural fields. To begin with, the gap between electricityproduction and demand is affecting both manufacturing and overall growth. Then though road transport is the backbone ofthe Indian transport infrastructure, it is inadequate in terms of quality, quantity, and connectivity. Also in the overall transportsector, civil aviation and ports desperately need modernization. It is expected that the public sector will continue to play animportant role in building transport infrastructure.12th Five Year Plan

Inadequate infrastructure was recognized in the Eleventh Plan as a major constraint for rapid growth. The Plan had,therefore, emphasized on the need for massive expansion on investment in infrastructure based on a combination of publicand private investment, the latter through various forms of PPPs. The total investment in infrastructure, which includes roads,railways, ports, electricity and telecommunication, oil gas pipelines, and irrigation, is estimated to have increased from 5.7 per


7/75



cent of GDP in the base year of the Eleventh Plan to around 8 per cent in the last year of the Plan. The pace of investmenthas been particularly buoyant in some sectors, notably telecommunication and oil and gas pipelines, while falling short oftargets in electricity, railways, roads, and ports. Efforts to attract private investment in infrastructure through the PPP routehave met with considerable success, not only at the level of the central government, but also at the level of individual states. Alarge number of PPPs have taken off, and many of them are currently operational at both the centre and in the states.The Twelfth Plan intends to continue its thrust on accelerating the pace of investment in infrastructure as this is critical forsustaining and accelerating growth.As per the 12th Plan Document, the Planning Commission targets to achieve 50% private and PPP funding in total

infrastructure investments, compared to a little more than 30% in the 11th Plan. With 56 projects for a total consideration ofUS$ 12.6 billion, the sector accounts for 18% of the total value of PPP projects across sectors, though only 7% of the totalnumber of PPP projects. Indias total generating capacity is around 173,626.4 megawatts (MW), of which the private sectoraccounts for the lowest (21.2%). See figure 5 and 5A. India is expected to make great investments in the power sector due torapid urbanization, rural electrification and industries across the country. Under the 12th Plan, the private sector is likely toaccount for a major share of the additional capacity (55.6%). PPP is likely to be the preferred route for such ventures.The National Development Council in PPPs suggests a number of core issues that public authorities must address whenconsidering their use for procuring public infrastructure projects. These include: Whether PPP arrangements will result in better value for money than conventional procurement methods; Whether the project is affordable in the long term, given overall budgetary constraints; How willing is the private sector to be involved in the provision of public services; and what type of PPP arrangement ismost appropriate for a particular project.

According to a 2011 survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, over 240 projects with a value of US$14.5 billionhave been delivered over the last 15 years which show that this model has been operational in India, with a majority of $9.4billion having been delivered during 2005-10 alone.The government has also been emphasizing the need to explore the scope of PPPs in the development of social sectors likehealth and education. Some of the major PPPs undertaken so far are:1. Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports.2. Ultra-mega power projects at Sasan (Madhya Pradesh), Mundhra (Gujarat), Krishnapatnam(Andhra Pradesh).3. Container terminals at Mumbai, Chennai, and Tuticorin ports.4. 15 concessions for operations of container trains.5. Jhajjar power transmission project in Haryana.6. 298 national and state highway projects.Indias estimated overall infrastructure investment is pegged at US$ 1 trillion in the 12th Five Year Plan of which

approximately 40 per cent is expected from the private sector.Approach to PPP s in IndiaPPPs are still a relatively new phenomenon in India and in a nascent stage compared to the advanced models of PPPs in othercountries. Until 2004, there were only 85 PPPs, but between 2004 and 2005, this figure leapt to 500, and in 2011 the numberof PPPs in the country had increased to 840 as per the PPP database of the Government of India. The leading state users ofPPPs by number of projects are Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, followed by Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. Almostall contracts have been of the BOT/BOOT type or their close variants, which involve user payments.

The Mars Orbiter Mission: Step towards Global EliteIndias First Interplanetary Mission The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), informally called Mangalyaan is a Mars orbiterlaunched into Earth orbit on 5 November 2013 by the Indian Space ResearchOrganisation (ISRO). The 1,337 Kilogram spacecraft carries a suite of fiveinstruments to study Mars, its atmosphere and acquire photos of the Red Planet.The Mars Orbiter Mission probe lifted-off from the First Launch Pad atSriharikota, Andhra Pradesh using a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)rocket C25 at 09:08 UTC (2:38 PM IST) on 5 November 2013.The launch windowwas approximately 20 days long and started on 28 October 2013.The MOM probespent about a month in Earth orbit, where it made a series of seven altitude-raisingorbital maneuvers before trans-Mars injection.It is Indias first interplanetary mission and, now ISRO has become the fourthspace agency to reach Mars, after the Soviet space program, NASA, and European Space Agency. The spacecraft is beingcurrently monitored from the Spacecraft Control Centre at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network(ISTRAC)in Bangalore with support from Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN)antennae at Byalalu.BackgroundThe MOM mission concept began with a feasibility study in 2010, after the launch of lunar satellite Chandrayaan-1in 2008.The government of India approved the project on 3 August 2012, after the Indian Space Research Organisation completed125 crore (US$19 million) of required studies for the orbiter. The total project cost may be up to 454 crore (US$69 million).The satellite costs 153 crore (US$23 million) and the rest of the budget has been attributed to ground stations and relay


8/75



upgrades that will be used for other ISRO projects.P. Kunhikrishnan was the PSLV-XL spacecraft launch Mission Director. Mylswamy Annadurai is the Program Director andSubbiah Arunan is the Project Director. S. K. Shivkumar of ISAC was responsible for the orbiting payload and also oversawdesign and development of the orbiter.Mission Design - Launch & InsertionThe Mars Orbiter Mission is planned to launch on an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle flying in its XL configuration.Mangalyaan does not use a direct injection in which the launch vehicle delivers the spacecraft to its Trans-Martian Trajectory.This design still requires the spacecraft to be launched within a narrow window that is only open for a few days every 26

months. The MOM launch window opens on October 28, 2013 and extends through November 19, 2013.Spacecraft Mass:The lift-off mass was 1,350 kg (3,000 lb), including 852 kg (1,880 lb) of propellant mass.Dimensions: Cuboid in shape of approximately 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)Bus:The spacecrafts bus is a modified I-1 K structure and propulsion hardware configurations similar to Chandrayaan 1,Power:Electricity is stored in a 36 Ah Li-ion battery.Propulsion: Liquid fuel engine of 440 N thrust is used for orbit raising and insertion in Martian orbit. The orbiter also haseight 22 N thrusters for attitude control or orientation.Communications:Two 230 W TWTAs and two coherent transponders.Payload :The 15 kg (33 lb) scientific payload consists of five instruments.

Atmospheric Studies Lyman-Alpha Photometer (LAP)

Methane Sensor For Mars (MSM)Particle environment studies Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA)Surface imaging studies Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS) Mars Colour Camera (MCC)Telemetry and commandNASAs Deep Space Network in Canberra, Madrid and Goldstone onthe U.S. WestThe South African National Space Agencys (SANSA) Hartebeesthoek(HBK) ground station providing satellite tracking, telemetry andcommand services.

Chilika lake named Destination Flyways by UNWTOChilika lake in Odisha was named Destination Flywaysby theUnited Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)on 21 january 2014. The lagoon was named so for its sustainableand resilient destination for migratory birds.This season, around 7.19 lakh migratory birds have been sightedin the 1100-sq km lagoon. Last winter, around 8.77 lakh birds of180 species had visited the lake and 8.83 lakh birds of 167species had visited the blue lagoon in 2012.

India ranked 155th in global Environment Performance IndexThe Environmental Performance Index (EPI)2014 was released on 25 January 2014. As per the Index, India was ranked

155 out of 178 countries with anindex score of 31.23 points in itsefforts to address environmentalchallenges.Among BRICS countries, SouthAfrica was placed at 72ndposition,followed by Russia (73), Brazil (77)and China (118). The EPI isprepared by Yale University andColumbia University incollboration with the WorldEconomic Forum (WEF)as wellas with support from the SamuelFamily Foundation and the McCallMacBain Foundation.


9/75



Iran halted Uranium Enrichment activitiesIran started halting the Uranium enrichment and begun down-blending Uranium enriched to higher level. The steps weretaken on 20 January 2014 by Iran to limit its nuclear programme as per an interim deal with the world powers.

The deal with the world powers has asked Tehran to power down the key nuclear equipment for six months, which will befollowed by the easing of crippling sanctions imposed on it. The report of IAEAhas also mentioned that Iran has starteddiluting its stockpile of uranium, which was enriched to the fissile concentration of 20 percent. IAEA has confirmed that Iranhas ceased enrichment of uranium above 5 percent U-235 at the two cascades at the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP)and four cascades at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP).

National Urban Health Mission launchedNational Urban Health Missionwas launched by the Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on 20 January 2014 in

Bangalore.NUHM aims to

Improve the health care status of the urban population particularly the poor and other disadvantaged sections.

Strengthen public health care system.

Involve the community and urban local bodies in healthcare delivery.

Supplement the National Rural Health Under a unified National Health Mission.

Special Focus on Urban Poor Population living in listed and unlisted slums.

All other vulnerable populations such as homeless, rag-pickers, street children, rickshaw pullers, construction siteworkers, sex workers and any other temporary migrants.


10/75



MARCH 2014

FEBRUARY 2014

INTERNATIONAL

Stolen Idols

The US handed over to India three stolen antique sculptures which valued more than 1.5 million dollars, in a display ofcooperation between the two countries following a month-long row over the arrest and indictment of an Indian diplomathere. US wants to maintain friendly ties with India.Polio-Free India

WHO announced and certified South East Asia region as a polio-free after Indias victory over polio disease on 27th March,2014.Egypt Misrule

On the 26th of March General Sedki Sobhi pledged as the Defence Minister and Army Chief of EgyptAir PollutionAccording to the reports from WHO, 7 million people died in 2012 due to Air pollution.

Earth HourEarth Hour was observed by the world on 29th March,2014 i.e. Saturday at 8:30 PM- 9:30 PM.Mid Air ATC

Australia has decided to take the steps to deploy a modified Boeing 737 to act as a flying air traffic controller over the IndianOcean, whose task is to prevent a mid-air collision among the aircraft searching for the Malaysia Airlines jet that went missingover three weeks ago, an official said on Tuesday.Fiji Elections

Military Government of Fiji has announced that it is going to regulate the democratic elections on 17 September.Saudi Ruler

Saudi King has announced that his half-brother Moqren will be appointed as next heir to throne.

WTO BALI PACKAGE:The Bali Package is a trade agreement resulting from the Ninth Ministerial Conference of the World TradeOrganizationin Bali, Indonesia on 37 December 2013. It is aimed at lowering global trade barriers and is the first

agreement reached through the WTO that is approved by all its members. The package forms part of the DohaDevelopment Round, which started in 2001. In just 84 days after assuming office Roberto Carvalho de Azevdo,the new director general of theWorld Trade Organisation (WTO)managed to produce a successful outcome toa ministerial meeting, something that had eluded his predecessor for eight years. The WTOs ninth ministerial


11/75



meeting du-ing 3-7 December 2013 in Bali, Indonesia, was a personal triumph for Azevdo, who took office onlythree months before the ministerial.Given the pronounced descent of the organization towards irrelevance since 2005 under the leadership of theprevious director general Pascal Lamy, the Azevdo effecthas dispelled the cycle of negative perceptions thatthe WTO cannot deliver. The Bali outcome has brought WTO back into the negotiating orbit. It has suddenlyraised the prospect of a revival of the comatose 12-year-old Doha Round of Trade Negotiations or the DohaDevelopment Agenda (DDA) as it is otherwise called.

An Unequal PackageThe industrialised countries along with a group of advanced developing countries, including China, left no stoneunturned in harvesting, at Bali, a WTO agreement on trade facilitation (TF), an agreement that is meant to simplifycustoms procedures and ease the flow of goods across borders.

THAILAND IN CRISISHowever, the demonstrations reflact a deep divide in Thai society according to class, region and ideology, a divide

which has developed over the past half century as growth has centred on Bangkok while the rural north and easthave been left behind.

What started the protests? Demonstrations kicked off in November afterThailands lower house passed a controversial amnesty bill, which critics

said could allow former leader Thaksin Shinawatra to return withoutserving time in jail. Mr Thaksin, one of the most polarising characters inThai politics, was ousted in a military coup in 2006.He now lives in self-imposed exile overseas, but remains popular withmany rural voters. The amnesty bill, which was proposed by his sisterPrime Minister Yingluck Shinawatras Pheu Thai Party, was eventuallyrejected by the Senate. However, anti-government protests have continued.

International Issues that made HeadLines in Februrary 2014 North and South Korea has now agreed to hold its first reunionssince 2010. The reunion has been hold forfamilies separated by the 1950-53 Korean War -- the first such vent for above three years. The reunion will be held20 to 25 February in the North Korea.

For infrastructure projects, India is offering buyer's credit of $100 mn to Namibia. Anand Sharma,Commerce and Industry Minister made this offer while he visited Namibia. A unique programme of Exim Bank,Buyer's Credit helps Indian exports by way of extending credit facility to the overseas buyers for financing theirimports from India.

Shimon Peres, President of Israelhas made a new Guinness World Record. He has delivered the largestonline civics class in the world. With the use of Ciscos advanced technology, he delivered the classes. The classes

will be run from Netanya, companys headquarters. The 90 year old Peres is also the oldest serving head of state inthe world. More than 6500 students in above 200 classes across the country from Beersheva, Hadera, Jerusalem,

Tel Aviv, Ofakim, Kuseife, Dimona, Tiveria and other communities. Jewish and Arab students will also beincluding as a participants in the online class.

In order to commemorate former South African President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, South Africa's

postal service has issued a stamp with a portrait of Mandela. The stamp was released on the 24th anniversary of hisrelease from prison during white minority rule. Mandela is a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary,philanthropist and politician who spent 27 years in prison. He died at the age of 95.Mandelas portrait stamp isavailable at all 1,591 post offices in South Africa and also stamp collectors can buy it online.

The longest underwater tunnel of the Worldwill be built by China beneath the Bohai Sea. The port cities ofYantai in Shandong province and Dalian in Liaoning province will be connected by this 123-km long underwatertunnel. The project of this 123-km long underwater tunnel will cost 36 billion dollar. The project is expected tostart from 2015 or 2016 and will be completed by 2026. After completion, the tunnel will cut down the currenttravel time between the two cities of around 40 minutes.

For the first time third World Congress on Agro-Forestrywas organised in India. It recently concluded in

New Delhi. Trees for Life is the theme of the Congress. The World Agro-forestry Centre, the Indian Society ofAgro-forestry, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Global Initiatives jointly organised the third WorldCongress on Agro-Forestry. The first two congresses were organised in USA and Nairobi, Kenya. It helps inshaping next steps to be undertaken in the field of integrative science.


12/75



Afghanistan and India did joint inauguration of Afghan National Agricultural Science & TechnologyUniversity. Salman Khurshid, IndianForeign Minister and Hamid Karzai,

Afghanistan President opened it in southernKandahar province of Afghanistan. TheUniversity which has been established withthe help of India, is the first Agricultural

University in Afghanistan while Afghanistanexports fresh and dry fruits to manycountries of the world including India.

India and Poland have agreed to formJoint Working Groupfor cooperation in films sector. This was decidedin a meeting between Bimal Julka, Information and Broadcasting Secretary and Malgorzata Omilanowska, Secretaryof State of Poland along with his visiting high-level Polish delegation. In order to prepare a futuristic road map toaugment co-operation in student exchange programme, animation, films, digitization and such other areas ofmutual benefit, both the countries has agreed to form a Joint Working Group.

India has inked two agreements with Kyrgyz Republic during the visit of Foreign Minister of KyrgyzAbdyldaev Erlan Bekeshovich to India. Both sides exchanged documents to give mutual legal aid in criminalmatters and to make simpler visa regime for official and diplomatic passport holders. The pact was signed in the

presence of Kyrgyz Republic Foreign Minister Abdyldaev Erlan Bekeshovich and External Affairs Minister of IndiaSalman Khurshid.

Soon famous social networking site Facebookis going to acquire mobile messaging company WhatsApp for19 billion dollars. Its the largest acquisition by the Mark Zuckerberg-led firm Facebook so far that will give it astronghold in the market for messaging. Jan Koum, WhatsAppco-founder and CEO will join Facebook Board ofDirectors under the agreement. This acquisition deal will give WhatsApp the flexibility to develop and swell andnoted that users of the service will not experience any change in usage.

One party rule in Cuba set for changeSoon the one party rule in Cuba will face stiff challenge as works are underway to raise the need for theconstitutional reform. Supporters of the new initiative must gather a minimum 10000 signatures in support of the

change to recommend the National Assembly to consider the proposal. At present, the constitution of Cuba don'tallow multi party system.

Iceland prefers EEA than EUIceland government will prefer to be apart of European Economic Area and plans to withdraw its application tojoin EU. Most of the people in Iceland don't want to join Iceland which is also supported by the centre -rightistgovernment in power now. European Union is the economic and political union constituted by 28 member stateslocated in Europe. European Economic Area will allow the participation of members of EFTA to participate inEU's internal market.

Bhutan gets electric carBhutan gets a compact electric car in its streets proving to the world that the country is technology friendly. Thecountry has a unique Gross National Happiness index to measure the overall well being of its citizens. It is also

decided by the government to carefully monitor the pollution levels in streets with the introduction of tech-friendlycars.

International North-South Transport CorridorIndia is planning to conduct a dry run test for the proposed International North-South Corridor covering NhavaSheva (Mumbai)- Bandar Abbas (Iran)- Tehran-Bandar Anzali (Iran)-Astrakhan(Russia). The International NorthSouth Transport Corridor is (ship, rail, and road ways) the route for moving freight from South Asia to Europethrough Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Russia. The route primarily involves moving freight from India to Iran byship; from Iran to Armenia and Georgia by rail and road; and from Georgia to Russia and Europe.

India-Azerbaijan bilateral relationBoth the countries spoke about the steps initiated towards fulfilling the mission of International North-SouthCorridor.In the hydrocarbon sector , both the countries are mutually helpful as Azerbaijan Government hassupported ONGC Videsh Limiteds acquisition of Participating Interest (PI) owned by Hess Corporations

wholly owned subsidiaries in the upstream and midstream oil and gas assets in theAzerbaijani Chirag Guneshli(ACG)Contract area and in Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC)pipeline. India too expressed its interest to diversify the


13/75



JANUARY 2014

bilateral trade and investment in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, tourism, culture, health, agriculture & animalproducts, information and communication technology, chemicals, science, education etc.

Scotland in the makingScotland is a part of United Kingdom as if now but in 1990s, a system of devolution has emerged in the UK,

whereby Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have each been granted some measure of self-government whilstremaining within the UK.Issues such as the constitution, foreign affairs, defence, social security, pensions, issues of medical ethics, and fiscal,

economic and monetary policy are decided on at Westminster, London where UK parliament is located.At present, political parties are demanding a Independent Scotland without the UK interference in the affairs of thecountry. A referendum will conducted by September on this issue.

As a result of the new political development, British financial group Standard Life is drawing contingency plans tomove some of its operations out of Scotland in the event it votes for independence.

Demand for zeroing export duty on Iron ore pelletsIndustry demands recall of export duty on iron ore pellets to the Union government. Iron ore pellets are spheres oftypically 818 mm mostly used as raw material for blast furnaces. They typically contain 67%-72% Fe and variousadditional material adjusting the chemical composition and the metallurgic properties of the pellets.

India-born Prof A J Paulraj won 2014 Marconi PrizeArogyaswamiJoseph Paulraj, the Indian born Scientist and Professor (Emeritus) at Stanford University on 21 January 2014was awarded with prestigious 2014 Marconi Society Prize. He was awarded for developing the theory and application ofMIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) antennas. His discovery of use of multiple antennas at both the receiving andtransmitting end has helped in revoltionizing the speed of wireless delivery in the world of multimedia services.The technology at present is being used in high speed WiFi and 4G mobile systems. Almost every Wifi router and 4G phone

uses MIMO technology that was pioneered by Pulraj.

Iran and P5+1 group of Nations clinched NuclearDeal

Iran and P5+1 group of Nations reached a breakthrough deal on 24November 2013 to curb Irans nuclear programme in exchange forlimited sanctions relief. An agreement to this effect was signed at UNHeadquarters in Geneva on 24 November 2013 between the Chiefnegotiator for the six nations, Catherine Marie Ashton and IranianForeign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarief. After four days ofnegotiations, representatives of P5+1 group of nations - the US,the UK, Russia, China, France and Germany - reached an

agreement with Iran. The deal is intended as the first step in a six-month process aimed at a permanent resolution to thedecade-old global impasse over Irans nuclear programme, The Genevadeal also makes the way for releasing over 4 billionDollars in Iranian oil sales revenue from frozen accounts, and suspends restrictions on the countrys trade in gold,petrochemicals, and car and plane parts.

In return, Iran undertakes to restrict its nuclear activities. Over the next six months Iran has agreed to:1. Stop enriching uranium above 5 per cent2. Not to increase its stockpile of low-enrichment uranium.3. Freeze its enrichment capacity by not installing any more centrifuges4. Not to fuel or to commission the heavy-water reactor it is building in5. Iran will give greater access to inspectors

Nepal Constituent Assembly electionsNepali Congress (NC)emerged as single largest Party in the second Constituent Assembly elections which are held on 19November 2013. The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) stood a close second position and theUCPN (Maoist) party is in a distant third position. A total of 240 seats were allocated in the first category and 365 seats in theproportional representation category. The remaining 26 seats in the 601-member will be nominated by the Cabinet later.

Shinawatra declared Emergency Law for BangkokThailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on 25 November 2013 declared a special emergency law for Bangkok after riotpolice and anti-government protesters scuffled in the capital city.


14/75



Indian Ocean Rim Association was held in AustraliaIndian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)held its 13th Council of Ministers meeting in Perth, Australia on 1 November2013. On the occasion, India handed over the chair of the IORA to Australia. India chaired the IORA, since 2011. Thethirteenth Council of Ministers Meeting was visited by the member states Foreign Ministers namely Australia, Bangladesh,Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, SouthAfrica, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.About the IORAThe IOR-ARC was formally launched at the first Ministerial Meeting in Mauritius on 67 March 1997. This meeting adoptedthe IOR-ARC Charter, and determined a number of administrative and procedural matters. The apex body of the IOR-ARCis the Council of (Foreign) Ministers (COM). The meeting of the COM is preceded by the meetings of the Indian OceanRim Academic Group (IORAG), Indian Ocean Rim Business Forum (IORBF), Working Group on Trade andInvestment (WGTI), and the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) . The Coordinating Secretariat of IOR-ARC is locatedat Ebne, Mauritius.

Typhoon HaiyanPresident of Philippines, Benigno Aquino on 11 November 2013 declared a state of national calamity to speed relief effortsfor victims ofTyphoon Haiyan. Leyte and Samar are the much suffered provinces of the country.About the Typhoon HaiyanSuper Typhoon Haiyan is a category-5 super typhoon to hit Philippines on 8 November 2013 leaving behind many peopledead. It also injured many people in the city of Tacloban on Leyte Island.

This was one of the most powerful typhoons to hit Philippines. It pushed winds up to 300 kilometers an hour. The typhoonforced millions of people to flee to safe places.

Russia Successfully Launched Proton-M RocketRussia on 12 November 2013 successfully launched the Proton-M rocketcarrying a defense satellite, Raduga-1Mfrom itsBaikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.What is a Proton-M rocket?Proton-Mrocket is a Russian carrier rocket which is derived from Soviet-developed Proton. Proton is actually an expendablelaunch system which is used for commercial as well as Russian Government space launches. Proton-M rocket is built byKhrunichev and launched from sites 81 and 200 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The commercial launches ofProton-M rocket are marketed by International Launch Services (ILS). All the Protons are built at the Khrunichev plantin Moscow. These are then transported for the launch to Baikonur Cosmodrome from where they are raised into the verticalposition for the purpose of launch.

UN Court ruled for CambodiaThe UNs International Court of Justiceruled on 11 November 2013 that the area around a flashpoint ancient temple onthe Thai border belongs to Cambodia. The International Court of Justice interpreted a 1962 ruling saying that Cambodia hadsovereignty over the whole territory of the promontory of Preah Vihear Temple.About Preah Vihear TempleThe Preah Vihear Templeis a Khmer Hindu temple situated atop a 525-meter cliff in the Dngrk Mountains of Cambodia.The temple complex runs 800m along a north-south axis. It was built mainly during the 11th and 12th centuries during thereigns of the kings Suryavarman I (and Suryavarman II). Ownership of the temple by Cambodia has been under dispute fromneighbouring Thailand. In 1962 the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that it belonged to Cambodia. ThePreah Vihear temple was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008

NASA Launched MAVEN Mission to study Mars Atmosphere

The US space agency NASA on 18 November 2013 launched its MAVEN orbiter Mission to Mars planet. The orbitermission was launched on anAtlas Vrocket from Floridas Cape Canaveral Air Force Stationat 18:28 GMT.About MAVEN MissionThe Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN)mission is part of NASAs Mars Scout program. The missionwill explore the Red Planets upper atmosphere, ionosphere and interactions with the sun and solar wind. The trip to Marstakes 10 months, and MAVEN will go into orbit around Mars in September 2014. The entire MAVEN mission cost 671million US Dollars.

Roadmap for destruction of Syrias Chemical Weapons adoptedOrganization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the UN Chemical weapons watchdog on 15November 2013 started its work on the final roadmap for the destruction of chemical arsenals of Syria.About Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons

Convention (CWC) that entered into force in 1997. As of today the OPCW has 190 Member States, who are workingtogether to achieve a world free from chemical weapons. They share the collective goal of preveting chemistry from everagain being used for warfare, thereby strengthening international security.


15/75



INDIA & THE WORLDINDIA AND RUSSIAIndia and Russia on 18 November 2013 agreed to expand the range of strategic partnership in a significant manner inMoscow. The two countries will also hold a Joint Air Force Level exercise for the first time in 2014. This decision was takenby the two countries within two days after commissioning of INS Vikramadatya into Indian Navy.INDIA & BELGIUMIndia and Australia on 18 November 2013 signed two agreements in New Delhi during the visit of Foreign Minister ofAustralia, Julie Bishop to India. She was on four days visit to India from 15 November to 18 November 2013INDIA AND KUWAITIndia and Kuwait on 8 November 2013 agreed to expand cooperation in key areas, which includes energy and investment.Five pacts were signed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in culture and education during the India visit of the Prime Ministerof Kuwait, HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-SabahINDIA & UKRAINEThe fifth session of India-Ukraine Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological, Industrialand Cultural Cooperation held in New Delhi on 13 November 2013. The Commission was chaired by E. Ahamed, theMinister of State for External Affairs. The Ukrainian delegation was led by Ihor Mykolayovych Prasolov, the Minister ofEconomic Development and Trade of Ukraine. He was accompanied by a 15 member official and 12 member businessdelegations from Ukraine.INDIA & PHILIPPINESGovernment of India on 14 November 2013 dispatched relief package that includes medicines, hygiene and chemicals,tentage, blankets, tarpaulins and ready to eat meals to Hurricane ravaged Philippines by an Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft toMactan.INDIA & SLOVENIAIndias public broadcaster Prasar Bharati and Radio-Television of Slovenia (RTV-SLO) on 13 November 2013 signed an MoUto develop and strengthen mutual friendly relations through an increased cooperation in the field of broadcasting. Theagreement was signed by head of international department of RTV SLO, Suzana Vidas Karoli and Member Personnel ofPrasar Bharati, VAM Hussain.INDIA AND JAPANIndia and Japan on 9 November 2013 decided to further strengthen their cooperation in the maritime sector as a part of theoverall robust bilateral relations. The two countries agreed to enhance their interaction through the existing forums andthrough port-to-port exchanges. This was decided during the visit of Union Minister of Shipping G.K. Vasan, to Japan.

Visa Waiver Agreements with Poland, Slovenia and Lithuania approved by IndiaThe Union Cabinet on 7 November 2013 approved the visa waiver agreements with Poland, Slovenia and Lithuania. Thismove will help the Indians with diplomatic passports to visit the three countries.

BRICS Nations signed the Delhi AccordThe Heads of the Competition Authorities of BRICS Nations signed a Joint Accord namely Delhi Accord on 22 November2013 at 3rd BRICS International Competition Conference (ICC)at New Delhi. The Delhi Accord was signed to ensureeffective enforcement of competition rules, among the BRICS nations and to strengthen the co-operation among their fairtrade regulators by exchanging views and boosting communication.

India won election to United Nations Board of AuditorsIndia on 1 November 2013 won a crucial election to the UN Board of Auditors with its nominee Shashi Kant Sharma, theComptroller and Auditor General- by 124 votes out of the total 186.About UN Board of Auditors

The General Assembly in 1946 established the UN Board of Auditors to audit of the accounts of the United Nationsorganisation and its funds and programmes and to report its findings and recommendations to the Assembly through theAdvisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions. The Auditors-Generals of UN member states are elected tothe Board. The United Nations Board of Auditors comprised of the heads of the Supreme Audit Institutions from threeMember States, provides independent external audit services to the General Assembly. Board has involved certifying theaccounts of the UN and its funds and programmes, and providing reports covering a wide array of managerial and value formoney issues. The overarching goal of the Board is to use the unique perspective of public external audit to both help theGeneral Assembly to hold UN entities to account for the use of public resources, and add value by identifying ways toimprove the delivery of international public services. The chairmanship of the Board is rotated every two years, and iscurrently held by Amyas Morse for the period 2013-2014. Amyas Morse is Comptroller and Auditor General, UnitedKingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.


16/75



FEBRUARY 2014

MARCH 2014

NATIONAL

100th Birthday of Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw will be celebrated on 03 April 14.

The feat of shrinking the ion source that requires very little voltage was achieved by a team led by Prof. T. Pradeep of theDepartment of Chemistry, IIT Madras. The results were published last week in the Angewandte Chemie International journal.Mass spectrometers that are as small as a smart phone and require as little as one volt a 3,000-time reduction in potentialto create an electric field which would turn a sample into ions for identification of composition may soon become a reality.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)has called its mission to send Indian astronautsto space under the Human Space Flight (HSF) programme. This mission is a really valuable asset for Indiaas it holds the significance of the mission that it will be a forerunner to India sending its astronauts tospace. For, the GSLV-Mk IIIin this flight will carry a crew capsule without astronauts. The capsule willreturn to earth with the help of parachutes. The mission will take place in June or first week of July.

According to our reports, sixth Indian national has been jailed for his role in the December 8 riots here in which mobsindulged in vandalism after a private bus ran over another Indian. Krishnan Saravanan, 31, was convicted of the amendedcharge of failing to disperse despite being lawfully commanded to do so. He has been jailed for 18 weeks, the Straits Timesreported Tuesday.

With actor-turned-politician Smriti Irani who has entered the fray as a BJP candidate in Amethi, a war of words seems tohave broken out between her and AAP contender Kumar Vishwasover his remark that any Irani or Pakistani will notmake any difference in the constituency.

Supreme Court on Tuesday demanded from the Centre to produce all the records relating to the notification to includeJaat community in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) list for seven States to find out whether the government hadapplied its mind before such inclusion. Supreme Court has observed it as a serious issue.

NATIONAL NEWS THAT GRABBED HEADLINES IN FEBRUARY 2014 Union Ministry of Rural Development has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Digital Green toexchange the appropriate livelihood practices among rural communities under the National Rural Livelihood Mission(NRLM). Its worth mentioning here that Digital Green is an international, non-profit development organization which issupported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Government of India and Ford Foundation while NRLM is the biggestprogramme for women empowerment in India.

The first monorail service of India was launched in Mumbai. Prithviraj Chavan,Maharashtra Chief Minister inaugurated the first phase of Monorail. The first phase of thefully air-conditioned monorail covers 8.9 km long Wadala-Chembur section while

commercial operations have also commenced a day after its launch. Initially, the Monorailservice will function between 7 am and 3 pm and its minimum fare will be five rupeeswhile maximum fare will be twenty rupees. The Monorail is lass with CCTV cameras andhas advanced passenger driver communication facility.

Asias first Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) has been commissioned into Indian Navy at INS Hansa in Panaji, Goa.With this, India has joined the elite group of nations who has SBTF which is primarily used for flight testing of naval aircraftthat operate from aircraft carriers. After the United States and Ukraine, this is the third such facility in the world.

An apex development bank in India, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) hassanctioned1,112 crore for creation of 1,336 warehouses in seven states. These seven states where warehouses will be createdare Kerala, Tripura, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and West Bengal and it will create 7.5 lakh tonnes of extra storagespace.

Indian central government has cut down the Natural Gas (CNG)prices by about Rs 15 per kg and Piped Natural Gas

(PNG)by Rs 5with an aim to connect with the Aam Aadmi chord. Last month, the Prices of CNG had been hiked by Rs4.50 to Rs 50.10 a kg. For this, the newly-electedAam Aadmi Party (AAP)in Delhi along with auto rickshaw operators hadcalled a maha-panchayat to decide on a possible strike


17/75



The Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs)investment limit in the Power Grid Corporation has been raised to 30 % ofits paid up capital by the Reserve Bank of India. Under the Portfolio Investment Scheme, FIIs through the primary marketand stock exchanges can purchase up to 30 % of the paid up capital of Power Grid Corporation of India.

To utilize the benefits of cloud computing in India, GI Cloudhas been launched by Kapil Sibal, Communications andInformation Technology Minister. This facility will make sure best possible utilization of the infrastructure and increase thedevelopment and deployment of eGovernance applications. It will also assist the departments to obtain ICT services. Underthe initiative MeghRaj, the National Informatics Centre (NIC)is providing Cloud services.

To head the 7th Central Pay Commission, Ashok Kumar Mathur a former Supreme Court Justice has been appointedas the Chairman. Vivek Rae, Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary will be the full time Member and Director while Dr RathinRoy of National Institute of Public Finances and Policy will be its part-time Member. The newly appointed Commission willrevise the salaries of about 50 lakh employees and about 30 lakh pensioners of Central government.

On a pilot basis, Plastic notes in the denomination of 10 Rs will be soon tried out in five cities. Around1billion Rs 10 plastic notes will be introduced on a trial basis in five cities which includes Shimla, Mysore,Kochi, Jaipur and Bhubaneswar. Its field trial is expected to be launched in the mid of 2014.

The Union Government has increased the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane by 10Rs per quintal for marketing season of 2014-15. This decision of sugar price hike was taken during a meeting of the CabinetCommittee on Economic Affairs held in New Delhi.

The Union Cabinet has finally cleared the Telangana Bill and it will be introduced in Parliament on Feb 12. Thecontroversial bill will be presented in the Rajya Sabha in the present form and the government will move 32 amendments

when it is taken up for consideration. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD),an apex development bank has given financialassistance of Rs348.63 crore to Karnataka under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF). The sanction of 127veterinary institution buildings will help in breed improvement, improving animal health, availability of milk, milk production,reduction in mortality, increased income to farmers etc.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India's central bank has scrapped 26% capital on the interest rate that can becharged by a microfinance company to its borrowers. The new method will allow the companies to decide their interest rates.The new rules also declares that the large MFI (Micro Finance Institutiton) which is registered as a non-banking financecompany will be allowed to have a margin of 10 % while the remaining can have margin of 12 %.

Now waitlisted passengers will soon get automatic SMS in their mobile phones after confirmation of waitlisted ticketsbefore journey. Presently, one has to either dial the enquiry number 139 or has to go for the Internet to know the waitlistedticket status while others get to know the status of their tickets only after reaching stations. The technological arm ofRailways, CRIS is making the software for the SMS-based service. Even though IRCTC has already launched a system forbooking tickets using cell phones.

Sikkim has achieved more than 100 % sanitation in rural and urban households, sanitary complexes, schools andAanganwadi centres. With this, it has become the only state in the country to 100 % sanitation. Sikkim was also declared asbest performance panchayats which is highest in the country. Sikkim has also topped the list of all states of the country innet performance indicators.

The 13th edition of Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) for Documentary, Short and Animation Filmsconcluded in Mumbai recently. The worlds largest and oldest international week-long festival international documentary filmfestival is a biennial festival that is organised with the collaboration of Government of Maharashtra and the IndianDocumentary Producers Association, Mumbai. The festival displayed above 400 films from more than 35 countries whichconcluded with best of the work in short and animation films honoured with awards and documentary.

In the list of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index 2014, India has ranked 140th in the Index. China andPakistan stood at 175 and 158 position respectively. Finland topped the rank while Netherlands and Norway were on secondand third position. US ranking dropped to 46th position from 32nd.

India has ranked 8th in the list of countries in terms of digital governance. Accenture released the report on digitalgovernance. Singapore has topped the list while Norway and UAE stood at second and third position respectively. As perreport, India is observing the rise in demand for the digital governance and has emerged as economy which will enhancecompetence and production. The report is made out of survey of more than 5000 respondents in 10 countries including theKingdom of Saudi Arabia, Germany, UAE, Brazil, India, Singapore, Norway, South Korea, United States and United

Kingdom.

A day after Arvind Kejriwal has resigned as Chief Minister of Delhi, Aam AadmiParty (AAP) has cleared that they would contest the Lok Sabha polls underKejriwals leadership. Its worth mentioning here that Kejriwal has resigned as the

Jan Lokpal Bill was opposed in Delhi Assembly united by outside supporterCongress and BJP. A day after Arvind Kejriwal has resigned as Chief Minister ofDelhi, Kejriwal has become caretaker Chief Minister (CM) of Delhi. The CM willwork as a care taker government until the President accepts the resignation. Najeeb


18/75



Jung, Delhi Lt Governor has suggested for President's rule in his report submitted to the President after Delhi CM ArvindKejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party Government has resigned. The Lt Governor has also rejected termination of DelhiAssembly.

India and Poland have agreed to form Joint Working Group for cooperation in films sector. This was decided in ameeting between Bimal Julka, Information and Broadcasting Secretary and Malgorzata Omilanowska, Secretary of State ofPoland along with his visiting high-level Polish delegation. In order to prepare a futuristic road map to augment co-operationin student exchange programme, animation, films, digitization and such other areas of mutual benefit, both the countries hasagreed to form a Joint Working Group.

By legally banning the consumption of all forms of smokeless tobacco including pan masala within state, Assam hasbecome the first state to legally ban the consumption of tobacco. Janaki Ballav Patnaik, Assams Governor has given hisassent to the Assam Health to prohibit tobacco and nicotine.

The first train in India attached with a Braille-embedded AC coach for visually-challenged passengers will bePurushottam Express. The superfast train running between Delhi and Puri, Purushottam Express train will become the firsttrain in India with Braille signage as part of its social assurance to make trains and stations more-friendly towards specially-abled passengers. The coach with Braille signages has been manufactured at Integrated Coach Factory in Chennai.

The central government has increased the import tariff value on silver and gold. The silver tariff has been raised to 663US dollar per kilogram while gold is 421 US dollar per 10 grams considering the globalprices. The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has issued notification of thetariff value on imported silver and gold. Earlier, the tariff value on imported gold was

404 US dollar per 10 grams and on silver it was 635 per Kg. The gold imports reducedas government has taken several measures to control shipment of jewels/gold to reducethe high current account deficit.

Indias first Minority Cyber Villagehas been inaugurated in Rajasthan. K RehmanKhan, Minister for Minority Affairs inaugurated Cyber Village in Chandoli in Alwardistrict of Rajasthan. The main focus of this Cyber village project is to facilitatecomputer education to the people aged between 15 to 59. For pilot project, Chandoliwith over 80 % of minority population has been selected as the first village. Under this project the experts will give training ofcommuter skills to the people of chandoli.

The union government has decided to convert 7,200 kilometres of state roads into national highways. After thisconversion, the total length of the state highways will reach about 17,000 kilometres. The decision was taken during a CabinetMeeting held in New Delhi.

An all-new title Do Bael Munshi Premchand Ki Kahaaniyannew title for Premchand stories was launched at theDelhi Book Fair. Childrens favourite Amar Chitra Katha launched a comic on new title on the work of the legend MunshiPremchand. The famous Hindi author Munshi Premchands two stories Budhi Kaki and Do Bael has been covered in 32pages.

The Union Cabinet has approved classifying Odia as a classical language to give movement to scholarships in thelanguage. Till now, Kannada, Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu and Malayalam have been declared as classical languages. Odia is one ofoldest languages as there has been demand for declaring Odia as a classical language. It has no resemblance to Sanskrit, Hindi,Bengali and Telugu.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)has proposed to introduce unique identity number (UIN)as a component ofhallmark to ensure traceability of such certified articles in a bid to guard consumers from being cheated. For this, BIS willintroduce 9-digit alpha numeric unique identity number for hallmarked jewels. The concept is expected to be operational in2015. It will also help the standards body take action against the crooked manufacturers misusing the ISI mark/hallmark.

More young voters will vote in 2014 electionsAccording to the revised estimate of electoral data with EC, the Lok Sabha election this year will have more voter turnout inthe age group of 15-19 than previous elections. The proportion of young voters will be more in north India than south India.With respect to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs on World Population prospectus report,India's young population will start declining from 2015. Demographic dividend is a term used to denote the occurrence ofabundant working age population in the age structure (15-59) due to declining fertility rates.

Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI)West Bengal government has launched a innovative scheme to improve the productivity of the agricultural sector. TheBGREI scheme will develop cultivable wasteland, sand-lade area into arable land and also land shaping , rising , convertinguncultivable land into arable one. Field bunding, graded bunding and terracing are also utilised to increase the water retainingcapacity. Horticultural varieties were grown in order to protect the other plants from soil erosion.

Indian economy faces stiff internal issuesThe G20 leaders urged the the Indian government to strengthen the Indian economy by removing the internal problemswhich make the economy vulnerable to global phenomenon. Recently RBI Governor has expressed concerns about the USgovernment's plan for cutting short the stimulus package which already have the currencies in emerging economy to hit the


19/75



bottom. Finance Minister of India too have asked the Reliance-supported think-tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF)to draft strategy papers for Indias position in the G20 on the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India China, South Africa)Development Bank to absorb any such unforeseen economic downturn in near future.

President's rule likely in Andhra PradeshPresident's rule can be imposed in the State or Union territory according to Article 356 and Article 365 of the Indianconstitution. Article 356 states that, when the President feels that the particular State cannot function according to theprovisions mentioned in the constitution, it is lawful for the President to declare 'President's rule' Article 365 states that, when

the State cannot give effect to the directions of the Centre, then too President can declare 'President's rule'.Recently, with the Delhi CM resigning after anti-graft bill issue,, Centre decided to impose President's rule in Delhi. As thepresent Andhra Pradesh will take some time to split into two new States, Centre is considering the option for imposingPresident's rule in the State.

Subsidy bill is more than the poverty gapGovernment's food subsidy stood at Rs 1,15,000 crores which is more than twice of the amount needed to bring all thepopulation above poverty line. The enormous subsidy is allocated as it is needed to fund the procurement, storage andmaintenance of food grains by the FCI. When FCI utilizes the funds effectively, the cost of subsidy will bear true fruits. FoodCorporation of India is the nodal agency for providing effective market price for farmer's produce, distribution of food grainsfor PDS and maintaining buffer stocks for ensuring nation's food security.

Challenge to Freedom of SpeechCentral Board of Film Certification has denied a censor certificate to the film No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka

which deals with the last phase of the war between Sri Lankan forces and the LTTE in early 2009. Sri Lankan governmentwas opposing the release of the film stating that it will create tensions in war ridden country once again. Freedom of Speech isguaranteed by Article 19 of the our constitution.

Nalanda University is truly a international universityThe Nalanda University is proposed to be constructed in Rajgir, Bihar. The idea for the university was provided by formerpresident of India Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam. Japan and Singapore are financing the construction work of the university.Government of India has passed the Nalanda University Act in 2010. In total nine countries were involved in the NalandaUniversity project making it a truly international university.

RBI constitutes Committee to examine FSLRC RecommendationsThe Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC)made certain recommendations on enhancing skillbuilding and capacity development in banks and non banks regulated by the Reserve Bank of India to ensure availability of

skill sets at all levels for effective delivery on required roles and responsibilities. RBI has constituted a Committee under theChairmanship of Shri G. Gopalakrishna, Executive Director, RBI to look into the recommendations of the FSLRC report.The mandates of the committee include identifying skill sets, capacity building of staffs,evolve qualifications and methodologyto certify the personnel and system along with procedures to certify board members of the bank.

Inflation will be the focus of RBIRBI's focus for the forth coming year will be to contain inflation. In general inflation is a situation in which too many moneychase too few goods. It is also caused by the following reasons:1. The supply of money goes up.2. The supply of other goods goes down.3. Demand for money goes down.4. Demand for other goods goes up.

Indira Paryavaran BhawanIndira Paryavaran Bhawan is the Indias first on site Net Zero Building. It is built by adopting the solar passive design and energy efficient building material. The building has been designated as the highest green rated building. The requirements ofGRIHA 5-Star and LEEDS Platinum ratings have been achieved by adopting various measures few of them are given below.Effective Ventilation by orientating the building in an East-West direction, separating different blocks with connectingcorridors and having a large central court yard; 75% of natural daylight is utilised to reduce energy consumption; accessfriendly design for differently-abled persons; Green materials have been used like Fly ash bricks, regional building materials,materials with high recycled content, high reflectance terrace tiles and rock wool Insulation of outer walls.

Know your mobile tower radiation level onlineA 13-member, high-level committee has recommended that a dedicated website be set up to let the public know how muchemission occurs from every tower in the country. Indian government has set one tenth of the permissible level of radiationallowed by International Commission onNon-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). ICNIRP's principal aim is to

disseminate information and advice on the potential health hazards of exposure to non-ionizing radiation to everyone with aninterest in the subject. The committee was formed by the Department of Telecom on the orders of the Allahabad High Courtto look into issues of electromagnetic field (EMF)radiation


20/75



National Monitoring Committee for Minorities (NMCM)National Monitoring Committee for Minorities (NMCM) held its first meeting since its conception under Minister ofMinority Affairs. It includes seventy two experts in minority related issues. Its main objectives are to assess the initiatives forminority welfare under the ministry :to analyse the achievements and review the planning process, programmes, strategies andimplementation process over a period of time.

Independent Evaluation Office (IEO)IEO would provide a systematic feedback to the Planning Commission , the ministries concerned and to the broader

community of stakeholders interested in improving the effectiveness of development programmes. Independent evaluationsshould go beyond assessing deliverables, focus on outcomes to make programmes more effective and accountable and alsoprovide evidence based inputs for better policy making and to improve development outcomes. It must provide moreflexibility at local levels and improve the evidence on which development programmes are based.

State of Infant Mortality rate in IndiaInfant Mortality Rate (IMR)is defined as the number of infant deaths during the year per number of live births during theyear multiplied by 1000. Infant mortality rate comprises of two parts, viz. Neo-natal mortality rate (death in less than 29 days)and Post neo-natal mortality rate (death between 29 days and less than a year). The neo-natal mortality rate also comprises oftwo parts viz. Early neo-natal mortality rate (death less than 7 days) and late neo-natal mortality rate (death between 7 daysand less than 29 days). According to Save the Childrenglobal report, the progress in reduction of neo-natal mortality rate(NMR)has been slower in India though the IMR was 25 per 1000 live births.

RBI announces guidelines of revitalizing distressed assetsRBI has introduced formation of Joint Lenders Forum (JLF) and adoption of Corrective Action Plan (CAP) forimplementing the Framework for Revitalising Distress Assets in the economy. The JLF will try to arrive at an early andfeasible solution to preserve the economic value of the underlying assets as well as the lenders loans. RB I will set up aCentral Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC)to collect, store, and disseminate credit data to lenders.In order to identify stressful accounts, RBI has asked the banks to categorise stressed accounts ( before declaring them intoNPA) into three categories of Special Mention Account.They are as follows:1. SMA 0-Principal or interest payment not overdue for more than 30 days but account showing signs of incipient stress2. SMA 1-Principal or interest payment overdue between 31-60 days3. SMA 2-Principal or interest payment overdue between 61-90 daysBanks are advised that as soon as an account is reported by any of the lenders to CRILC as SMA-2, they should mandatorilyform a committee to be called Joint Lenders Forum (JLF)if the aggregate exposure (AE)of lenders in that account isRs 1000 million and above. The borrower may request the lender/s, with substantiated grounds, for formation of a JLF onaccount of imminent stress.

Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY)Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY)is implemented by Ministry of Labour & Employment from the year 2007. Itprovides for smart card based cashless health insurance cover of Rs. 30000 per family per annum on a family floater basis toBPL families in the unorganised sector. RSBY coverage is now extended to auto / taxi drivers in addition to other categoriesof unorganized workers. According to the new announcement, auto/taxi drivers have to contribute 50% of premium for theRSBY, as applicable in that district, in addition to Rs. 30/- as registration fee. Remaining 50% of premium will be shared bythe Central and State Government (25% each).

SakshamRajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Boys also known as Saksham is launched by the Uniongovernment. The main objective of the scheme is to make Adolescent boys gender sensitive, to make them ahimsa

messengers to prevent violence against women,to enable self development and empowerment,to address their physical ,mental and emotional health needs, nutrition and hygiene,to provide vocational skills through national skill developmentprogramme and help them participate in nation building.At present the scheme will utilise the Integrated Child Development Schemeplatform for implementing the programme.The scheme will cover all adolescent boys (both school going and out of school) in the age-group of 11 to 18 years subdividedinto two categories (11-14 & 14-18 years). In the first phase, Saksham scheme shall be implemented in 20 selected districts inseven States on a pilot basis.

Polavarm ProjectPolavaram project is a multi purpose irrigation project proposed to be constructed across Godvari river, Andhra Pradesh .The main objective of the project is to transfer the surplus waters of Godavari river basin to the Krishna river basin.Government will implement the after creating a special purpose vehicle. The multi-purpose project will involve Central grantsto the tune of 90 per cent of the cost.

National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE)(NMSHE) mission was launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) . The key objective of themission is to develop a sustainable national capacity to continuously assess the health status of the Himalayan Ecosystem;


21/75



JANUARY 2014

enable policy bodies in their policy-formulation functions;assist States in the Indian Himalayan Region with implementationof actions selected for sustainable development. The mission will focus on the following issues such as: Himalayan glaciersand associated hydrological consequences; Prediction and management of natural hazards; Biodiversity conservation andprotection; Wild life conservation and protection; Traditional knowledge societies and their livelihood; Capacity in regulationof science and critical peer evaluation to help governance issues related to sustenance of the Himalayan Ecosystem; Assist inrestoration and rehabilitation process of Uttarakhand. The mission will cover 12 Himalayan States of India: Jammu &Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya,Assam and West Bengal.

National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) NAPCC was initiated in 2008.The plan comprises of eight national Missions: National Solar Mission; National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency;National Mission on Sustainable Habitat; National Water Mission;National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Eco-system;National Mission for a Green India; National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture; National Mission on Strategic Knowledgefor Climate Change.

Amendment of Article 371(D) is needed for bifurcation of Andhra PradeshThe Union Law Ministry on 14 November 2013 told to the Group of Ministers (GoM)about the necessity of amendment

of Article 371 (D) of the Constitution of India for bifurcation of Andhra PradeshIndia declared itself free from Bird FluIndia on 12 November 2013 declared itself free from Notifiable Avian Influenza (H5N1), commonly called bird flu andnotified the same to World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). India notified the outbreak of the Avian Influenza(H5N1) at poultry production unit, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Anjora, Durg and GovernmentPoultry Farm, Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh on 05th August, 2013.

Union Government decided to fix two year tenure for IAS, IPSThe Union Government decided to ammend the rules governing IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers to assurethem at least two years in a given posting on 30 January 2014. The rules were amended following the Supreme Courtsdirection to check the unnecessary political interference.

Free from Political Influence - A Fixed Tenure for Civil Servants: End of Nexus between

Politics & Bureaucracy?In a path-breaking verdict, the Supreme Court directed that bureaucrats be given a fixed tenure and their promotions andtransfers be decided by a board, in order to free the bureaucracy from the clutches of political bosses and put an end to civilservants being shunted out for not toeing their line.In India, the system of staffing through tenure was established by Viceroy George Curzon (1899-1905). A number ofcommissions and committees supported the system and also advocated stability of tenure. They included the Llewellyn Smithreport (1919); the reports of the Simon Commission (1930); Wheeler Committee (1936); Maxwell Committee (1937);Rowlands Committee (1944-45); and the Bengal Administration Enquiry Committee (Avasthi and Avasthi 2004). AfterIndependence, the rst Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC 1967) and the second ARC (2008) have dealt in detailwith the need for administrative reforms and xed tenures.Current SituationThe second ARC has given a detailed account of the current situation. One of its reports points out that frequent transfer of

civil servants continues to be a problem in public administration in India, and goes on to list its ill effects.RecommendationsWe should note that the Supreme Court s ruling to ensure xed minimum tenures comes against the backdrop of severalother commissions and committees having made similar recommendations while looking into administrative reforms.The Fifth Pay Commission (1997)in its massive report observed that providing continuity in administration and stability ingovernance required fixing a minimum tenure for positions held by civil servants. The minimumtenure suggested for a bureaucratic post was three to ve years, except in cases where a longertenure was justied on functional grounds, such as ensuring the continued availability of certainspecialized skills. As with the Supreme Court verdict now, it favoured constituting high-poweredcivil service boards at the levels of the union and state governments to regulate and look intocases of premature transfers of civil servants.Conclusion

The Supreme Court verdict is only the tip of the iceberg. A number of reforms commissions have pointed out shortcomingsin personnel management of the Indian executive and advised measures to introduce much-needed changes.


22/75



National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST)National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) was established by amending Article 338 and inserting a New Article338A in the Constitution through the Constitutions (89th Amendment) Act, 2003. By this amendment, the erstwhile NationalCommission for Scheduled castes and Scheduled Tribes was replaced by two separate commissions with effect from 19February 2004 namelyThe National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST)The term of office of chairperson, Vice-chairperson and each member is three years from the date of assumption of charge.The Chairperson has been given the rank of Union Cabinet Minister and the Vice-Chairperson that of a Minister of State andother Members have ranks of a Secretary to the Government of India.The National Commission for Scheduled tribes functions from its headquarters at New Delhi and from the State Offices ofthe Commission located in six States.

First List of Probable Candidates for LS Polls released by AAP.Both Houses of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Rejected Telangana BillBoth Houses of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Rejected Telangana Bill (AP Reorganisation Bill 2013).

New Head of Travancore Royal Family is Moolam Thirunal Rama VarmaNew Head of Travancore Royal Family is Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma. In the last month nephew of Uthradom

Thirunal Marthanda Varma passed away.


23/75



ECONOMY

FEBRUARY 2014

MAIN HEADLINES

Samajwadi pension scheme has been launched by Uttar Pradesh government that will benefit about 40 lakh families.Through this scheme, pension from 500 rupees to 700 rupees will be given to beneficiaries. The government has also decidedto make 1.70 Shiksha Mitra as teachers who are teaching in primary schools for a long time and demanding theirregularization as teachers.

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)will provide financial assistance a creditpotential of Rs 12727 crore in the state focus paper (SFP) for Uttarakhand. The credit potential is for the year 2014-15 under

the priority sector with the increase of 17.35%. A Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)has been signed between India and Fiji. The agreement has beeninked between countries to avoid double taxation and for the avoidance of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. P.Chidambaram, Union Finance Minister and Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Fiji's Minister of Justice, Public Enterprises, and Industryand Trade signed the pact in Delhi. The agreement will offer tax stability to the residents of both India and Fiji and willfacilitate mutual economic cooperation.

Lagging behind Japan, India has now become the third largest crude oil importer in the World, according to the datareleased by Reuters. In 2013, India has imported 3.86 million barrels-per-day of crude oil. India's crude oil imports were near6 % higher than Japan's customs-cleared imports. China, USA, India, Japan and Germany are Worlds top five oil-importingcountries.

An apex development bank in India, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned1,112 crore for creation of 1,336 warehouses in seven states. These seven states where warehouses will be created are Kerala,

Tripura, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and West Bengal and it will create 7.5 lakh tonnes of extra storage space.Indian central government has cut down the Natural Gas (CNG) prices by about Rs 15 per kg and Piped Natural Gas (PNG)by Rs 5 with an aim to connect with the Aam Aadmi chord. Last month, the Prices of CNG had been hiked by Rs 4.50 to Rs50.10 a kg. For this, the newly-elected Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi along with auto rickshaw operators had called amaha-panchayat to decide on a possible strike.

The Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) investment limit in the Power Grid Corporation has been raised to 30 % ofits paid up capital by the Reserve Bank of India. Under the Portfolio Investment Scheme, FIIs through the primary marketand stock exch

Disha Grand Issue

Documents

Transcript of Disha Grand Issue