Current Affairs January 2014 1

PREFACE
PICK OF THE MONTH UNESCO released 11th EFA Global Monitoring Report 2013-14 Chilika lake named Destination Flyways by UNWTO India ranked 155th in global Environment Performance Index Iran halted Uranium Enrichment activities Stanislas Wawrinka won Australian Open Mens title Padma Awards for the Year 2014 announced SC laid down guidelines for dealing with mercy pleas Urijit Patel Committee suggested adoption of new CPI for Anchoring Monetary Policy Tunisia passed new Constitution National Urban Health Mission launched Union Cabinet granted minority status to Jain community Union Government notified new natural Gas Pricing Formula SC asked MoEF and Railway Ministry to evolve steps to protect elephants Dexter, Private Information Stealing Virus, detected in online banking transactions USFDA banned imports from Toansa plant of Ranbaxy Cristiano Ranaldo awarded FIFA Ballon dOr award 2013 India-born Prof A J Paulraj won 2014 Marconi Prize Netherlands won the inaugural Hockey World League INTERNATIONAL Three Transgenders got government jobs in Pakistan India launched Gandhi portal for British-Indian children Oscar Academy withdrew Alone Yet Not Alone from Best Song nomination category India and Netherlands signed MoU for cooperation in field of Sports India and Fiji signed Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement India and Japan inked MoUs to strengthen cooperation in tourism and power generation Russia & China to conduct war games in the Mediterranean Sea
16
17 17 21 22 25 26 26 33 34 35 37 38 39 40 43 43 44 45 47 49 49 50 51 51 52 54 56
Current Affairs eBook January 2014
www.jagranjosh.com
Morocco Parliament amended Penal Code Article on rape India & UAE agreed to Promote Cooperation in Renewable Energy USA allowed Sikh military men to wear turban South Sudan Government and Rebels signed Ceasefire Agreement to end fighting Cumbria University of UK became the first public university to accept fees in Bitcoin India and Japan signed memorandum in tourism Lanka urged Maldives to allow its fishermen in territorial sea waters Emergency rule imposed in Thailand capital Bangkok for two months Egypt approved the new Constitution in referendum GDP of China decelerated to 7.7 Percent in 2013-14 UN withdrawn invitation to Iran to attend Syria Peace Conference Obama established Af-Pak strategic partnership office Peshawar, largest reservoir of polio in world: WHO Hery Rajaonarimampianina declared as the President of Madagascar India & UK Signed MOU to Enhance the Collaboration within the framework of UKIERI India and South Korea inked pacts in different areas including trade and commerce Indian doctors to be recruited by Britain British PM ordered enquiry into Thatchers role in Operation Bluestar India-Japan conducted joint maritime exercise along Kochi Coast Malaysian Government to introduce high-tech ID cards India and Canada signed Letter of Intent for co-operation in Iron and Steel Sector Sheikh Hasina sworn-in as Bangladesh Prime Minister UN and partners launched No Lost Generation initiative to save Syrian children Ali Larayedh, the Prime Minister of Tunisia resigned Bangladesh new MPs took oath Russia blocked UN Statement on air-strikes in the city of Aleppo in Syria India and Japan held Defence Ministerial Meeting Malaysia invited IITs to open its centre End commercial activities at Delhi embassy by Jan 16: India to US
56 57 58 59 59 60 61 62 62 63 64 64 65 66 67 68 69 73 73 74 75 75 76 77 78 79 80 80 81 82
IRENA and ADFD planned to bring Power to Rural Communities with renewable energy projects
www.jagranjosh.com
US Embassy in Beirut issued warning to Americans in Lebanon Al-Qaida linked forces declared Fallujah as new State India launched 3rd phase of Housing Project in Sri Lanka Pakistan has planned 7 Nuclear Plants for 8900 MW of electricity by 2030 India & Saudi Arabia signed pact to protect interests of Indian domestic sector workers China aircraft carrier completed tests in disputed South China Sea Latvia became the 18th member of Euro Zone South Sudan conflict: India to send its team to assess political and security situation Japans population dipped to record low in 2013 WORLD DAIRY
82 83 83 84 85 86 87 87 88 90
NATIONAL Union Government decided to fix two year tenure for IAS, IPS Union Cabinet approved Amendments to the Mental Health Care Bill India Post to install 3000 ATM & 1.35 lakh micro-ATM by September 2015 Union Civil Aviation Ministry removed restrictions on Airbus A-380 in India PAN allotment process to undergo change from 3 February 2014 National Waterway-4 project launched in Tamil Nadu NALSA launched free legal service clinics across the country Viscera test must in death due to poisoning: SC Union Cabinet approved to set up Rail Tariff Authority Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways celebrated 25th Road Safety Week India registered an increase of five years in life expectancy rate Forest STs to get additional 50 days wage employment under MGNREGA SC directed to Government of India to place Shah Commission report by 27 January
98 98 101 101 102 103 104 105 105 106 107 109 109 110 111 112
Union Cabinet approved Amendments in OBC Central List for 13 States and 3 Union Territories99
Government approved Capacity Building Scheme and Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Climate Change Union Government of India extended the implementation of NFSA to Karnataka and Chhattisgarh
www.jagranjosh.com
Government gave nod to Guidelines for transparent TV ratings EC called off ties with Google to register new voters SC directed Sahara to disclose source of 22885 crore rupees refund Cabinet approved the guidelines for television rating agencies Government approved installation of CCTV and GPS on public transport vehicles CCEA nod for the implementation of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved MSP for Jute CCEA nod for establishment of Medical colleges for deficient states CCEA approved the Central Sector Scheme, ILDP Cabinet nod on sending President Reference to Supreme Court in Ganguly Case Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill 2013 got assent of President Centre sanctioned over 1000 buses for 13 cities under JNNURM SC directed NCST to verify authenticity of ST status of Meghalaya CM India scraped 3600 crore rupees VVIP Chopper Deal with AgustaWestland
113 113 114 114 115 116 118 119 119 120 121 123 124 126
Government issued food safety guidelines for Integrated Child Development Services scheme127 INDIA DAIRY ECONOMY FAA downgraded safety ratings of Indian aviation Union Cabinet approved second Phase of Bangalore Metro Rail Project CCI ordered fresh probe into Coal India and subsidiary for violations Agriculture Ministry issued guidelines on National Mission on Oil seeds and Oil Palm India became third largest crude oil importer in the World By June 2014 India to have 243 million Internet users: IAMAI NIC and Union Ministry of MSME launched India Inclusive Innovation Fund EGoM approved SUC of 5 percent of annual Gross Revenue on all new airwaves RBI raised Repo Rate by 25 basis points to 8 percent RBI issued new guidelines for loan restructuring in NBFCs Finance Ministry nod for 1000 rupees minimum monthly pension plan Currency notes issued before 2005 to be withdrawn: RBI SEBI asked depositories to set up IT Strategy Panels Indian economy to grow by 6 percent: CRISIL 130 139 139 140 140 141 141 142 143 144 144 145 147 147 148 149
www.jagranjosh.com
India Economic Growth projected to be 4.5 percent by IMF CCEA approved the sale of Governments residual stake of HZL MOT to reassess Hydrocarbon Resources of India RBI appointed a Committee to Review Governance of Boards of Banks in India Government extended Natural Manufacturing Policy benefits to Industry Clusters Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs Signed MoUs with FICCI IIFCL signed MoU with EXIM Bank of Korea EGoM approved the sale of 10% stake in IOC to ONGC and OIL Guidelines on New Land Policy for Major Ports of the Country Released RBI included Hong Kong and Macau in the sensitive list Wholesale Inflation declined to five-month low of 6.16 percent in December 2013 Pawar-led GoM gave nod for incentives to Sugar Industry Coal India Ltd declared dividend of 290 percent for 2013-14 Sudan offered two oil and gas blocks to ONGC at Petrotech 2014 Consumer Retail Inflation declined to 9.87 percent in December 2013 NABARD reduced refinance rate for banks IRDA issued guidelines for investment in Equity Exchange Traded Funds IRDA formed Suresh Mathur panel to suggest ways to improve FDI Indian Economy GDP growth rate to be revised for 2011-12 Bank of Japan and RBI concluded an agreement to raise BSA to 50 billion dollar Indias trade deficit narrowed to 10.1 billion dollar in December 2013 Reserve Bank of India relaxed Foreign Direct Investment rules SEBI notified stricter Settlement System for serious offences Non-Compete Clauses only in Special Cases in Pharma FDI Kelkar panel submitted report to Union Oil Ministry SEBI barred cash Transactions in Collective Investment Schemes to check laundering Coal Block allocation can be cancelled even if huge investments are made: SC RBI relaxed Gold loan norms to lend up to 75 percent loan China to be become a partner in the proposed NIMZ in Andhra Pradesh Reserve Bank of India selected CCIL as Legal Entity Identifier RBI allowed Indian companies to issue non-convertible debentures
149 150 150 153 153 155 155 157 157 159 159 160 161 161 162 163 164 165 165 166 166 167 167 169 170 171 173 173 174 174 176
www.jagranjosh.com
Supreme Court gave notice the government to revive KG-basin gas Indias International Investment Position of Quarter ended September 2013 released Financial Inclusix Index 2013 launched by credit rating agency CRISIL Price of the Non-subsidized LPG hiked by 220 rupees per cylinder ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT Saving Asias Vultures from Extinction Project 2013 is fourth warmest year on record for the planet: Reports Beijing got new law to control hazardous Smog and Air Pollution Air pollution of Beijing 25 times above WHO safe mark First Climate Change theatre opened in India Level of greenhouse gases rising rapidly: Leaked UN report Emission of Nitrous Oxide from Streams and Rivers studied by Scientists Parliament of European Union approved CO2 emission restrictions for commercial vans Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from light commercial vehicles Dinosaurs footprints spotted in Jaisalmer: Scientists POSCO got Environmental Clearance nod for 52000 crore rupees Steel Plant in Odisha MoEF approved Tawang II hydroelectric project Report titled Estimation of retreat of Gangotri glacier released Exceptionally Rare Conjoined Whales discovered China destroyed six tonnes of smuggled ivory to protect declining elephant population Rare odonate species found in Western Ghats Endangered Tigers, Lions and Red Pandas died due to Canine Distemper Virus: Scientists Indian Pittas, endemic bird spotted in Delhi
176 177 178 180 181 181 183 183 184 185 185 186 187 188 189 190 190 192 192 193 195 195 196 196
SC directed Centre to appoint a National Regulator to oversee implementation of Forest Policy
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Union Government banned cosmetic companies from testing on animals
197 197
www.jagranjosh.com
NASA rover Opportunity found Mars had life friendly fresh water NASA Mars Rover discovered doughnut rock Tulasi genetically engineered to increase Pharmaceutical Value Union Government allowed imports of frozen human embryos to boost infertility treatment NASA discovered potentially hazardous asteroid 2013 YP139 Nanotechnology may prevent Cancer from spreading India completed three years without any polio case Indigenous Glucose Monitoring Device launched by Government Anu Vidyut Pariyojana launched in Fatehabad, Haryana iOptik, new eyewear system developed to give superhuman vision Scientists measured the distance to galaxies accurate to 1% Saturns Ring 4.4 billion years old Scientists designed Moclic software to predict weather Hubble discovered clouds on new planets Indias Supercomputer, PARAM Yuva-II ranked 1 in India CORPORATE Google purchased DeepMind Technologies of UK Samsung and Google signed Global Patent Agreement Federal Aviation Administration ordered safety checks of Boeing 767s SBI launch Youtube channel Wal-Mart registered Wal-Mart India Private Ltd in India Etihad Airways demonstrated flight with Biofuel mix AirAsia aimed to start India operations by April Google acquired cybersecurity firm Impermium for 9 million dollar 3F tied up with Fuji Oil to set-up a joint venture Non-Dairy Cream Making Plant RBI allowed Foreign Investors to invest in South Indian Bank USFDA raised concern over Ranbaxys Toansa Plant Biz Stone, Twitter Co-founder, launched JELLY Facebook acquired Little Eye Labs for 90 crore rupees Bajaj Allianz General Insurance launched an all women branch in Pune
198 199 199 200 201 201 202 203 205 206 207 207 208 209 209 211 211 212 212 213 213 214 214 215 216 216 217 217 218 218
www.jagranjosh.com
Central Government allowed Tesco to invest in brownfield entity Cephlon Inc filed suit against Glenmark over cancer drug in US SPORTS India suffered 4-0 loss in 5 match ODI series against New Zealand Heena Sandhu 10 m Air Pistol score recognized as World record Kiwi Kathy Cross is first woman in ICC Umpires Panel India won gold in mens Basketball at Lusofonia Games Saina won Syed Modi International India Grand Prix title SPO-Churchill Brothers Won the 35th Football Federation Cup MS Dhoni became first captain to play in four tied ODIs Australia won ODI series against England by 4-1 India Women Cricket team won one day series against Sri Lanka 3-0 Shane Warne to mentor Australias spinners for World T20 Tournament OCA recognized Russian martial art Sambo and is now a part of Asian Games Mahesh Bhupathi launched IPTL in Melbourne Indian Fencers barred from competing in Qatar Fencing World Cup Third Lusofonia Games started in Goa Abhijeet Gupta won the Parsvnath International Grandmasters chess tournament Mahesh Mangaonkar won Open du Gard squash title Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 boss to be tried on bribery charges Tamil Nadu government sanctioned 1.75 crore rupees for Kabaddi and Squash Jimmy Walker won Sony Open Golf tournament CBI to set up special cell to handle cases of fraud in sports Anju Bobby George declared winner of World Athletics Final, 2005 Vijay Zol selected captain of India to lead U-19 Cricket World Cup Louis Oosthuizen retained the Volvo Golf Champions title Nikhat Zareen won gold medal at the third Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament 75th National Table Tennis Championship 75th Senior National Table Tennis Championship: PSPB Women and Men won title
219 219 221 221 222 223 223 225 226 226 227 228 228 229 230 230 231 231 232 233 233 235 236 236 237 238 238 238 239
ONGC Men & Chhattisgarh Women won Federation Cup National Basketball Championship 240
www.jagranjosh.com
Players and Coaches accused of doping barred from getting Arjuna and Dronacharya Awards 240 Union Cabinet approved the National Youth Policy, 2014 Aditya Joshi became world no. 1 junior shuttler Under-19 Asia Cup: India defeated Pakistan by 40 runs. Serena Williams won the Brisbane International Title 2014 Ronaldinho got South American footballer of the year award STATE Uttrakhand Assembly passed new Lokayaukata Bill Tamil Nadu Governor inaugurated 15th Express Technology Sabha Goa Government approved the proposal to increase Reservation for OBC to 27% Arunachal Pradesh witnessed the first trial run of rail engine Karnataka first State to provide Universal Health Coverage Dryland Farming Programme for monsoon-dependent Maharashtra farmers Delhi became first state to withdraw FDI in Multibrand Retail President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated ANTRI at Port Blair Scheme MP Government to roll back the decision to sell Indian Made Foreign Liquor Delhi Government Launched a Helpline to curb corruption Chhattisgarh Government launched Toll Free Number 1100 to curb Corruption Environmental Information dissemination centre set up in Choolai, TN Assam will start a Vaccination drive against Japanese Encephalitis from 22 February Delhi High Court ruled CAG audit can telecom companies CCEA approved the Transmission system in Ladakh region Delhi Government ordered CAG audit of 3 power distribution companies Anand Sinha, the Deputy Governor of RBI retired 241 241 243 243 244 246 246 247 247 248 249 249 250 250 251 251 252 252 253 253 254 255 256 258 259
Wimbledon tennis event, The Road to Wimbledon, to be hosted outside UK for the first time 244
Centre asked Odisha Government to Disburse delayed payments to beneficiaries of MGNREGA
Third phase of North Eastern Community Resource Management Project launched in Manipur
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh agreed to maintain Status Quo along the Inter-State boundary257
10
www.jagranjosh.com
NEWS CAPSULE Person in news Aviation ministry removed V.P.Agrawal from position of AAI chairman Qamar Ahmed, third cricket journalist, to cover 400 Test Matches MPs voted Thatcher as the best UK Prime Minister in survey Chief of Army Staff Bikram Singh took Charge as Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Person Appointed Arun Gupta appointed as CMD of Shipping Corporation of India Egypts Army Chief Fattah al-Sisi promoted to Field Marshal Professor Rakesh Khurana of Indian origin appointed as Dean of Harvard College Kailash Meghwal elected as the Speaker of Rajasthan Assembly Aruna Bahuguna first woman to be appointed chief of National Police Academy Catherline Samba-Panza, Mayor of Bangui elected CARs Interim President Jamila Bayaz, first women to be appointed police chief of Kabul province Sirajuddin Qureshi elected as the President of IICC Munish Sharda appointed as MD and CEO of Future Generali Life Uninor appointed Morten Sorby as new CEO US Senate confirmed Janet Yellen as next Chairperson of Federal Reserve Chandrashekhar appointed the President of NASSCOM Summit/Confrence ASSOCHAM organized Seventh Global Insurance Summit at Hyderabad Person on Visit External Affairs Minister met US Secretary of State in Montreux Bhutan King and Queen will visit India from 6-10 January 2014 Person Resigned Vijay Bahuguna, the Chief Minister of Uttrakhand resigned
259 259 262 262 263 264 265 265 265 266 267 267 268 268 269 270 270 270 272 274 274 275 275 275 277 277
11
www.jagranjosh.com
Ukraine Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigned Garry Kenneth Toomey resigned from Jet Airways Justice A K Ganguly resigned as chairman of WBHRC Person Died Raymond Weil, the pioneer of Swiss watch died Karl Slym, MD of Tata Motors died after falling from hotel building in Bangkok Legendary Telugu actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao died Sudhir Mahato, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Jharkhand died Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin spiritual leader of Dawoodi Bohra community died Famous Bengali Actress Suchitra Sen died Famous Marathi writer Namdeo Dhasal died Israels Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon died Social activist Ila Pathak died Vishwanath Ramachandra, the former Ranji Trophy cricketer of Mumbai died Portugals former footballer Eusbio died Singer Phil Everly died at age 74 Uday Kiran Telugu film actor died Places in News Archaeologists discovered lost dynasty of Pharaonic Kings in Egypt Gorakhpur railway station entered Limca Book of Records as worlds longest platform Tropical storm One struck Sri Lanka with heavy rainfall and strong wind Awards | Honours 56th annual Grammy Awards for 2014 announced 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2013: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Bags Seven Awards Ela Gandhi honoured with Amadelkufa in South Africa
277 278 278 280 280 280 281 281 282 283 283 284 284 285 285 286 286 287 287 287 288 289 289 289 291 292
National Communal Harmony Awards 2013 won by Centre for Study of Society and Secularism
12
www.jagranjosh.com
Queen Latifah won 2014 Matrix Award Cyrus Mistry won the DSC prize 2014 Abhishikta S Shetty of Karnataka won Miss South India Pageant Title UNWTO Ulysses Awards for Innovation announced Dr. Tej Vir Singh won the UNWTO Ulysses Prize Richard Quest won 2013 UNWTO Lifetime Achievement Award Deepika and Farhan won best actors at Screen Awards Yushi, Taiwanese poet awarded Thiruvalluvar award President presented Sunil Gangopadhyay Award 2012 & 2013 P.K.Goyal won Best CFO Award Andhra Pradesh bagged Oil and Gas Conservation Award, 2013 71st Golden Globe Awards 2014 announced Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards conferred by the President Dr. Ambedkar National Merit Awards conferred by Kumari Selja Government of India announced Jeevan Raksha Padak for 37 people US author Danielle Steel awarded Frances Legion of Honour Mammen Mathew selected for prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award for Journalism Report | Survey India likely to post 4.6 percent growth in 2013-14: IMF The Report Working for the Few released by Oxfam Indian economy to grow by just over 6% in 2014-15: WB forecast Pakistan only polio-endemic nation with more cases India ranked 120th in the 2014 Index of Economic Freedom International Poll titled World most admired people released Business confidence would improve in Q1 of 2014: Dun and Bradstreet Survey Defence | Security Dhruva-3 indigenous High Performance Computing System inaugurated India successfully test-fired nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-IV missile INS Vikrant has completed operational life and should be disposed
293 293 294 295 296 296 297 298 299 299 299 300 301 302 303 305 305 307 307 307 309 311 312 314 314 316 316 316 317
13
www.jagranjosh.com
Fast Patrol Vessel Abhinav, the Indian Coast Guard Ship commissioned in Kochi Prithvi II, the Nuclear capable Surface-to-Surface missile, successfully test-fired Navy planned to circumnavigate globe by all-woman crew Books & Author Bihars turnaround analysed at London School of Economics Vice President released a book entitled Sangharsh Ke Safar Ka Nayak Mulayam Art | Culture China marked arrival of the Year of the Horse USA handed over three stolen 10th Century Indian artifacts to India Dhanu Yatra of Bargarh started in Odisha Losara New Year festival of Ladakh is celebrated Committees | Commissions Pitroda Committee submitted report to Information and Broadcasting Ministry Andaman & Nicobar: Committee to review safety standards of tourist vessels
318 319 319 321 321 321 322 323 323 323 324 324 326 326 327
Vice President released book entitled Indias Political and Foreign Relations with the Gulf Region
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved amendments to Mega Power Policy 2009 328 Science | Space GSLV-D5 carrying communication satellite GSAT-14 successfully launched Astronomers discovered Earths gassy twin 200 light years away 329 329 329
RBI panel recommended setting up of specialized banks to cater to low income households 330 Plan | Programme Union Government raised quota of subsidised LPG cylinders to 12 Ministry of Women and Child Development launched Multi Sectoral Nutrition Programme 332 332 333
14
www.jagranjosh.com
LPG Connection Portability Scheme launched DRH issued new Guidelines to give psychological help to molestation victims Union Government introduced Know India Programme for young Overseas Indians scheme Government launched Indias first comprehensive adolescent health programme Day | Week | Year The Election Commission of India celebrated the 4th National voters Day: 25 January National Girl Child Day observed on 24 January Army Day observed across India on 15 January World Hindi Day observed on 10 January Miscellaneous Lewis Clarke youngest person to reach South Pole Garuda Vasudha Advanced Light Helicopter of Geological Survey of India launched Indus Civilization ended due to Disease and violence RBI issued 5 rupees and 10 rupees coins bearing Goddess Vaishno Devi Anthropomorphic motif figure discovered in Wayanad 151st Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda celebrated worldwide Nirbheek, Indias first gun for women, launched ONE LINERS Descriptive Questions
334 334 335 335 336 338 338 338 341 342 343 343 343 344 345 345 346 347 348 357
Union Ministry of Human Resource Development announced Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Baligan
15
www.jagranjosh.com
PREFACE
The Current Affairs January 2014 eBook covers the current events that happened in the month of December. Current Affairs is a crucial component of any competitive exams including IAS|PCS, SSC, Banking, MBA. The lack of preparation for current affairs by the aspirants and candidates often is a main cause of their failure. Even though the candidates know it but they are often confused about how to prepare the current affairs section of the different competitive exams. It is to clear such doubts and confusion, Jagranjosh.com has come up with eBook concept. Although current affairs section per se is very wide to be covered, yet we have tried to cover all the possible current affairs for the month of January 2014. The January 2014 eBook is divided into different section keeping in mind the need of various exams. The sections covered namely are International, National, Economy, Ecology and Environment, Science & Technology, Corporate, Sports, States, and News Capsule. Every news item in each section is arranged date wise with the most recent news being covered first and so on. Although there might be some deviations but that is solely to give priority to the most important current affairs in each section. Presentation of the given current affairs has been planned meticulously. It has been planned in such a way that it remains in the minds of readers for a longer duration. Wherever necessary each news item is presented along with a background and analysis so as to help candidates contemplate all the important current events at the time of exam in an effective way. The eBook has been prepared keeping in mind the requirements of various competitive exams and utmost care has been taken to make the content accurate and informative. All the contents given in the book has been thoroughly cross-checked from various news websites and government and non-government websites. Our experts have tried to put in their best efforts to make sure that the content provided remains in the mind of the candidate for a longer period of time and is perceived with its true meaning.
Copyright Jagranjosh.com All rights reserved. No part or the whole of this eBook may be copied, reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted and/ or cited anywhere in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the written permission of the copyright owner. If any misconduct comes in knowledge or brought in notice, strict action will be taken. Disclaimer Readers are requested to verify/cross-check up to their satisfaction themselves about the advertisements, advertorials, and external contents. If any miss-happening, ill result, mass depletion or any similar incident occurs due to any information cited or referenced in this e-book, Editor, Director/s, employees of Jagranjosh.com cant be held liable/responsible in any matter whatsoever. No responsibilities lie as well in case of the advertisements, advertorials, and external contents.
16
www.jagranjosh.com
PICK OF THE MONTH
UNESCO released 11th EFA Global Monitoring Report 2013-14

UNESCO released the 11th Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2013 14 on 28 January 2014. The theme of the report is Teaching and Learning: Achieving quality for all. The report warns that despite advances made in education, not a single goal laid down in Dakar, Senegal in 2000 will be achieved globally by 2015. The EFA Global Monitoring Report 2013-14 vividly underlines the fact that people in the most marginalized groups have continued to be denied opportunities for education over the decade. The Report has advocated to put in place a robust global post-2015 education framework to tackle unfinished business while addressing new challenges. It further said that post-2015 education goals will only be achieved if they are accompanied by clear, measurable targets with indicators tracking that no one is left behind, and if specific education financing targets for governments and aid donors are set.
17 www.jagranjosh.com
The Main Highlights of the Report Goal 1 Pre-primary Education

Despite improvements, far too many children lack early childhood care and education. In 2012, 25% of children under-5 suffered from stunting. In 2011, around half of young children had access to pre-primary education, and in sub-Saharan Africa the share was only 18%.
Goal 2 Universal Primary Education
Universal primary education is likely to be missed by a wide margin. The number of children out of school was 57 million in 2011, half of whom lived in conflict-affected countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 23% of poor girls in rural areas were completing primary education by the end of the decade. If recent trends in the region continue, the richest boys will achieve universal primary completion in 2021, but the poorest girls will not catch up until 2086.
Goal 3 Lower Secondary Education
Many adolescents lack foundation skills gained through lower secondary education. In 2011, 69 million adolescents were out of school, with little improvement in this number since 2004. In low income countries, only 37% of adolescents completed lower secondary education, and the rate is as low as 14% for the poorest. On recent trends, girls from the poorest families in sub-Saharan Africa are only expected to achieve lower secondary completion in 2111.
18
www.jagranjosh.com
Goal 4 Adult Literacy
Adult literacy has hardly improved. In 2011, there were 774 million illiterate adults, a decline of just 1% since 2000. The number is projected to fall only slightly, to 743 million, by 2015. Almost twothirds of illiterate adults are women. The poorest young women in developing countries may not achieve universal literacy until 2072.
Goal 5 Primary Education Gender Disparity
Gender disparities remain in many countries. Even though gender parity was supposed to be achieved by 2005, in 2011 only 60% of countries had achieved this goal at the primary level and 38% at the secondary level.
Goal 6 Lower Secondary Education Gender Parity
Poor quality of education means millions of children are not learning the basics. Around 250 million children are not learning basic skills, even though half of them have spent at least four years in school. The annual cost of this failure is around 129 billion dollars. The key to improve gender parity in lower secondary education is investing in teachers. In around a third of countries, less than 75% of primary school teachers are trained according to national standards. And in a third of countries, the challenge of training existing teachers is worse than that of recruiting and training new teachers
Global Monitoring Report and India

According to the Report, in India there are two issues i.e. access and quality. While the Right to Education (Act) has almost taken care of the access part, the government next target is to now focus on improving quality.
The main highlights of the Report in context of India are:

In India, education accounts for 10.5% of the total government expenditure which is 3.3% of the GNP (gross national product). The expenditure on education was below the target of 6%. In fact the spending on education has declined over the period 1999 2011. The decline was witnessed in both terms, that is, as a percentage
19
www.jagranjosh.com
of budgeted expenditure an as a percentage of GNP. In 1999, the spending on education was 13% of the total budgeted expenditure and 4.4% of the GNP. India has the highest population of illiterate adults, 287 million which is 37% of the total population of such people across the world. In India, even after completing four years of school, 90% of children from poorer household remain illiterate. The UN body has advised countries including India to improve their tax regimes so as to provide more funds to the education sector. In India, rich young women have already achieved universal literacy but the poorest will only do so around 2080. Allocation for education in India varies widely across states. The expenditure of Kerala on education on per pupil was about 685 dollar per year while in Himachal Pradesh it was 542 dollar. In contrast, in West Bengal it was 127 dollar and in Bihar 100 dollar.
An Analysis
This 11th EFA Global Monitoring Report provides a timely update on progress that countries are making towards the global education goals that were agreed in 2000. It also makes a powerful case for placing education at the heart of the global development agenda after 2015. In 2008, the EFA Global Monitoring Report asked will we make it? With less than two years left before 2015, this Report makes it clear that we will not. In this light Report calls on Governments to redouble efforts to provide learning to all who face disadvantages whether from poverty, gender, where they live or other factors. Besides, governments must step up efforts to recruit an additional 1.6 million teachers to achieve universal primary education by 2015. Consequently the Report has identified four strategies to provide the best teachers to reach all children with a good quality education. First, the right teachers must be selected to reflect the diversity of the children they will be teaching. Second, teachers must be trained to support the weakest learners, starting from the early grades. Third, overcome inequalities in learning by allocating the best teachers to the most challenging parts of a country. Fourth, governments must provide teachers with the right mix of incentives to encourage them to remain in the profession and to make sure all children are learning, regardless of their circumstances. But teachers cannot shoulder the responsibility alone. The Report shows also that teachers can only shine in the right context, with well-designed curricula and assessment strategies to improve teaching and learning.
20
www.jagranjosh.com
These policy changes have a cost. This is why we need to see a dramatic shift in funding. Basic education is currently underfunded by 26 billion dollars a year, while aid is continuing to decline. At this stage, governments simply cannot afford to reduce investment in education nor should donors step back from their funding promises. This calls for exploring new ways to fund urgent needs.
About the Global Monitoring Report

The Education for All Global Monitoring Report was established in 2000 at Dakar in Senegal. The main objective of the Report is to inform, influence and sustain commitment to achieving the Education for All goals by 2015. At the UNESCO Summit in April 2000, 1100 participants from 164 countries adopted the Dakar Framework for Action, Education for All: Meeting Our Collective Commitments. These participants agreed upon six wide-ranging education goals to be met by 2015.
Chilika lake named Destination Flyways by UNWTO

Chilika lake in Odisha was named Destination Flyways by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on 21 January 2014. The lagoon was named so for its sustainable and resilient destination for migratory birds. Chilika is the only site to be selected from Asia by the UNWTO and was included in a list of eight such sites. The Destination Flyways initiative of UNWTO aims at promotion of sustainable tourism. The status will help Chilika Development Authority (CDA) to develop strategies for protection of migratory birds through creation of innovative tourism and livelihood products. The chief executive of Chilika Development Authority (CDA) is Ajit Kumar Pattnaik The Chilka Lake was recommended by six international agencies. These agencies were Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity, Convention of Migratory Species, Ramsar Convention Secretariat, World Heritage and Man and the Biosphere Programmes of UNESCO. Earlier in January 2014, the UNWTO commissioned a mission for Chilika in January 2014 headed
21
www.jagranjosh.com
by Virginia Trapa (a member of UNWTO). This season, around 7.19 lakh migratory birds have been sighted in the 1100-sq km lagoon which is less than the previous years. Last winter, around 8.77 lakh birds of 180 species had visited the lake and 8.83 lakh birds of 167 species had visited the blue lagoon in 2012.
Chilika Lake
Chilika Lake is situated on the east-coast of India in Orissa. It is the largest brackish water lake in Asia with estuarine character that sprawls along the east coast. It is the largest wintering ground for migratory waterfowl found anywhere on the Indian sub-continent. It is one of the hotspot of biodiversity in the country, and some rare, vulnerable and endangered species listed in the IUCN Red List of threatened Animals inhabit the lagoon for at least part of their life cycle.
United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)

UNWTO is the United Nations specialized agency responsible for the promotion of sustainable and universally accessible tourism. It was founded on 27 September 1970 and from 1979 onwards, the foundation day is celebrated as World Tourism Day. In 1975, the first WTO Secretary-General is appointed and the General Assembly establishes WTO headquarters in Madrid, Spain. UNWTOs has a membership of 156 countries, 6 Associate Members and over 400 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.
India ranked 155th in global Environment Performance Index

The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2014 was released on 25 January 2014. As per the Index, India was ranked 155 out of 178 countries with an index score of 31.23 points in its efforts to address environmental challenges. India was ranked behind neighbouring countries China at 118, Pakistan at 148 and Nepal at 139 respectively. Among the BRICS countries, South Africa was placed at 72nd position, followed by Russia (73), Brazil (77) and China (118).
22
www.jagranjosh.com
EPI ranks how well countries perform on high-priority environmental issues mainly in the areas of protection of human health from environmental harm and protection of ecosystems.
Other highlights of the EPI

The two objectives that provide the overarching structure of the 2014 EPI are Environmental Health and Ecosystem Vitality. The 178 nations in the index represent 99 per cent of the global population, 98 per cent of the worlds total land area, and 97 per cent of the global GDP. The country with the highest EPI is Switzerland which is followed by Luxembourg, Australia, Singapore, and Czech Republic. The bottom five performers in the EPI are Somalia, Mali, Haiti, Lesotho, and Afghanistan. All the low performers are grappling with civil unrest, significant economic development pressures, and political turmoil. Urbanisation without sufficient investment in environmental safeguards is the key reason for emerging economies poor showing when it comes to air quality, biodiversity and habitat protection.
About EPI
The EPI is prepared by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF) as well as with support from the Samuel Family Foundation and the McCall MacBain Foundation. The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is constructed through the calculation and aggregation of 20 indicators reflecting national-level environmental data. These indicators are combined into nine issue categories, each of which fit under one of two overarching objectives.
The list is given below: I Environmental Health (i) Health Impact

(a) Child Mortality
(ii) Air Quality

(a) Household Air Quality
23
www.jagranjosh.com
(b) Air Pollution PM 2.5 Exposure
(iii) Water and Sanitation

(a) Access to Sanitation (b) Access to drinking water
II- Ecosystem Vitality

(iv) Water resources (a) Wastewater treatment
(v) Agriculture
(a) Agricultural subsidies (b) Pesticide regulation
(vi) Forests
(a) Change in Forest cover
(vii) Fisheries
(a) Coastal shelf fishing pressure (b) Fish stock
(viii) Biodiversity and Habitat

(a) Terrestrial Protected Areas (b) Critical Habitat Protection c) Marine Protected Areas
(ix) Climate and energy

(a) Climate + energy
24
www.jagranjosh.com
Iran halted Uranium Enrichment activities

Iran started halting the Uranium enrichment and begun down-blending Uranium enriched to higher level. The steps were taken on 20 January 2014 by Iran to limit its nuclear programme as per an interim deal with the world powers. This report was confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran has halted enrichment work of the uranium and paved ways to suspend some sanctions imposed on it by the European Union and the United States. The deal with the world powers has asked Tehran to power down the key nuclear equipment for six months, which will be followed by the easing of crippling sanctions imposed on it. The report of IAEA has also mentioned that Iran has started diluting its stockpile of uranium, which was enriched to the fissile concentration of 20 percent. This level took Iran closer to its capability of production of fuel for an atom bomb. It also confirmed that Iran has started converting some of its reserves into oxide for production of reactor fuel making it less suitable to manufacture bombs. IAEA has confirmed that Iran has 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), which were previously used for this purpose.
Background: Since 2010, Iran has been enriching uranium to 20 percent concentration of the fissile U-235 isotope. This process alarmed the western nations over the nature of its nuclear programme. Now Iran will enrich uranium to a lower-level following the nuclear agreement with six world powers namely United States, France, Britain, Germany, China and Russia. Uranium in its enriched form can be used for both the purposes civillains and military. The interim deal between Iran and P5+1 the US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany was reached in November 2013. The Geneva agreement has asked Iran to dilute its uranium stockpile that has been enriched to 20 percent and allowed that the country can enrich its uranium to maximum 5 percent, which can be used for civilian power requirements.
25
www.jagranjosh.com
Stanislas Wawrinka won Australian Open Mens title

Stanislas Wawrinka won the Australian Open mens singles title on 26 January 2014 by defeating Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in Melbourne. This is the maiden Grand Slam crown of eighth seeded, Wawrinka. This is the first victory of Wawrinka over Nadal in 13 career meetings as he had never won a single set against the Spanish, Nadal before the final match on 26 January 2014. Wawrinkas maiden Grand Slam success comes in his 36th major, only Goran Ivanisevic (37) has taken longer to win a first major crown. With this win, Wawrinka became the first man to defeat the top two seeds at a grand slam since 1993 French Open played by Sergi Bruguera. Li Na of China won the womens singles title by defeating Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (3), 6-0 on 25 January 2014 at Melbourne Park. Earlier, Li Na has lost two finals in the previous three years. Li Na, who will turn 32 in February is the oldest womens Champion in the Open era in Australia. French-Canadian pair of Kristina Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor won the Mixed doubles title of the tournament after defeating Indias Sania Mirza and her Romanian partner Horia Tecau 6-3, 6-2. Womens Doubles: Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci of Italy Mens Doubles: Lukasz Kubot (Poland) and Robert Lindstedt (Sweden)
Padma Awards for the Year 2014 announced

The Union Government of India on the eve of the 65th Republic Day function announced the Padma Awards 2014. Pranab Mukherjee, the President of Union of India on 25 January 2013 approved 127 Padma Awards. Two people were conferred with Padma Vibhusan, twenty four were conferred with Padma Bhushan and 101 people were given Padma Shree. Out of 127 awardees, 27 were women and 10 people belonged to categories like NRIs, PIOs, Foreigners and Posthumous.
26
www.jagranjosh.com
Following is the list of 127 Padma Award winners: Padma Vibhushan Name Discipline State/ Domicile
Maharashtra Maharashtra
Dr. Raghunath A. Mashelkar Science and Engineering B.K.S. Iyengar Others-Yoga
Padma Bhushan Name

Prof. Gulam Mohammed Sheikh Begum Parveen Sultana T.H. Vinayakram Kamala Haasan Justice Dalveer Bhandari Prof. Padmanabhan Balaram Prof. Jyeshtharaj Joshi Dr. Madappa Mahadevappa Dr. Thirumalachari Ramasami Dr. Vinod Prakash Sharma Dr. Radhakrishnan Koppillil Dr. Mrityunjay Athreya Anita Desai Dr. Dhirubhai Thaker Vairamuthu Ramasamy Thevar Ruskin Bond Pullela Gopichand Leander Paes Vijayendra Nath Kaul
Discipline
Art - Painting Art - Classical Singing Art - Ghatam Artist Art-Cinema Public Affairs Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Literature and Education Literature and Education Literature and Education Literature and Education Literature and Education Sports - Badminton Sports - Tennis Civil Service
State/ Domicile
Gujarat Maharashtra Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu Delhi Karnataka Maharashtra Karnataka Delhi Delhi Karnataka Delhi Delhi Gujarat Tamil Nadu Uttarakhand Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra Delhi
27
www.jagranjosh.com
Late Justice Jagdish Sharan Verma Late Dr. Anumolu Ramakrishna Prof. Anisuzzaman Prof. Lloyd I. Rudolph Prof. Susanne H. Rudolph Dr. (Smt.) Neelam Kler
Public Affairs Science and Engineering Literature and Education Literature and Education Literature and Education Medicine - Neonatology
Uttar Pradesh Andhra Pradesh Bangladesh USA USA Delhi
Padma Shri Name

Mohammad Ali Baig Nayana Apte Joshi Musafir Ram Bhardwaj Sabitri Chatterjee Prof. Biman Bihari Das Sunil Das Elam Endira Devi Vijay Ghate Rani Karnaa Bansi Kaul Ustad Moinuddin Khan Geeta Mahalik Paresh Maity Ram Mohan Sudarsan Pattnaik Paresh Rawal
Discipline
Art - Theatre Art Art - Instrumental Music Pauna Manjha Art - Film Art - Sculptor Art - Painting Art - Manipuri Dance Art - Instrumental Music Tabla Art - Kathak Art - Theatre Art - Instrumental MusicSarangi Player Art - Odishi Dance Art - Painting Art - Film Animation Art - Sand Artist Art - Cinema and Theatre
State/ Domicile
Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra Himachal Pradesh West Bengal Delhi West Bengal Manipur Maharashtra West Bengal Jammu & Kashmir Rajasthan Delhi Delhi Maharashtra Orissa Maharashtra
28
www.jagranjosh.com
Wendell Augustine Rodricks Prof. Kalamandalam Sathyabhama Anuj (Ramanuj) Sharma Santosh Sivan Supriya Devi Sooni Taraporevala Vidya Balan Durga Jain Dr. Rama Rao Anumolu Dr. Brahm Dutt Mukul Chandra Goswami J.L. Kaul Mathurbhai Madhabhai Savani Tashi Tondup Dr. Hasmukh Chamanlal Shah Sekhar Basu Madhavan Chandradathan Prof. Sushanta Kumar Dattagupta Dr. Ravi Bhushan Grover Prof. Eluvathingal Devassy Jemmis Ramkrishna V. Hosur Dr. Ajay Kumar Parida Dr. Malapaka Yajneswara Satyanarayana Prasad Kiran Kumar Alur Seelin
Art - Fashion Designing Art Mohini Attam Art - Performing Art Art - Film Art-Bengali Cinema Art- Script Writing Art-Cinema Social Work Social Work Social Work Social Work Social Work Social Work Public Affairs Public Affairs Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Science and Engineering
Goa Kerala Chhattisgarh Tamil Nadu West Bengal Maharashtra Maharashtra Maharashtra Andhra Pradesh Haryana Assam Delhi Gujarat Jammu and Kashmir Gujarat Maharashtra Kerala West Bengal Maharashtra Karnataka Maharashtra Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh Gujarat
29
www.jagranjosh.com
Dr. Brahma Singh Prof. Vinod Kumar Singh Dr. Govindan Sundararajan Ramaswamy R. Iyer Dr. Jayanta Kumar Ghosh Ravi Kumar Narra Rajesh Saraiya Mallika Srinivasan Pratap Govindrao Pawar Dr. Kiritkumar Mansukhlal Acharya Dr. Balram Bhargava Prof. (Dr.) Indra Chakravarty Dr. Ramakant Krishnaji Deshpande Prof. (Dr.) Pawan Raj Goyal Prof. Amod Gupta Prof. (Dr.) Daya Kishore Hazra Prof. (Dr.) Thenumgal Poulose Jacob Prof. (Dr.) Shashank R. Joshi Prof. Hakim Syed Khaleefathullah Dr. Milind Vasant Kirtane Dr. Lalit Kumar Dr. Mohan Mishra Dr. M. Subhadra Nair
Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Science and Engineering Trade and Industry Trade and Industry Trade and Industry Trade and Industry Medicine - Dermatology Medicine - Cardiology Medicine - Health & Hygiene Medicine - Oncology Medicine - Chest Disease Medicine - Opthalmology Medicine Medicine - Vascular Surgery Medicine - Endocrinology Medicine - Unani Medicine Medicine - ENT Surgeory Medicine - oncology Medicine Medicine - Gyneacology
Delhi Madhya Pradesh Andhra Pradesh Delhi West Bengal Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra Tamil Nadu Maharashtra Gujarat Uttar Pradesh West Bengal Maharashtra Haryana Haryana Uttar Pradesh Tamil Nadu Maharashtra Tamil Nadu Maharashtra Delhi Bihar Kerala
30
www.jagranjosh.com
Dr. Ashok Panagariya Dr. Narendra Kumar Pandey Dr. Sunil Pradhan Dr. Ashok Rajgopal Dr. Kamini A. Rao Dr. Sarbeswar Sahariah Prof. Om Prakash Upadhyaya Prof. (Dr.) Mahesh Verma Dr. J.S. Titiyal Dr. Nitish Naik Dr. Surbrat Kumar Acharya Dr. Rajesh Kumar Grover Dr. Naheed Abidi Prof. Ashok Chakradhar Chhakchhuak Chhuanvawra Keki N. Daruwalla Prof. Ganesh Narayandas Devi Prof. Kolakaluri Enoch Prof. (Dr.) Ved Kumari Ghai Manorama Jafa Prof. Rehana Khatoon Dr. Waikhom Gojen Meeitei Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri Prof. Dinesh Singh
Medicine - Neurology Medicine - Surgery Medicine - Neurology Medicine - Orthopaedics Medicine - Reproductive Medicine Medicine - Surgery Medicine Medicine - Dental Science Medicine- Opthalmology Medicine- Cardiology Medicine- Gastroentrology Medicine-Oncology Literature and Education Literature and Education Literature and Education Literature and Education Literature and Education Literature and Education Literature and Education Literature and Education Literature and Education Literature and Education Literature and Education Literature and Education
Rajasthan Haryana Uttar Pradesh Delhi Karnataka Andhra Pradesh Punjab Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Uttar Pradesh Delhi Mizoram Delhi Gujarat Andhra Pradesh Jammu and Kashmir Delhi Delhi Manipur Kerala Delhi
31
www.jagranjosh.com
Dr. P. Kilemsungla Anjum Chopra Sunil Dabas Love Raj Singh Dharmshaktu Dipika Rebecca Pallikal H. Boniface Prabhu Yuvraj Singh Mamta Sodha Parveen Talha Late Dr. Narendra Achyut Dabholkar Ashok Kumar Mago Dr. Siddharth Mukherjee Dr. Vamsi Mootha Dr. Sengaku Mayeda
Literature and Education Sports - Cricket Sports - Kabbadi Sports - Mountaineering Sports - Squash Sports - Wheelchair Tennis Sports - Cricket Sports - Mountaineering Civil Service Social Work Trade and Industry Medicine-Oncology Medicine - Biomedical Research Literature and Education
Nagaland Delhi Haryana Delhi Tamil Nadu Karnataka Haryana Haryana Uttar Pradesh Maharashtra USA USA USA Japan
Padma Awards
Padma Awards are the highest Civilian Awards and are conferred to people in three different categories namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. These Awards are conferred on people for the work done by them in different categories including art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, and many more. Padma Vibhusan is conferred on the people for the exceptional and distinguished services done by them. Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order Padma Shri is given to a person for his/her distinguished service in any field
These awards are announced on the eve of Republic Day celebration and are conferred by the President of India at a function organised at Rastrapati Bhawan sometime around March/April every year.
32
www.jagranjosh.com
SC laid down guidelines for dealing with mercy pleas

Supreme Court laid down 12 guidelines for authorities in dealing with death-row prisoners on 22 January 2014. Supreme Court said that the solitary confinement of prisoners is unconstitutional. Three judges bench headed by Chief Justice P.Sathasivam formulated the guidelines for the conduct on how death row inmates should be treated. As currently there is no symmetry between the manuals of state and central jail authorities.
Guidelines are as follows:

The procedure should be followed while placing the mercy plea before the President. All the required documents and records should be sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in one stroke instead of piece-meal basis. Once MHA received all the details, it should convey its recommendations to the President within a reasonable and rational time. MHA should send periodical reminders if there is no response from the office of the President. If there is a rejection of mercy plea by the President or the Governor, the same should be communicated in writing to the prisoners and to their family. The death convicts are entitled to receive a copy of the rejection of the mercy petition by the President and the Governor. There must be a gap of 14 days between receipt of communication of rejection of mercy petition and execution date. This would allow the death convict to prepare himself mentally for the execution. Without sufficient notice of the scheduled date of execution, the right of prisoners to avail of judicial remedies will be thwarted. There should be a provision of final meeting between condemned prisoners and their family as such a procedure is intrinsic to humanity and justice, and should be followed by all prison authorities. There should be regular mental health evaluation of all death row convicts and appropriate medical care should be given to those in need. After the issuance of execution warrant, the prison superintendent should satisfy himself on the basis of medical reports by government doctors and psychiatrists that the prisoner is in a fit physical and mental condition to be executed.
33
www.jagranjosh.com
It is necessary that copies of relevant documents should be furnished to the prisoner within a week by prison authorities to assist in making mercy petition. The apex court also made post-mortem of death convicts after their hanging obligatory.
Mercy Petition
As per the Constitution of India, there is a provision under Article- 72, which states that President of India has the power to grant pardon to any person convicted of any offence. The President is guided and advised by the home minister and the council of ministers in his decision. There is no timeframe in which the President has to make the decision which is subject to judicial review.
Urijit Patel Committee suggested adoption of new CPI for Anchoring Monetary Policy
Urijit Patel Committee set up to revise and strengthen the monetary policy framework submitted its report to the Governor of RBI on 21 January 2014. The committee was headed by Dr. Urjit R Patel, the Deputy Governor of RBI and was constituted on 12 September 2013 by the Governor Dr. Raghuram G Rajan. It has been done to make monetary policy transparent and predictable. The committee in its suggestion has recommended that a new Consumer Price Index (CPI) should be adopted by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to anchor the monetary policy. The committee has also set an inflation target of 4 percent with a band of plus/minus 2 percent around it. The panel in its recommendation has also suggested that the monetary policy decision should be vested in the hands of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) that will be headed by the Governor. These suggestions are intended to better gauge inflation expectations by making it clear that inflation is the RBIs primary objective. It also expects to be held accountable for its performance in this regard. As per the suggestions the government also needs to ensure the fiscal deficit as a ratio of GDP should be brought down to 3 percent by 2016-17 which should be consistent with the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (Amendment) Rules 2013. In its suggestion it has suggested two schemes namely Market Stabilisation Scheme (MSS) and Cash Management Bills (CMBs) may be phased out and the government debt and cash management should be taken over by the Debt Management Office of the government. It has also suggested that all fixed income financial products should be treated on par with the bank deposits for the purposes of taxation and TDS. The committee has suggested detachment of Open Market Operations (OMOs) from the fiscal operations and instead linked solely to the liquidity management. OMOs should not be used for
34
www.jagranjosh.com
managing yields on government on government securities.
About the Committee

Member of the committee apart from its chairman Dr. Urjit R Patel were: Dr. P.J. Nayak, Professor Chetan Ghate, Professor Peter J. Montiel, Dr. Sajjid Z. Chinoy, Dr. Rupa Nitsure, Dr. Gangadhar Darbha, Deepak Mohanty, Dr. Michael Debabrata Patra was the Member Secretary of the panel.
The terms of reference of the Committee were

To review the objectives and conduct of monetary policy in a globalised and highly inter-connected environment. To recommend an appropriate nominal anchor for the conduct of monetary policy. To review the organisational structure, operating framework and instruments of monetary policy, particularly the multiple indicator approach and the liquidity management framework, with a view to ensuring compatibility with macroeconomic and financial stability, as well as market development. To identify regulatory, fiscal and other impediments to monetary policy transmission, and recommend measures and institutional pre-conditions to improve transmission across financial market segments and to the broader economy. To carefully consider the recommendations of previous Committees/Groups in respect of all of the above. In recent years, inflation in India has been amongst the highest within the G-20. Household Inflation expectations have risen sharply and have remained at elevated levels, unhinged from the low inflation experience of 2000-07 as also from the global inflation record. Professional forecasters surveys show that the long-term inflation expectations have risen by about 150 basis points during this period.
Tunisia passed new Constitution

National Constituent Assembly of Tunisia passed the new Constitution on 26 January 2014. The Tunisian assembly passed the new Constitution with 200 votes in favour out of total 216 seats in the assembly. Assembly speaker Mustapha Ben Jaafar, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki and outgoing Prime
35
www.jagranjosh.com
Minister Ali Larayedh signed the document on 27 January 2014 in the assembly.
Main features of the new Constitution

The new Constitution is a written one and it makes Tunisia a democracy with a civil state instead of Islamic state. It recognizes the protection of citizen rights, including protection from torture, the right to due process, and freedom of worship. It guarantees equality between men and women before the law and the state commits itself to protecting womens rights. It guarantees freedom of belief and conscience, which would permit atheism and the practice of non-Abrahamic religions frowned upon in other Islamic countries. It also bans incitement to violence and declaring a Muslim an apostate a fallen Muslim which leaves them open to death threats. The constitution enshrines the freedom of religion but Islam remains as a state religion.
Analysis
This is the first Constitution drafted and passed since the ousting of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali three years ago in 2011. The new Constitution is being termed as the most progressive Constitution in the Arab world. The passage of the new Constitution will help in usher the era of democracy in Tunisia that ushered the Arab Spring in the Arab world in 2011. Despite some drawbacks, the new Constitution is an historic compromise between identity and modernity. It can serve as a model for other countries in the region seeking a balance between an Arab-Islamic heritage and contemporary ideas of human rights and good governance. While the constitution itself will not solve the countrys persistent unemployment, rising prices, crushing debt and constant demonstrations. Yet it will move politics forward and reassure foreign investors that the country is back on track after a rocky transition. It is different from the draft Constitution of Egypt that was approved in the third week of January 2014. Egypts charters were quickly drafted by appointed committees and involved little public debate or input. In Tunisia, an elected assembly of Tunisian Islamists, leftists and liberals worked on a detailed roadmap for their political future. However, it was the overthrowing of Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in July 2013 that helped the
36
www.jagranjosh.com
various parties reach a compromise.
National Urban Health Mission launched

National Urban Health Mission was 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 site workers, sex workers and any other temporary migrants.
Highlights
30- 100 bedded Urban Community Health Centres for cities above 5 lakh population. Urban Primary Health Centres for every 50000 population located within or near slums like settlements. Strengthening existing First Referral Units (FRUs), Urban Health Centres & Dispensaries in terms of human resources, equipment, medicines & consumables. Special outreach sessions for the most vulnerable sections of the urban population. One ANM is for every 10000-12000 population. One ASHA is for every 200-500 slums & urban poor households. Empowerment of communities through Mahila Arogya Samiti for every 50-100 slums & urban poor households.
37
www.jagranjosh.com
Coverage
State Capital, District Headquarters and all cities, towns with population above 50000. Estimated 22.13 crore urban populations, including around 7.75 crore poor and vulnerable population.
Union Cabinet granted minority status to Jain community

Jain community was granted the minority status by Union Cabinet on 20 January 2014. This nod has enabled the community to avail the benefits in government schemes and programmes. With this nod of the Union cabinet, Jain community became the sixth community to attain minority status. Other five communities that have been granted the status of minority are Muslims Christians Sikhs Buddhists Parsis Before this cabinet nod of minority status to Jain community was in existence in some states namely, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. This nod has extended the status of the community across India. The community will get a share in the central fund that is regulated under the welfare programmes and also as scholarships for the minority after the decision is notified under Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act 1992. With this notification, the community will be allowed to administer and mange their own educational institutions.
Chapter I of the National Commission for Minorities under its Section 2 has defined the minority commission and the Act has mentioned
1. Commission means the National Commission for Minorities constituted under section 3. 2. Member means a Member of the Commission [and includes the Vice Chairperson]. 3. Minority, for the purposes of this Act, means a community notified as such by the Central Government. 4. Prescribed means prescribed by Rules made under this Act.
38
www.jagranjosh.com
Chapter II of the commission under Section 3 has described the process of Constitution of the National Commission for Minorities
1. The Central Government shall constitute a body to be known as the National Commission for Minorities to exercise the powers conferred on, and to perform the functions assigned to, it under this Act. 2. The Commission shall consist of a Chairperson, a Vice Chairperson and five Members to be nominated by the Central Government from amongst persons of eminence, ability and integrity; Provided that five Members including the Chairperson shall be from amongst the Minority communities.
About Jain Community and its status

At present about 50 lakh people are a part of Jain population in India. The community is considered as a prosperous group because maximum of its population is a business group traditionally. According to Jainism originated as a religion by 24 Thirthankaras. Rigveda have the reference of the first Thirthankara named Rishabha. The last two Thirthankaras were Parasvanath (23rd) and Vardhamana Mahavira (24th). Parasvanath died at the age of 100 years. He got enlightenment at the age of 30. Mahavira was born in 540 BC in Kundagrama, near Vaisali in North Bihar and got enlightenment at the age of 42 and died at the age of 72 years in 468b BC in Rajgir in Bihar by selfstarvation.
Union Government notified new natural Gas Pricing Formula

The Union Government on 10 January 2014 notified the new natural gas pricing formulae, which will be in effect from 1 April 2014. As per the newly issued notification, the rate of all domestically produced fuel will be almost doubled to 8.2 to 8.4 dollar per unit The notification of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry said that the prices of the gas will be the average price of liquid gas imports into India and benchmark global gas rates. This formula will be in applicable for the next five years from the date of its being into effect.
39
www.jagranjosh.com
The rates will be changed every quarter on the basis of the 12 month average of global rates and LNG import price. This formula will be applied to all gas produced by both the public sector firms like ONGC and the private companies. These guidelines will be applicable on D1 and D3 gas discoveries of the block depending upon the submission of bank guarantees, which will be notified separately. The same rates also will be uniformly applicable to all the fields of India except the fields where the prices has been fixed following the contract and also in the marginal small fields, which requires special dispensation. The formula was announced during the Petrotech Conference, where the government interacts with the industry leaders and markets the next round of the New Exploration Licensing Policy for the potential investors. Might be possible that the development of the formula will help in development of the new fields, which were missed out by the companies that doesnt know about the revenue can be generated from the gas fields. The notification of the formula for price hiking was awaited by the gas and oil industry since 27 June 2013, the date when the new pricing system got the first nod of the Cabinet following the recommendations of the Rangrajan Committee. The notification on the formula was delayed because of the legal fight between the Union Oil Ministry and Reliance Industries after the concerns was raised by the Union Finance Ministry. Reliance has been penalized for the fall in output. Higher prices against bank guarantees that could be encashed in the case that the output of gas from D1 and D3 fields of KG-D6 block was hoarded by the company, which was approved by The Cabinet in December 2014. Effects of the formula on prices of other materials: This formula will lead to raise the subsidy on fertilize and will enormously raise the costs of the power plants fired with gas. The fertilizer and power firms lobbying exercise failed to be in effect with the raise of the domestic gas prices.
SC asked MoEF and Railway Ministry to evolve steps to protect elephants

The Supreme Court on 23 January 2014 asked the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and Ministry of Railways to evolve steps to prevent death of elephants on rail tracks. The SC bench of Justice Radhakrishnan and Justice Vikramjit Sen asked both the ministries to study the measures adopted last year by Karnataka government that helped in minimising the casualty of tuskers. The apex court also turned down the plea of the Ministry of Railways to modify its order of 10 December 2013. In its December 2013 order SC had asked the Ministry of Railways to take steps to reduce speed of trains while travelling through forests inhabited by elephants;
40
www.jagranjosh.com
to change rail routes passing through forests; and to discontinue the movement of goods trains at night in certain sections where such accidents have been witnessed. The Ministry of Railways had sought modification of courts direction to divert fast-moving and night trains on Siliguri- Falakata section and for discontinuing the movement of goods trains at night between Siliguri and Alipurduar in West Bengal. The bench said that the MoEF and Railways will examine all these aspects and submit their detailed suggestions and steps they are going to take so that such untoward incident would not happen in future and wildlife could be protected. The SC gave its judgement after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by Shakti Prasad Nayak. In his PIL he sought direction for taking appropriate steps to prevent killings of elephants hit by fast-moving trains passing through their habitats and also by electrocution. He has also sought the framing of guidelines including strategies to protect elephants from being victims of such incidents.
Karnataka Elephant Task Force Report

The Karnataka Elephant Task Force was headed by Prof. Raman Sukumar which submitted its Report to the Karnataka High Court in September 2012. The main recommendations of the Task Force are Three zones are proposed for this purpose, each with a different set of conservation objectives and goals. These zones are Elephant Conservation Zone, Elephanthuman Co-existence Zone, and Elephant Removal Zone. Establish a Karnataka Elephant Expert Group, within the State Wildlife Board, with a broad mandate to plan, advise, and assist in elephant conservation and management in the state. Loss and fragmentation of elephant habitats due to ill-planned commercial infrastructure projects and natural resource extraction
41
www.jagranjosh.com
A high-level effort needs to be taken up by the State Government to legally consolidate elephant habitats Improving connectivity between elephant habitats with greater legal cover is recommended. Managing land use in non-forest areas adjoining designated forests. Reducing pressures on elephant habitat from large scale human resource use Mitigating and managing elephant-human conflicts In all cases of elephant mortality, the Task Force has recommended that all post mortem examinations be held with external observers. Strengthening and streamlining administration for elephant conservation The State shall make the fullest use of land use regulation provisions of the Environment Protection Act, 1986 by notification of Ecologically Sensitive Areas around key wildlife habitats so that threats posed by ill-planned tourism infrastructure are minimised. Coordinating mechanism between the border sharing States needs to be set up. The KFD needs to develop capacity, in partnership with non-governmental agencies if needed, for conducting research and monitoring for elephant conservation and management. For welfare and management of captive elephants, the measures suggested among others include strengthening of captive elephant establishment, maintenance of service registers for individual elephants, and introducing the art of humane training and management.
About Project Elephant (PE)

Project Elephant (PE) was launched by the Government of India in the year 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with following objectives: To protect elephants, their habitat & corridors To address issues of man-animal conflict Welfare of domesticated elephants Under PE, financial and technical support is being provided to major elephant bearing States in the country. The Project is being mainly implemented in 13 States / UTs, viz. Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Small support is also being given to Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
42
www.jagranjosh.com
Dexter, Private Information Stealing Virus, detected in online banking transactions

Dexter, a private information stealing virus, was detected by Computer Emergency Response Team India (CERT-In) in online banking transaction space on 19 January 2014. The virus is particularly more threatening for the users of credit card while making payments at the shopping counters. When the credit card is swiped at the point of sale (POS), the virus Dexter steals the confidential data like card holders name, account number, expiration date, CVV code and other discretionary information. This leak of the information could lead to financial loss and phishing attacks on the card. Earlier in December 2013, RBI made it mandatory for debit card holders to punch in their PIN every time when they make a purchase. The order was passed following the spread of virus of Trojan Family which was detected at the Point of Sale (POS).
Computer Emergency Response Team - India (CERT-In)

CERT In, set up in January 2004, is a nodal department under the Union Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. It is mandated to protect Indian cyberspace and software infrastructure against destructive and hacking activities. In accordance with the Information Technology Amendment Act, 2008, CERT In is designated as national agency to perform the following functions in the area of cyber security Collection, analysis and dissemination of information on cyber incidents. Forecasts and alerts of cyber security incidents. Emergency measures for handling cyber security incidents. Coordination of cyber incident response activities. Issue guidelines, advisories, vulnerability notes and whitepapers relating to information security practices, procedures, prevention, response and reporting of cyber security incidents.
USFDA banned imports from Toansa plant of Ranbaxy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) banned the import of products from Ranbaxys Toansa plant in Punjab, India on 27 January 2014.
43
www.jagranjosh.com
The ban was imposed on account of safety and quality concerns. USFDA sighted eight lapses in maintaining standard for banning the import from Toansa plant. These among others include presence of flies in sample storage room, un-calibrated instruments in laboratory and nonadherence to sample analysis procedure. Citing manufacturing norm violations, the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) prohibited Ranbaxy Laboratories from distributing drugs produced at the Toansa unit, including medicines made by the companys Ohm Laboratories facility in New Jersey. This is the companys fourth plant to face regulatory action from the American health regulator after Mohali, Paonta Sahib amd Dewas plants.
About Ranbaxy
Ranbaxy was started by Ranbir Singh and Gurbax Singh in 1937 as a distributor for a Japanese company Shionogi. In 1952, Bhai Mohan Singh bought the company from his cousins Ranbir and Gurbax. It was incorporated in 1961 with its head office in Borivalli, Mumbai, India and it went public in 1973. It was acquired by Japanese Pharmaceutical Company Daiichi Sankyo in 2008. In 2012, it launched Indias first New Chemical Entity (NCE), Synriam TM, a new age cure for Malaria. Ranbaxy exports its products to 125 countries with ground operations in 43 and manufacturing facilities in eight countries.
Cristiano Ranaldo awarded FIFA Ballon dOr award 2013

Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA Ballon dOr award for 2013 on 13 January 2014.He beat Barcelonas Messi and France winger Franck Ribery in a polling conducted by FIFA. Voting was done by national team captains and coaches and selected journalists in the FIFA member countries. Ronaldo scored 69 goals for Real Madrid and Portugal Collectively in the year 2013. Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded the Order of Prince Henry, one of the Portugals highest honours in January 2014.
44
www.jagranjosh.com
FIFA AWARDS 2013

FIFA Presidential Award 2013: Jacques Rogge (Belgium) FIFA Player of the Year (Men): Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) FIFA Player of the Year (Women): Nadine Angerer (Ger) FIFA Coach of the Year (Men): Jupp Heynckes (Ger) FIFA Coach of the Year (Women): Silvia Neid (Ger) FIFA Pusks Award: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) FIFA Fair Play Award: Afghanistan
FIFPro World XI
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) Defenders: Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Thiago Silva (Paris SaintGermain) and Philip Lahm (Bayern Munich). Midfielders: Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona) and Ribery (Bayern Munich). Forwards: Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG) and Ronaldo.
India-born Prof A J Paulraj won 2014 Marconi Prize

Arogyaswami Joseph Paulraj, the Indian born Scientist and Professor (Emeritus) at Stanford University on 21 January 2014 was awarded with prestigious 2014 Marconi Society Prize. He was awarded for developing the theory and application of MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) antennas. His discovery of use of multiple antennas at both the receiving and transmitting end has helped in revolutionizing 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.
About Arogyaswami Joseph Paulraj

In 2010 he won the Padma Bhusan for his contribution to India Paulraj in his contribution has contributed the APSOH sonar technology to the naval defence of India. He successfully redesigned the sonar with many new signal processing concepts as
45
www.jagranjosh.com
shortcomings of the British origin Sonar was exposed during the war with Pakistan In 1986 he served as the founding director for three major labs - CAIR (Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics), CDAC (Center for Development of Advanced Computing) and CRL (Central Research Labs of Bharat Electronics). He was born in Pollachi near Coimbatore At the age of 15 years he joined Indian Navy through National Defence Academy (NDA) and served it for 30 years He did electrical engineering from Naval College of Engineering, Lonavala He perceived his doctorate in electrical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) New Delhi
Other recepients of the award are

Tim Berners-Lee, the pioneer of the World Wide Web Vint Cerf, the Internet legend Larry Page, the Google search maestro Martin Cooper, the Cell phone inventor
About the Marconi Society Prize

The Marconi Society was established in 1974. The annual Marconi Prize is awarded by the Marconi Society to enhance the spirit of Guglielmo Marconi, the engineer, scientist, entrepreneur and inventor. His contributions to communications and information are directed to the social, economic and cultural improvement of all humanity. The 100000 dollar Marconi Prize recognizes achievements of those living individuals from anywhere in the world whose aspirations, careers and accomplishments are characterized by a similar dedication. Through symposia and other means, the Marconi Society seeks to develop, explore and disseminate relevant research. This year, Marconi Society is celebrating the 50th Year in 2014. Marconi award is one of the two top recognitions in the telecom sector. The other recognition is IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal. The Marconi award is given to people who make their contribution to convert telecom through breakthrough ideas as it emphasis on service to the humanity. It was founded by Gioia Marconi Braga, daughter of radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi. The Marconi Prize is equivalent to Nobel for technology pioneers.
46
www.jagranjosh.com
Netherlands won the inaugural Hockey World League

Netherlands on 19 January 2014 won the Hero Hockey World League Final by defeating New Zealand 7-2 in New Delhi. To help Netherlands to win the inaugural title of the championship, Constantijin Jonker slammed a hat-trick at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. The bronze medal was went to England that defeated the world champions Australia 2-1 in the match played for third-fourth place. Belgium retained its position at fifth place and sixth place was taken by India. Captain of Netherlands: Robert van der Horst Netherlands coach: Paul van Ass Captained of New Zealand: Dean Couzins New Zealand coach: Colin Batch
Individual awards
Player of the Tournament: Robbert Kemperman (Netherlands) Goalkeeper of the Tournament: George Pinner (England) Top goal scorer: Kieran Govers (Australia) Best Junior Player: Mandeep Singh (India)
Participating teams of the tournament

Argentina Australia Belgium England Germany India Netherlands New Zealand
47
www.jagranjosh.com
Rankings of the Hokey Team of Men and Women Rankings of the Hokey Team of Men and Women Men Team Rankings
Germany Australia Netherlands England Belgium Korea New Zealand Spain Pakistan India In womens hockey India is ranked at 13th Position.
Women Team Rankings

Netherlands Argentina England Australia New Zealand Germany China Korea Japan United States
About FIH (International Hockey Federation)

The FIH is the international governing body for the sport of hockey. Its mission is to: Encourage, promote, develop and control hockey at all levels throughout the world Support and maintain the ideals and objects of the Olympic movement and in particular the fight against doping Exercise jurisdiction over and to determine disputes or disagreements between Members, between Continental Federations, between Members and Continental Federations, between Athletes and FIH and between Athletes and a Continental Federation Establish and maintain an efficient administration Preserve the independence of the FIH in all matters directly or indirectly concerning Hockey without the intervention of any outside authority Conduct itself and take such administrative, financial or other actions as are necessary and in conformity with and in furtherance of its objects
48
www.jagranjosh.com
INTERNATIONAL
Three Transgenders got government jobs in Pakistan
The Sindh government in Pakistan employed three transgendered persons in different departments on 31 January 2014. This is for the first time that three transgenders have been employed in Pakistan. Sindh Minister for Social Welfare and Development, Rubina Qaimkhani confirmed appointment of Riffay Khan, Muskaan and Anjum. Riffay holds a masters degree, whereas Muskaan and Anjum have both completed their schooling up to matriculation. According to official estimates there are around 500000 gender confused people in Pakistan and these include eunuchs, hermaphrodites, transsexuals, transvestites and homosexuals in addition
49
www.jagranjosh.com
to castrated men. In 2011, the Supreme Court of Pakistan gave a ruling that transgenders should be issued national ID cards and registered as voters and allowed to cast votes which they did in the general elections in May 2013.
India launched Gandhi portal for British-Indian children

India launched a Gandhi Portal named Search for Gandhi in London on 31 January 2014. With this India aims to popularize Mahatma Gandhi among children of British Indians settled in UK. High commissioner of India to UK Ranjan Mathai and Sam Pitroda launched this portal. The portal is meant for children aged 6 to 15 and will use audios, videos, creatively integrated facts, games and quizzes. Youth 4 Gandhi Foundation (Y4G) plans to propagate Gandhi and his values in children which can be fun and includes a hint of seriousness attached to it. The portal will use both English and Hindi to communicate the messages. The website would contain five main sections. The Know Gandhi section will go through Gandhis journey as a writer, philosopher and leader. Meet Gandhi will take children on an online tour of Gandhi Smriti where he spent the last days of his life and his belongings and glimpses of his life on display. The website will take the children through a virtual tour of Raj Ghat where Gandhi was cremated. Gandhi Gaming will bring out the fun quotient carrying games and quizzes that will educate youngsters about Gandhi through entertainment. The portal will also allow one to watch Gandhis iconic videos and hear the audios of his most famous speeches.
50
www.jagranjosh.com
Oscar Academy withdrew Alone Yet Not Alone from Best Song nomination category
Organisers of Oscars withdrew the song Alone Yet Not Alone from the Best Song Nomination category on 30 January 2014. The rare and historical move came following the composer Bruce Broughton emailing voting members to highlight his candidacy, which is strictly banned for Academy executives. Alone Yet Not Alone, from the film of the same name, was a surprise inclusion in the five-strong short list for best original song unveiled by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on 16 January 2014. Broughton had written the song with lyricist Dennis Spiegel. Broughton is a former Academy governor and current member of its music branch executive committee. Alone Yet Not Alone is a historical drama set in 1760s America. The Academy did not replace the song on its short list, leaving only four best original song nominees for Oscar Awards. The Oscar Awards are scheduled to be held on 2 March 2014. Earlier also Oscar Academy withdrew the nomination. In 1953 it withdrew the song Variety noted whereas in 1973 it withdrew the nomination for the score for The Godfather because parts of it had been used in an earlier movie.
India and Netherlands signed MoU for cooperation in field of Sports

India and the Netherlands on 30 January 2014 signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in field of Sports. MoU provides exchange of knowledge and experience in the fields of sports management, competition infrastructure set-up, coaching, training systems and training of referees for various sporting disciplines. It also decides top-sport development through youth academies. The MoU was signed by Jitendra Singh, Union Sports Minister and Edith I Schippers Health, Welfare and Sport Minister of the Netherlands in
51
www.jagranjosh.com
New Delhi. At present, Edith I Schippers of Netherlands is heading a Netherlands delegation on its visit to India. The MoU also provides for cooperation and exchange programmes in the field of innovative sports infrastructure development and management including financial development, spatial area development, planning of sports infrastructure and facilities, designing of sports infrastructure and facilities, exploitation of resources, management training and safety & security. It also provides facility of feasibility study or detailed project repot on the area development and resource exploitation possibilities around one major stadium in Delhi. It also mentions the feasibility study on the development and management of turnkey indoor sporting units to increase broad access to sporting facilities nationwide and exploring the possibility of opening a pilot unit of the same has been included for immediate execution. The MoU signing was preceded by delegation-level talks between the two countries in which the two sides discussed the steps to enhance co-operation in the field of sports.
India and Fiji signed Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement

Government of India and the government of Fiji on 30 January 2014 signed a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. On behalf of India the agreement was signed by P. Chidambaram, Union Minister of Finance and on behalf of Fiji it was signed by Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Anti-Corruption, Public Enterprises, Communications, Civil Aviation, Tourism, Industry and Trade. The negotiation on the DTAA was reached in 2011 and this agreement will provide tax stability to the residents of India and Fiji. It will also facilitate in mutual economic cooperation as well as stimulate the flow of investment, technology and services between the two countries. It also incorporates provisions for an effective exchange of information and assistance in collection of taxes between tax authorities of the two countries including exchange of banking information. The maximum rate of tax that should be charged in the country of source will not exceed the prescribed limit for such dividends, royalties, interest and fees for technical services. The capital gains that are earned by the sale of shares will be taxable in the country of source. The anti-abuse provisions have been incorporated in the agreement to ensure that the benefits of Agreement are availed of only by the residents of the two countries and to prevent any abuse of treaty.
52
www.jagranjosh.com
The agreement will also help the two countries in

As per the DTAA the business profit will be taxable in the source state if the activities of an enterprise constitute a permanent establishment in the source country Profits derived by an enterprise from the operation of aircraft in international traffic shall be taxable in the country of place of effective management of the enterprise Dividends, interest, royalty income and fees for technical or professional services will be taxed both in the country of residence and in the country of source
About Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)

Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAA) means as an essential bilateral agreements that has been reached between the countries like this case the agreement on DTAA between India and Fiji. This is basically signed with an objective to avoid taxation of income in both the countries and to promote economic trade and investment between the two countries. The Double Tax Avoidance Agreements (DTAA) is essentially bilateral agreements entered into between two countries, in our case, between India and another foreign state. The basic objective is to avoid, taxation of income in both the countries (i.e. Double taxation of same income) and to promote and foster economic trade and investment between the two countries.
Important advantages of DTAA are

Lower Withholding Taxes (Tax Deduction at Source) Complete Exemption of Income from Taxes Underlying Tax Credits Tax Sparing Credits
53
www.jagranjosh.com
The provisions mentioned under DTAA provide the facility of overriding the general provisions mentioned under the taxes of a particular country. In case of India Section 90(2) has been inserted in the Indian Income Tax Act helps the countries under DTAA to override the domestic tax norms. Insertion of this code in the Act provides the assessee a chance to choose among the provisions of Income Tax Act or of DTAA, whichever seems as more beneficial.
International Taxation (DTAA Comprehensive agreements With respect to taxes on income) India has signed with 86 nations. The nations are
Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Fiji, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portuguese, Republic Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Swiss Confederation, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, UAE, UAR (Egypt), UGANDA, UK, Ukraine, United Mexican States, USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia.
India and Japan inked MoUs to strengthen cooperation in tourism and power generation
India and Japan inked several pacts during the official visit of the Prime Minister of Japan to India from 25 to 27 January 2014. Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan was the Chief Guest of India on the occasion of the Republic Day parade on 26 January 2014. The sides signed memorandum for strengthening cooperation in the field of tourism, enhancing energy efficiency in telecom towers and power generation in the country. During this tour of Shino Abe, the two
54
www.jagranjosh.com
countries inked several pacts and they includes
S.No.
1
Name of the Document
Remarks
Memorandum between Japan Tourism Agency, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and MOU aims at promoting tourism Tourism, Government of Japan and the Ministry between the two countries of Tourism, Republic of India in the field of Tourism Implementing Arrangement between the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science Agreement will help implement and Technology of Japan and the Department bilateral Sand exchanges of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology of India Memorandum of Cooperation between the Memorandum aims at harmonizing Bureau of Indian Standards and Japanese standards between the two countries Industrial Standards Committee MoU among New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO) Japan and Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Communication and Information MoU aims at enhancing energy Technology, Ministry of New and Renewable efficiency in telecom towers Energy, Government of India on a Model Project for Energy Management Systems in Telecommunication Towers in India Exchange of Notes on ODA loan for Uttarakhand Project is financed by Japanese Forest Resource Management Project Official Development Assistance Exchange of Notes for the Project for Improvement of the Institute of Child Health and Grant aid under Japanese ODA Hospital for Children, Chennai Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) Japanese soft loan Buyers Credit for NTPCs Kudgi Power Plant generation in India for power
7 8
Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) Japanese loan for power generation loan for NTPCs Auraiya Power Plant in India
55
www.jagranjosh.com
Russia & China to conduct war games in the Mediterranean Sea

Russia and China will conduct their first ever naval war games in the Mediterranean Sea from 1 February 2014. The joint naval drill, involves Russias heavy nuclear missile cruiser Peter the Great and Chinese frigate Yancheng. The main purpose of the drill is to enhance the interoperability of Russian and Chinese combat ships for joint operation in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Russian and Chinese warships will perform joint manoeuvring, in the course of which the Russian cruiser will set up a smokescreen and ship-borne helicopters of the two vessels will practise landing on each others deck. On 7 January 2014, both counties escorted the first consignment of Syrian chemical weapons materials that has left the country on a Danish ship. This became the first practical interaction between the Russian and the Chinese navies. In July 2013, Russia and China held a three-day joint naval military exercise. The Naval Interaction-2013 in the open waters off the Port of Vladivostok, Russia. It became Chinas largest overseas military exercises in terms of the number of troops deployed outside its territorial waters. In recent years, the Chinese navy has participated in a series of joint exercises in the Pacific and Indian oceans, while Chinese ground forces have taken part in land war games organized by the SCO.
Morocco Parliament amended Penal Code Article on rape

The Parliament of Morocco on 23 January 2014 unanimously amended an article of the penal code that allowed rapists of underage girls to avoid prosecution by marrying their victims. Country has amended the code following lobbying of activists seeking better protection of young rape victims. The Article 475 of the penal code that generated unprecedented public criticism. Issue came to public prominence in 2012, when a 16-year-old Amina Filali killed herself after she was forced to marry with the rapist. A prison term of one to five year is mentioned to anyone who abducts or deceives a minor is given in the Article 475. Its second clause says that in case the victim gets married with the culprit than he cannot be prosecuted. This clause provides prosecutors to defend themselves. The right groups have welcomed the amendment. Gender inequality and violence against women
56
www.jagranjosh.com
in Morocco are the subjects of frequent demonstrations in the capital Rabat. This amendment was proposed first by the Islamist-led government of the country in 2013. Earlier, Morocco passed a new family code in 2004, which was more progressive for the rights of the women than the past.
IRENA and ADFD planned to bring Power to Rural Communities with renewable energy projects
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) on 19 January 2014 announced approximately 41 million dollar in concessional loans for renewable energy projects in developing countries. The total combined capacity of the financed project is 35 MW and would bring reliable and sustainable power to rural communities that lack an access to modern energy services. The loan as per the plan will be dispensed to a geographically diverse countries namely Republic of Ecuador, Maldives, Sierra Leone, Mauritania, Mali and Samoa. The two institutions IRENA and ADFD have selected the projects to isolated off-grid populations in some cases it will be for the first time. Analysis: This local economic development will stimulate in raising the living standards, as financing is one of the key issues renewable energy is facing particularly in the developing world. This is the reason because of which, the two institutions IRENA and ADFD teamed up to de-risk investment in promising renewable projects. The UAE government has committed a total of 350 million dollar in concessional loans through ADFD to support the deployment and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy in developing countries. The current financing cycle is the first of seven. IRENA is assessing the socio-economic impact and technical merit of the projects, and ADFD is making its selection based on the Agencys recommendation. Projects selected need to be transformative, innovative and replicable.
About the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD)

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) was established back on 15 July 1971, as an independent subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Government, responsible for managing foreign aid. Over the years, it has established its position among the top development aid organizations worldwide. Since its establishment, ADFD has played an important role in advancing economic development in beneficiary countries by providing concessionary loans that enable these countries to surmount challenges, address economic problems, and improve the living standards of their people. The Fund has managed a quantum leap in its financial performance through investments and direct
57
www.jagranjosh.com
long-term contributions in active companies in strategic sectors of the developing countries, along with investing in a variety of financial instruments. To date, the total grants, loans provided and managed by ADFD and UAE government reached to arround AED 60 billion for financing 363 development operations in 63 countries around the world.
India & UAE agreed to Promote Cooperation in Renewable Energy

India and UAE on 18 January 2014 agreed to promote cooperation in renewable energy, especially in areas of solar energy and wind power. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed to this effect in Abu Dhabi by Farooq Abdulla, the Minister of New and Renewable Energy of India and Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the Minister of State of UAE. The signed MoU allows the two countries to form a Joint Working Group for better coordination through joint research on subjects of mutual interest like Exchange and training of scientific and technical personnel Exchange of available scientific and technologies information and data Organization of workshops, seminars and working groups, Transfer of know-how, technology and equipment on non-commercial basis
Earlier, India has launched in National Solar Mission (launched in 2010) under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. India has been making efforts in promoting energy in remote and unelectrified areas of the country. Indian Minister, Farooq Abdulla also congratulated UAE for the hospitality extended by them during the 4th Assembly session of IRENA.
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is mandated as the global hub for renewable energy cooperation and information exchange by 124 Members (123 States and the European Union). Over 40 additional countries are in the accession process and actively engaged. Formally established in 2011, IRENA is the first global intergovernmental organisation to be headquartered in the Middle East. IRENA supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future, and serves as the principal platform for international cooperation, a centre of excellence, and a repository of policy, technology, resource and financial knowledge on renewable energy. IRENA promotes the widespread adoption
58
www.jagranjosh.com
and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy, including bioenergy, geothermal, hydropower, ocean, solar and wind energy in the pursuit of sustainable development, energy access, energy security and low-carbon economic growth and prosperity.
USA allowed Sikh military men to wear turban

USA allowed the Sikh military men to wear turbans, head scarfs and other religious clothing with their uniform. USA updated its policy on 23 January 2014. This move is likely to improve military job prospects for members of the Sikhs community in USA. Although, the ban has not put off completely, instead USA army has put some relaxation. Citing the security issues and military discipline, it has granted individualised accommodations to serve in the U.S. Army while wearing turbans and maintaining beards in a neat and conservative manner, both in accordance with operational requirements and their Sikhs religious beliefs. Whenever a service member requests such an accommodation it could be denied only if an official determines that mission accomplishment needs outweigh the need of the service member and each request will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. The Sikhs community was also allowed to wear protective equipment, including helmets and gas masks, in conformity with safety requirements.
South Sudan Government and Rebels signed Ceasefire Agreement to end fighting
The Government of South Sudan and rebels have signed a ceasefire agreement on 23 January 2014. The ceasefire deal between the two sides on cessation of hostilities and question of the detainees took place in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian Capital. The deal has asked to end fighting within 24 hours. As per the deal, the government has agreed to release 11 officials close to Machar, who were detained after the fighting broke in the country. Any timeline has not fixed for the release of the detainees. The second agreement covers the cessation of hostilities. Earlier, the government forces recaptured the two main cities under the control of rebels that forced more than 500000 people from their homes during a month-long conflict. With this signing it is expected that the country will achieve a complete peace. This signing of the deal has been welcomed by US calling it a critical first step. UK said it as an inclusive process if national reconciliation. Background: Political dispute between Salva Kiir, the President and his former deputy Piek Machar
59
www.jagranjosh.com
on 15 December 2013 escalated ethnic killings and full scale in the country. Till now more than 70000 civilians are seeking shelter at the UN bases across South Sudan. The estimates of UN say that more than 1000 people have been killed in the ethnic killings.
Cumbria University of UK became the first public university to accept fees in Bitcoin
Cumbria University of UK became the first public university to accept fees in digital currency, Bitcoin. A system for processing the payments is already operational. The payment of fees through Bitcoin will be only applicable to two new courses on the roles of complimentary currencies in economic systems, which will be taught from summer this year at the Institute for Leadership and Sustainability (IFLAS). The University said it hoped that the acceptance of Bitcoins on these courses would lead to learning by doing. The University supported Bitcoin due to its speed and cost, others due the new era of financial freedom it could enable. Cumbria is thought to be the first public university in the world to accept the currency, although a private University in Cyprus announced last year that it would do so.
What is Bitcoin
Bitcoin is an online currency and payment system which enables the international transmission of funds. Though thousands of merchants worldwide accept this cryptocurrency so called because it uses cryptography to guarantee its security it has often been associated with illicit activity, most notably with the online illegal drug market called Silk Road.
How Bitcoin work:

Bitcoin is often referred to as a new kind of currency. Each of the millions of Bitcoin currently in existence is represented by a unique online registration number. To receive a Bitcoin, a user must also have a Bitcoin address - a randomly generated string of 27 to 34 letters and numbers - which acts as a kind of virtual post box.
60
www.jagranjosh.com
India and Japan signed memorandum in tourism
India and Japan signed the Memorandum for strengthening cooperation in tourism on 22 January 2014. The Memorandum will facilitate travel and tourist visits and strengthen the tourism partnership between the two countries.
The main objectives of the Memorandum are

To expand bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector To exchange information and data related to tourism To encourage cooperation between Tour Operators and tourism stakeholders including Hotel owners To establish exchange programmes for cooperation in Human Resource Development To exchange visits of Tour Operators/Media/ Opinion Makers for promotion of two way tourism To exchange experience in the areas of promotion, marketing, destination development and management During 2013 India received 2.20 lakh tourists from Japan and the highest numbers of visas on arrival were issued to the tourists from Japan. Buddhist heritage sites are a great attraction for Japanese tourists to India.
61
www.jagranjosh.com
Lanka urged Maldives to allow its fishermen in territorial sea waters

Abdulla Yameen, the President of Maldives during his visit to Sri Lanka Colombo has been asked by Sri Lanka to allow its fisherman the facility of innocent passage through its territorial waters to the Arabian Sea. A discussion on the matter was done during a bilateral meeting between the delegations in Colombo on 22 January 2014. This is the first visit of Yameen to Sri Lanka since he assumed the office of the President. He is on a three day official visit to Colombo. Similar such request has been made by Sri Lanka to India following the cross of local fishermen of the country have to cross the international boundary for tuna fishing. Apart from this bilateral meet, Abdullah Yameen also met Mahinda Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka and both sides also agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade, banking and finance, agriculture, fisheries, defence and maritime sectors and education.
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is also called as the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty. It is an international agreement that came into existence of the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III), which took place between 1973 and 1982. The Law of the Sea Convention has defined the rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of the worlds oceans. It also provides the rights to establish guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine natural resources to the countries. The Convention, concluded in 1982 and it replaced four 1958 treaties. UNCLOS came into force in 1994 a year after Guyana became the 60th nation to sign the treaty. At present 165 countries of the world as well as the European Union has joined the Convention. This is a data as per the membership of August 2013.
Emergency rule imposed in Thailand capital Bangkok for two months

60-day state of emergency has been imposed in Bangkok by the Thai government on 21 January 2014. The emergency has been imposed in the province to suppress the anti-government protest that has blocked the parts of the capital and to take care of the situation and to enforce the law. The emergency decree bans public gatherings, censor the news reports and imposition of curfew for next 60 days. The emergency measure came into effect from 22 January 2014.
62
www.jagranjosh.com
Emergency was announced by the Deputy Interior Minister, Visarn Techateerawat after a cabinet meeting. The government has also said that it has no plan to disperse the protest movement that is led by the opposition Suthep Thaugsban. Following the emergency, a leader of pro-government leader of red-shirt group has been shot. The incident came as the protesters continued to block parts of Bangkok with the demand of resignation of the Prime Minister. The emergency decree had given a wide ranging power to the government, including control of crowds and censor media. To suppress the unrest of the country, the Prime Minister has already called-in for elections on 2 February 2014. To issue a ruling on how and whether the ballot can be delayed the Election Commission is expected to request the constitutional court. Bangkok is witnessing anti-government protests with the demand to force Yingluck Shinawatra, the Prime Minister of Thailand to step down. The protests of the country started in November 2014. The protesters claim that Yingluk Shinawatra government is influenced by her brother Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin was the prime minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006 and was ousted by a military coup in 2006. He exiled himself in 2008 to avoid the two-year prison sentence. With this emergency the Thai government hopes that the restrictions and curfews will help it in quelling the street demonstrations and also restore calm. Whereas, before this protests of people, the country has also witnessed demonstrations in 2010 which was named as the Red Shirt riots in Bangkok. The Red Shirts riots occurred in Bangkok from March to May 2010 against the government led by the Democrat party that demanded the then prime minister Abhisit Vejjaajiva to dissolve the parliament and hold elections at the earliest. During the Red Shirt protest the protesters also fought the military forces. The riots came to an end after the surrender of the leaders of Red Shirt opposition after six day long violent clashes.
Egypt approved the new Constitution in referendum

Egypt approved the new Constitution in a referendum held by the Egypts electoral commission on 14 January 2014 .The proposed new Constitution was drafted by a 50-member committee headed by Amr Moussa in December 2013. The turnout in the referendum was 38% and walloping 98% population voted yes in the referendum. The new Constitution strengthens the Egypts three key institutions the military, the police and the judiciary. Also, it provides for giving more rights to women and disabled people. It removed certain Islamist-leaning clauses while maintaining the principles of Islamic sharia as the main source of legislation.
63
www.jagranjosh.com
Main features of new Constitution

The President can serve a term of four years for two times and can be impeached by the Parliament. Islam remains the state religion but it provides for absolute religious freedom giving some protection to minorities (Christians and Jews). The state guarantees equality between men and women. Parties may not be formed on the grounds of religion, race, gender or geography. Military to appoint defence minister for next eight years. The overwhelming support for the new Constitution is seen as citizens legitimizing military government after the ouster of Morsi in 2013. The referendum shows that citizens of Egypt indirectly support military chief General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi as Presidential candidate.
GDP of China decelerated to 7.7 Percent in 2013-14

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of China decelerated to 7.7 percent in 2013-14. It is the slowest GDP growth rate clocked by China in last 14 years. This was revealed by the data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China on 20 January 2014. The deceleration in the GDP growth was on account of poor performance of the Chinese economy in the final quarter of 2013. In the final quarter of 2013 the Chinese economy grew by 7.7 percent compared to the 7.8 percent in the third quarter of 2013. The decline in the GDP growth in the last quarter was due to fall in exports, investment and factory output. The fall in these sectors was contributed by global and domestic factors. However, the actual performance of the economy came out to be slightly better than the 7.5 percent GDP growth projected by the Chinese government. The low growth in the worlds second largest economy has caused serious anxiety across the globe and pushed down prices of Asian stocks.
UN withdrawn invitation to Iran to attend Syria Peace Conference

Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of United Nations on 20 January 2014 withdrew the invitation for Iran to join the peace conference on Syrian crisis. This action was taken following the Tehrans step to back the plan to form a Syrian transitional government, which is the basis of the conference.
64
www.jagranjosh.com
Apart from this, the other reason for the withdrawal of the invitation is reports that indicate the political opposition of Syria saying, until the Secretary General retracts the invitation to Iran, it would withdraw from the talks. US have also suggested to UN headquartered in New York that it could support Irans participation if it explicitly declared support for the action plan. Peace Conference on Syrian Crisis has been planned to end the nearly three-year-old civil war of Syria voicing deep disappointment. The one week long conference opening will take place in Montreux, Switzerland on 22 January 2014 and its foundation for the negotiations between the Syrian parties will begin on 24 January 2014 in Geneva. The peace conference is the biggest diplomatic effort to end the three-year conflict. Earlier, after Foreign Minister Javad Zarifs assurance to UN that his country understands the basis of the talks in full implementation of an action plan, which was adopted in the so-called Geneva Communique of 2012 allowed UN to invite Iran to attend the conference. The Geneva Communique of 30 June 2012 remains the internationally agreed framework for ending the crisis and calls for a transitional government to lead to free and fair elections.
Obama established Af-Pak strategic partnership office

Ahead of the drawdown of US troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, US President Barack Obama announced to establish an Af-Pak Strategic Partnership Office (APSPO) on 18 January 2014. The objective is to oversee smooth transition and promote normalised diplomatic presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan. APSPO has been tasked to perform the specific project of supporting executive departments and agencies in facilitating a partnership with the two South Asian countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. APSPO will be a temporary office and would be based in Washington, Islamabad and Kabul. It would promote security and stabilisation and transitioning to a normalised diplomatic presence in both the countries. The office will also aid in coordinating the final drawdown of the Department of States civilian field operations and staff in Afghanistan. Besides, it will also support agencies in transitioning to a partnership with the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan in the economic, diplomatic, cultural, technology, and security fields. It will be particularly in the areas of program management, rule of law, and program oversight.
65
www.jagranjosh.com
Obama ordered curbs on NSA powers to use data

The US President Barack Obama ordered curbs on the use of bulk data collected by National Security Agency (NSA) on 17 January 2014. The ban will cover all the data related to the leaders of close friends and allies of the US and the records of American.
The main highlights of the Obamas order are:

NSA will be required to get a secretive courts permission before accessing phone records that are collected from hundreds of millions of Americans. Government will not hold the bulk telephone metadata and will take steps to modify the programme so that a judicial finding is required before the database is queried. Communication providers would be allowed to share more information with the public about government requests for data. The US will not monitor the communications of its close friends and allies overseas unless there is a compelling national security purpose. Foreigners will get some protection against spying that US citizens enjoy.
The order curbing NSA powers came following worldwide criticism of US policy of snooping the records of top leaders of the world including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Further in December 2013, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that the NSAs bulk collection program appeared to violate Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches, but he didnt issue a preliminary injunction against unreasonable searches because of expected appeals.
Peshawar, largest reservoir of polio in world: WHO

Peshawar in Pakistan had the largest number of polio cases in the world in 2013. This was revealed by World Health Organisation (WHO) in a global analysis for polio cases on 17 January 2014. The analysis by World Health Organisation (WHO) further said that Pakistan is the only polio-endemic country which reported more polio cases in 2013 than in 2012. Pakistan reported 83 cases in 2013 compared to 58 cases in 2012. In 2013, 369 cases were reported worldwide. In Pakistan, 59 cases were from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), 10 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and seven each from Punjab and Sindh. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, of which Peshawar is the capital and adjoining tribal districts, has
66
www.jagranjosh.com
been found to be the polio hotspot in Pakistan. All the polio cases reported from Pakistan are type-1 cases. No report of type-3 polio cases has been reported from Pakistan. The analysis by WHO suggested that viruses from Toba Tek Singh, Sahiwal, Lahore and Multan are closely related with each other. This reflects a common source of outbreak because of a significant immunity gap in the central region of Punjab. As a result, the most immediate epidemiological challenge is to control this transmission in the region. At the same time, building super high immunity in southern districts of the province is needed to reverse previous trends of transmission moving to the south after the central region outbreak.
Hery Rajaonarimampianina declared as the President of Madagascar

Hery Rajaonarimampianina, a former Finance Minister of Madagascar on 17 January 2014 was declared as the new President of the nation. His election as the President came as the result of the elections conducted on 20 December 2013 with an aim to restore democracy in the nation. Hery Rajaonarimampianina was officially declared as the president of the country by Francois Rakotozafy, the president of the electoral court. He was successful in garnering 53 percent of votes in the elections. The announcement of the results was delayed due to a pending court ruling over the allegations of irregularities in voting. The allegation was made by his rival Robinson Jean Louis, who was the candidate of the ousted President Marc Ravalomanana. Louis has won 46.51 percent of the votes. About half of eight million eligible voters were successful in casting their votes. Hery is backed by Andry Rajoelina, who staged a coup in 2009 against the then president Marc Ravalomanana. This coup attempt pushed Madagascar into a political and economic crisis. The ousted President Ravalomanana has gone to South Africa into an exile. Madagascar was suspended by the African Union and Southern African Development Community. With thios election, might be possible that the country will be allowed back into the regional; bodied. The World Bank in its report on Madagascar estimated that the political crisis of the country cost it around 8 billion dollar in lost growth. In 2012, the economy of the country grew just by 3.1 percent, which made it to lag behind most African nations.
67
www.jagranjosh.com
India & UK Signed MOU to Enhance the Collaboration within the framework of UKIERI
Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) on 16 January 2014 signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance the collaboration within the framework of UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) in New Delhi. The signing was done after a bilateral meeting between the delegations led by K Suresh, the Minister of State of Labour and Employment (MoLE) of Government of India and Matthew Hancock, the Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise of United Kingdom. The MoU focuses to collaborate and build partnership in the area of Skill Development and Employment Services. Following activities will be supported as per the guiding document for overall collaboration Institutional capacity building of UK and Indian official and institutes handling skill development and employment services Sharing of technical expertise, building linkages and identification of gaps in the areas of skill development and employment services, improvement in curriculum, benchmarking of assessment, certification and training methods. Supporting development of employment services in India on the lines of National Careers Service, UK. Other beneficial projects, in the area of skill development and employment services, mutually agreed.
UKIERI as its first step will facilitate the partnership of the stakeholders of India with the existing Career Services in the UK. It will also share the best practices of UK to help development of Indian model with the Ministry of Labour and Employment and other stakeholders. The initiative of both the countries will be funded jointly by MoLE and UKIERI and the expenses of India will be borne by MoLE and UK cost by UKIERI.
68
www.jagranjosh.com
The two countries will also partner on Mentor Councils (MCs) in identified priority sectors, which will be the response to the demand of skills in the sector. It includes restructuring of courses, curriculum development, identification and development of good teaching and learning aids, training of trainers with quality, devising assessment mechanisms, improving on the job training and others. The support of UKIERI will be provided by UK experts for Mentor Councils for up to 10 sectors through institutional partnership between the MCs set up by MoLE and the National Skill Academies in the UK. The funding of this programme will also be in the same pattern of jointly funding in respective countries.
India and South Korea inked pacts in different areas including trade and commerce
India and South Korea have signed many pacts in different areas on 16 January 2014 to deepen economic cooperation and bolster defence engagements in New Delhi. The agreements were signed after delegation level talks between Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India and Park Geun-hye, the President of South Korea in New Delhi. List of Documents signed during the state visit of President of Republic of Korea to India (15-18 January 2014) Signatory from India Signatory from Republic of Korea
S.No.
Title Agreement Between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the Republic of India on the Protection of Classified Military Information Implementing agreement between Indian Space Research Organisation And Korea Aerospace Research Institute For Cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space
Remarks To cooperate in the field of defence and to ensure the protection of classified military information exchanged under this Agreement
A K Antony, Yun Byung-se, Defence Minister Foreign Minister of ROK
1.
2.
Dr. K Radhakrishnan, Chairman, ISRO, Secretary, Dept. of Space
Kim SeungJo, President, Korea Aerospace Research Institute
To promote the peaceful uses of outer space in the interests of international cooperation at regional and global level
69
www.jagranjosh.com
3.
Memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning of the Republic of Korea and the Ministry of Science and Technology of The Republic of India on a Joint Applied Research And Development Programme in Science and Technology
Shri Salman Khurshid, External Affairs Minister
Mr. Choi MunKee, Minister, Science, ICT and Future Planning
To develop further cooperation in the field of prospective technologies for the common benefit of the two countries by involving industryacademia-institute partnerships for translational research leading to the practical application of research and development (R&D) findings, and to cooperate in a joint applied research and development program To enhance cooperative activities under the Cultural Agreement concluded between the Governments of the two countries on 12 August 1974 To cooperate in reviving Nalanda University as an international institution that will advance the concept of an Asian community by bringing together future generations in a common objective of making new discoveries of old relationships to realize a unity of minds
4.
Cultral Exchange Programme between the Government of The Republic of India And the Government of The Republic of Korea for the years 2014-2017 Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Nalanda University
Ravindra Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Culture
Dr. Lee Joon- Gyu, Ambassador of RoK in India
Vishnu Prakash, Ambassador of India to RoK
Dr. Lee Joon- Gyu, Ambassador of RoK in India
5.
70
www.jagranjosh.com
6.
Tripurari Sharan, Shon Jie-ae, Agreement on Director General, CEO, Arirang TV Cooperation between Doordarshan Doordarshan and Korea International Broadcasting Foundation (Arirang Tv)
To develop and strengthen mutual friendly relations in the field of Broadcasting with the aim of leading to greater understanding between the two countries To promote, facilitate and support joint ventures, joint initiatives and markets in the ICT sector
7.
Joint Declaration of Intent Between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of The Republic of India and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in the Field of Information and Communications Technology Memorandum of Understanding between Controller of Certifying Authorities (Cca) of the Republic of India of Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation and Information Exchange for Development of an Arrangement for Mutual Recognition of Certifying Authorities
Kapil Sibal, Minister of Communications & IT
Choi Mun-Kee, Minister, Science, ICT and Future Planning
8.
T.A. Khan, Controller of Certifying Authorities
Jin-Soo Lim, Vice Head of Korea Certification Authority Central, Korea Internet & Security Agency
To develop cooperation between the parties for facilitating development of an arrangement which will provide such Mutual Recognition of the certifying Authorities of the two countries
71
www.jagranjosh.com
9.
Dr. Gulshan Rai, Memorandum Of DG, CERT-In Understanding between Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CertIn) of Department of Electronics & Information Technology of Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of the Republic of India And Korea Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center (Krcert/Cc) Of Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in the Field of Cyber Security
Kijoo Lee, President, KISA
to develop cooperation between the Parties in the area of Information Security to deter cyber threats and to further improve computer security readiness and raise awareness around the importance of keeping systems secure, and security practices and procedures current and up to date
The pacts signed between the two countries include

Protection of Classified Military Information Peaceful use of space and establishment of Nalanda University
The President of South Korea welcomed the Prime Minister of India for offering development of joint defence hardware production. This visit of the South Korean President will help in strengthening the strategic partnerships between the two countries. For stronger India-Korea relations, sustained trade growth with the expansion of the economic exchanges is necessary. At present India and South Korea have robust economic relationships. In 2012, the bilateral trade between the two countries was over 18 billion dollars.
72
www.jagranjosh.com
Park Geu-hye President of South Korea is on a visit of India which started on 15 January and ends on 18 January 2014. She was accorded ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on 16 January 2014. The South Korean President is accompanied by a delegation which includes the Foreign Minister, the Minister for Science and the Minister for Trade and Industry. Her India-visit started after a week of clearance of the POSCO Steel Company project in India.
Indian doctors to be recruited by Britain

Britain on 15 January 2014 decided to change its tough immigration rules to recruit doctors from India. The plan has been made to fulfill the crisis of doctors in the emergency departments in the hospitals of the country. As per the latest figures of the country one in five Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments has a shortage of senior doctors. The national shortfall of more than 300 consultants in Britain was reported by a weekly Asian Lite. As per the figures, to fill the posts in the A&E departments trusts spend about 1500 pounds (150000 rupees) on temporary doctors. The Home Office earlier agreed to relax the rules on migration of the medical workers. The report also says that the officials of Senior National Health Services drawn up the plan to recruit 50 doctors from India in the first phase. Earl Howe, the Health Minister of Britain said that the British Medical students prefer not to pursue a pressurised carrier in Accident and Emergency. They preferably opt for specialities in general medicine and pediatrics. The recruitment drive overseas was made after the ministers warned that NHS will buckle under the pressure without decisive action.
British PM ordered enquiry into Thatchers role in Operation Bluestar

British Prime Minister David Cameron ordered an enquiry into the role of former British PM Margaret Thatcher in Operation Bluestar on 14 January 2014. The enquiry will be conducted by the Britains cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood. The enquiry will look into newly-released documents that suggested Margaret Thatcher government facilitated the Indian government in 1984 to plan Operation Bluestar against separatist Sikh militants hiding inside the Golden Temple.
73
www.jagranjosh.com
Released declassified documents also indicated that Britains Special Air Service (SAS) officials were dispatched to help India on the planning on the raid of the Golden Temple to flush out militants. The documents were released by the National Archives in London under the 30-year declassification rule that provides for the release of cabinet papers of a government publicly thirty years after they were created. The Network of Sikh Organisations, headed by Lord Indarjit Singh, expressed shock over the revelation and offered help to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to aid the investigation.
Operation Bluestar
Operation Blue Star is the name given to a military operation to flush out the terrorists and recover arms from the Golden Temple. The operation was led by Indian Army at Harmandir Sahib in Golden Temple complex in 1984. The Khalistan separatists under the leadership of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale had moved into a guest-house called the Akal Takht, in the precinct of Harmandir Sahib in 1982. Bhindarwale was supported by former Maj. Gen. Shabeg Singh who was expelled from the Army for being a Khalistan sympathizer. The Operation Bluestar was conducted under the command of Lt. Gen. Kuldip Singh Brar. The Chief of Army Staff during the Operation was General Arun Sunder Vaidya who was later killed by Khalistan separatists in Pune.
India-Japan conducted joint maritime exercise along Kochi Coast

India and Japan held joint exercise in Kochi Coast on 14 January 2014. Indian Cost Guard Ship ICGS Samrat and Japan Coast Guard Ship JCG Mizuho participated in the exercise. Joint exercises between India and Japan Coast Guards included cross-deck landing, anti-piracy drills, search and rescue demonstration and a fire fighting demonstration. The Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was signed between India and Japan Coast Guards in the year 2006. The MoC provides that two countries Guards will meet annually to discuss maritime issues of mutual concerns and formulate a cooperative approach to address. Anti-piracy procedures
74
www.jagranjosh.com
Pollution control measures Other areas of common measures and other areas of common professional interest. Earlier Malabar 2007 was performed between Self-Defence Forces of Japan and the Indian Navy as a joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean. Besides, the naval forces of US, Australia and Singapore were participated in the Malabar 2007. The 2007 year was declared as India-Japan Friendship Year.
Malaysian Government to introduce high-tech ID cards

Malaysian Government announced on 13 January 2014 to introduce high-tech ID cards for foreign workers. The cards will be introduced by the end of December 2014. These biometric identity cards are being introduced to control the influx of illegal foreign workers. The new ID cards, embedded with high-tech chips, would ensure only legal foreign workers are working in the country. The cards will store identification documents of the holder and could be examined easily by the security personnel. The cards will come in different colours to indicate various sectors of employment. The ID cards will have barcodes that will allow enforcement officers to scan them using a smartphone to access the workers details. These security elements are important to prevent fraud and forgery of the card. Malaysia depends heavily on foreign workers to strengthen its tourism and infrastructure industry. Currently, more than 2.25 million foreign workers are registered in the country. The workers from countries like India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Cambodia constitute the main workforce in Malaysia.
India and Canada signed Letter of Intent for co-operation in Iron and Steel Sector
India and Canada on 13 January 2014 signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for co-operation in Iron and Steel Sector. The letters were signed by Beni Prasad Verma, the Union Minister of Steel and Minister of Natural Resources, Government of Canada, Joe Oliver. The Canadian Minister is heading a high-level delegation from Canada to India. As per the signed Letter of Intent (LOI), the two countries has planned to develop and expand the mutual co-operation through
75
www.jagranjosh.com
information exchanges in areas of mutual interest, which includes iron-ore, cooking coal and other steel making raw materials. The two sides has also planned to encourage bilateral investment opportunities in iron and steel related business. For taping the new markets, the efforts would be made by both the countries ensuring raw material security and forge alliances with global entities. The two sides also discussed on many issues with an aim to expand and strengthen the bilateral relations of the two countries. The sides also identified the areas of cooperation and assistance, where India could be benefitted from Canada. Both the sides also exchanges their views related to the prospects and growth of the iron and steel industry with the investment opportunities in raw materials, that includes pelletization plants and other associated industries in both the countries.
Sheikh Hasina sworn-in as Bangladesh Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina along with her Cabinet of 49 Ministers was sworn-in before President Abdul Hamid at the Bangabhaban (the Presidents House) on 12 January 2014. Sheikh Hasina was sworn-in as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the third time. The new Cabinet has 29 Ministers, 17 State Ministers, and two Deputy Ministers. She had won an overwhelming majority in the Bangladesh general election held in January 2014 by defeating opposition party, Jatiya party. The Awami League has secured absolute majority in the 10th Parliament elections by bagging 232 seats 105 contested and 127 uncontested. The Jatiya Party was declared as the second largest party in the parliament bagging 33 seats 13 contested and 20 uncontested. While the majorities in the new Cabinet are from Awami League, the rest are from Jatiya Party, Workers Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, and Jatiya Party (Manju).
Bangladesh: Ruling Awami League secured absolute majority in Parliamentary Elections

Awami League, the ruling party of Bangladesh on 5 January 2014 secured an absolute majority in the Parliamentary elections. The elections, which was hold on 5 January was marked by violence,
76
www.jagranjosh.com
low voter turnout and boycott by the opposition party BNP. The 18-party BNP-led Opposition alliance boycotted the election as its demand for a neutral nonpartisan polls-time government went unheeded. Awami League secured majority in the 10th Parliamentary election of the country by winning 105 seats out of the 147 seats. The Election Commission of Bangladesh received the final results of 139 seats out of 147 seats. The votes were held in 159 districts and as 153 others had returned uncontested winners. 125 of the uncontested candidates belongs to Awami League, 20 from Jatiya Party (Ersad), 3 went to JaSad, 2 to Workers Party and 1 to Jatiya Party (Manju). 13 seats were won by the Jatiya Party and four seats by Workers Party. Twarikat Federation and BNF won one seat each. 13 independent candidates have been elected. In all, 232 candidates of Awami League have been elected uncontested, 33 of Jatiya Party, 6 of Workers Party and 5 of JaSad. The constituencies, where the election was suspended due to violence, re-election will be held.
UN and partners launched No Lost Generation initiative to save Syrian children

No Lost Generation initiative has been launched by United Nations and its humanitarian partners on 10 January 2014 to save millions of Syrian Children from loosing generation amidst the civil war in the country. The Since past three years, Syria is engaged into the civil war and due to this more than one million children are leading their life as refugees. Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of United Nations has added his support to the campaign Initiative has been launched by UN refugee agency (UNHCR), UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF), World Vision, Save the Children, and other NGO partners. No Lost Generation emphasizes that saving a generation of potential leaders, teachers, engineers, doctors and above all- peacemakers - protects the prosperity of an entire society.
77
www.jagranjosh.com
The No Lost Generation initiative has sought international aid of 1 billion dollar to help the children of Syria by not allowing them to lead their life of despair, broken futures and diminished opportunities. Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has asked the world for massive and immediate international support at the period of crisis in Syria. This move of UN has come ahead of the Syria donor conference on 17 January 2014 in Kuwait. The 1 billion dollars will be channeled through the UN agencies and their partners into the programme in partnership with Governments and local communities by practical opportunities to: Deliver safe education Protection from exploitation Abuse and violence Psychological support Peace building efforts Avert the loss of an entire generation with activities and interventions To offer more opportunities for social cohesion and stability in an already volatile region by restoring their hopes The programme initiative will also include the strengthening and community-based child protection systems to respond the needs of the girls, boys and families from highly risk of abuse, exploitation, neglect and violence, while protecting children against such risks. It will also include access of quality education to them via formal and non-formal approaches by introducing accelerated curricula for those children, who are out of the school, vocational, and teacher training and other initiative programmes. It will also create safe environments to reduce the exposure of childrens to such risks. ince the crisis of Civil war began in Syria nearly three years ago, more than one million children from Syria have become refugees of which more than 425000 are under the age of five. The vast majority of these refugees have fled either to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt and Iraq. Among them, around 8000 children have been identified as being separated from their families.
Ali Larayedh, the Prime Minister of Tunisia resigned

Ali Larayedh, the Prime Minister of Tunisia resigned from his office on 9 January 2014. With his resignation, the country will be led by the caretaker Government of technocrats led by led by new Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa. He resigned following a deal between the Islamist Ennahda Party of Ali Larayedh and the secular
78
www.jagranjosh.com
opposition for a transition to the democracy in the country. Its likely that the name of Mehdi Jomaa will be announced by the President of Tunisia for appointment. Tunisia as a country has been the birthplace of the Arab Spring and its transition to democracy. Resignation of Ali Larayedh is being viewed as the failure of the party to manage the transition of Tunisia to democracy after ouster of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, the autocrat of Tunisia in 2011. Under the compromise, the Ennahda party has paved a way for main opposition Nidaa Tounes to relinquish power. As per the agreement the national assembly of the country will vote on a new Constitution and the elections would be held in 2014. An electoral council has been appointed to oversee the vote.
Bangladesh new MPs took oath

The newly elected MPs the Parliament of Bangladesh led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took the Parliamentary oath on 9 January 2014. With this oath ceremony, the ruling Awami League formed the government for second consecutive term. Earlier, Awami League secured an absolute majority in the Parliamentary elections conducted on 5 January 2014. The oath of the 284 MPs was administered by Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury of the 300 MPs. The remaining 16 MPs will be sworn later. The cabinet oath will be held on 12 January 2014. The Bangladeshi Constitution mentions that Parliamentary members of the country have to take the oath of the office within 3 days after publication of an official gazette that notifies the elected candidates by Election Commission. The gazette notification has been issued on the result of the 10th parliamentary election by Election Commission. Bangladesh will witness re-polling in eight seats on 16 January 2014. Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by two-times former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia boycotted the elections and didnt contest in the elections which happened on 5 January 2014. At present Khaleda, the former Prime Minister at present is under de facto house arrest. The Bangladeshi elections of January 2013 have been one of the deadliest violence in the 43- year history of the country as 26 people were killed during the polling. Apart from this, about 180 people have died since October 2013.
79
www.jagranjosh.com
Russia blocked UN Statement on air-strikes in the city of Aleppo in Syria

Russia on 8 January 2014 blocked a statement of UN Security Council that condemned the Syrian Governments use of air-strikes against civilians in the city of Aleppo. The city of Aleppo, which once was a business hub of the country, has now been divided between the rebel and government forces. UN condemned the use of barrel bombs and scud missiles by the forces of President Assad, which has killed more than hundreds of people. Russia by being joined by China and has vetoed three Security Council resolutions that has condemned the government of Syria and has threatened it sanctions. Russia on 19 December 2013 opposed a similar statement that would have condemned attacks on the civilians by the troops of Syrian government. The council failed to reach an agreement on 8 January 2014 following the amendments that was proposed by Russia. As per an UN diplomat, the proposed amendment has been designed to rob the statement of any reference to what has happened in Aleppo. The statement was British drafted and had councils express of outrage on the airstrikes of the government troops in the city of Aleppo in which more than 700 people have been killed leaving behind approximately 3000 people injured since 15 December 2013. Till now, more than one lakh people been killed and numerous have been forced to flee from Syria in a period of three years of civil war in the country.
India and Japan held Defence Ministerial Meeting

India and Japan decided to strengthen defence Cooperation especially in maritime security, at the Defence Ministerial Meeting held in New Delhi on 6 January 2014. And also two countries decided to strengthen the Strategic and Global Partnership between Japan and India.
The highlights of the visit of Japans Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera were
The Defence Minister of India will visit Japan in 2014 and continue to carry out high-level mutual visits on annual basis. In 2014, Delhi will hold the third 2 plus 2 dialogue and the fourth Defence Policy Dialogue (Defence Secretary level).
80
www.jagranjosh.com
To promote exchanges on UN Peacekeeping Operations between Japan Peacekeeping Training and Research Centre, Joint Staff College (JPC), Central Readiness Force of Japan Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) and Centre for UN Peacekeeping (CUNPK) of the Indian Army. In 2014 the Indian Navy will visit Japan to conduct joint exercises and conduct bilateral exercises between Japan Maritime Self- Defence Force and Indian Navy on a regular basis. Conduct Expert exchanges in Humanitarian Assistance, Disaster Relief and Counter Terrorism between both Indian Army and Japan Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF). Continue to conduct staff exchanges and discuss possibility of conducting staff talks between Japan Air Self-Defence Force and Indian Air Force and professional exchanges of test-pilots, professional exchanges in the field of flight safety and between their transport squadrons. Prime Minister of Japan will be the chief guest of Indias Independence Day on 26 January 2014.
Malaysia invited IITs to open its centre

Malaysia urged India to open a branch of Indian Institutes of Technology in Kuala Lumpur on 8 January 2014. Datuk Seri G Palanivel, Federal Minister for Natural Resources and Environment of the Republic of Malaysia made this announcement at ongoing 12th Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas in the capital. Palanivel is the chief guest of Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas and is also the President of Malaysian Indian Congress. Biodiversity is another field in which Malaysia wants to work with India. Malaysia has nearly two million population of Indian origin. Malaysian Government is also finalizing a draft bill for natural resources and benefit sharing. IITs are autonomous institutions and are governed by the Institutes of Technology act, 1961. Many Malaysian students come to India for better education service. If IITs open its branch in Malaysia then they can get quality education at much lower cost. Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi recalled that Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas is held every year on 9 January as on the same day, Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa.
81
www.jagranjosh.com
End commercial activities at Delhi embassy by Jan 16: India to US

India on 8 January 2014 asked the US to discontinue the commercial activities being undertaken from the US embassy premises in Delhi by 16 January 2014. The government of India has asked the embassy to stop its commercial activities being undertaken under the aegis of the American Community Support Association (ACSA), which includes bar, video club, restaurant, swimming pool, bowling alley, sports field, gym and beauty parlour. As per the sources, the Indian Government has asked US to provide the tax returns filed by it with the Indian authorities to start the commercial activities and afforded by ACSA. The services were offered to non-diplomatic persons, which also includes the private American citizens and their families. As per the authorities of India, the actions of ACSA are a violation of Article 41(3) of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961, as it has given commercial facilities to non-diplomats. This tough action of India came ahead of 13 January 2014, the date that has been set as the deadline for the indictment in New York of Khobragade, the Deputy Consul General in New York America on visa fraud charge.
US Embassy in Beirut issued warning to Americans in Lebanon

United States Embassy in Beirut on 5 January 2014 issued a warning for Americans in Lebanon to avoid hotels, western-style shopping malls, grocery stores and social events. The embassy has warned Americans because such sites are likely to be target for terrorist attacks. The recommendations of the embassy were issued along with a security message to Americans in Lebanon. This warning has been issued following the spate of bombings and shootings in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon. The embassy made the recommendations today in a security message to Americans in Lebanon. The statement follows a recent spate of bombings and shootings in the capital, Beirut, and other parts of Lebanon. As expected the two deadly bombings in Beirut in past two weeks that killed a dozen of people is related to the violence of the civil war in Syria. The Syrian violence has sent its tensions in Lebanon
82
www.jagranjosh.com
were the two communities of Lebanese Muslims are ready to conflict. The responsibility for the two blasts was taken by an al Qaeda linked group.
Al-Qaida linked forces declared Fallujah as new State

The Iraq government has lost control of the strategic city of Fallujah after being captured by AlQaeda linked forces. Fallujah was located on the west of Baghdad. Militants now control the south of the city. Fighting erupts after government troops broke up a protest camp by Sunni Arabs in the city of Ramadi on 4 January 2014. They have been accusing the Shia-led government of marginalising the Sunnis. The army has surrounded Fallujah, which is just 65km west of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. It is located in the vast Sunni-dominated area and is largely desert province of Anbar. Fallujah borders Syria, where ISIL fighters are also battling to topple President Bashar al-Assad. The Prime Minister on 6 January 2014, Nuri al-Maliki appeals to the tribes and people of Fallujah to expel the terrorists from the city in order to spare themselves the risk of armed clashes. The old Al-Qaeda in Iraq has regenerated itself as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), also called the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). During the last few months, ISIS has become a magnet for Sunni jihadists around the world. ISISs victories in Iraq are a sign of the growing strength of ISIS in the region. The move is another sign that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has not been able to maintain control of the country since the United States withdrew its troops in 2011, failing to reach an agreement with the Maliki government to leave behind a residual force.
India launched 3rd phase of Housing Project in Sri Lanka

India on 7 January 2014 launched the third phase of its housing project in Sri Lanka. The project has been expanded its category of beneficiaries and has included the Indian origin Tamils who are settled in the central part of Sri Lanka as plantation laborers. In the third phase of the project, 16000 houses will be built of which a new category of beneficiaries would be the Tamil plantation workers, who were brought in Sri Lanka by the British. At present these people live in miserable conditions in shanty-like line houses and mainly live in Uva and Central provinces.
83
www.jagranjosh.com
In second phase of the project, India constructed 10000 houses in the Northern and Eastern parts of Sri Lanka. The project was executed for the internally displaced people affected by the civil war.
About Indian Housing Project of Sri Lanka

The Indian Housing Project is a housing reconstruction project funded by the Government of India and implemented through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL). Four Implementing Agencies (IAs) have been selected for this project, which is being executed in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka. UN-Habitat is one of the IAs together with the International Federation for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in partnership with Sri Lanka Red Cross, the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) of the Government of Sri Lanka and Habitat for Humanity. The project will be implemented in 36 month, which has to be done from mid-2012 until mid-2015. Under the Indian Housing project of Sri Lanka 50000 houses will be constructed and this is the single largest full grant assistance programme of Indian Government anywhere in the world. Under the beneficiary driven model 2 lakh 55 thousand rupees are transferred to selected beneficiaries for repairing of the houses and 5.50 lakh rupees for fully reconstruction of the houses. The construction work is done by the internationally chosen agencies, which needs to work under the supervision of the beneficiary themselves. The beneficiaries are selected on basis of clearly laid down criteria in consultation with the Government of Sri Lanka. Funds will be released directly by the High Commission of India into bank accounts of beneficiaries based on certification of progress of work. The Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh announced Indias commitment to build 50000 housing units during the State visit of the President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa, to India in June 2010. This commitment also formed part of the Joint Declaration issued in New Delhi during the visit. The Housing Project, with a commitment of over 270 million US dollars in grants, is the flagship project of Indias developmental assistance to Sri Lanka.
Pakistan has planned 7 Nuclear Plants for 8900 MW of electricity by 2030

Pakistan on 2 January 2014 announced its plan to set up seven functional nuclear plants of 1100 MW each by 2030. The government is set to install 325 MW Chashma-4 (C-4) plant. Pakistan took this decision to combat the problem of shortage of power supply
84
www.jagranjosh.com
in the country. Nuclear power was set to become a major player in the countrys power sector. As per the Pakistan government, by 2030 the Pakistan Atomic Energy Comission (PAEC) will be operating four nuclear power plants of 325 to 340 MW and seven nuclear power plants with the capacity of 1100 MW each, in addition to four units of 300 MW, producing a total of 8,900 MW of electricity. The power generated through C-3 and C-4 (650 MW) will be linked to national grid by 2016. Pakistan would install more nuclear power plants to generate 42000 MW of electricity under its Vision 2050. China has committed 6.5 billion dollar finance for the construction of a major nuclear power project in the port city of Karachi. China National Nuclear Cooperation (CNNC) has promised to grant a loan of at least 6.5 billion dollar to finance the project, which will have two reactors with a capacity of 1,100 megawatts each. Blackouts lasting more than half a day in some areas have infuriated many Pakistanis and sparked violent protests, undermining an economy already beset by high unemployment, widespread poverty, crime and sectarian and insurgent violence. Pakistan had carried out its first nuclear tests in 1998, soon after India conducted tests. Both refuse to join the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, which would oblige them to scrap atomic weapons. China has already helped supply two nuclear reactors at the Chashma nuclear power complex in Punjab, while another two are also under construction with Chinese assistance.
India & Saudi Arabia signed pact to protect interests of Indian domestic sector workers
India and Saudi Arabia on 2 January 2014 signed an agreement to protect the interests and rights of Indian domestic sector workers in the Gulf Kingdom. The pact was signed by Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi and the visiting Adel bin Mohammed Fakeih, the Labour Minister of Saudi Arabia in New Delhi. The agreement signing was necessitated in the view of Indians, who are facing work related problems in Saudi Arabia. The two countries have agreed on the need for a comprehensive way to deal with such problems. The two sides have decided to set up a joint committee to meet periodically to overcome the difficulties in implementing the agreement. The pact has been signed with an objective to ensure authenticity and implementation of employment contract and take an action against recruitment agencies that violates the laws. At present around 28 lakh peoples are living in Saudi Arabia. Indians form the largest expatriate community in the
85
www.jagranjosh.com
country. Of 500000 domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, most people are working as maids, helpers, drivers and cleaners of which around 10 percent are women.
The features of the agreement as per the official statements are:

It protects the rights of both the employers and domestic workers It regulates the contractual relation between them It ensures authenticity and implementation of the employment contract, takes measures against recruitment agencies that will violate laws and establishes a mechanism to provide 24 hours assistance to the domestic sector workers The agreement was conseptualised in April 2013 during the visit of Vayalar Ravi to Saudi Arabia.
China aircraft carrier completed tests in disputed South China Sea

Chinas first aircraft carrier on 1 January 2014 successfully finished a series of tests during a training mission in the disputed South China Sea and has returned to port. It has completed a 37-day deployment, which was carried out amid mounting regional tensions Japan in December 2013 drilled off the coast of the Hainan Island. As per the regional military officers and analysts, the Decembers drill marked not only the first time China has sent a carrier into the South China Sea but also it was the first time that its maneuvered with the kind of strike group of escort ships US carriers deploy Liaoning, the aircraft carrier carried more than 100 tests, which includes its combat systems. At present it is docked at the Qingdaos port northern city. Liaoning is a Soviet-era ship, which was bought from Ukraine in 1998. It has been re-fitted in the Chinese shipyard and has been a symbol of naval build-up of china. It went into service in September 2012. The military budget of China has seen a first double digit increase after two decades. The admirals plan of China is to develop a full blue-water navy, which will be capable of demanding the growing economic interests as well as the disputed territory in South and East China seas. Provoking the international reactions, China in November 2013 declared its air defence rights over most of the part of the East China Sea. It also claims maximum part of the South China Sea.
86
www.jagranjosh.com
Latvia became the 18th member of Euro Zone

Latvia on 2 January 2014 became the 18th member of the Euro zone. The small ex-Soviet state has been preparing for the switch, since European Union finance ministers formally announced in July 2013 that Latvia could adopt the Euro. Both Standard & Poors and Fitch have raised the countrys credit ratings in anticipation of its euro entry. The economy of Latvia shrank by a quarter during 2008-2010, but then grew at the fastest pace in the EU, expanding by 5.6 percent in 2012, after the government slashed spending and wages and hiked taxes in one of the harshest austerity programs in Europe. Latvia has recently emerged from the financial crisis to become the EUs fastest-growing economy. Latvia gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and joined the European Union and NATO in 2004. It has a population of two million -- nearly 30 percent of Russian origin -- and annual gross domestic product of 28 billion dollar. Latvia became the fourth smallest member of the currency area, ahead of Cyprus, Estonia and Malta. Estonia joined the euro zone in 2011 and Lithuania aims to do so in 2015.
South Sudan conflict: India to send its team to assess political and security situation
India on 1 January 2014 decided to send a team of senior officials to assess the political and security situation in South Sudan. The country is witnessing an ethnic conflict at present, in which at least 1000 people have died so far, which includes a life of an Indian Soldier, who was working as United Nations peacekeeper. India has issued an advisory for the Indian nationals not to travel to South Sudan and has asked its nationals residing in the country to leave the country.
87
www.jagranjosh.com
The team of senior officials will interact with the Indian nationals in the country and review the arrangements in the place for the staffs of the Indian Mission at Juba. The team will also discuss matters with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Approximately, 2,000 Indian peacekeepers are serving in the UNMISS.
UNMISS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan)

United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS ) was formed on 8 July 2011 following the Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the Security Council by its resolution 1996 for an initial period of one year, from 9 July 2011. It was created with a determination to control the situation faced by South Sudan that continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security. The UNMISS was established with the intention to renew for further periods as may be required. The mandate of the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) ended on the same date. UNMISS objective is to consolidate peace and security, and help establish conditions for development in the Republic of South Sudan. It views to strengthen the capacity of the Government of South Sudan to govern effectively and democratically and establish good relations with its neighbours. UNMISS consists of up to 7000 military personnel, including military liaison officers and staff officers, up to 900 civilian police personnel, including as appropriate formed units and an appropriate civilian component, including technical human rights investigation expertise and further decides to review in three and six months whether the conditions on the ground could allow a reduction of military personnel to a level of 6000.
Japans population dipped to record low in 2013

The Health Ministry of Japan on 1 January 2014 estimated that a quarter of the population is currently aged over 65 and the figure is expected to reach nearly 40 percent by 2060. It has estimated
88
www.jagranjosh.com
that the population o the country in 2013 declined by a record 244000 people. It also says that if in case the same trend persists in future, the population of Japan will lose a third of its population in next 50 years.
The estimate also highlights concern over the dwindling workforce of the country. As per the estimate, 103100 babies took birth in Japan in 2013, which fell by 6000 from the births of 2012. Apart from this, the deaths of the country increased by 19000 from 2012 to 1275000 people in 2013. These deaths were the highest annual deaths since World War II. To spur growth of the population, Japan had aggressively taken measures in recent months. At present, Japans economy is the third biggest economies of the world after years of stagnation. Prime Minister of Japan, Shino Abe is trying to boost its economy by a combination of its quantitative easing and cash ejections, which includes higher taxes, higher government spending and longerterm structural reforms.
89
www.jagranjosh.com
WORLD DAIRY
January 2014
1 January 2014 The Health Ministry of Japan estimated that a quarter of the population is currently aged over 65 and the figure is expected to reach nearly 40 percent by 2060. India decided to send a team of senior officials to assess the political and security situation in South Sudan.
2 January 2014 Latvia became the 18th member of the Euro zone. Pakistan announced its plan to set up seven functional nuclear plants of 1100 MW each by 2030. India and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to protect the interests and rights of Indian domestic sector workers in the Gulf Kingdom. India and Maldives signed 3 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) in the field of Health, Exchange of Personnel and Human resource.
3 January 2014 India announced a new rule to vaccinate against polio to the travellers from Pakistan would be implemented from 14 February 2014.
4 January 2014 India has asked the US Embassy not to screen any movies at the American Center without obtaining a licence. The Embassy has been given a deadline to comply with the Government of India laws and Delhi Government regulations till 20 January 2014.
5 January 2014 United States Embassy in Beirut issued a warning for Americans in Lebanon to avoid hotels, western-style shopping malls, grocery stores and social events. Tropical storm One struck the east coast north of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.
90
www.jagranjosh.com
WORLD DAIRY
January 2014
6 January 2014 China to be become a partner in the proposed NIMZ in Andhra Pradesh US Senate confirmed Janet Yellen as next Chairperson of Federal Reserve Al-Qaida linked forces declared Fallujah as new State India launched 3rd phase of Housing Project in Sri Lanka
7 January 2014 Indias International Investment Position of Quarter ended September 2013 released Astronomers discovered Earths gassy twin 200 light years away India and Japan held Defence Ministerial Meeting Malaysia invited IITs to open its centre End commercial activities at Delhi embassy by Jan 16: India to US
8 January 2014 Ali Larayedh, the Prime Minister of Tunisia resigned Bangladesh new MPs took oath, new Cabinet will take oath on 12 January Russia blocked UN Statement on air-strikes in the city of Aleppo in Syria Exceptionally Rare Conjoined Whales discovered
9 January 2014 Scientists measured the distance to galaxies accurate to 1% Record low temperatures in the United States caused due to Polar vortex
10 January 2014 Indian teacher wrote a book on Immigration Fears
91
www.jagranjosh.com
WORLD DAIRY
January 2014
UN and partners launched No Lost Generation initiative to save Syrian children
11 January 2014 International Poll titled World most admired people released Israels Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon died 71st Golden Globe Awards 2014 announced New eyewear system developed to give superhuman vision
12 January 2014 Bank of Japan and RBI concluded an agreement to raise BSA to 50 billion dollar Sheikh Hasina sworn-in as Bangladesh Prime Minister 151st Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda celebrated worldwide.
13 January 2014 India and Canada sign Letter of Intent (LOI) for co-operation in Iron and Steel Sector. Malaysian Government announces to introduce high-tech biometric ID cards for checking the influx of illegal foreign workers.
14 January 2014 India and Japan held joint exercise off the Kochi Coast. Indian Cost Guard Ship ICGS Samrat and Japan Coast Guard Ship JCG Mizuho participated in the exercise.
15 January 2014 British Prime Minister David Cameron orders an enquiry into the role of former British PM Margaret Thatcher in Operation Bluestar. The enquiry will be conducted by the Britains cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood. Britain decides to change its tough immigration rules to recruit doctors from India. The plan
92
www.jagranjosh.com
WORLD DAIRY
January 2014
has been made to fulfill the crisis of doctors in the emergency departments in the hospitals of the country.
16 January 2014 India and South Korea signed pacts in different areas to deepen economic cooperation and bolster defence engagements. Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance the collaboration within the framework of UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI).
17 January 2014 Hery Rajaonarimampianina, a former Finance Minister of Madagascar declared as the new President of Madagascar. According to a global analysis by World Health Organisation (WHO), Peshawar in Pakistan has the largest number of polio cases in the world in 2013. The US President Barack Obama orders curbs on the use of bulk data collected by National Security Agency (NSA).
18 January 2014 Ahead of the drawdown of US troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, US President Barack Obama announced to establish an Af-Pak Strategic Partnership Office (APSPO) in Washington. Silvio Berlusconi, founder head of the Forza Italia party and Matteo Renzi, leader of Democratic Party (PD) signed a deal on electoral reforms in Italy. India and Pakistan reached an agreement on providing Non Discriminatory Market Access (NDMA) in place of Most Favoured Nation status. India and UAE agreed to promote cooperation in renewable energy, especially in areas of solar energy and wind power.
93
www.jagranjosh.com
WORLD DAIRY
January 2014
19 January 2014 The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) announced approximately 41 million dollar in concessional loans for renewable energy projects in developing countries.
20 January 2014 The Report Working for the Few released by Oxfam Bihars turnaround analysed at London School of Economics UN withdrawn its invitation to Iran to attend Syria Peace Conference GDP of China decelerated to 7.7 Percent in 2013-14 Iran has halted Uranium Enrichment activities Dexter, Private Information Stealing Virus, detected in online banking transactions
21 January 2014 India-born Prof A J Paulraj won 2014 Marconi Prize Emergency rule imposed in Thailand capital Bangkok for two months Mahesh Bhupathi launched IPTL in Melbourne NASA Mars Rover discovered doughnut rock Chilika lagoon named Destination Flyways by UNWTO
22 January 2014 Indus Civilization ended due to Disease and violence Richard Quest won 2013 UNWTO Lifetime Achievement Award Lanka urged Maldives to allow its fishermen in territorial sea waters India and Japan signed the memorandum in tourism
94
www.jagranjosh.com
WORLD DAIRY
January 2014
2013 is fourth warmest year on record for the planet: Reports Beijing got severe new law to control hazardous Smog and Air Pollution
23 January 2014 Cumbria University of UK became the first public university to accept fees in Bitcoin South Sudan Government and Rebels signed Ceasefire Agreement to end fighting USA allowed Sikh military men to wear turban Morocco Parliament amended Penal Code Article on rape Shane Warne to mentor Australias spinners for World T20 Tournament OCA recognized Russian martial art Sambo and is now a part of Asian Games NASA rover Opportunity found Mars had life friendly fresh water SC asked MoEF and Railway Ministry to evolve steps to protect elephants
24 January 2014 India Women Cricket team won one day series against Sri Lanka 3-0
25 January 2014 MS Dhoni became first captain to play in four tied ODIs Earthquake of Magnitude 6.1 on Richter scale rocked Java island of Indonesia
26 January 2014 Stanislas Wawrinka won Australian Open Mens title Australia won ODI series against England by 4-1 Karl Slym, MD of Tata Motors died after falling from hotel building in Bangkok Samsung and Google signed Global Patent Agreement
95
www.jagranjosh.com
National Constituent Assembly of Tunisia passed the new Constitution Ulises Estrada, the Cuban Revolutionary and associate of Che Guevara died
27 January 2014 USFDA banned imports from Toansa plant of Ranbaxy Federal Aviation Administration ordered safety checks of Boeing 767s Google purchased DeepMind Technologies of UK India and Japan inked MoUs to strengthen cooperation in tourism and power generation Russia and China to conduct war games in the Mediterranean Sea from 1 February Pete Seeger, Songwriter and Champion of Folk Music, Died Raymond Weil, the pioneer of Swiss watch died Egypts Army Chief Fattah al-Sisi promoted to Field Marshal
28 January 2014 First multi-coloured 3D Printer launched Scientists at Jilin University of China created Water-jet printer River of hydrogen flowing through space seen with Green Bank Telescope Antiseptic Mouthwashes can raise Heart Strokes Ukraine Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigned UNESCO released 11th EFA Global Monitoring Report 2013-14
29 January 2014 ICC approved introduction of International Womens Championship GVK BIO and Aragen Bioscience signed Definitive Agreement to acquire Aragen Bioscience Tunisias new government of independents headed by Mehdi Jomaa sworn in Indian Rupee to be a legal tender in Zimbabwe
96
www.jagranjosh.com
30 January 2014 Kiwi Kathy Cross is first woman in ICC Umpires Panel Penguin chicks die due to climate change: Research Report India and Netherlands signed MoU for cooperation in field of Sports India and Fiji signed Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement India pledged 44 million rupees assistance for Nepal Academy
31 January 2014 China marks arrival of the Year of the Horse India suffered 4-0 loss in 5-match ODI series against New Zealand Saving Asias Vultures from Extinction Project for Asian Vultures
97
www.jagranjosh.com
NATIONAL
Union Government decided to fix two year tenure for IAS, IPS
The Union Government decided to amend the rules governing IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officers to assure them at least two years in a given posting on 30 January 2014. The rules were amended following the Supreme Courts direction to check the unnecessary political interference.
The highlights of the amended rules for IAS/IPS/IFoS cadre

Every state will now have to make appointments of cadre officers on the recommendation of a Civil Services Board constituted by it under chairmanship of the chief secretary. The transfer of a cadre officer before the minimum specified tenure can be done only on the recommendation of the Board.
98
www.jagranjosh.com
The competent authority may reject the recommendation of the board, but the reasons thereof must be recorded. A cadre officer appointed to any cadre post shall hold the office for at least two years unless in the meantime, he/she is promoted, retired or sent on deputation outside the state or training exceeding two months. The fixed tenure may be specified by the state government in the case of cadre officer appointed to non-cadre posts. The Board shall examine cases of premature transfers, consider for transfer before fixed tenure based on circumstances it thinks fit, and recommend to the competent authority names of officers for premature transfer with reasons to be recorded in writing. The board can seek justification from the administrative department of the concerned state for premature transfers, obtain comments or views of the officer proposed to be transferred, and not recommend premature transfer unless satisfied with the reasons. The board shall also submit a quarterly report to the Centre giving details of officers recommended to be transferred before the minimum tenure and the reasons thereof. Earlier in a path-breaking judgement given by the Supreme Court on 31 October 2013, the SC had directed the Centre to ensure fixed tenure for bureaucrats. The landmark judgment meant to curb political interference in civil services was delivered by the Bench of Justice KS Radhakrishnan and Pinaki Chandra Ghose. Not more than 13 States had notified IAS (cadre) rules for stability of tenure, while 11 states were yet to do so. The states of Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal were disinclined to notify the rules, citing reasons like legal complications, existence of a similar law and already stable tenures.
Union Cabinet approved Amendments in OBC Central List for 13 States and 3 Union Territories
Union Cabinet on 30 January 2014 gave its approval for making amendments in the Central List of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in 13 states and three Union Territories. The amendments have been done by way of inclusion/correction/deletion of castes/communities as per the advices received from the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). 115 changes will be notified by the amendments, which were recommended by the NCBC. The three Union Territories are Chandigarh, Delhi and Puducherry and the 13 states include Andhra Pradesh Bihar
99
www.jagranjosh.com
Goa Himachal Pradesh Jharkhand Karnataka Kerala Maharashtra Punjab Tamil Nadu Uttarakhand Uttar Pradesh West Bengal
The amendments introduced in the OBCs central list will enable a person who belongs to these castes/communities to avail the reservation benefits in government services and posts. They will be also eligible in central educational institutions according to existing policies. These will also be eligible for the benefits under various welfare schemes, scholarships and others in those, which are being administered by the Central Government that are available to persons belonging to the OBCs at present.
About National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC)

The Government of India enacted the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 (Act No. 27 of 1993) for setting up a National Commission for Backward Classes at the Centre as a permanent body in pursuant of the direction of the Supreme Court in the Mandal case judgement in the Indira Sawhney case.
NCBC Act 1993, Section 9 (Functions of the Commission) states that

The Commission shall examine requests for inclusion of any class of citizens as a backward class in the lists and hear complaints of over-inclusion or under-inclusion of any backward class in such lists and tender such advice to the Central Government as it deems appropriate The advice of the Commission shall ordinarily be binding upon the Central Government The NCBC has been tendering advice to the Central Government from time to time. In total 30
100
www.jagranjosh.com
Notifications have been issued so far along with 2343 entries (entry means a caste, including its synonyms, sub-castes) have been notified in the Central list of OBCs for 24 States and six Union Territories.
Union Cabinet approved Amendments to the Mental Health Care Bill

The Union Cabinet on 30 January 2014 approved the amendments in the Mental Health Care Bill with an aim to empower people suffering from mental illness and to protect their rights. The Mental Health Care Bill 2013 was introduced in Rajya Sabha in August 2013 and was sent to Parliamentary Standing Committee, which recommended some amendments. The new bill seeks to decriminalise suicide and make access to affordable mental health care a right for all. This is the first time in India, that a bill that seeks to decremanlise acts of suicide by linking it to the state of mental health of the person attempting the act has been presented in the Rajya Sabha and approved by the Cabinet. As per the Bill People suffering from mental health attempting suicide would be treated as mentally ill and therefore the act will be exempted from the provisions of Section 309 of Indian Penal Code. This bill has fulfilled the gap in the mental health law in the country after India Ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that requires hormonisation in its laws with those prevalent worldwide. The convention was signed by India on 1 October 2007 and it came into force from 3 May 2008. Now the Bill needs to be passed by the Parliament and further assented by the President to replace the Mental Health Act of 1987.
India Post to install 3000 ATM & 1.35 lakh micro-ATM by September 2015
India Post announced to install as many as 3000 Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and 1.35 lakh micro-ATMs by September 2015 on 27 January 2014. The facility will be available for savings account holders of post offices across the country. Initially, three ATMs were to be installed in New Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore by 5 February 2014. After six months of launch of the service, India Post might get interoperability permission from Reserve Bank of India (RBI). After that India Post will join the National Financial Switch, which will benefit India Post account holders to transact at the banks ATMs and vice versa.
101
www.jagranjosh.com
The ATMs can be used only by 26 crore savings account-holders who save with the postal department. India Post is working with software major Infosys on this project. The micro ATMs will be handheld devices to be operated at the post office level while the ATM will be similar to the one operated by any commercial bank. Postal savings are worth around 6.05 trillion rupees, which is half the savings in the largest lender SBI and more than double that of the largest private sector lender ICICI Bank. The postal department, which has 1.55 lakh post offices over 90% of which are in villages, offers the savings account to people across the country and pays an interest of 4% per annum for such deposits. The account offers cheque facility at present.
Union Civil Aviation Ministry removed restrictions on Airbus A-380 in India

Civil Aviation Ministry decided to remove restrictions on flights of Airbus A-380 to India on 27 January 2014. Now, flights of A-380 to India will be allowed to airports which are equipped to handle them. The decision was taken after due consultations with the Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA), Air India and Airports Authority of India.
Highlights of the Aviation Ministry decision

The operations of A-380 aircraft would be subject to overall traffic entitlements within the bilateral Air Service Agreements (ASAs) with different countries. It was also decided that wherever the entitlements are not expressed in terms of seats per week, the same should be rationalized and converted into seats per week before allowing A-380 operations to India from these countries. If any Air Service Agreement (ASA) specifically prohibits operation of A-380 to India, it will be required to be amended before A-380 starts operations from that country. Before operations of A-380 are allowed, all the airports shall have to get DGCA certification and make adequate preparation in terms of various services required.
102
www.jagranjosh.com
Analysis
At present only 4 airports, that is, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore have the required infrastructure for operations of A-380. The ban on A- 380s was mainly due to concerns that foreign carriers may further hurt state-run Air India by grabbing a larger share of international traffic. The rule change will benefit carriers like Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Lufthansa and British Airways that operate the super-jumbo and fly to India, as well A380 customers like Etihad and Qatar Airways who have yet to take delivery of the aircraft. The operation of A 380s will help airports to generate more revenue, give more comfortable and luxurious travel to passengers, liberalize the Civil Aviation milieu in India and boost the image of Indian Civil aviation in the international market.
About Airbus A-380

The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by Airbus of France. It is the worlds largest passenger airliner, and provides seating for 525 people in a typical threeclass configuration or up to 853 people in an all-economy class configuration. The A380 made its first flight on 27 April 2005 and entered commercial service in October 2007 with Singapore Airlines. Airbus headquartered in Toulouse designed the aircraft to challenge Boeings monopoly in the large-aircraft market.
PAN allotment process to undergo change from 3 February 2014

PAN (Permanent Account Number) allotment process will undergo a change from 3 February 2014. The official release mentioned that an applicant of PAN will have to submit self-attested copies of Proof of Identity (POI), Proof of Address (POA) and Date of Birth (DOB) documents. The applicant will also have to produce the original documents for verification at the counter of PAN facilitation centres. The notification also said that the POI, POA and DOB documents attached with the application PAN form will be verified with their original documents at the time of application submission. It also said that the original documents will not be retained by the PAN Facilitation centre and will be returned back to the applicant as soon as it is verified.
103
www.jagranjosh.com
National Waterway-4 project launched in Tamil Nadu

Union 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 24 January 2014. NW-4 covers a total length of 1078 Km consisting of Kakinada-Puducherry canal systems integrated with Godavari and Krishna Rivers. Main components of the project include dredging and excavation to develop navigational channel, construction of three terminals and navigational locks, replacement of one existing bridge at Kelambakkam, and installation of navigational aids. The project is expected to be completed in two years with 123 crore rupees. The project will ease out the transportation problems in Chennai suburbs to a great extent besides promoting tourist movement to important tourist spots at Mahabalipuram and Puducherry. Other stretches of the National Waterway-4, which covers the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, would also be taken up for development subsequently.
National Waterway
National 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. a stretch on Brahmaputra River from Sadiya to Dhubri in Assam state. run from Kollam to Kottapuram. The 205 km long West Coast Canal is Indias first waterway with all time navigation facility. connect Kakinada to Pondicherry through Canals, Tank and River Godavari along with Krishna River. connects Orissa to West Bengal using the stretch on Brahmani River, East Coast Canal, Matai River and Mahanadi River Delta. It is the proposed waterway in Assam state and will connect Lakhipur to Bhanga in river Barak.
National Waterway 2: National Waterway 3:
National Waterway 4: National Waterway 5: National Waterway 6:
104
www.jagranjosh.com
NALSA launched free legal service clinics across the country

National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) launched the 2648 village legal service clinics across the country on 24 January 2014. The move aims to bring legal services to the doorsteps of the weakest section of the country. Chief Justice of India P.Sathasivam open free legal clinics in New Delhi. As per the regulation, NALSA will set up village legal services clinics in one village in each Taluk of the country. On the lines of health centres in villages, these legal services will provide legal care to villagers who are not aware about laws and their rights. With the help of Para-legal volunteers and empanelled lawyers, clinics will also assist villagers in getting BPL card, Election ID, Aadhaar Card, gas connection and other government welfare schemes.
About NALSA
The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has been constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 to provide free Legal Services to the weaker sections of the society and to organize Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes. In every State, State Legal Services Authority has been constituted to give effect to the policies and directions of the NALSA and to give free legal services to the people and conduct Lok Adalats in the State. The State Legal Services Authority is headed by the Chief Justice of the respective High Court.
Viscera test must in death due to poisoning: SC

Supreme Court made it mandatory for the investigating agency to seek viscera test in death due to poisoning on 21 January 2014. A bench of Justices Ranjana P Desai and J Chelameswar ruled that in all the cases where poisoning is suspected, immediately after the post-mortem, the viscera should be sent to the forensic science laboratories (FSL). The prosecuting agencies should ensure that the viscera is, in fact, sent to the FSL for examination and the FSL should ensure that the viscera is examined immediately and report is sent to the investigating agencies/courts post haste. The court took serious note of a number of cases relating to death by poisoning which resulted in acquittal mainly because police failed to seek a viscera examination from forensic science
105
www.jagranjosh.com
laboratories (FSL).
About Viscera test

In the Viscera test the internal organs of the body, specifically those within the chest (as the heart or lungs) or abdomen (as the liver, pancreas or intestines) are tested thoroughly. The Forensic Science Laboratories provide scientific assistance in crime investigation by way of examination of blood, semen, stains thereof and other.
Government approved Capacity Building Scheme and Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Climate Change
Union Government of India approved to set up Capacity Building scheme and Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Climate Change on 21 January 2014. The Capacity Building Scheme will attempt to build capacity at both centre and state levels to assess impact of climate change and associated risks. The Scheme will be worth 290 crore rupees. Besides, it will undertake and augment various activities in consonance with the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and State Action Plan on Climate change. On the other hand, Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Climate Change Studies and Action will be an autonomous body which will have four key functional areas. The areas are related to Environmental- scientific assessments and modeling economic and legal analysis monitoring and policy making Training, capacity building and advocacy and database, documentation and inventory management. A committee of secretaries (CoS) will soon take a call on structure of institute and the time period for its completion. The Committee of Secretaries will comprise of secretaries in the ministries of environment and forest, finance, renewable energy, agriculture, water resources and earth science.
About National Action plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)

The National Action plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) was launched in 2008 by the Union Government. It is comprised of eight government missions projecting Indias contribution towards combating climate change.
106
www.jagranjosh.com
NAPCC includes action plan on solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, conserving water, sustaining the Himalayan ecosystem, a Green India mission, sustainable agriculture and strategic knowledge platform for Climate Change. The State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCC) should be in line with the objectives of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and ensure its implementation at the State level.
Union Government of India extended the implementation of NFSA to Karnataka and Chhattisgarh
Union Government of India extended the implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 to the States of Karnataka and Chhattisgarh on 18 January 2014. With this the implementation of National Food Security Act has taken off now in seven States/ Union Territories. These are Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh. Uttrakhand and Chandigarh are also expected to join NFSA soon. Accordingly, the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution allocated foodgrains to these seven States/UTs. The allocation of foodgrains was made as per requirements projected by these States/UTs to implement the Act.
National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013

The Union Government of India notified the National Food Security Act, 2013 on 10 September 2013 to further strengthen the efforts to address the food security of the people. The Act provides for coverage of up to 75% of the rural population and up to 50% of the urban population for receiving subsidized foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), thus covering about two-thirds of the population.
Main provisions of the NFSA, 2013

Identified beneficiaries by the State governments will get rice, wheat and coarse grains at the subsidized prices of 3 Rupee, 2 Rupee and 1 Rupee respectively. Each beneficiary will get 5 kg of foodgrain per month. Pregnant women and lactating mothers and children in the age group of 6 months to 14 years will be entitled to meals as per prescribed nutritional norms under Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Mid-Day Meal (MDM) schemes. It provides for higher nutritional norms for malnourished children up to 6 years of age. Pregnant women and lactating mothers will be entitled to receive maternity benefit of not less
107
www.jagranjosh.com
than Rs. 6,000. For the purpose of issuing the ration cards, the Act identifies eldest woman of the household of age 18 years or above as the head of the household. This will go a long way in empowering woman. Households covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) will continue to get 35 kg of foodgrain per month as they constitute poorest of the poor. Existing allocation of each state will be protected if the allocation under the proposed legislation is lower than its current allocation. It will be protected up to the level of average off-take during last three years, at prices to be determined by the Central Government.
Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)

AAY was launched on 25 December 2000 to make TPDS more focused and targeted towards the poorest of the poor category of the population. It provides the identified persons under Below the Poverty Line (BPL) population foodgrains at a highly subsidized rate of 2 Rupee per kg for wheat and 3 Rupee per kg for rice. The scale of issue that was initially 25 kg per family per month has been increased to 35 kg per family per month with effect from 1 April 2002.
Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS)

TPDS was launched in June 1997 with focus on the poor. Under the TPDS, States are required to formulate and implement foolproof arrangements for identification of the poor for delivery of food grains and for its distribution in a transparent and accountable manner at the Fair Price Shop level. The identification of the poor under the scheme is done by the States as per State-wise poverty estimates of the Planning Commission for 1993-94. The poverty estimates were based on the methodology of the Expert Group on estimation of proportion and number of poor chaired by Late Prof Lakdawala. The allocation of food grains to the States/UTs was made on the basis of average consumption in the past, that is, average annual off-take of food grains under the PDS during the past ten years at the time of introduction of TPDS. The foodgrain allocation to BPL families was increased from 10 kg to 20 kg of food grains per family per month at 50% of the economic cost and allocation to APL families at economic cost with effect from 1 April 2000.
108
www.jagranjosh.com
Union Cabinet approved to set up Rail Tariff Authority

The Union Cabinet approved to set up Rail Tariff Authority on 20 January 2014. Rail Tariff Authority will be an advisory body which will advise the Railway Ministry on fares. RTA will comprise of a chairperson and four members at the apex level. At present railway fare and freight rates are set by the Railway Board in accordance with the Railway Act, 1989.
The Rail Tariff Authority functions include

It will recommend fare revision from time to time taking into account input cost and market condition. It will aim to develop an integrated, transparent and dynamic pricing mechanism for the passenger and freight segments of the Indian Railways business. It will help the government to generate requisite surpluses for growth in the future. RTA will be the first external pricing regulatory body for the countrys rail sector. The RTA will be given mandatory powers only after the amendment of the Railway Act, 1989 by the Parliament. The RTA will make recommendations to the Railway Ministry which usually will have to accept it. If in case Railway Ministry disagrees, the ministry will send the recommendations back to the RTA to review its decision.
Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways celebrated 25th Road Safety Week
The 25th Road Safety Week was celebrated in New Delhi from 11 January to 17 January 2014. The theme for Road Safety Week this year was when on the road, always say Pahle Aap.
Highlights of the Road Safety Week

The Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways called upon all stake holders to rededicate their Road Safety efforts to reduce road accidents by 50 percent in next five years. The Ministry launched a new logo with an aim to encourage the society to join hands towards
109
www.jagranjosh.com
making our roads safer on the occasion. In order to give a boost to emergency care of the accident victims, the Union Road Ministry launched a pilot project for cashless treatment up to Rs. 30,000 for first 48 hours for road accident victims on Gurgaon Jaipur section of NH 8. Ambulances connected with the control room through GPS having toll-free number 1033 for assistance have been stationed to provide treatment while taking the injured to the hospitals. The Ministry undertook the process of finalizing a New Car Assessment Programme in consultation with other Ministries, SIAM and stakeholders. The programme will ensure that all new vehicles which are sold in the country have sufficient safe margins for ensuring structural strength of cars. The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Oscar Fernandes gave away Road Safety Awards to the State Transport organizations for their performance and achievements. The details of awards are
State
Andhra Pradesh State Transport Corporation Rajasthan state Road Transport Corporation ST Haryana Andaman & Nicobar ST Sikkim NT Delhi Transport Corporation
Category
Mofussil Category with fleet above 10000 Mofussil Category with fleet between 4001 to 10000 Mofussil Category with fleet between 1001 to 4000 Mofussil Category with fleet up to 1000 Hill category Urban category
Amount (in Rupees)

2.5 lakh 2.0 lakh 1.5 lakh 10 lakh 1.5 lakh 1.5 lakh
India registered an increase of five years in life expectancy rate

India registered an increase of five years in the average life expectancy rate. The average life expectancy rate increased from 63.9 years in 2004 to 69.6 years in 2014. The increase in the life expectancy was the result of consistent investments in public health sector by the government. Life expectancy is defined as the average number of years a person born in a given country would
110
www.jagranjosh.com
live if mortality rates at each age were to remain constant in the future. As per the census of 2011, the life expectancy in India was 65.48 years as compared to the global average life expectancy of 67.88 years. Japan, Switzerland, San Marino are the countries with highest average life expectancy of 83 years. On the other hand, poor countries of Africa like Somalia, Lesotho have an average life expectancy of 50 years with Sierra Leone having the least life expectancy at 47 years. Although India has improved its performance but it still has a life expectancy rate which is relatively very low in South Asia. For instance, Bhutan has the life expectancy of 65.79 years while Pakistan has managed to improve its overall Life expectancy to 67 years. Chinas life expectancy rate is 72.90 years, Bangladesh has life expectancy of 70 years and Sri Lanka has life expectancy of 75 years. Among the BRICS countries also India fares badly. For instance, Brazils life expectancy rate stands at 74 years, Russias life expectancy is 69 years and South Africa has a poor life expectancy of 58 years.
Forest STs to get additional 50 days wage employment under MGNREGA

The Union Ministry of Rural Development on 14 January 2014 decided to provide an additional wage employment of 50 days beyond the stipulated 100 days under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, MGNREGA for Scheduled Tribe (ST) households in forest areas. This means that the ST households in forest areas will receive the wages of 150 days. As per Jairam Ramesh, the Rural Development Minister those tribals who have received the land rights under the Forest Rights Act 2006 will be eligible for the additional benefit. The additional man-day payment through MGNREGA also allows the households to undertake work on their land. Under the Forest Rights Act 2006, about 14 lakh individuals and community titles were distributed and of them about 8 lakh titles as individuals were given in Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattishgarh and Andhra Pradesh. The Forest Rights Act has been included under the Indira Awaas Yojana for assistance.
111
www.jagranjosh.com
SC directed to Government of India to place Shah Commission report by 27 January
The Supreme Court of India on 13 January 2014 directed the Government of India to place the report of Justice Shah Commission on illegal mining in Odisha and Jharkhand. The Court has asked the Government to place the report to it by 27 January 2014. The green bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice AK Patnaik has also ordered the government to provide a copy of the reports to the Central Empowered Committee. The order was passed, when the advocate Prashant Bhusan alleged the contents of the reports, which have been published in newspapers, are shocking and the Apex Court should analyse it. The report of the commission has been marked as a secret and thus it has been decided to not to put it on the public domain, until it is tabled in the Parliament. The reports have not been tabled in the Parliament till now, whereas under the Commission of Inquiry Act 1952, a report of a committee should be tabled in the Parliament within six months of its submission. The case has been posted to 27 January 2014 for hearing, during the hearing, the court will also hear the plea of the petitioner that seeks its direction for the centre to extend the time period of the Shah Commission of inquiry by one Year. The extension of the inquiry will help the commission to complete its inquiry highlighting the issues in accordance with its terms of reference.
About Justice Shah Commission on Illegal Mining of Iron and Manganese

The Government of India has set up Justice MB Shah Commission of Inquiry for Illegal Mining of Iron Ore and Manganese vide Notification dated 22 November 2010.The Commission was asked to recommend remedial measures to prevent mining trade, transportation and export, which was done illegally pr without lawful authority. The commission was headquartered in Mumbai and was given a time limit of 18 months from the date of its first sitting.
112
www.jagranjosh.com
Government gave nod to Guidelines for transparent TV ratings

Union Cabinet on 9 January 2014 approved a comprehensive regulatory framework in the form of guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in India. The guidelines have been launched with an aim to make television ratings transparent, credible and accountable. This was a long-awaited proposal for bringing out a comprehensive regulatory framework which has been done to streamline the way TV channels are rated in the country. The framework will cover a detailed procedure for registration of rating agencies, eligibility norms, terms and conditions of registration, methodology for audience measurement, cross-holdings, complaint redressal mechanism, audit, disclosure, sale and use of ratings, reporting requirements and action on noncompliance of guidelines. With a reasonable notice, the TRAI and I and B can conduct inspections of the rating company as per the issued guidelines. The proposal has been designed following the recommendations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). This will help in streamlining the process of rating viewership of TV channels.
EC called off ties with Google to register new voters

Election Commission on 9 January 2014 decided to call off the tie with Google for registering the new voters through online and to guide regarding the voting procedures. The Election Commission had signed an agreement with Google Company on 2 January 2014. Earlier, Google made a presentation to the EC seeking technical link to its voters database to improve searching ones name in the electoral rolls. However, concerns were raised over privacy, data security and its commercial use by the Indian security agencies. Amidst the possible impact on national security and democracy, the Election Commission (EC) decided not to share details of around 800 million voters with internet giant Google. EC may seek the US-based companys support only for creating voter awareness. Ahead of Lok Sabha general election, the Election Commission of India has been making necessary arrangements to make all eligible voters across the country to vote in the election.
113
www.jagranjosh.com
SC directed Sahara to disclose source of 22885 crore rupees refund

The Supreme Court on 9 January 2014 directed the Sahara Group to reveal the source of the 22885 crore rupees which the group claimed it had refunded to the investors. The bench said that if the Sahara group fails to comply with its order by 23 January 2014 then it will direct the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Registrar of Companies (ROC) to investigate the case. The apex Court gave the order following Security and Exchange board (SEBI) revelation to the court that Sahara group refused to disclose information about source of money to SEBI by saying that this information is immaterial. Sahara group owns two real estate companies Sahara Housing Investment Corporation and Sahara India Real Estate. The Supreme Court had directed Sahara group to make refund to its investors two years ago. The Group claimed that about 20000 crore rupees had been refunded to the investors in their optionally fully-convertible debentures. But, the SEBI maintains that refunding had not been done. When, SEBI enquired about source of refund money, Sahara group declined to disclose the information.
Cabinet approved the guidelines for television rating agencies

The Cabinet approved the guidelines for television rating agencies on 9 January 2014. The guidelines were proposed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. These guidelines will bring out a comprehensive regulatory framework for television rating agencies in India. These guidelines are based on the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on the Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies. These guidelines will make television ratings transparent, credible and accountable.
Highlights of the guidelines

All the rating agencies including the existing rating agencies shall obtain registration from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. All the rating agencies should go through detailed registration procedure, eligibility norms, terms and conditions, cross-holding norms, period of registration, security conditions and other obligations. No company will be allowed to hold not more than 10 percent of paid up equity in both rating agencies and media Company.
114
www.jagranjosh.com
Rating need to be technology neutral and shall capture across multiple viewing platforms (cable TV, Direct-to-Home, Terrestrial TV etc). The rating agencies should scale up a minimum panel size of 20000 households to be implemented within six months of the guidelines coming into force. The panel size shall be increased by 10000 every year until it reaches 50000 households. The rating agency shall submit the detailed methodology to the government and publish it on their website. It shall set up an effective complaint redressal system with tool free number and an internal audit mechanism. The guideline would come into effect immediately from the date of notification and 30 days time would be given to the existing rating agency.
Background
In August 2008, TRAI recommended the self-regulation approach and established the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). The BARC could not operationalise the TRP generating mechanism. In 2010, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting constituted a Committee under the chairmanship Amit Mitra to review the existing TRP system In India. The committee recommended the selfregulation of TRPs by the industry was the best way forward.
Government approved installation of CCTV and GPS on public transport vehicles

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 2 January 2014 approved a proposal for setting-up of CCTVs and GPS devices on public transport vehicles in 32 cities for women safety. The CCTVs will be installed under a unified system named National Vehicle Security and Tracking System at national level and City Command and Control Centre for global positioning system at state level. This will help in mapping the routes of the public vehicles and it will also help in tracking the vehicles on their route. The violations will be highlighted through the visual and text signals. This facility will help in offering safety and security to women and girl child in distress in minimum response time. The complete project will be implemented at a total estimated cost of 1405 crore rupees and it will be executed within a period of two years.
115
www.jagranjosh.com
CCEA nod for the implementation of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project
The 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 Low Income States of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. The project will be implemented with the assistance of the World Bank over a period of six years (from 2013-14 to 2019-20). This project will benefit the rural population of about 78 lakh persons including 44 lakh scheduled castes and more than 8 lakh scheduled tribes. The project will help the people with improved piped water supply which will cover approximately 17400 habitations in 2150 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the following 33 districts of the four States. The total Project cost of 6000 crore rupees will be financed through Government of India [from the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) allocation 33 percent], State Government (fund sharing as per NRDWP guidelines 16 percent), beneficiary contribution (1 percent) and external financing (World Bank-IDA funds 50 percent). Government of India will repay the amount of US$ 500 million extended as credit by the World Bank over a period of 25 years with 1.25 percent interest rate.
116
www.jagranjosh.com
Assam: 7 districts (Hailakandi, Kamrup, Jorhat, Morigaon, Bongaigaon, Sonitpur and Sibsagar) with estimated population coverage of about 14 lakh Bihar: 10 districts (Patna, Begusarai, Munger, Muzzafarpur, West Champaran, Nalanda, Nawada, Saran, Purnia and Banka) with estimated population coverage of about 24 lakh Jharkhand: 6 districts (East Singhbum, Dumka, Garwah, Palamu, Saraikela-Kharsawan and Khunti) with estimated population coverage of about 12 lakh Uttar Pradesh: 10 Eastern UP districts (Gorakhpur, Kushi Nagar, Deoria, Basti, Ghazipur, Ballia, Allahabad, Sonbhadra, Bahraich and Gonda) with estimated population coverage of about 28 lakh
The key features of the project are:

Strengthening and empowering of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) as well as ensuring direct involvement of beneficiary communities in the scheme implementation. Schemes will be implemented with integral involvement of GPs Sanitation in conjoint approach with water is conceptualized as an integrated component of the proposed project The project will implement pilot programs such as 24/7 water supply provision in select areas, and new technologies such as use of solar energy There shall be an intensive Capacity Building programme for all stakeholders down to the GP level Intensive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) and Behavioural Change Communication (BCC) programs will be carried out. The project will support the universal provision of household connections, meters for bulk water supply, and promotion of household meters, wherever appropriate, There will be a focus on monitoring and surveillance of drinking water quality, Grievance redressal measures of a GP, District and State level will be captured by the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system proposed under the project, Technical, financial, procurement and social audits during scheme planning, implementation and O&M will be conducted Demonstration of beneficiary support for the schemes through a onetime upfront community contribution (Rs. 450 per household/ Rs. 225 for SC/ST household) towards capital cost The Project will adopt a phased approach for achieving full Operation and Maintenance (O&M) cost recovery through user fees
117
www.jagranjosh.com
Implementation of the project will improve the usage and access of piped drinking water supplied into individual homes. This will help the women and children will be beneficial because of the facility as at present they bear the burden of securing the daily water supplies available to them. By adopting a convergence approach with Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) and the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) the implementation of the project will improve the sanitation conditions in the targeted district. 24 quality affected (arsenic/fluoride/iron) districts will be covered under the program to provide potable water. The rural population will benefit from effective IEC and Behavioral Change Communication (BCC) programs.
Background
The 12th Five Year Plan for Rural Water Supply envisages achieving piped water supply coverage for 50 percent rural population in the country with 30 percent rural population having household tap connections. This project is therefore conceptualized to provide a focused thrust in the four low income states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand which have less than 10 percent piped water coverage) and Uttar Pradesh (Eastern) which has high incidences of JE/AES cases.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved MSP for Jute

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved on 2 January 2014 the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Jute for 2014-15. The government announced Jute MSP of TD-5 variety at 2400 rupees per quintal with an increase of 100 rupees from previous year. The increase in the MSP of raw jute is expected to encourage farmers to step up investment in jute cultivation and thereby production and productivity of jute in the country. The premium for TD-3 and TD-4 varieties of raw jute will be maintained at 20 percent and 8 percent respectively in relation to the price of TD-5 to encourage farmers for the production of higher grades. The Jute Corporation of India (JCI) acts as the nodal agency to undertake price support operation at MSP in jute growing states.
118
www.jagranjosh.com
About Jute Production

Jute is mainly produced in West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Meghalaya, Tripura and Jharkhand states in India. The top 5 jute producing countries are India, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar and Vietnam. Jute crop required humid climate with temperature between 24 and 38 degree Celsius. Minimum rainfall required is 100mm and new grey alluvial soil is most suitable for jute cultivation. Jute is grown widely in sanding looms and clay loams.
CCEA nod for establishment of Medical colleges for deficient states

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 2 January 2014 approved the proposal for establishment of 58 new medical colleges by upgradation of existing district hospitals in deficient states. The CCEA has approved a proposal of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to set up the new medical colleges attached with the districts in existence or referral hospitals. At present, the country has about 50000 MBBS seats and the government is planning ahead to increase the seats to address the issue of shortage of doctors. This plan will increase the MBBS seats by 5800. The approved proposal says that there will be 100 MBBS seats in each medical college, which will result in an increase of about 5800 MBBS seats in medical education. The share of the central assistance for this will be over 8457 crore rupees and state share of over 2513 crore rupees. The funding pattern will be 90:10 by Central and State Governments respectively for North Eastern States and special category States and in the ratio of 75:25 for other States. Establishment of one medical college will cost 189 crore rupees. The distance between the district/referral hospital and the medical college shall be within 10 kms and on two pieces of land. This is a step at providing more doctor and increase the doctor-patient ratio, which is low currently. India at present has 381 medical colleges with 49918 MBBS seats registered with the Medical Council of India, the apex medical regulator in the country.
CCEA approved the Central Sector Scheme, ILDP

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the Central Sector Scheme Indian Leather
119
www.jagranjosh.com
Development Programme (ILDP) on 2 January 2014. The Indian Leather Development Programme (ILDP) has been approved for the implementation during 12th five year plan period aiming at overall development of the leather sector. Under Indian Leather Development Programme (ILDP), there are six sub-schemes namely Integrated Development of Leather Sector (IDLS), Human Resource Development (HRD), Support to Artisan (STA), Leather Technology Innovation and Environmental Issues (former Upgradation/installation of Infrastructure for Environmental Protection), Mega Leather Cluster and Establishment of Institutional Institutes The six sub-schemes are proposed for continuation from the 11th Plan period for implementation under the ILDP during the 12th Plan period with the total outlay of 990.36 crore rupees. Implementation of ILDP would provide trained manpower to the industry and assistance to overcome the constraints of infrastructure in the industry.
Background
The ILDP was implemented during 11th Plan period and 13 sub-schemes were implemented. The expenditure incurred during 11th Plan period was 669.02 crore rupees. The implementation of the ILDP employed around 50 thousand and supported 13 thousand artisans in different states of the country. 331 units have been approved for providing support for their modernization and technology upgradation.
Cabinet nod on sending President Reference to Supreme Court in Ganguly Case

The Union Government on 2 January 2014 approved a proposal for sending a Presidential reference to Supreme Court for conducting a probe in judge AK Ganguly case. Retired apex court judge A K Ganguly is accused into an allegation of sexual harassment of a law intern. The proposal that has been approved by the Union Cabinet was laid by the Home Ministry to
120
www.jagranjosh.com
send a presidential reference to the Chief Justice of India. Apart from the allegation of the sexual harassment of a law intern, Ganguly has been alleged for violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) in Pakistan. As per the Government of India, he was on a visit to Pakistan from 3 to 6 June 2013, where he was a guest of a Pakistani national and also stayed in his residence in Karachi. This act of Ganguly has qualified him to violation of the FCRA as an Indian Public Servant. The FCRA Act mentions that a public servant of India should take permission from the home Ministry of the Government of India for a foreign hospitality. The allegation also mentions that Ganguly didnt took the central governments permission neither he took a permission of the Governor of West Bengal for his Pakistan Visit, as it is required under the Rule 6 of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) Rules of which he was a Chairperson. Tickets of Ganguly for Pakistan was paid by a private organisation. As per the Home Ministry, he took a paid employment, while conducting arbitration proceedings for the All India Football Federation serving as the Chairman of WBHRC. This offence of Ganguly gives power to the President of India for his removal under Section 23(2) (b) of the Human Rights Act. Under the section, President can remove him directly from the post of WBHRC Chairman without sending a presidential reference to Supreme Court. The presidential reference to the Supreme Court for inquiry was necessitated under Section 23(1) of the same Act, by making other allegations of Ganguly to fall under the proven misbehavior.
Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill 2013 got assent of President

Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India on 1 January 2014 gave his assent to the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2013. With this accent, the Bill has turned to be an Act. It provides creation of an anti-graft watchdog that will bring under its purview to even the office of the Prime Minister with certain safeguards. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha during the winter session on 18 December 2013. Earlier, the amended Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 17 December 2013. A copy of the Bill, which was signed by Meira Kumar, the Speaker of Lak Sabha was sent to the Law Ministry by the secretariat on 1 January 2014. Further, the same was forwarded for Presidents assent to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. After the signing by the President, the Bill has taken a shape of an Act following certain procedures.
121
www.jagranjosh.com
For publication of the Act in the official gazette, the Bill will be sent for signing to the Secretary of Legislative Department in the Law Ministry after the assent of the President. The Bill aims to set-up an institution of Lokpal at Centre and Lokayuktas in the states by the law enacted by respective legislatures within one year from the date of its coming into effect. Earlier in 2011, the Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha during its winter session, but was debated in Rajya Sabha till the adjournment of its session before voting. Further, a select committee of Rajya Sabha suggested some changes in the Bill of which maximum were incorporated and approved by the Union Cabinet.
Important features of the Act are

As per the Act a Lokpal will be at the centre level and Lokayuktas will be at the states levels A Lokpal consist of a Chairperson and a maximum of eight members, of which 50 percent should be of judicial members The Act provides that 50 percent of the total members of the Lokpal should be from SC/ST/ OBCs, minorities and women The Chairperson and members of the Lokpal will be selected through a selection committee, which include the Prime Minister of India, Lok Sabha Speaker, Lok Sabhas leader of opposition, the Chief Justice of India or the Judge of the Supreme Court nominated by the Chief Justice. Then the President of India will nominate the eminent Jurist on the basis of the recommendations of the first four members of the selection committee The Prime Minister has been brought under the purview of the Lokpal The jurisdiction of the Lokpal will cover all the categories of the public servant Under its also comes any/all entities, which will receive the donations from a foreign source in excess of 10 lakh rupees in context of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) The Act will provide adequate protection to the honest and upright public servants The Act provide Lokpal the right to superintendence and direct any investigation agency including the CBI on the cases, which will be referred to them from the Lokpal itself The Director of the CBI will be recommended by the high power committee that will be chaired by the Prime Minister of India Director will control the Directorate of Prosecution that is headed by the Director of Prosecution The Central Vigilance Commission will recommend the Director of Prosecution, CBI for appointment Lokpals approval will be required for the transfers of the officers of CBI, who are investigating
122
www.jagranjosh.com
the cases referred by the Lokpal The Act gives the provisions to attach and confiscate the property that has been acquired by corrupt means even in the case that the prosecution of the case remains pending Clear time lines for preliminary enquiry and trial has been layed in the Act. It also mentions setting-up of special courts towards the end of the trial It mentions that a mandate for setting up the Lokayukta institution through enactment of a law by the State Legislature within 365 days from the date on which the Act was commenced
Centre sanctioned over 1000 buses for 13 cities under JNNURM

The Centre has sanctioned 1080 buses to thirteen cities of seven states under its Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme on 1 January 2014. These states are Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim and Tripura. An official release said that these cities have also been sanctioned projects relating to ancillary infrastructure like depots and workshops for urban transport. Under the JNNURM phase-II, the Centre had sanctioned 1021 buses to Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), out of which 737 are for four mission cities Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati. The Corporation got 1540 buses to the mission cities under phase-I in 2009. The low floor buses facilitate easy boarding by women, old aged and differently-abled persons without having to take to two or three steps as in the conventional buses. There are facilities for persons to get into the bus in a wheel chair. Hyderabad for the first time got semi-low floor midi buses. These buses have easy boarding facility than the conventional ones and they would be deployed on the interior routes of the Old city.
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission

Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) is a massive city modernisation scheme launched by the Government of India. It envisages a total investment of over 20 billion dollar over a period of 7 years. It is named after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister
123
www.jagranjosh.com
of India. The scheme was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in December 2005, as a programme meant to improve the quality of life and infrastructure in the cities.
SC directed NCST to verify authenticity of ST status of Meghalaya CM

Supreme Court (SC) of India on 20 January 2014 directed the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) to verify the authenticity of ST status of Mukul Sangma, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya. The direction of the Apex Court came following a challenge by political rivals. The bench of the Court headed by Chief Justice of India, P Sathasivam while hearing a PIL filed by the All North East Indigenous Garo Law Promoter Association that has challenged the ST status of Sangma refused to go into and said that the matter. He said that it should be decided by the Commission and asked the commission to look into the complaint and take a decision within eight weeks. The association has demanded the cancellation of the ST certificate of Sangma that has been issued to him. Sangma had won the 2013 Assembly election from the Ampati Constituency in South Garo Hills.
National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST)

National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) was established by amending Article 338 and inserting a new Article 338A in the Constitution through the Constitutions (89th Amendment) Act, 2003. By this amendment, the erstwhile National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was replaced by two separate Commissions with effect from 19 February 2004 namely The 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 and other Members have the 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 of the Commission located in six States.
There are four Wings at Headquarters

124
www.jagranjosh.com
Administration & Coordination Wing Service Safeguards Wing Atrocities Wing Economic & Social Development Wing There are 6 State Offices of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes which work as eyes and ears of the Commission. They keep a watch on the formulation of policy and issue of guidelines relating to the welfare of Scheduled Tribes in the States/UTs and keep the Commissions Headquarters informed about the development periodically.
Location and Jurisdiction of the State Offices of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
Headquarter & Jurisdiction Bhubaneswar Orissa, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry Bhopal Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep Raipur Chhattisgarh Jaipur Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu & Kashmir, Chandigarh and Daman & Diu Shillong Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim Ranchi Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh Assistant Director Research Officer (Additional Charge) Director Director Research Officer Designation of the officer-in-charge
Director (Additional Charge)
125
www.jagranjosh.com
India scraped 3600 crore rupees VVIP Chopper Deal with AgustaWestland
India scrapped the 3600 crore rupees to supply 12 VVIP helicopter deal with the Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland on 1 January 2014. It was scrapped following the alleged payment of kickbacks to the tune of 360 crore rupees paid in the deal. It has been done nearly a year after the scam that surfaced creating a political storm in India. The deal was scrapped on the grounds of the breach of the pre-contract Integrity Pact and the agreement with the firm. The bribes were paid to win the contract by two executives of AugustaWestland, a unit of Italian defence contractor Finmeccanica to supply a dozen AW101 helicopters, which will be used by Indian Air Force for carrying the VVIPs and ministers.
Indias agreement with AgustaWestland

India did a deal for supply of 12 VVIP helicopters with AgustaWestland in 2010. The company has already delivered three helicopters to India. The controversy came into existence after the arrest of two top officials of the company in February 2013. AgustaWestland was pressing the Indian Government for arbitration, whereas the Indian Government viewed that arbitration is not a subject to be taken care of due to the issues related to integrity. But India decided to get into the arbitration following an advice by the Attorney General of India after scrapping the deal. Justice BP Jeevan Reddy has been nominated as the arbitrator of India to safeguard the interests of the Government.
List of some Defence Scandals of India

Jeeps Scandal in 1948: It was alleged that irregularities happened in the acquisition of the jeeps from England, which was used as army jeeps. The deal was signed by VK Menon, the Indian High Commissioner in Britain at that time. He bypassed a protocol to sign a deal of 80 lakh rupees. The
126
www.jagranjosh.com
case was closed in 1955 as t5he judicial inquiry ignored the suggestion of the Inquiry Committee led by Ananthsayanam Ayyangar. It was first major corruption of Independent India. Bofors Scandal in 1987: It is alleged that the Swedish arms maker, Bofors bribed to get the deal of the 155 mm Howitzers. Rajiv Gandi, the then Prime Minister of India was involved in the scandal, which was closed after 21 years of probe in 2011. It was signed between India and Swedish metals and armaments major to replace the old field guns and artillery available with Indian army. The government of India decided the induction of the Calibre 155 mm howitzers. AB bofors of Sweden manufactured the FH-77 gun, which was owned by Alfred Nobel one. Scorpene Submarine Scandal of 2005: It alleges bribery of 500 crore rupees by Thales, a defence company of France to purchase the submarine of Scorpene for Indian Navy. No evidence was found by CBI in its preliminary enquiry. Pranab Mukherjee the then Union Defence Minister approved a deal worth 19000 crore rupees in October 2005. These submarines are being in India at present under a technology transfer agreement. The technology transfer agreement was a part of the agreement signed. Barack Missiles Scandal in 2000: RK Jain, the treasurer of Samata Party was arrested and former Defence Minister of India George Fernandes was named for the allegations of bribery for acquisition of Barack missile by Israel. In 2006 a case was lodged by CBI and the case was closed in 2011. Tatra Trucks Scandal of 2012: The former chief of Army General VK Singh alleged that he was offered a bribe to clear the purchase of these trucks. Questions were raised on the quality of the heavy duty trucks made by Tatra.
Government issued food safety guidelines for Integrated Child Development Services scheme
The Government of India on 31 December 2013 issued food safety and hygiene guidelines to prevent contamination of supplementary nutrition provided to pregnant women and children. The guidelines were issued under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme. The guidelines were issued by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. The issued guidelines have barred the anganwadi workers and helpers from wearing nail polish, and artificial nails. The anganwadi workers and helpers have been asked to trim
127
www.jagranjosh.com
their nails and should keep them clean while washing the hands. It has also banned them from wearing wrist watches and rings and bangles or any type of jewellery item, while cooking and serving food. These have been banned as these jewellery items may carry foreign bodied and compromise with the hygiene standard. The Operational Guidelines for Food Safety and Hygiene of ICDS has also mentions that the workers and helpers should tie their hairs neatly and it should be covered. It also mentions that any type of glass should not be allowed in the cooking areas. As per the issued guidelines, an adequate precaution for cleanliness has been issued for the staffs to prevent the food from getting contaminated during cleaning of rooms, utensils or any other equipment. It has also mentioned that before using any equipment, while cooking food should be washed with water. It has also mentioned that toilets should be cleaned all the times to make safe disposal of stool and wastes. It has said that the activity rooms, should be well ventilated and also be spacious, which should be cleaned every day before the start of the functions in the morning.
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme

Integrated Child Development Services scheme was launched on 2 October 1975. ICDS Scheme represents one of the worlds largest and most unique programmes for early childhood development. ICDS is the foremost symbol of Indias commitment to her children Indias response to the challenge of providing pre-school education on one hand and breaking the vicious cycle of malnutrition, morbidity, reduced learning capacity and mortality, on the other.
Objectives: The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme was launched in 1975 with the following objectives To improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years; To lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child; To reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropout; To achieve effective co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development; and To enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child through proper nutrition and health education
Services: The above objectives are sought to be achieved through a package of services comprising
128
www.jagranjosh.com
Supplementary nutrition Immunization Health check-up Referral services Pre-school non-formal education Nutrition & health education
The concept of providing a package of services is based primarily on the consideration that the overall impact will be much larger if the different services develop in an integrated manner as the efficacy of a particular service depends upon the support it receives from related services.
129
www.jagranjosh.com
INDIA DAIRY
January 2014
1 January 2014 India scrapped the 3600 crore rupees deal with with the Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland for the supply of 12 VVIP helicopter. Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India, gave his assent to the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2013. Southern Grid of India has been synchronously connected with the grids of the country successfully accomplishing the mission of One Nation - One Grid - One Frequency.
2 January 2014 Union Government approved installation of CCTV and GPS on public transport vehicles in 32 cities for safety of women. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved an increase of 100 rupees in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of TD-5 variety of raw Jute for 2014-15. Union Government approved amendments in the Mega Power Policy 2009 so as to clear the road blocks in the realization of provisional Mega Power projects. Indian credit-rating agency CRISIL launched Financial Inclusix Index 2013. The index showed an improvement of 2.7% in the financial inclusion in India.
3 January 2014 Justice (retd) AK Ganguly, the Chairman of West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) resigned from the post of the honorary professor of the National University of Juridicial Sciences (NUJS). The resignation came after the Union Cabinet nod for Presidential reference under Article 143 of the Constitution. MS Dhir, an MLA of Aam Aadmi Party, is elected as the Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly. Merger & Acquisitions (M & A) in the India economy declined by 11.5% in the year 2013: Thomson Reuters.
130
www.jagranjosh.com
INDIA DAIRY
January 2014
4 January 2014 R. Chandrashekhar appointed as President of National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM). Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh launched the total E-literacy project to be implemented by PN Panicker Vigyan Vikas Kendra in Thiruvanathpuram.
5 January 2014 Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its heavy-duty rocket GSLV-D5, powered by indigenously developed cryogenic engine, for placing communication satellite GSAT-14 into the orbit. INS Mhadei of Indian Navy to carry an all-woman crew for the first time for circumnavigating the globe as a part of training.
6 January 2014 Justice A K Ganguly resigned as chairman of WBHRC Government of India announced Jeevan Raksha Padak for 37 people Dhanu Yatra of Bargarh started in Odisha Reserve Bank of India selected CCIL as Legal Entity Identifier RBI allowed Indian companies to issue non-convertible debentures
7 January 2014 Delhi High Court ruled CAG can audit telecom companies Prithvi II, the nuclear capable Surface-to-Surface missile, successfully test-fired Government launched Indias first comprehensive adolescent health programme Union Ministry of Human Resource Development announced Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Baligan scheme Dr. Ambedkar National Merit Awards conferred by Kumari Selja
131
www.jagranjosh.com
INDIA DAIRY
January 2014
Supreme Court gave notice to the government to revive KG-basin gas
8 January 2014 RBI panel recommended setting up of specialized banks to cater to low income households Munish Sharda appointed as MD and CEO of Future Generali Life Business confidence would improve in Q1 of 2014: Dun and Bradstreet Survey Coal Block allocation can be cancelled even if huge investments are made: SC RBI relaxed Gold loan norms to lend up to 75 percent loan Report titled Estimation of retreat of Gangotri glacier released by GBPIHED
9 January 2014 Government gave nod to Guidelines for transparent TV ratings EC called off ties with Google to register new voters SC directed Sahara to disclose source of 22885 crore rupees refund Cabinet approved the guidelines for the television rating agencies Union Government introduced Know India Programme for young Overseas Indians DRH issued new Guidelines to give psychological help to molestation victims Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards conferred by the President Nirbheek, Indias first gun for women, launched Ministry of Environment and Forest approved Tawang II hydroelectric project
10 January 2014 World Hindi Day observed on 10 January CCEA approved renaming of Mill Gate Price Scheme as Yarn Supply Scheme Gorakhpur railway station entered Limca Book of Records as worlds longest platform POSCO got Environmental Clearance nod for 52000 crore rupees Steel Plant in Odisha
132 www.jagranjosh.com
INDIA DAIRY
January 2014
11 January 2014 Government notified new natural Gas Pricing Formula
12 January 2014 Andhra Pradesh bagged Oil and Gas Conservation Award, 2013 P.K.Goyal won Best CFO Award IRDA issued guidelines for investment in Equity Exchange Traded Funds IRDA formed Suresh Mathur panel to suggest ways to improving FDI Indian Economy GDP growth rate to be revised for 2011-12 .
13 January 2014 The Supreme Court of India directed the Government of India to place the report of Justice Shah Commission on illegal mining in Odisha and Jharkhand. Consumer Retail Inflation declined to 9.87 percent in December 2013 on account of decline in vegetable prices.
14 January 2014 The Union Ministry of Rural Development decided to provide an additional wage employment of 50 days beyond the stipulated 100 days under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, MGNREGA for Scheduled Tribe (ST) households in forest areas. Oil-rich Sudan offers two oil and gas blocks, viz., Block 8 and Block 15, to ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) on the sidelines of Petrotech 2014. Wholesale Inflation declined to five-month low of 6.16 percent in December 2013.
15 January 2014 Army Day observed across India.
133
www.jagranjosh.com
INDIA DAIRY
January 2014
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) included Hong Kong and Macau in the sensitive list of countries along with Pakistan and China. Union Government allowed the import of frozen human embryos for artificial reproduction.
16 January 2014 Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways celebrated 25th Road Safety Week. The theme for Road Safety Week this year was when on the road, always say Pahle Aap. The Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Union Minister of Agriculture approves the incentives to the sugar industry for exports of up to 40 lakh tonnes of raw sugar for two years.
17 January 2014 Vice President releases the book titled Sangharsh Ke Safar Ka Nayak Mulayam written by Omveer Tomar. Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohra community died of cardiac arrest in Mumbai. He was 102.
18 January 2014 Cyrus Mistry won the DSC prize 2014 for South Asian literature for his book Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer. Mistry was awarded with a cash price of 50000 dollars at Jaipur International Literature Festival 2014. Union Government of India extended the implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 to the States of Karnataka and Chhattisgarh.
19 January 2014 Government extended Natural Manufacturing Policy benefits to Industry Clusters RBI appointed a Committee to Review Governance of Boards of Banks in India Netherlands won the inaugural title of Hockey World League Final Dexter, Private Information Stealing Virus, detected in online banking transactions
134
www.jagranjosh.com
INDIA DAIRY
January 2014
20 January 2014 National Urban Health Mission launched Union Cabinet granted minority status to Jain community across India Union Cabinet approved to set up Rail Tariff Authority Union Government of India extended the implementation of NFSA to Karnataka and Chhattisgarh Aruna Bahuguna first woman to be appointed chief of National Police Academy Veerappa Moily formed MOT to reassess Hydrocarbon Resources of India
21 January 2014 Union Government approved Capacity Building Scheme and Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Climate Change Viscera test must in death due to poisoning: SC Vice President released book entitled Indias Political and Foreign Relations with the Gulf Region Indian economy to grow by 6 percent: CRISIL India Economic Growth projected to be 4.5 percent by IMF RBI expert panel suggested adoption of new CPI for Anchoring Monetary Policy
22 January 2014 Kailash Meghwal elected as the Speaker of Rajasthan Assembly Sudhir Mahato, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Jharkhand died Dr. Tej Vir Singh won the UNWTO Ulysses Prize LPG Connection Portability Scheme launched Currency notes issued before 2005 to be withdrawn: RBI SEBI asked depositories to set up IT Strategy Panels
135
www.jagranjosh.com
INDIA DAIRY
January 2014
23 January 2014 Garuda Vasudha Advanced Light Helicopter of Geological Survey of India launched RBI issued new guidelines for loan restructuring in NBFCs Finance Ministry nod for 1000 rupees minimum monthly pension plan
24 January 2014 NALSA launched free legal service clinics across the country Union Government launched National Waterway-4 project in Tamil Nadu National Girl Child Day observed on 24 January Aviation ministry removed V.P. Agrawal from position of AAI chairman 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2013: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Bags Seven Awards
25 January 2014 National Communal Harmony Awards 2013 won by Centre for Study of Society and Secularism The Election Commission of India celebrated the 4th National voters Day: 25 January Pitroda Committee submit report to Information and Broadcasting Ministry Dhruva-3 indigenous High Performance Computing System inaugurated Padma Awards for the Year 2014 announced on the Eve of 65th Republic Day of India
26 January 2014 Ela Gandhi honoured with Amadelkufa in South Africa Karl Slym, MD of Tata Motors died after falling from hotel building in Bangkok PAN allotment process to undergo change from 3 February 2014 Saina won Syed Modi International India Grand Prix title MS Dhoni became first captain to play in four tied ODIs
136
www.jagranjosh.com
Ela Gandhi honoured with Amadelkufa in South Africa Padma Awards for the Year 2014 given on the Eve of 65th Republic Day of India
27 January 2014 Union Civil Aviation Ministry removed restrictions on Airbus A-380 in India India Post to install 3000 ATM & 1.35 lakh micro-ATM by September 2015 EGoM approved SUC of 5 percent of annual Gross Revenue on all new airwaves NIC and Union Ministry of MSME launched India Inclusive Innovation Fund India won gold in mens Basketball at Lusofonia Games Union Government banned cosmetic companies from testing on animals Ajoy Misra elevated as the CEO and MD of Tata Global Beverages Limited Anand Kumar, the founder of Super30 got Ramanujan Mathematics award Andaman & Nicobar: Committee to review safety standards of tourist vessels
28 January 2014 Union Ministry of Rural Development signed MoU with Digital Green TRAI released Working Guidelines for Spectrum Trading RBI raised Repo Rate by 25 basis points to 8 percent India ranked lowest in International Intellectual Property Index Delhi Government ordered audit into finances of DIMTS Uttar Pradesh government launched Samajwadi pension scheme Manoj Kohli appointed as MD&CEO of non telecom businesses of Bharti Enterprises
29 January 2014 National Waqf Development Corporation Limited inaugurated by Prime Minister EC to CEOs of States: Make standardized voting compartment at Polling station Cantilever Pamban Bridge completed 100 years
137
www.jagranjosh.com
Sumit Malik stripped off gold medal for anti-doping violation Tax exemption for Olympics, CWG and Asian Games winners Six PSUs signed MoU to set up Worlds largest Solar Power Project Hero MotoCorp launched hybrid diesel 150cc bike
30 January 2014 Cabinet approved Amendments to the Mental Health Care Bill NIT Odisha developed technology to turn Plastic into fuel
31 January 2014 Uttrakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna resigned Agriculture Ministry issued guidelines on National Mission on Oil seeds and Oil Palm Allahabad High Court ordered CBI probe into alleged misappropriation of MGNREGA funds Economic growth for 2012-13 lowered to 4.5 percent from 5 percent estimated earlier Dhoni is 4th fastest batsman to score 8000 runs in ODIs
138
www.jagranjosh.com
ECONOMY
FAA downgraded safety ratings of Indian aviation
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the US downgraded the safety ratings of Indian aviation on 31 January 2014. The safety ratings have been downgraded from top to the second category. The downgrading would affect expansion of flights by Indian carriers to the United States. The downgrade from Category I to II means that Indian aviation regulator does not meet the safety standards set by the UN agency, International Civil Aviation Organisation. The downgrading of Indian aviation was taken after Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) failed to address all the 33 concerns raised by the FAA in its safety audit conducted in September 2013 and December 2013. Among the concerns raised by the FAA over 33 issues were filling up of several senior positions including those of full-time Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs), beefing up of aviation safety training
139
www.jagranjosh.com
programmes and preparing manuals and documentation on certain safety issues. The FAA downgrade of Indias safety rankings would effectively bar Air India and Jet Airways from increasing flights to the US from what they currently operate or have any new code-share relationships with any US airline. However, it does not mean that these airlines are unsafe but show that the DGCAs safety oversight may not be enough to properly monitor safety performance of Indian carriers. The FAA over the years has downgraded ratings of several nations including that of close ally Israel, Mexico, Venezuela and the Philippines. It has used downgrade as more of a tool to pressurise countries to shape up their regulatory schemes but not as a warning of imminent safety problems.
Union Cabinet approved second Phase of Bangalore Metro Rail Project

The Union Cabinet on 30 January 2014 approved the second phase of Bangalore Metro Rail Project to improve public transport system and provide additional public transport infrastructure in the city. It is named as Namma Metro and will cover a distance of 72 kilometer in the second phase. Construction in the second phase includes construction of four extension lines of the East-West and North-South corridors of Phase 1 and two new lines also. The government will make an investment of estimated 26405 crore rupees of which 5281 crore rupees will be the share of the central government and 8983 crore by Karnataka government. The remaining 12141 crore rupees will be raised through debt. The project is scheduled to be completed in five years. At present, the Bangalore Metro (Namma) is operational for about 6.7 kilometer, which was the part of phase one of the project. The Bangalore Metro rail Corporation has created the project jointly share of center and state with 50:50 equity.
CCI ordered fresh probe into Coal India and subsidiary for violations
Competition Commission of India (CCI) on 30 January 2014 ordered a fresh probe into the state-run miner Coal India and its subsidiary for alleged abuse of dominant market position in fuel supplies. The ordered probe will also look into the role of the executives who were in-charge of business for violations of competition norms if any found. Earlier, the Competition Commission of India slapped
140
www.jagranjosh.com
a penalty of 1773 crore rupees on Coal India for unfair business ways in December 2013. This penalty charge has been challenged by the company and at present it is lying with the appellate tribunal.
Agriculture Ministry issued guidelines on National Mission on Oil seeds and Oil Palm
Union Agriculture Ministry on 31 January 2014 issued detailed guidelines and strategy for implementation of National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm. The issued scheme is aimed at enhancement of production of traditional and tree-borne oilseeds. The scheme also seeks to bringin large area under the oil palm cultivation. Under the 12th five-year plan, the government has sanctioned 3507 crore rupees for the Mission.
Implementation of the strategy includes

Increasing Seed Replacement Ratio Irrigation coverage under oilseeds from 26 to 36 percent Diversify of area from low yielding cereal crops to oilseed crops and inter-cropping of oilseeds with cereals, sugarcane and pulses Use of fallow land after paddy and potato cultivation Active involvement of all the stakeholders would be implemented under the scheme of which 75 percent cost will be borne by centre and 25 percent by the states. The fund flow will be monitored strictly to ensure benefits of the Mission reaches to the targeted beneficiaries at a proper time.
India became third largest crude oil importer in the World

India overtook Japan to become the third largest crude oil importer in the World. As per the data released by Reuters on 30 January 2014, India imported 3.86 million barrels-per-day of crude oil in the year 2013. Indias crude oil imports were nearly 6 percent higher than Japans customs-cleared imports of 3648372 barrels-per-day (211716710 kilolitres). Recently, China had overtaken USA to become the worlds largest importer of crude oil.
141
www.jagranjosh.com
Worlds Top Five Oil-Importing Countries

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. China: China imports 6.30 million barrels per day U.S.A: USA imports 6.24 million barrels per day India: India imports 3.86 million barrels per day Japan: Japan imports 3.64 million barrels per day Germany: Germany imports 2.67 million barrels per day
By June 2014 India to have 243 million Internet users: IAMAI

The internet user base in India was projected to touch 243 million by June 2014. This was according to the data released by the Internet And Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) on 29 January 2014. With more and more people accessing the Web through mobile phones, the IAMAI projected a growth of 28 percent in internet user base from June 2013 to June 2014. The Internet user base in the country stood at 190 million at the end of June 2013.
The other highlights of IAMAI data

The internet user base in the whole year 2013 grew by 42 per cent. It increased from 150 million in 2012 to 213 million in 2013. Of the total user base, mobile Internet users accounted for 130 million in 2013, a growth of about 92 per cent from 68 million in 2012. The number of mobile Internet users was expected to touch 185 million by June 2014, accounting for about 76 per cent of the Internet user base in the country. The growth of Internet users has also led to a substantial growth of other digital industries such as e-commerce and digital advertising. Digital commerce market stood at 8146 crore rupees in December 2007 and it grew to 47349 crore rupees by the end of 2012. At the end of December 2013, digital commerce in India grew to 62967 crore rupees. Digital Advertising is projected to touch 2938 core rupees by the end of March 2014 witnessing a steady growth.
142
www.jagranjosh.com
NIC and Union Ministry of MSME launched India Inclusive Innovation Fund
India Inclusive Innovation Fund (IIIF) was launched by the National Innovation Council (NIC) and the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) on 27 January 2014. IIIF seeks to combine innovation and the dynamism of enterprise to solve the problems of citizens at the base of the economic pyramid in India.
Main characteristics of the IIIF

IIIF will help create a new class of capital or venture capital to set up and scale entrepreneurial skills and innovation in the firms delivering goods and service to the poorest of the country. The Fund will invest in innovative ventures that are scalable, sustainable and therefore profitable. It will address social needs of less privileged citizens in areas such as healthcare, food, nutrition, agriculture, education, skill development, energy, financial inclusion, water, and sanitation and employment generation. It will also partner the entire ecosystem in this space, including incubators, angel groups, and also public R&D programmes and laboratories to support the commercialisation and deployment of socially relevant innovative technologies and solutions. The Fund will be registered under SEBIs Alternative Investment Fund Category I guidelines. The initial corpus of fund is 500 crore rupees with the Union Ministry of MSME committing 20 percent and rest would be given by banks, insurance companies, overseas financial and development institutions. The Funds eventual aim is to expand the corpus to 5000 crore rupees in next two years. The Government will set up Asset Management Company (AMC) to take the responsibility of day to day operations of the fund. The AMC will build a mentoring network, incubation and provide training and skills development programmes to entrepreneurs and IIIF assisted companies. A Governing Council comprising government nominees as well as eminent persons from the fields of public service, industry, finance and entrepreneurship will provide oversight and ensure the purpose of the fund is maintained.
143
www.jagranjosh.com
EGoM approved SUC of 5 percent of annual Gross Revenue on all new airwaves
The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on 27 January 2014 approved a Spectrum Usage Charge (SUC) of 5 percent of the annual gross revenue on all new airwaves acquired in auction. The telecom operators in existence till now have to pay the weighted average of their existing SUC and 5 percent if they acquire new spectrum. The decision of the EGoM would be sent to the cabinet for its final approval. Kail Sibal, the Union Telecom Minister informed that 5 percent will be charged for all new spectrums that will be sold but it will be charged at weighted average. No protection of revenue will be charged. The SUC for Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum would continue to remain at 1 percent because the existing contractual obligation has not been amended by the government. But the BWA will have to pay a SUC of 5 percent for the new airwaves that they will acquire. The companies will also have to separately report about the revenue earned from the BWA airwaves and new spectrums.
Background
The Government of India at present gets average SUC of 4.8 percent on the airwaves which have been allocated till date. The same has been fixed at 5 percent. The EGoM that is headed by Union Finance Minister, P Chidambram has been recommended with three options and they include A levy of 3 percent with weighted average 5 percent with weighted average Continuation of the existing regime
The charge is annually levied by the government as a percentage of revenue earned from telecom services. This decision of EGoM came following a application written to the Department of Telecom to take a call on SUC before auction starts on 3 February 2014.
RBI raised Repo Rate by 25 basis points to 8 percent

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised the Repo rate under Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 7.75 percent to 8 percent. Besides, it kept the cash reserve ratio (CRR) of
144
www.jagranjosh.com
scheduled banks unchanged at 4 percent of net demand and time liability (NDTL). The decision to raise the repo rate and keep the CRR unchanged was announced by the RBI in its Third Quarter Monetary Policy Review on 28 January 2014. As a result, the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted at 7 percent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 9.0 percent.
The Main highlights of the Third Quarter Policy Review

Global uncertainty continues to surround the prospects for some emerging economies, with domestic fragilities getting accentuated. Financial market contagion is a clear potential risk. Domestically, some loss of momentum of growth is likely in Quarter 3 of 2013-14, despite a strong pick-up in rabi sowing. The current account deficit (CAD) for 2013-14 is expected to be below 2.5 percent of GDP as compared with 4.8 percent in 2012-13. Over the ensuing 12-month horizon, and with the current policy stance, the CPI inflation is expected to be on the upside risk of 8 percent in 2014-15. Real GDP growth can be expected to firm up from a little below 5 percent in 2013-14 to a range of 5 to 6 percent in 2014-15, with risks balanced around the central estimate of 5.5 per cent. Following the recommendation of the Dr. Urjit Patel Committee, monetary policy reviews will ordinarily be undertaken in a two-monthly cycle, consistent with the availability of key macroeconomic and financial data. Accordingly, the next policy review is scheduled on 1 April 2014.
RBI issued new guidelines for loan restructuring in NBFCs

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued guidelines for loans restructured by non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) on 23 January 2014. The new guidelines are intended to create a level-playing field between NBFCs and other commercial banks. The guidelines issued on loan restructuring for NBFCs were based upon the recommendations of Mahapatra Committee. Mahapatra Committee headed by B Mahapatra, Executive Director at RBI, was appointed by the RBI in October 2013.
The new guidelines issued are

NBFCs to have more flexibility to deal with stressed loans but it is mandatory for them to set aside a substantial amount of provisions to cover restructured loans.
145
www.jagranjosh.com
NBFCs, like commercial banks, are required to set aside a 5% provision against restructured loans. For existing stock, the provisions will go up to 5% in a phased manner by March 2017. At present, a majority of the NBFCs are not allowed to accept public deposits and most of their funding needs are met by borrowing from commercial banks. An infrastructure loan given by an NBFC will become a non-performing asset (NPA) if the project fails to take off commercially within two years from the original date of commencement of commercial operations (DCCO), unless it is restructured and becomes eligible for classification as a standard asset. If the loan is given to a non-infra project, it will become an NPA if the borrower fails to commence commercial operations within one year from the original DCCO, even if it is regular as per record of recovery, unless the loan is restructured. NBFCs will have to make a provisioning of 0.25% of the loan amount for such loans. For commercial real estate loans, an extension of DCCO will not be considered as restructuring if the revised DCCO falls within a period of one year from the original date of commercial commencement. Hence, such loans will be treated as standard assets without attracting higher provisioning. A special classification benefit will be provided to corporate debt restructuring cases, including small and medium enterprises. The benefit will, however, be withdrawn with effect from 1 April 2014.
Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)

NBFCs are company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 engaged in the business of loans and advances. The Reserve Bank of India is entrusted with the responsibility of regulating and supervising the NBFCs by virtue of powers vested in Chapter III B of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. They are different from the commercial banks in the sense that they cannot accept demand deposits and do not form a part of any payment settlement. Also, deposit insurance facility of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation is not available to depositors of NBFCs, unlike in case of banks.
146
www.jagranjosh.com
Finance Ministry nod for 1000 rupees minimum monthly pension plan
Union Finance Ministry on 23 January 2014 approved a proposal to provide minimum monthly pension of 1000 rupees to workers of organised sector, under the Employees Pension Scheme 1995 (EPS-95). The proposal will be in effect from 1 April 2014 and will benefit around 27 lakh pensioners. The government will provide an additional contribution of over 1200 crore rupees to ensure minimum monthly pension. Now it depends on the decision of Union Labour Minister, Oscar Fernandes to take it to the Cabinet for approval. At present the subscribers get 500 rupees per month despite working for 30 years. Apart from this the Finance Ministry has also approved a proposal seeking raise of the basic wage ceiling under the Employees Provident Fund Scheme from the existing 6500 rupees to 15000 per month. Employees who get the basic wages more than 6500 rupees per month (including basic pay and dearness allowance) are not covered under the social security scheme run by EPFO. The Employee Pension Scheme is run by Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
Currency notes issued before 2005 to be withdrawn: RBI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to withdraw all currency notes issued prior to 2005 from circulation on 21 January 2014. From 1 April 2014, Banks will provide exchange facility to the general public for exchanging the pre-2005 issued bank notes. The notes issued before 2005 do not have the year of printing on the reverse side. However, bank notes issued before 2005 would continue to be legal tender. That is banks are required to exchange the notes for their customers as well as for non-customers. From 1 July 2014, those wanting to exchange more than 10 pieces of 500 and 1000 rupee notes in a bank where they do not have an account will have to provide proof of residence and identity. The move by the RBI is to capture the money flows into the system and also to help flush out counterfeit notes. This would leave currency hoarders with no option but to liquidate their unaccounted holdings by spending or exchanging them. As of March 2012, as many as 5 lakh fake bank notes had been detected in the banking system, a 31% jump from the year before. In its annual report, RBI asked banks to ensure that the notes they receive over the counter are sent back into circulation only after they being properly authenticated. Globally, it is a practice across central banks to phase out banknotes at regular intervals.
147
www.jagranjosh.com
SEBI asked depositories to set up IT Strategy Panels

SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) on 22 January 2014 constituted the Depository System Review Committee (DSRC) to undertake a comprehensive review of the Indian depository system. Based on the recommendations of DSRC, following guidelines are issued to strengthen the Information Technology (IT) governance framework of depositories. Depositories shall formulate an IT strategy committee at the Board level of depository to provide insight and advice to the Board in various areas that may include 1. Developments in IT from a business perspective. 2. The alignment of IT with the business direction. 3. The availability of IT resources to meet strategic objectives. 4. Competitive aspects of IT Investments. 5. Alignment of the IT architecture to the organization needs and its approval. 6. Setting priorities and milestones. The circulation says that the Depositories shall formulate an IT strategy document and an Information Security policy which should be approved by the Board and reviewed annually. The guidelines were issued by SEBI following the recommendation of a committee to strengthen the IT governance framework of depositories formed by the regulator in December 2012 to review the depository system in India. The depositories have the mandate to help firms in converting their physical shares or securities into dematerialized or demat form. They also have been asked to maintain the shares and supervise proper conversation and reconciliation of their total share capital by the companies. A circular of SEBI has asked the depositories to formulate an IT strategy committee at board level. This has been done to provide an insight and advice in various areas, which include developments in IT from a business and competitive aspects of IT investments. This circular has been issued in exercise of powers conferred under Section 11(1) of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 which reads with Sections 19 of the Depositories Act, 1996 to protect the interest of investors in securities and to promote the development of, and to regulate the Securities market.
148
www.jagranjosh.com
Indian economy to grow by 6 percent: CRISIL

Ratings and Research firm CRISIL released its Indian Economic Forecast for 2014-15 on 21 January 2014. The CRISIL projected that Indian economy will grow at 6 percent in 2014-15, which is significantly higher than the 4.8 percent CRISIL has forecast for financial year 2013-14. The projected growth is achievable provided some key conditions are fulfilled. The key conditions include among others normal monsoons, continuation of the recent reform process and widely anticipated global recovery. CRISIL is hopeful because of some of the major factors i.e., the partial declogging of the policy logjam witnessed for the bulk of the past couple of years. This, together with the improved global economic prospects, is expected to improve Indias GDP prospects the next fiscal. The improved private consumption demand is another factor which is expected to trigger a mild revival in industrial growth which CRISIL expects to be at 6 percent for FY15. The sectors expected to gain from the improved demand are consumer durables, automobiles and textiles. The mining sector is forecast to expand for the first time in three years. The recent momentum on resolving mining issues will continue into 2014-15 and will help address supply-side constraints for industries, particularly in the steel and power sectors. The integration of south India into the national power grid will help improve power availability for industries in the region.
Some of the recent forecasts

Agency IMF: Asian Development Bank: Moody: CRISIL: GDP Forecast for 2014-15 4.5Percent 4.7Percent 5.5Percent 6 Percent
India Economic Growth projected to be 4.5 percent by IMF

International Monetary Fund (IMF) released its World Economic Outlook report on 21 January 2014. The IMF projected the Indian economys growth at 4.5 percent for 2013-14 which is much less than ASEAN countries such as Indonesia, and Philippines.
149
www.jagranjosh.com
IMF in its earlier report in October 2013 had projected that Indian economy would grow by 3.8 percent in 2013-14. The lower growth rate of 3.8 percent was caused due to global slowdown and domestic factors like interest rates. However, with India receiving a favourable monsoon and higher export revenues since October 2013, the growth in the second largest economy of Asia picked up. The growth is expected to firm further on strong structural polices supporting investment. The economic growth rate can expand up to 5.4 percent and 6.4 percent in next two fiscals. The ASEAN countries Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam had grown by 5.7 percent in 2012. The Economic growth in Indonesia and the Philippines are due to strong fundamentals such as strong consumption and investment, diversified exports and low policy rates.
CCEA approved the sale of Governments residual stake of HZL

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 20 January 2014 approved the sale of the Governments residual stakes of the Vedanta group controlled Hindustan Zinc (HZL). The approval has allowed the sale of the stakes worth 16500 crore rupees of HZL. At present, the government holds 29.5 percent stakes of the company. The CCEA was headed by Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India. This approval came following the consent of the Attorney-General of India on the proposal. The Attorney-General gave his consent for the sale of the stakes as HZL is no more a public sector company. Whereas, his previous view was to get an approval of the Parliament as the company was created by an Act. Earlier in 2002, the government sold a majority of stakes of Indias largest zinc maker to Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Resources.
MOT to reassess Hydrocarbon Resources of India

Veerappa Moily, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister on 20 January 2014 announced to set-up a Multi Organisation Team (MOT) to carry out re-assessment work of hydrocarbon resources in 26 sedimentary basins. The re-assessment will be done to highlight the oil and gas potential of India and has been given a time limit of 30 months to prepare basin wise portfolio in light of the oil and gas discoveries since 2001. It has been asked to estimate the resource of all 3.14 million square kilometers of India. Resource assessment will be carried out at Keshav Dev Malviya Institute of Petroleum Engineering (KDMIPE) of ONGC in Dehradun. The work done by the institute will be reviewed periodically by
150
www.jagranjosh.com
the National Steering Committee. The panel will be headed by the Oil Secretary and will include the Director General of Hydrocarbons, exploration heads of ONGC and OIL and the head of the KDMIPE. The International Energy Agency (IEA) in 2013 estimated that Indias oil and gas resource potential is of 206 billion barrels of oil and oil-equivalent gas. Last such exercise of 15 sedimentary basins was carried out about two decades back and its full revision is overdue because of the vast amount of data collected during the exercise. The oil ministry statement has said that the MOT will comprise exploration heads of ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) and Oil India limited. It will also have an official from the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH). The re-assessment and revisit of the Hydrocarbon Resource of India is required following the quantum jump in the availability of geo-scientific data that was generated under the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP).
New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP)

The New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) was launched by the Government to accelerate the pace of hydrocarbon exploration in the country. So far two rounds of NELP have been announced.
Terms of Reference
Resource estimation exercise will be carried out for all the 26 sedimentary basins of India. The total sedimentary basin area is 3.14 million Sq. kms. Preparation of sedimentary basin and sub-basin wise portfolio of available technical data and indicating the future data requirement/generation in unexplored sedimentary basins/sub-basins for their Hydrocarbon resource assessment. Within the basins, comprising sub-basins and/or sectors, the hydrocarbon resource figures are to be worked out for smallest possible units within a basin. For basins with vertically stacked multiple petroleum systems, resource estimation is to be attempted separately for each petroleum system/source rock. Preparation of detailed maps with exact delineation of basin/sub-basin boundaries & basin/ sub-basin areas based on the latest available Geo-scientific data of all types. Review the present parameters used for categorization of basins and suggest changes, if needed, for re-categorization of basins.
151
www.jagranjosh.com
Modalities
The work of hydrocarbon resource assessment will be carried out under the leadership of KDMIPE, Dehradun. Multiple work executions teams will be established for the purpose, as required. KDMIPE my engage expert bodies and consultants as required for the arrangement as per standard ONGC procedure. Since the Resource assessment of all the basins cannot be done simultaneously, the work execution teams will prioritize and draw timelines for completion schedule for each Basin, so as to complete the total exercise including report writing within a time frame of 30 months.
Multi Organization Team (MOT)

To ensure data confidentially and quality output in the desired time frame, a Multi Organization Team (MOT) that will comprise of Director (Expl) ONGC: Chairman Director (Expl & Dev) OIL: Co-Chairman Head, KDMIPE ONGC, Dehradun: Member Head, R&D OIL, Duliajan, Assam: Member GM (G&G) DGH, Noida: Member
The process of Hydrocarbon resource estimation of different basins being sequential, there will be quarterly review meetings by MOT for assessing the progress. Comprehensive documentation in the form of various reports and maps will be generated. The detailed modality of generation of documents and maps will be decided by the Head, KDMIPE, Dehradun and Head (G&G), DGH, Noida. The MOT may meet at more frequent intervals, if required. Geo-scientific data for the study: KDMIPE will utilize the geo-scientific data available with them and DGH for propose of resource assessment. DGH will be responsible for providing all the resource assessment related data of NELP and pre-NELP blocks, operated by various E&P companies. Data confidentially will be maintained by KDMIPE.
152
www.jagranjosh.com
RBI appointed a Committee to Review Governance of Boards of Banks in India

Reserve Bank of India on 20 January 2014 constituted an Expert Committee to Review Governance of Boards in India. The expert committee will be chaired by PJ Nayak, the former Chairman and CEO of Axis Bank and includes other eight members namely S. Raman, Shubhalakshmi Panse, Pratip Kar, Joydeep Sengupta, Harsh Vardhan, Somasekhar Sundaresan, J. Sagar and Krishnamurthy Subramanian.
The terms of reference of the Committee would be

To review the regulatory compliance requirements of banks boards in India To judge what can be rationalised and where requirements need to be enhanced To examine the working of banks boards including whether adequate time is devoted to issues of strategy, growth, governance and risk management and will also review central bank regulatory guidelines on bank ownership, ownership concentration and representation in the board To analyse the representation on banks boards to see whether the boards have the appropriate mix of capabilities and the necessary independence to govern the institution, and to investigate possible conflicts of interest in board representation, including among owner representatives and regulators. In this regard to also assess and review the fit and proper criteria for all categories of directors of banks, including tenor of directorship To examine board compensation guidelines, and any other issue relevant to the functioning of banks boards and the governance they exercise
The Committee is expected to submit its report within three months from the date of its first meeting. Before this committee, the RBI formed a similar panel in 2002 under the chairmanship of AS Ganguly and seeked it tp provide suggestions to find ways to make the role of board members more effective. The drafted report was mainly applicable for private banks
Government extended Natural Manufacturing Policy benefits to Industry Clusters

The Union Government on 18 January 2014 extended the benefits of the Natural Manufacturing
153
www.jagranjosh.com
Policy (NMP) throughout the country. These extended benefits would be applicable whenever industry will organize itself into clusters and adopt a self regulatory model. This extension has been done to boost the manufacturing sector. The issued guidelines of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) mentions that all the incentive provided to National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZs) will be available to all such clusters. Apart from the NIMZ, the policy benefits are also applicable to manufacturing industry across India, whenever the industry is able to organise itself into clusters and adopts a model of self-regulation as enunciated in the policy. The guidelines have also mentioned that all such benefits or dispensations except NIMZ specific benefits or dispensation as available to the policy is also available for the manufacturing industry cluster. It also says that clusters as per the guidelines will be a concentration of manufacturing industry units located within a clearly demarcated geographical area notified by the state government. To manage each cluster, the state government has to constitute a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that will be headed by a government official.
Other important points of the guidelines issued are:

The policy also aims to create 100 million additional jobs over the next decade The zones that has been accorded with benefits like exemption from capital gains tax, simplified procedures and easier exit norms. Technology acquisition and development fund and greater access to institutional finance will be accessed to the SME units in the clusters There exists a provision for suitable representation of the industrial units on the Board of the SPV, which will be responsible to facilitate the clearances that are required to set up in the cluster and/or for running the units. Filling of the periodic returns will be facilitated by SPY to the Units III the cluster by designing an appropriate single window mechanism Incentives under NMP for the manufacturing equipment and technologies used to produce energy from sun, geothermal, wind, clean coal technology and carbon sinks management will also be accessed by the units in a cluster Incentives provided to the clusters will consist if the 5 percent interest reimbursement of the nominal interest charged by lending agency and 10 percent capital as subsidy. In case the private sector units in the cluster will undertake a PPP project for skill development in coordination with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) the government will provide a weighted standard deduction of 150 percent of the expenditure, which will not include the land and building. This will be done only to encourage the private sector participation in the skill development. The Natural Manufacturing Policy 2011 was done with an aim to raise the share of manufacturing to 25 percent of GDP by 2022 from its present 16 percent. The union government proposed to set
154
www.jagranjosh.com
up a mega integrated industrial townships. Comment: These benefits might help India in recovering the industrial production which contracted by 2.1 percent in November 2013. This contraction was the lowest in past six months and all this happened due to the poor performance of the manufacturing sector.
Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs Signed MoUs with FICCI

The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) signed MoUs with FICCI on 17 January 2014. MoUs were signed to collaborate in the areas of Corporate Social Responsibility Competition Law, Corporate Laws, Corporate Governance, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development of the industry and the economy.
The two institutions have agreed on the following points

To organize awareness programmes to promote various aspects of the new Companies Act 2013, especially Corporate Social Responsibility, across major cities in India; and To undertake capacity building measures in the endeavour to mainstream the adoption of CSR and responsible governance practices by the industry and any other corresponding activity. IICA and FICCI will also collaborate to: 1. Conceptualise and develop agenda, course content and modules and 2. Organise short term courses and training IICA functions under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, also works with the Thomson Reuters to raise awareness on corporate regulations and governance for firms in India. Through this alliance the two will deliver a range of orientation programmes aimed at company Board Members, other senior officers from the corporate sector as well as officials from government, statutory and regulatory bodies. These programmes will be sector-specific and will cover range of topics including Corporate Governance, Board effectiveness and industry trends, opportunities and risk. The first orientation programme is being planned for the pharma sector.
IIFCL signed MoU with EXIM Bank of Korea

India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) on 17 January 2014 signed an agreement with the Export-Import Bank of Korea (K-EXIM) for infrastructure finance. As per the IIFCs statement the signed MoU covers cooperation in project and investment financing related to infrastructure as well as other finance areas of mutual interest.
155
www.jagranjosh.com
The Union government has already drawn up plans to make huge investments in infrastructure sector. The Korean government has also shown its keen interest in development of infrastructure in India as it has a variety of overseas experience. The MoU was exchanged between the S.B. Nayar, Chairman and Managing Director of IIFCL and Kim Yong-hwan, Chairman and President, K-EXIM. This MoU between the IIFCL and K-EXIM has been signed at the time of India visit of the South Korean President Park Geun-hye.
About India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL)

IIFCL was incorporated under the Companies Act as a wholly-owned Government of India company in January 2006 and commenced operations from April 2006. It basically provides long term finance to viable infrastructure projects through the Scheme for Financing Viable Infrastructure Projects through a Special Purpose Vehicle called India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL), broadly referred to as SIFTI. Sectors that are eligible for financial assistance from IIFCL as per the list of infrastructure approved by the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure of 1 March 2012, the projects includes: Transportation Energy Water Sanitation Communication Social and commercial infrastructure IIFCL accords overriding priority to Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Projects
About Export-Import Bank of Korea (K-EXIM)

K-EXIM is a Korean government funded export credit agency, which provides export financing with the guarantees that includes other forms of credit services to facilitate trade. It also looks forward to the overseas investment of the Korean companies. It was established in 1976 and since its establishment has supported the export-led economy of Korea and facilitated economic cooperation with the foreign countries. Korea Eximbanks primary services include export loans, trade finance, and guarantee programs structured to meet the needs of clients in a direct effort to both complement and strengthen the clients competitiveness in global markets. The bank also provides overseas investment credit, natural resources development credit, import credit, and information services related to business opportunities abroad.
156
www.jagranjosh.com
Comment: The signed MoU of IIFCL and K-EXIM has set-up the chance of information exchange related to infrastructure projects in India. This also provides investment of South Korea in infrastructure projects that will be identified by them.
EGoM approved the sale of 10% stake in IOC to ONGC and OIL
Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) headed by Union Minister of Finance P Chidambram approved on 16 January 2014, the sale of 10 percent government stake in Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India Limited (OIL). ONGC and OIL will buy a part of the governments stake in Indian Oil Corp for a total of 4700 crore rupees to 5000 crore rupees. It will help the government meet part of its disinvestment target of 40000 crore rupees set for the financial year 2013-14. The government opted to sell the 10% stake in IOC through block deal on stock exchange. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) rule for block deal says that the rate should be one per cent higher or lower than previous days closing price. At present, Union Government of India holds78.92 percent stake in IOC whereas ONGC already holds 8.77 per cent stake in IOC. The 10% disinvestment in IOC was approved by the Cabinet last year. However, the decision was deferred due to opposition from the Union Ministry of Oil and Natural Gas and IOC Chairman RS Butola. They had cautioned the government against launching a public offer in light of the weak market and falling shares of IOC.
Guidelines on New Land Policy for Major Ports of the Country Released
The Union Shipping Ministry on 16 January 2014 unveiled new policy guidelines for major ports. The policy guidelines have been released with an aim to help them leverage their land resources for commercial advantage. The policies will help in carrying out leasing and licensing of port land in a transparent manner as this provides necessary framework for land allotment by major ports. The Union Shipping Ministry has also cleared 20 port projects involving an investment of 6000 crore rupees, envisaging 102 million tonnes in capacity in the first nine months of the fiscal.
157
www.jagranjosh.com
The guidelines have also reduced the discretion powers and has prescribed tender-cum-auction as the most preferred method of allotment.
The new policy guidelines says

Land can be allotted only through licensing in custom bond areas by inviting competitive bidding, while land outside custom bond areas can be leased through tender-cum-auction There is also a provision to license land outside custom bond areas, but it should be only for port related activities. The Boards of respective ports can approve leasing of land for a period up to 30 years. For leasing of land beyond 30 years and up to 99 years, approval of the Government has to be obtained through the mechanism of Empowered Committee.
The guidelines has also made it mandatory to draw land use plan by covering all land owned and managed by all the 12 major ports of the country. The issued guidelines are applicable on all the ports except for land related to township areas of the Mumbai, Kandla and Kolkata. The new policy guidelines for land management are part of the process of port reforms and liberalization. The central owned ports operate in a comparatively regulated environment, while the non-major ports that comprise state ports and private ports enjoy substantive flexibility. By issuing these guidelines the government is trying to create a level playing field for major and non-major ports. As a part of reform process in the Port sector tariff setting in major ports was liberalized and indexed to inflation and minimum efficiency standards were prescribed for cargo terminals in 2013. The 12 major ports of India handle approximately 61 percent of the cargo traffic. The major ports are Mumbai, Kandla, JNPT, Marmugao, New Managlore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, V O Chidambarnar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia). An annual conference titled Ports in India was also conducted on 15 January 2014. It was attended by Vishwapati Trivedi, the Shipping Secretary. Overview: About 2.64 lakh acres of land is being used by the major ports of the country, which can be considered as the major resource. The land has not been utilised to an optimum level which in return has given less returns of the use of lands. The new policy might link the value of land with
158
www.jagranjosh.com
the prevailing market rates.
RBI included Hong Kong and Macau in the sensitive list

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) included Hong Kong and Macau in the sensitive list of countries along with Pakistan and China on 15 January 2014. Macau and Hong Kong are two Special Administrative Regions controlled by China. This means that establishments from Hong Kong and Macau will require prior approval of RBI for setting up business or related activities in India. The activities include establishment of liaison, branch, project offices or any other place of business. To this effect, Regulation 4 of Foreign Exchange Management (Establishment in India of Branch or Office or Other place of Business) Regulations, 2000 has been amended to substitute words, Iran and China, with words Iran, China, Hong Kong and Macau. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran and China are already included in the sensitive list.
Wholesale Inflation declined to five-month low of 6.16 percent in December 2013

The Wholesale inflation declined to a five-month low of 6.16 percent in the month of December 2013. This was revealed by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) data released by the Office of Economic Adviser, Union Ministry of Commerce, on 14 January 2014. The decline in WPI-based inflation was on account of decline in vegetable prices. Vegetable prices declined by nearly 30 percent in December 2013. In December 2013, prices of primary group articles
Whole Sale Price Index

Whole Sale Price Index (WPI) is the weighted average of all the items included in the construction of WPI. It is an index that measures and tracks the changes in price of goods before the retail level. It is also known as headline inflation. The base year for WPI is 2004 and includes 676 items (primary, fuel &power and manufactured products).
www.jagranjosh.com
159
were down 5 per cent. Primary group includes food articles, non food articles and minerals. The prices food articles, non food articles and minerals declined by 6.4 percent, 0.4 percent and 3.1 respectively. The decline in wholesale inflation is noticeable because it has come on the back of decline in consumer retail inflation to 9.87 percent in December 2013. This has raised hopes among the industrial quarters that RBI will now hopefully reduce the policy rates in its 28 January 2014 review so as to pull up economic growth. However, higher core inflation is a worry and may weigh highly in the RBIs decision on whether to reduce the policy rate or keep it unchanged. Core inflation is considered to be more stable and important from policy viewpoint. This is because it does not include the food and fuel inflation as they are volatile in nature.
Pawar-led GoM gave nod for incentives to Sugar Industry

The Group of Ministers (GoM) on 16 January 2014 approved the incentives to the sugar industry for exports of up to 40 lakh tonnes of raw sugar for two years. The GoM was headed by Sharad Pawar, the Union Agriculture Minister. The panel was constituted by Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India on 28 November 2013 to address the financial problems faced by the sugar industry. With this plan, raw sugar will be promoted as a new product in the international market. As per K V Thomas, the Union Food Minister the quantum incentives would be worked out by taking inputs from the Finance Ministry. The panel in its recommendation to the government asked to provide an incentive on the export of raw sugar on per ton basis on the export of 40 lakh tonnnes. The incentive would be adjusted from the Sugar Development Fund (SDF). Earlier, the government provided the subsidy of 1450 rupees a tonne in 2007-08 on the export of 60 lakh tonnes of sugar. But this time, the incentive will be only applicable on the export of the raw sugar and the current incentive plan is being worked at present. Generally India produces only white sugar, which is largely consumed in the country itself. Due to high production costs and low selling price, the 80000 crore rupees sugar industry of India is facing financial problems. The CCEA on 26 December 2014 cleared a proposal that allows a loan amount of 6600 crore rupees, which will be interest-free to the sugar companies. The loan interests will be borne by the SDF and the government itself.
160
www.jagranjosh.com
Coal India Ltd declared dividend of 290 percent for 2013-14
Coal India Ltd (CIL) board declared a dividend of 290 percent to its shareholders for the financial year 201314 on 14 January 2014. The declared dividend of 290 percent effectively translates into a payout of 18317 crore rupees at 29 rupees per share. This will be the highest dividend ever declared by CIL, a Maharatna company. CIL will pay the dividend from 25 January 2014 onwards to its shareholders. The Union Government of India will get 16485.71 crore rupee since it holds 90 percent of the companys share. The government will also get an additional 3113.05 crore rupees as dividend distribution tax from CIL. As a result, the total dividend that will be paid by the CIL to the government amounts to 19598.76 crore rupees. The payout of dividend by the CIL will help the Union Government in achieving its disinvestment target of 40000 crore rupee for the financial year 2013-14. This in turn will help restrict the fiscal deficit within the targeted 4.8 percent for the year 2013-14. In 2012-13, CIL paid a total dividend of 8842.91 crore rupee to the Union Government at 14 rupees per share.
Sudan offered two oil and gas blocks to ONGC at Petrotech 2014
Oil-rich Sudan offered two oil and gas blocks to ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) on the sidelines of Petrotech 2014 on 14 January 2014. The offer by Sudan will help India strengthen its energy ties with the African nations. Sudan offered the onland Block 8 and Block 15 to the OVL on a nomination basis. Block 8 will have an oil discovery while Block 15 will have exploration acreage. OVL will evaluate the data and take 100 percent rights if it finds them feasible for investment. OVL, the overseas arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corp, has
161
www.jagranjosh.com
been present in Sudan since 2003. In 2003, it acquired 25 percent stake in the Block 1, 2 and 4 of the Greater Nile Project (GNOP) and Sudan Crude Transport System. Greater Nile Oil Project (GNOP) is spread over an area of 49500 square kilometres in the Muglad Basin, located about 700 km southwest of the capital city of Khartoum. It also owns a 1504 km crude oil pipeline from the oilfield in Heglig to Port Sudan at Red Sea. Union Minister of Oil and Natural Gas, Veerapa Moily welcoming the offer from Sudan also held talks with his Azerbaijan counterpart Natig Aliyev on the sidelines of Petrotech 2014. The Azerbaijan minister welcomed Indian participation in both upstream and downstream projects. OVL in 2013 bought a stake in the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oilfields as well as the Baku-Tbilsi-Ceyhan pipeline, which was supported by Azerbaijan. The southwestern Asian nation is now keen to get Indian participation in more producing assets. Earlier, ONGC and Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC) signed an initial agreement for broad cooperation. The agreement could lead to KPC picking up stakes in the ONGC Mangalore Petrochemicals Ltd (OMPL) and ONGC Petro-Additions Ltd (OPAL) projects. OMPL petrochemicals complex is subsidiary of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals. OPAL petro chemicals project is a joint venture of GAIL and Gujarat State Petroleum Corp (GSPC) in Gujarat.
Consumer Retail Inflation declined to 9.87 percent in December 2013

Consumer Retail Inflation came down in December 2013 to 9.87percent as against 11.16 percent in November 2013.The data related to consumer inflation was released by the Central Statistics Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on13 January 2014. The drop was due to decline in the vegetables prices in December 2013. Vegetable prices on annual basis rose by 38.76 percent in December 2013. The increase was slower than 61.6 percent recorded in November 2013. Overall food inflation came down to 12.16 percent in December 2013 from 14.72 percent in November 2013. But Core retail inflation rose marginally from 8 percent in November 2013 to 8.1 percent in December 2013. Core Inflation is an inflation which excludes certain items that face volatile price movements like fuel and food products. In December 2013 the inflation rate for rural areas was 10.49 percent and in urban areas was 9.11 percent.
162
www.jagranjosh.com
NABARD reduced refinance rate for banks

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on 11 January 2014 reduced the refinance rates for the banks and other lending agencies by 0.20 percent. This has been done with an aim to promote rural credit and rural infrastructure. The new rates will be in effect from 7 January 2014. The revised rate of interest on refinance will be for a period of five years for commercial, state cooperative, regional rural and primary urban cooperative banks will be 9.70 percent, which has been decreased from 9.90 percent. In its notification, NABARD has also mentioned that banks drawing refinance of 500 crore rupees and more in a single drawl would be allowed further reduction of 0.10 percent. In its notification it also mentioned that the reduction of 10 basis point for the State Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Banks (SCRDBs) will be allowed for a single drawl of 200 crore rupees and above. With this reduction, NABARD expects that this step will give a boost to banks by extending investment credit. It will also help in creation of warehouse infrastructures for agricultural commodities in India.
About NABARD
NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) was formed on 12 July 1982 by transferring the agricultural credit functions of RBI and refinance functions of then Agricultural Refinance and Development Corporation (ARDC). NABARD was dedicated for the service of the nation by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 5 November 1982. NABARD was constituted following the recommendation of a committee that was formed to review the arrangements for institutional credit for agriculture and rural development (CRAFICARD) on 30 March 1979. The committee was constituted by the RBI under the Chairmanship of B Sivaraman. The Parliament, through Act 61 of 1981, approved the setting up of NABARD. NABARD was set up with an initial capital of 100 crore rupees. NABARD basically looks for the financial and developmental issues. It also supervises the issues.
163
www.jagranjosh.com
IRDA issued guidelines for investment in Equity Exchange Traded Funds

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) released a draft on allowing investment in Equity Exchange Traded Funds (ETF). This step is considered as a crucial step towards achieving disinvestment target. The Government plans to meet this target by transferring shares in public sector companies to Equity ETFs. It is expected that there will be around 11 PSUs in the Equity ETFs and by selling shares, the government would reduce volatility in PSU stocks.
The Draft guidelines are:

Equity ETFs would be restricted to the schemes of Mutual Funds that are registered with Securities and Exchange Bureau of India (SEBI) and governed by SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996. Any investment in the Equity ETF would be considered as investment in mutual funds. Equity ETFs would come under current exposure norms applicable to investment in mutual funds. Equity ETFs in mutual funds should be registered with the SEBI. Equity ETFs cannot hold more than 15% of fund in a single company and needs to ensure that total exposure to a sector cannot be more than 30%. Equity ETF should be listed on at least two Exchanges having nationwide terminals and should not have any overseas investments. Equity ETFs are those funds whose unit price is derived from basket of underlying equity shares. These baskets of securities differ depending upon the nature of ETF. The main difference between ETFs and other types of index funds is that ETFs dont try to outperform their corresponding index, but simply replicate its performance. The advantage of using ETFs is that ETFs combine the range of a diversified portfolio with the simplicity of trading a single stock.
164
www.jagranjosh.com
IRDA formed Suresh Mathur panel to suggest ways to improve FDI

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) formed a new committee headed by Suresh Mathur to suggest ways to enhance Foreign Domestic Investment (FDI) in insurance intermediaries (other than insurance companies) and Third party administrators (TPA). The Committee would consist of ten members.
The Terms of Reference of the Committee are:

To explore the options of further increasing FDI limit for insurance intermediaries. To analyse possible impact of such increase on the industry and other related sectors. To review the related international practices. To examine to what extent, if possible, the FDI limit can be increased in intermediaries and study the international practices in this regard. Presently, a foreign company cannot hold more than 26% shares in an insurance company. But, in case of insurance intermediaries there is no such restriction. There was also a consistent demand for increasing the foreign shareholding in insurance brokers from the existing limit of 26% to 100%. The aforesaid proposed change would not require any modification in the Insurance Act. But, In case of increasing foreign shareholding in an insurance intermediary or TPA, the insurance act would get modified There is a long pending Insurance bill in Rajya Sabha since 2008. This bill seeks to raise the FDI limit in insurance sector from existing 26% to the 49 %.
Indian Economy GDP growth rate to be revised for 2011-12

The GDP growth rate of Indian economy for 2011-12 will be revised from 6.2 to about 7 percent. This was done to correct a miscalculation due to faulty data produced earlier. Earlier data underestimated industrial output by about 7 percentage points. The underestimation of GDP growth rate by 7 percentage points was on account of underestimation of real factory output growth by Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data. The IIP data had significantly underestimated real factory output growth for 2011-12 at 2.9 percent. However, on the basis of more reliable data for industrial output produced by Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), the industrial output in 2011-12 had grown by 23.6 percent in nominal and about
165
www.jagranjosh.com
15 to 16 percent in real terms. ASI data is considered more comprehensive and accurate than IIP data. It comes with a lag of 20 months. In the interim, the government estimates industrial production using IIP data. The IIP has been consistently underestimating Indias industrial output but the magnitude of the problem has increased since 2005-06. The accumulation of errors over the years has led to wider variations between the IIP and the ASI data in the last couple of years. GDP data for a fiscal year undergoes three rounds of revisions; the process takes three years. The Central Statistical Offices (CSO) will be releasing the Second Revised Estimate for 2011-12 on 30 January 2014. The First Revised Estimate for 2011-12 was 6.2 per cent. As per the Quick Estimates, Indian economy will grow at a decade-low growth rate of 5 percent in 2012-13.
Bank of Japan and RBI concluded an agreement to raise BSA to 50 billion dollar
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 11 January 2014 agreed to expand the maximum amount of the Bilateral Swap Agreement (BSA) to 50 billion dollars between the two countries. The agreement was signed by Raghuram Rajan, the Governor of RBI and Haruhiko Kurodo, the Governor of BOJ. The agreement came into force from the day of the signing of the agreement. With this agreement, the current BSA would be effective for 3 years from 2012 to 2015 and has seen an expansion from the original size of 15 billion dollars. The BSA is aimed to address the shortterm liquidity difficulties. It is also aimed towards supplementing the existing mutual cooperation between the Japan and India. It will be effective till 3 December 2015.
Indias trade deficit narrowed to 10.1 billion dollar in December 2013

The export of India has grown 3.49 percent to 26.3 billion dollars and the imports dipped 15.25
166
www.jagranjosh.com
percent to 36.4 billion dollar in December 2013. SR Rao, the Commerce Secretary informed that the export growth slowed because of the drop in petroleum exports. Lower imports have helped the country in narrowing the trade deficit to 10.1 billion dollars in the month as compared to 17.5 billion dollars in the December 2012. The imports of gold and silver dropped to 1.77 billion dollars from 5.6 billion in December 2012.
Reserve Bank of India relaxed Foreign Direct Investment rules

The Reserve Bank of India relaxed the rules of Foreign Direct Investment on 9 January 2014. The decision is aimed at providing exit option to the foreign investors. The investors can exit their investments by selling their holding of equity or debt. The relaxation was expected to facilitate higher foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into India. India saw a drop of 15 percent in FDI inflows from April 2013 to October 2013. The exit option given to the foreign investors is subject to the condition that any FDI will have a minimum lock-in period without any assured return. The lock-in period for defence and construction sector has been kept at three years and for all other sectors it will be at least a year. For a listed company the non-resident investor can exit at the market price prevailing at the stock exchanges. In case of unlisted company an investor can exit from equity shares at a price not exceeding the price arrived at on the basis of return on equity.
SEBI notified stricter Settlement System for serious offences

SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) on 9 January 2014 launched (Settlement of Administrative and Civil Proceedings) Regulations, 2014 that provides guiding factors for dealing with settlement processes. As per the new notifications the serious offences such as illegal money pooling, insider trading and fraudulent trades are excluded from the scope of settlement. The set of regulations have been notified with retrospective effect from 20 April 2007, the day when the existing consent settlement system was introduced by SEBI.
167
www.jagranjosh.com
Under the new norms, SEBI has expanded the list of violations which cannot be settled. It also provides for the involved entity to file settlement plea within 60 days of the show cause notice served to them by SEBI. It has also cleared that the charges and related costs would not be considered upon the payment of settlement also in the cases in which the applicant has already been a party to two earlier settlements. Any case pending before the court or a tribunal would not be settled under the new norms. The new norms have also mentioned the minimum amount to be paid by entities, which will vary as per the charges against them. These charges will be highest for the promoters. The norms has also defined the role of the internal committee and high powered advisory committee in order to impart transparency in the process. It has provided for the terms of settlement in monetary as well as non-monetary terms or both. The terms of settlement would include the payment of settlement amount and other related costs, closure of business, voluntary suspension of registration and other appropriate directions, as per the new norms. The amount of settlement will be credited in the Consolidated Fund of India and the legal cost will be included in the general fund of SEBI. The illegal gains (if any) will be credited in SEBIs Investor Protection and Education Fund.
Consolidated Fund of India

In the Constitution of India it is mentioned under Article 266(1) that Non-Tax Revenues will be credited into the Consolidated Fund of India. Apart from this also all revenues of the Government by ways of taxes like Income Tax, Customs, Central Excise and others will also be credited in the Consolidated Fund only. Similarly, all loans raised by the Government by issue of Public notifications, treasury bills (internal debt) and loans obtained from foreign governments and international institutions (external debt) are credited into this fund. All expenditure of the government is incurred from this fund and no amount can be withdrawn from the Fund without authorization from the Parliament.
168
www.jagranjosh.com
Non-Compete Clauses only in Special Cases in Pharma FDI

Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) on 8 January 2014 issued a press note that restricts the use of non-compete clauses. The freshly issued press note has restricted use of non-compete clauses in both Greenfield and Brownfield projects. This action is believed to be a restrictive action. The DIPP has retained the existing FDI policy in pharmaceutical sectors. This note has declared that the non-compete clauses would be allowed only in special conditions with the approval of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board. It means that foreign investors in Indian pharmaceutical company cannot sign non-compete agreement with promoters of these companies in most of the situations. The present FDI Policy allows 100% Foreign Domestic Investment both in Greenfield (automatic route) and Brownfield (approval route) pharmaceutical projects. Some conditions can still be imposed on Brownfield projects, while granting approvals. In November 2013, DIPP proposed reduction in the FDI cap to 49 percent from 100 percent in critical pharma verticals. This proposal was laid by DIPP because of a significant increase in acquisition of Indian pharma companies by the multinational companies. These large scale acquisitions can adversely impact availability and price of generic medicines in the country. But, this proposal was rejected by the Union Cabinet and it was decided to use the current FDI policy. Cabinet however, imposed an additional condition that non-compete clauses in any mutual agreement will not be permitted in the Brownfield projects The non-compete clause is a standard feature of mergers-acquisitions. This clause restricts a party from competing with a business after termination of employment or completion of a business sale for a fixed time. For instance, when Abbott Laboratories acquired Piramal Healthcares domestic formulations business, it signed an 8 year non-compete agreement. This agreement prohibited promoters of Piramal Health care to enter into similar business for 8 years. This duration of fixed period can be different from one agreement to another. It is not necessarily 8 years for all non-compete agreements.
Other examples of use of non-compete clauses are

Daichi Sankyo acquired Ranbaxy in 2008 with non-compete agreement of 2 years. Mylan acquired Agila Specialties pvt ltd in 2013 with non-compete agreement of 4 years.
Experts said that this note had sent confusing signals to the foreign investors. They believed that a
169
www.jagranjosh.com
framework defining more clear guidelines for the Brownfield projects is need of the hour.
Kelkar panel submitted report to Union Oil Ministry

The Kelkar Committee submitted the first part of its report on 8 January 2014. The committee recommended continuing with the present production-sharing regime in contracts for blocks and allows companies to recover exploration and production costs. A Committee was set up under Vijay Kelkar on 13 May 2013 to suggest ways of raising domestic oil and gas output. The panel was entrusted with the task of drafting a plan to reduce Indias dependence on overseas energy by 2030 and submit a report within six months.
Suggestions of committee:
It suggested administering Production-Sharing Contracts (PSC) without any changes and strengthening the Directorate-General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) for better administration. Shifting to an open acreage regime, where companies can pick exploration areas through the year rather than wait for periodic auctions that offer areas identified by the government. The panel has called for setting up a National Data Repository (NDR) that will preserve and promote the countrys natural resources data. The second part of the report would cover pricing and taxation issues and is likely to be submitted in February 2014. Under the present regime, oil companies can recover all costs of successful and unsuccessful wells from sales of oil and gas before sharing profit with the government. The suggestions in the first part of the Kelkar Committee report are contrary to the royalty-sharing regime suggested by C. Rangarajan Committee, which has been accepted by the government. Under royalty -sharing regime companies are required to state upfront the quantum of oil or gas
170
www.jagranjosh.com
they would share with the government from the first day of production. Rangarajan Committee had suggested for royalty sharing regime without cost recovery to check gold plating of investments by companies. Royalty sharing regime is prevalent in developed countries. However, Kelkar Committee has opined that royalty sharing regime is not workable in Indian conditions wherein the exploration of oil & gas blocks are still under-developed. Thus, the Kelkar panel favoured the revenue sharing model for shallow and on-land blocks that are less costintensive than deep sea exploration. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had criticised the PSC regime on grounds that it encouraged companies to increase capital expenditure and delay the governments share.
SEBI barred cash Transactions in Collective Investment Schemes to check laundering

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 9 January 2014 made it compulsory for all investments into Collective Investment Scheme (CIS) funds to be made through banking channels and not in cash. SEBI has raised the step to prevent money laundering activities through such scheme. The norms came into effect from 9 January 2014. The newly released norms will help in improving transparency in fund-garnering activities through CIS activities. It will also make it easier to identify the source of funds and real investors involved in the schemes. SEBI has amended the regulations of Collective Investment Schemes Regulations 1999 that is mentions under Section 30 section 11 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992). With this amendment the regulations can be called as the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Collective Investment Schemes) (Amendment) Regulations, 2014. The step was taken by SEBI in light of the past investments cases in which investors have been defrauded through illegal CIS activities in which the operators claim to return the money on being caught by the regulators and law enforcement agencies. Under this scheme, the person will have to make an application for registration as per the Collective Investment Management companies as any scheme, which is prohibited under any law will not be considered as the CIS. The CIS Company will comply with the Know Your Client guidelines.
171
www.jagranjosh.com
Collective Investment Schemes

A Collective investment scheme is any scheme/arrangement, which satisfies the conditions, referred to in sub-section (2) of section 11AA of the SEBI Act. Any scheme/arrangement made or offered by any company under which the contributions, or payments made by the investors, are pooled and utilised with a view to receive profits, income, produce or property, and is managed on behalf of the investors is a CIS. Investors do not have day to day control over the management and operation of such scheme/arrangement.
The following do not constitute a collective investment scheme

Any scheme/arrangement made or offered by a co-operative society or a society being a society registered or deemed to be registered under any law relating to co-operative societies for the time being in force in any State Any scheme/arrangement under which deposits are accepted by non-banking financial companies Any scheme/arrangement being a contract of insurance to which the Insurance Act, applies Any scheme/arrangement providing for any Scheme, Pension Scheme or the Insurance Scheme framed under the Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 Any scheme/arrangement under which deposits are accepted under section 58A of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956) Any scheme/arrangement under which deposits are accepted by a company declared as a Nidhi or a mutual benefit society under section 620A of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956) Any scheme/arrangement falling within the meaning of Chit business as defined in clause (d) of section 2of the Chit Fund Act, 1982 (40 of 1982) Any scheme/arrangement under which contributions made are in the nature of subscription to a mutual fund
Collective Investment Management Company

A Collective Investment Management Company is a company incorporated under the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 and registered with SEBI under the SEBI (Collective Investment Schemes) Regulations, 1999, whose object is to organise, operate and manage a Collective Investment Scheme.
172
www.jagranjosh.com
Collective Investment Scheme

Entities, which were operating a collective investment scheme at the time of commencement of CIS Regulations i.e. (15 October 1999), are deemed to be an existing collective investment scheme.
Coal Block allocation can be cancelled even if huge investments are made: SC
The Supreme Court of India on 8 January 2014 directed that the huge investments made by the companies in coal blocks without getting clearance cannot be a ground for not cancelling the licences. The Court has also asked the Centre to respond whether it intends to de-allocate such allocations. The Supreme Courts bench that comprised three members was headed by Justice R L Lodha. The bench said that the companies, which have invested money on blocks without getting clearances, took the decision at their own risk. It said that the companies will have to suffer the consequences also in case that investment has been made by them as illegality cannot be compounded. This was observed by Court, when the Attorney General, G E Vahanvati informed the court that around two lakh crore rupees has been invested and it will be difficult to cancel the licenses on the issue of clearances. The Supreme Court in its decision mentioned that might be possible that investments were made in anticipation of clearances but it cannot be justified. It also said that it cannot be protected if the companies fail to get the clearances with the structured time frame under the law. The court asked the Centre to respond whether it intends to de-allocate such allocations.
RBI relaxed Gold loan norms to lend up to 75 percent loan

The Reserve Bank of India on 8 January 2014 allowed the Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) to lend up to 75 percent of the value of gold. With this order of the central bank, the people seeking loan against gold can now borrow more. Earlier, the limitation of loan on gold was 60 percent. The order has been passed in a view of the
173
www.jagranjosh.com
moderation in the growth of the gold loan portfolios of NBFCs in recent past. The value of loan will be the intrinsic value of the gold content and no other cost like making charges will be given. The decision was taken following the recommendation of the KUB Rao Working group, which said that the loan-to-value (LTV) may be increased to 75 percent from 60 percent. The working group has also recommended the standardization methodology to determine the value of gold.
China to be become a partner in the proposed NIMZ in Andhra Pradesh

China decided to be one of the partners in the proposed National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZ) in Andhra Pradesh on 6 January 2014. Chittor, Medak and Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh will be the centre of the NIMZ. China would provide both technical and investment support . Each NIMZ was expected to attract an investment of 30000 crore rupees. The project under NIMZ will be supported by both Central and state government.
About NIMZ
National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZ) was proposed by Ministry of Commerce and Industry in 2010 in order to increase the overall share of manufacturing in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of India. The objective is to increase the share of manufacturing to 25 percent by 2022 in the GDP of India. To increase the rate of job creation so as to create 100 million additional jobs by 2022, to enhance global competitiveness, domestic value addition, technological depth and environmental sustainability of growth. Under NIMZ there would be a provision for the creation of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).
Reserve Bank of India selected CCIL as Legal Entity Identifier

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) selected the Clearing Corporation of India Ltd (CCIL) for issuing globally compatible legal entity identifiers (LEIs) on 6 January 2014.CCIL will act as a local operating unit for issuing globally compatible legal entity identifiers (LEIs )in India. Legal Entity Identifiers (LEI) are a 20-character unique identity code assigned to entities which are parties to a financial transaction.
174
www.jagranjosh.com
Clearing Corporation of India Ltd (CCIL) will issue unique identifier codes to the eligible legal entities participating in financial markets across the globe on a non-profit cost recovery basis. CCIL is recognised by the Regulatory Oversight Committee of the global LEI system and the unique identity codes issued by it will be accepted globally. Once the infrastructure is set up, the LEI numbers will be mandatory for Over-the-Counter (OTC) derivative transactions. The implementation of the global LEI system is led by the Financial Stability Board (FSB).The functioning of CCIL as LEI will be under the regulation and oversight of the Reserve Bank of India.
About Clearing Corporation of India Ltd (CCIL)

The Clearing Corporation of India Ltd (CCIL) was set up in 2001 for providing exclusive clearing and settlement for transactions in Money and Foreign Exchange. In 2013 the Reserve Bank designated CCIL as a critical Financial Market Infrastructure (FMI) for oversight. Recently CCIL was granted the status of a Qualified Central Counterparty (QCCP).
Background
The global financial crisis underscored the lack of a common, accurate and sufficiently comprehensive identification system for parties undertaking financial transactions across the globe. International regulators recognised the importance of the LEI as a key component of necessary improvements in financial data systems. The G20 Summit 2011held at Cannes endorsed FSB for the development and maintenance of a global LEI system. FSB also lead the co-ordination of international regulatory work. FSB comprises of a Regulatory Oversight Committee (ROC), Central Operating Unit (COU) and Local Operating Units (LOUs). A Regulatory Oversight Committee has the ultimate responsibility for the governance of the GLEIS. A Central Operating Unit (COU) is the pivotal operational arm of the GLEIS and Local Operating Units (LOUs) will provide the primary interface for entities to register for the LEI system.
175
www.jagranjosh.com
RBI allowed Indian companies to issue non-convertible debentures

The Reserve Bank of India on 6 January 2014 allowed the Indian companies to issue non-convertible or redeemable preference shares or debentures to non-resident shareholders as bonus. This facility will also encompass the depositories that act as the trustees for the American Depository Receipt/ Global Depository Receipt ADR/GDR holders. The decision has been taken by RBI in order to rationalize and to simplify the procedures that the company will issue shares or debentures by way of distribution as bonus from its general reserves. As per the notification, has made the preference shares, which excludes non-convertible/redeemable preference shares and convertible debentures, (except optionally convertible or partially convertible debentures) a subject of Foreign Direct Investment Scheme. Earlier, RBI was granting permission for such issuances on a case-to-case basis. RBI has simplified the norms following the references of some companies of India for issuing a nonconvertible or redeemable bonus preference shares or debentures to non-resident shareholders from their general reserve under a scheme. This has been permitted with an arrangement by a court following the provisions of the Companies Act. Apart from this RBI in another notification said that the Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul (MRO) will be treated as the part of the airport infrastructure, which will facilitate external commercial borrowings for the sector.
Supreme Court gave notice the government to revive KG-basin gas

The Supreme Court on 6 January 2014 ordered the Government of India to revive the decision to double the price of Krishna-Godavari (K-G) basin gas. Member of Parliament Dasgupta filed a PIL challenging the hike that claimed that the hike will benefit Reliance Industries Ltd. He urged the court to order initiation of termination proceedings against the RIL over extraction of natural gas from the K-G basin based on Rangarajan committee formula. Bench led by Chief Justice P Sathasivam observed that the decision to hike the price, while the matter remained pending in the court. The final hearing is scheduled to March 2014.
176
www.jagranjosh.com
Background
Recently the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the Reliance Industries (RIL) to sell KG-D6 block gas at higher price based on Rangarajan committee formula.
Indias International Investment Position of Quarter ended September 2013 released

Reserve Bank of India has released the statistical statement of the International Investment Position (IIP) of the quarter ended in September 2013. The statement shows following at a point in the time of the value and composition: Financial assets of residents of an economy that are claims on non-residents and gold bullion held as reserve assets Liabilities of residents of an economy to non-residents The difference between an economys external financial assets and liabilities is its net IIP. Such balance sheet is an analysis of international accounts that will help in understanding sustainability and vulnerability of economys external sector.
Important highlights of the International Investment Position (IIP) are following for the quarter-ended September 2013:
Net claims of non-residents on India (as reflected by the net IIP) decreased by US$ 12.8 billion over the previous quarter to 296.2 billion US dollars as at end-September 2013. This change in the net position reflected a US$ 10.6 billion decrease in the value of foreign-owned assets in India vis--vis a US$ 2.2 billion increase in the value of Indian Residents financial assets abroad (Table 1). Indian residents financial assets abroad stood at 436.7 billion US dollars as at end-September 2013 recording a marginal increase of US$ 2.2 billion over previous quarter mainly due to increase of US$ 6.8 billion in other investment abroad including trade credit, loans and currency and deposits. Reserve assets, decreased by US$ 5.3 billion to US$ 277.2 billion as at end-September 2013. Direct investment increased marginally by US$ 0.6 billion. Foreign-owned assets in India have decreased by 10.6 billion US dollars over the previous quarter to US$ 732.9 billion as at end-September 2013. The Direct investment in India has been reduced by 2.9 billion US dollars and portfolio investment in India has gone down by 13.3 billion US dollars. Among other investment liabilities, trade credit decreased by 1.9 billion US dollars and loans increased by 2.8 billion US dollars.
177
www.jagranjosh.com
Effects of Rupee Depreciation: Variation in exchange rate of rupee vis-a-vis other currencies influenced change in liabilities, when valued in US dollars terms. Though there was a net inflow of US$ 6.6 billion during the period, equity liabilities in US dollars term decreased by 10.2 billion US dollars, from 340.7 billion US dollars in June 2013 to 330.5 billion US dollars in September 2013 due to the stock valuation effect resulting from rupee depreciation.
Composition of External Financial Assets and Liabilities:

Reserve Assets continued to have the dominant share (63.5 percent) in Indias international financial assets in September 2013, followed by direct investment abroad (27.5 percent). Direct Investment (29.6 percent), portfolio investment (23.1 percent), loans (mainly ECBs) (23.1 percent), trade credit (12.2 percent) and currency and deposits (10.3 percent) were the major constituents of the countrys financial liabilities.
External Debt Liabilities vis-a-vis External Non-Debt Liabilities:

The share of non-debt liabilities decreased marginally to 45.1 per cent as at end-September 2013 from 45.8 percent at end-June 2013.
Financial Inclusix Index 2013 launched by credit rating agency CRISIL

Indian credit-rating agency CRISIL launched a Financial Inclusix Index 2013 on 2 January 2014. The index showed an improvement in the financial inclusion in India. The index showed an improvement of 2.7 percent in the year 2012. The score was the highest since 2009. The index was based on the data provided by Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The all-India CRISIL Inclusix score of 42.8 on a scale of 100, reflects under-penetration of formal banking in the country. The index measured the financial inclusion in each of the 638 districts of India.
178
www.jagranjosh.com
Highlights of the Index are:

Overall 79 million new savings accounts were opened in 2012 which was 12.6 per cent more than in the year 2011. Agricultural credit accounts grew at 11.1 per cent, the most since fiscal 2009. The number of bank branches in the bottom 100 districts increased by 6 per cent, faster than the all-India growth of 5.6 per cent. One in two Indians had a savings account and one in seven has access to bank credit. The six largest cities in the country have 10 per cent of the bank branches whereas the bottom 50 districts have merely 2 per cent of the bank branches. The four key elements driving the CRISIL Inclusix Index score up by 2.7 in fiscal 2012 were: New deposit accounts in three regions north, south and east. This contributed 42% to the rise in CRISIL Inclusix Index. The north, by adding 2.4 million new credit accounts, contributed 11% to the indexs increase. Almost 30% of the 5125 new branches were added in the south, which contributed 9% to the increase. Credit penetration in the top 50 districts jumped significantly as small-borrower accounts surged.
Thus, the CRISIL recommended:

To speed up inclusion, financial services need to flow beyond the south and the large cities, and Policy makers need to incentivise expansion of banking services in the districts that have low CRISIL Inclusix scores through an increase in branch network and partnerships with other players.
About CRISIL Inclusix Index

CRISIL Inclusix index is a comprehensive index to measure the progress of financial inclusion in India across 638 districts. It is a relative index measured on a scale of 0 to 100. It combines three critical parameters of basic banking services branch penetration, deposit penetration, and credit penetration into one metric.
179
www.jagranjosh.com
Price of the Non-subsidized LPG hiked by 220 rupees per cylinder

The price of non-subsidized LPG was hiked on 1 January 2014 by 220 rupees per cylinder. The LPG cylinder of 14.2 kg that a consumer buys beyond entitled nine cylinders at subsidized rates will have to pay 1241 rupees per cylinder now in Delhi. A subsidized, 14.2-kg cylinder of LPG costs Rs 414 in Delhi. In Mumbai it will cost 1264 rupees and 50 paise, whereas in Kolkata it will cost 1270 rupees and in Chennai it will cost 1234 rupees per cylinder. As per the stateowned fuel retailers, the price has been hiked in view of the firming international rates. Since December 2013, the price of the non-subsidized LPG rates has been increased three times. On 1 December 2013, the price was hiked by 63 rupees per cylinder and on 11 December it was increased by 3.50 rupees, when the commission for LPG dealers and distributors was raised by the Government. The supply of the subsidized domestic LPG cylinder was capped by the Government of India to six per household in September 2012, which was increased to nine a household in January 2013. Any requirement above the limit of nine cylinders has to be purchased at the market rates. There exists no capping on the supply of a non-subsidized cylinder to a consumer.
180
www.jagranjosh.com
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT

Saving Asias Vultures from Extinction Project
A programme named Saving Asias Vultures from Extinction (SAVE) in its plan wants to release up to 25 birds into the 30000 kilometer square safe zone. The captive-bred birds will be released into the wild by 2016 under the project would. The project has been planned following the devastation in the populations due to vetting of drugs named Diclofenac on cattle. The veterinary drug Diclofenac that is used in vetting the cattle has been identified as a reason that
181
www.jagranjosh.com
is causing the sharp deep in the numbers of vultures. Use of this drug has been banned in India. Diclofenac is toxic for any and all vultures that feed on the carcass of recently treated cattle. SAVE in its study says that the version for human use is being illegally given to the cattle. The study says that three species of the South Asian Vultures are critically threatened for extinction in the coming future. During 1980s the Oriental white-blacked vultures that are considered to be one of the most common large bird preys in the world were present in abundance in India. Slowly the number of these vultures has decreased critically and now there are less than 1000 these vultures surviving. This birds population has gone down by almost 99.9 percent.
The three species of vultures that are critically endangered that has declined by more than 97 percent since 1990s are Oriental white-backed (Gyps bengalensis) Long-billed (Gyps indicus) Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris)
Other two species, whose population has decreased sharply, although no link has been established for the cause of their deaths, the two species are Red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvushave) Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
In 2006, Diclofenac was banned from being used to vet and farmers. This decision was taken following its effect on the vultures. In 2004 it was established after the study on the sick birds in the wild that the decrease of the population of vultures is caused due to the anti-inflammatory drug being used to reduce swelling in injured or diseased animals. The study suggested that the vultures who were feeding on the carcasses of the animals vetted with Diclofenac were dying due to acute kidney failure or lost their ability to reproduce.
About Saving Asias Vultures from Extinction (SAVE)

SAVE stands for Saving Asias Vultures from Extinction and it is a consortium of like-minded, regional and international organisations and has been created to oversee and co-ordinate conservation, campaigning and fundraising activities to help the plight of south Asias vultures. Key stages that SAVE has identified as priorities include:
182
www.jagranjosh.com
Advocacy to more effectively remove diclofenac from veterinary use Creation of Vulture Safe Zones Breeding Centres and release programmes
2013 is fourth warmest year on record for the planet: Reports

Two top American scientific agencies NOAA and NASA in their separate releases have confirmed the trend of global warming is continuing. The releases were made on 22 January 2014. Annual climate report of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that above-average annual temperature was experienced in most of the planet in 2013. As per the release, 2003 was the fourth warmest year, since record keeping began in 1880. The temperature of 2013 tied with the temperature experienced by the world in 2003. As per the report of the combined global land and ocean surface temperature was recorded 0.62 degrees Celsius (1.12 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 20th century, which is average 13.9 Celsius (57 degree Fahrenheit). A second analysis by the NASA scientists came forward with a different result that says that the global temperature of the year 2013 tied with the temperature recorded in 2006 and 2009. It says that the recorded temperature is the seventh warmest year, which is in record. Process of detecting the global temperature used by the two agencies is slightly different but they agree on the trend of calculation. As per the data of past 134 years, global warming due to the building-up of the greenhouse gases has been attributed as the reason for the rise in temperature. It has been attributed by the climate scientists depending on the nature of carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere of the planet, which is released from the emissions caused from transport vehicles, industries and power. As per NASA, CO2 is at its highest level in the atmosphere in the 8 lakh year long atmosphere. It has recorded the rise of the gas to 400 parts per million in 2013 as compared from 285 parts per million in 1880.
Beijing got new law to control hazardous Smog and Air Pollution
Beijing, the Chinese Capital on 22 January 2014 passed a regulation to curb air pollution featuring emission controls. The comprehension measure to tackle air pollution also carries harsher penalties in the citys latest effort to battle its notorious smog. At present the Chinese capital city is plagued by its dangerous unclean air. This is the first pollution warning of China in 2014.
183
www.jagranjosh.com
The regulation was voted in favour by the Beijing Municipal Peoples congress. This regulation has replaced the guidelines issued in 2000 and is being considered as the first of its kind. As per the issued guidelines with the regulation, China has decided to slash coal consumption and also to close polluting mills, smelters and factories. The newly issued regulation also seeks to boost the nuclear power and natural gas use. With this regulation, Beijing is struggling to reduce the air pollution of Beijing and nearby areas as the new plan has strengthened the ability of the city to monitor. The violators of the issued guidelines will also be punished for violation of the rules. As per a drafted pollution prevention plan of Beijing that was published include fines of 10000 Yuan to 100000 Yuan. The penalties for the vehicle owners exceeding the set emission rules will be fined with 3000 Yuan. Apart from Beijing, 10 provinces like Tianjin and Shanghai are covered as per the regulation. Background: China is under pressure to reduce air pollution to address the cause of the hazardous smog in January 2014, which carried pollution levels more than 20 times that is considered as unhealthy by the World Health Organisation (WHO). On 16 January 2014 the fine particulate pollution named as PM 2.5 reached around 500 micrograms in per cubic meter. Comment: About one-third of the electricity needs of the country are fulfilled with coal and the plan states to cut down the consumption of coal/fossil fuel to maximum 65 percent. To meet the plan of cutting short the coal consumption seems to be a hard chase of China.
Air pollution of Beijing 25 times above WHO safe mark

Air pollution of Beijing, China has reached to dangerous levels on 16 January 2014 and people of the city have been warned to take precautions. US embassy monitoring post said that the air pollution of the city was 25 times higher than the mark that is considered safe by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Thick smog that has been named as Airpocalypse (impenetrable toxic fog) allowed visibility to people about a few hundred meters only. The complete city was covered with dense gray smog. This was the first incident of the season in which waves carried extremely dangerous pollution that was concentrated with toxic small particles. Due to these smog commuters of Beijing was supposed to wear industrial strength face masks. Air pollutants have plagued maximum major cities of China as the country has long sacrificed the protection of environment on the name of economic development. The air of China on the became hazardous after it passed the Beyond Index of 300 at which concentration of fine matter become many times then the exposure limit recommended by WHO.
184
www.jagranjosh.com
First Climate Change theatre opened in India

irst Climate Change theatre was opened at Pushpa Gujral Science City in Kapurthala, Punjab on 16 January 2014. The theatre will educate people on climate change. This is the second theatre in the world to be opened after Canada. The theatre is 18 metre in diameter and it is set up in a dome-shaped building with a seating capacity of 125 persons. The 25-minute film shows what worst can happen if humans do not take action on current or impending problems which could threaten civilization. The film starts by giving a glimpse of future - floods, droughts, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Then Earth introduces itself and talks to the audience about current situation and impacts it is experiencing due to global warming.
Level of greenhouse gases rising rapidly: Leaked UN report

Leaked draft IPCC UN report on 17 January 2014 warned about rise of the level of greenhouse gases and it calls for greater global efforts to tackle the issue. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has also mentioned that if the current situation continues that hugely expensive technology will be required. The report has mentioned that during 2000 to 2010, the CO2 has grown by 2.2 percent per year and this rise is almost twice higher from the growth of the period of 1970 to 2000. It also has asked the global community to cut the emissions without any delay and also suggested to make a shift towards the clean energy. The leaked report has also mentioned that the speed with which CO2 will be continued than the conservation process that has been initiated will fail to respond to the impact of the environment. The report has also accused the population and economic growth at a fast pace for the rise of the greenhouse emissions. It also asks the government to spend more on switching towards cleaner energy. UN would have published this partially drafted report in April 2014 as the work on the project is under progress. The politicians of the world in tried to limit the global average of temperature to increase of 2C at the Copenhagen Climate Conference in 2009.
Copenhagen Climate Conference 2009

The Copenhagen Climate Change Conference raised climate change policy to the highest political level. Close to 115 world leaders attended the high-level segment, making it one of the largest gatherings of world leaders ever outside UN headquarters in New York.
185
www.jagranjosh.com
COP 15 / CMP 5 was a crucial event in the negotiating process

It significantly advanced the negotiations on the infrastructure needed for effective global climate change cooperation, including improvements to the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol. Significant progress was made in narrowing down options and clarifying choices needed to be made on key issues later on in the negotiations. It produced the Copenhagen Accord, which expressed clear a political intent to constrain carbon and respond to climate change, in both the short and long term. The Copenhagen Accord contained several key elements on which there was strong convergence of the views of governments. This included the long-term goal of limiting the maximum global average temperature increase to no more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, subject to a review in 2015. There was, however, no agreement on how to do this in practical terms. It also included a reference to consider limiting the temperature increase to below 1.5 degrees - a key demand made by vulnerable developing countries. Other central elements included Developed countries promises to fund actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change in developing countries. Developed countries promised to provide US$30 billion for the period 2010-2012, and to mobilize long-term finance of a further US$100 billion a year by 2020 from a variety of sources. Agreement on the measurement, reporting and verification of developing country actions, including a reference to international consultation and analysis, which had yet to be defined. The establishment of four new bodies: a mechanism on REDD-plus, a High-Level Panel under the COP to study implementation of financial provisions, the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund, and a Technology Mechanism. The work of the two central negotiating groups, the AWG-LCA and the AWG-KP was extended by the COP.
Emission of Nitrous Oxide from Streams and Rivers studied by Scientists

Scientists are trying to understand the emission of nitrous oxide that is regulated from streams and rivers and is contributed by the population of microorganisms. Nitrous Oxide is a compound made by the combination of nitrogen and oxygen is a potent greenhouse gas and making a contribution to the climate change.
186
www.jagranjosh.com
At present the scientists from the Boise State University and University of Idaho have collaborated to conduct a research on an artificial stream that is called flume and at sites located in Idaho Water Center in Broadway and Front Streets in the downtown Boise. The project has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Nitrous Oxide is basically used in the fertilizers, which finds their way to the waterways from agriculture runoff. Nitrous Oxide is also known as the laughing gas, which also impacts the atmosphere of earth.
Impact of Nitrous Oxide Emissions

Chemical Formula of Nitrous Oxide is N2O and its lifetime in the atmosphere is 120 years. Its potential of global warming is up to 100 years and one pound of N2O contributes 300 times than that of one pound of Carbon Dioxide. Globally, about 40% of total N2O emissions come from human activities. Human activities like combustion of fossil fuel, agriculture, wastewater management and industrial processes are contributing in the increase of Nitrogen Oxide in the atmosphere. Nitrous oxide is removed from the atmosphere after being absorbed by certain types of bacteria or it is destroyed by ultraviolet radiation or chemical reactions.
Parliament of European Union approved CO2 emission restrictions for commercial vans
The Parliament of Europe approved new carbon dioxide restrictions for commercial vans on 14 January 2014 that will slash emissions by 28 percent from 2020. Under the rules are all new light commercial vehicles sold across the European Union (EU) will emit a maximum 147 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre instead of 203 grammes as per the level set in 2007. The legislation would be reviewed in 2015. As per the Climate Commissioner of Europe Connie Hedegaard, the set target of emission is accessible and is not too expensive for manufacturers. The European Commission said that the 12 percent of emissions is done by vans of the European market for light-duty vehicles. These emissions contribute for 1.5 percent of total European Union carbon dioxide emissions. Similar scheme will be voted by the lawmakers of Europe in February 2014. The scheme will limit carbon dioxide emissions in new passenger cars that have been held up by concerns in Germany that has a powerful auto industry. Earlier in November 2013, Berlin agreed to the scheme of reduction of emission of CO2 to 95 grammes per kilometer for 2020. Also the European Union has set a target of emissions by new cars to 130 grammes of Co2 per kilometer by 2015. This emission target symbolises 18 percent
187
www.jagranjosh.com
improvement over the standards set in 2007.
Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from light commercial vehicles
In 2007, the European Council made a firm undertaking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020. This Regulation forms part of that initiative by setting limits for the CO2 emissions from light commercial vehicles, whilst maintaining the competitiveness of the European automotive industry. Transport is one of the European Unions (EU) foremost common policies. This Decision contributes to meeting the commitment made by the European Union to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 in relation to 1990 levels. Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as priority objective: Reducing greenhouse gases is a key component of European action. The EU has a monitoring mechanism in place to keep regular track of emissions and the absorption of these gases. With a view to gradually reducing emissions the EU has also established a system based on market rules, a greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme and specific rules on fluorinated greenhouse gases. The 20 percent target: three types of actual and possible consequences of the 20 percent reduction target Actual consequences of the financial crisis: the financial crisis which began in 2008 brought a 14 percent reduction in emissions compared to 1990 levels. However, as production recovers, these figures cannot be completely relied upon as they represent an exceptional situation. The
188
www.jagranjosh.com
European Commission recently carried out an analysis of the estimated cost of achieving the 20 percent targets, taking the recession into account. It emerged that the cost of implementing these objectives decreased by 30 percent in comparison to the 2008 estimates. Nevertheless, the crisis had negative consequences for undertakings competitiveness, which means that investment is still required in order to achieve the 20 percent reduction target. Actual consequences of the green revolution: as a result of the crisis, certain investors decided to turn to less energy-greedy infrastructures. For example, in 2009 renewable energies accounted for 61 percent of new electricity generating capacity in the European Union (EU). However, competition is fierce in this field and the EU must maintain its competitiveness in relation to countries such as China and the United States. Possible consequences of staying under a 2C global temperature increase: to achieve the goal of staying under a 2C global temperature increase, the EU must reduce emissions on its territory by 70 percent compared to 1990 levels. The International Energy Agency has estimated that at the global level, every year of delayed investment on more low-carbon energy sources adds EUR 300400 billion to the price tag. Eco-innovation: Suppliers or manufacturers may reduce their CO2 emissions by using innovative technologies which may contribute up to 7 grams of CO2/km.
Dinosaurs footprints spotted in Jaisalmer: Scientists

An International team of 34 scientists on 13 January 2014 spotted the footprints of Dinosaurs at Thaiat village in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan. At present, the team of scientists from a number of countries is camping in Jaisalmer to study the fossils of Dinosaurs found in sandy desert areas. The research related to fossils is centered on the evolution, extinction and paleo-bio-genography of the dinosaurs. The team of scientists also includes scientists from India. It also includes scientists from France and Germany. The team of the scientists is being led by Dr Jan Schlogl of Slovakia has observed the footprints on the basal rocks of Thaiat Scrap Section and identified it as footprints of Pterosaurs (flying dinosaur). Similarly, the bone fragments of Pterosaurs have been recorded earlier by Dr PK Pandey of the University of Rajasthan. The first footprint discovered was only 5 cm long, the shape and name of the species has been called as Grallator (it is a specific name given to the footprint). The second footprint was about 30 cm long, which is three toed (tridactyl footprint) has been named as Eurontes Giganteus.
189
www.jagranjosh.com
The team of scientists are on a visit to Rajasthan on the sidelines of the 9th International Congress on the Jurassic System, which is held between 6 to 9 January by the Department of Geology of University of Rajasthan.
POSCO got Environmental Clearance nod for 52000 crore rupees Steel Plant in Odisha
POSCO, the South Korean steel maker giant on 10 January 2014 received environment clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) for a steel plant worth 52000 crore rupees in Odisha. The project was in the pipeline for clearance and all for past eight years. The clearance has come a week ahead of the India visit of the President of South Korea, Geun Hye. This clearance to POSCO has paved a way to build the steel plant with an annual production capacity of 12 million tones. With this investment, POSCO project will emerge as the largest foreign direct investment in India, which was stalled since 2005 because of the problems related to land procurement and environmental clearance. Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha has also cleared the proposal of granting of Prospecting Licence (PL) over Khandadhar mines for the mega steel project near Paradip, as per the sources.
MoEF approved Tawang II hydroelectric project
190
www.jagranjosh.com
Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) cleared the Tawang-II hydroelectric project in Arunachal Pradesh on 9 January 2014. The Tawang II hydroelectric of 800MW project in Arunachal Pradesh will be executed by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC). The Project is to be set up on the Tawangchu River, downstream of Forebridge near Jang in Arunachal Pradesh. The expected cost of the project is 6112.30 crore rupees. The Project will benefit all the States of Northeast and may generate 3622 million units annually. The Tawng project will require diversion of 116 hectares forest land including 19.6 hectares for underground use.
The project approved by the Ministry of Environment and Forest on certain conditions. These conditions are:
NHPC would transfer the cost of compensatory forest to the state forest department; NHPC will have to set up at its own cost a four feet high reinforced cement concrete pillars to demarcate the boundary of the diverted forest land; and NHPC will have to maintain the flora and fauna in the vicinity of the project. Record low temperatures in the United States caused due to Polar vortex All the fifty states of US recorded sub-freezing temperatures in January 2014. Bitter cold created logjam across all the transportation services. The shivering cold also caused power shortage and adversely impacted daily routine. These low temperatures were not experienced in the region, since the last 20 years. Experts explained that Polar Vortex could be the main culprit behind this brutal cold.
About Polar Vortex

Polar Vortex is a low pressure, upper level (primarily in stratosphere) wind system rotating in anticlockwise direction. Wind Velocity of this system is more than 100 miles per hour. Generally, this vortex remains confined to the Arctic region. When the Polar Vortex weakens or splits, these cold winds move out of the Arctic and move towards South. The weakening of the Polar Vortex is attributed to the change in the intensity of the upper level winds that build Polar Vortex. Polar Vortex can occur anywhere in the Northern hemisphere. The vortex is strongest in winter, due to more temperature contrast between the Polar Regions and the mid-latitudes.
191
www.jagranjosh.com
Often, Polar vortex is misunderstood as hurricanes or tornadoes. But, these are different phenomena. The areas covered under the influence of the polar vortex are much wider than hurricanes or tornadoes. Polar Vortex lasts for more days than hurricanes or tornado.
Role of Polar vortex behind low temperatures in US

Recently, Polar Vortex weakened in the arctic region. This weakening forced cold air to move in the areas south to the arctic region. Thus, this wind covered entire North America bringing record low temperatures in this region. However, Polar Vortex is touted as only a possible reason. There could be one or more reasons behind the low temperatures in US. Whether polar vortex itself is an outcome of global warming or not is still a matter of debate.
Report titled Estimation of retreat of Gangotri glacier released

G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development (GBPIHED) released the Report titled Estimation of retreat of Gangotri glacier on 7 January 2014. The estimation of retreat has been measured using rapid static and kinematic GPS survey.
The Report highlights are:

Gangotri glacier is retreating in the Himalayas and its volume and size are shrinking between Gaumukh and Bhojbasa. There is some disintegration in the upper regions of the Gangotri glaciers due to tectonic activities. Retreat of Gangotri glaciers in this decade was higher than in the previous decade due to global warming.
About Gangotri Glaciers

The Gangotri is one of the largest Himalayan glaciers in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakand. The glaciers originate at about 7100 meter above the sea level and are 30.2 km long and width that varies between 0.5 and 2.5 km. The River Bhagirathi, one of the main tributaries of the Ganga, originates from Gangotri glacier.
Exceptionally Rare Conjoined Whales discovered

Fishermen found a conjoined gray whale calves in the lagoon in Baja California in second week of
192
www.jagranjosh.com
January 2014 as per the Mexican officials. The discovery of the conjoined gray whale is exceptional and rare. This discovery is exceptional because till date any precedent of such a whale has not been found. The whale was found alive in the lagoon of Ojo de Liebre, which opens to the Pacific Ocean in the Baja California peninsula but it died shortly after birth according a government biologist. Its predicted by the death was due to parapagus malformation. Conjoined twinning has been reported in other mammals, which includes birds, amphibians, fish and reptiles, but it is rare in whales. The Siamese whales found were four meter long and weighed a half. The whales were linked at the waist with two full heads and tail fins. The gray whales swim towards south from Bering Sea of Alaska to Mexico for warmer water, where they mate and give birth. They swim towards the warmer water because it eases the birthing process as believed. The discovery of these whales has been for the first time, since the process of conducting the whales began in 1985. The discovery has been verified by an official from the National Natural Protected Areas Commission (CONAP) during his visit. At present, the scientists and researchers have collected skin, muscle and baleen samples of the creature for study and would look forward for other case in the gray whales natural sanctuaries at Baja California. In 2012-13 seasons about 1200 gray whales have been spotted in the region.
China destroyed six tonnes of smuggled ivory to protect declining elephant population
China destroyed more than six tonnes of smuggled elephants ivory in Guangdong province on 6 January 2014. The move signaled that China is willing to play a greater role in protecting dwindling elephant populations. It marked the third significant ivory crush globally over the past six months. In June 2013, the Philippine government crushed more than five tonnes of ivory, and in November 2013 the U.S. government crushed almost six tonnes. Chinas move was in line with the tentative steps that it had taken towards playing a greater role in protecting wildlife outside its borders. In January 2013, China led an international task force of law-enforcement officers from nine countries aimed at cracking down on wildlife crime syndicates. A month long campaign resulted in the seizure of 6.5 tons of ivory as well as other animal parts. At a global conservation conference in March 2013, China co-sponsored with the U.S. measures to increase the level of protection afforded to more than 40 animal species. These 40 animal species
193
www.jagranjosh.com
are predominantly threatened by Chinese diners. Amongst other steps, China is implementing its comprehensive National Ivory Action Plan in consultation with the CITES Standing Committee. Also, China led the first cross-continent wildlife enforcement effort known as Operation Cobra. However, China has been reluctant to move against legal markets for the sale and trade of wild animals in China. State-sanctioned ivory engravers each year receive an allocation that China legally bought from a handful of African nations in 2008. A study by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 2012 found that China is the only country in East Asia where demand for ivory is expanding in line with household incomes.
16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP16).
It was held in Bangkok in March 2013, to address the threats posed to wildlife, to people and their livelihoods through poaching and smuggling, especially with respect to the African elephant. The figures released through the CITES programme Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) showed that an estimated 22000 elephants were illegally killed in 2012 in Africa. The data compiled from 42 MIKE sites across 27 African countries, demonstrate that current levels of elephant poaching in Africa remain far too high. It could soon lead to local extinctions if the present killing rates continue. The situation is particularly acute in Central Africa, where the estimated poaching rates are twice the continental average.
In lieu of this:
CITES Parties recognized the need for targeted and time-bound actions to be undertaken along the entire illegal ivory trade chain and to tackle both supply and demand. The ivory trade chain extends from African range States to transit nations and countries that are the final destinations and markets. The CITES Standing Committee further reinforced the collective efforts taken by CITES Parties by agreeing with the eight key States in Africa and Asia that are part of the illegal ivory trade chain on the preparation of national ivory action plans. This action plan will contain all the details of the urgent measures the eight key States will undertake to combat illegal trade in ivory.
194
www.jagranjosh.com
SC directed Centre to appoint a National Regulator to oversee implementation of Forest Policy

The Supreme Court of India on 6 January 2014 directed the Government of India to appoint a national regulator to oversee the implementation of forest policy. The court rejected the contention that there is no need for such a body. The Supreme Court Bench of three judges, which was headed by A K Patnaik and comprised justices SS Nijjar and FMI Kalifulla, while hearing a PIL, also ordered the Centre to file an affidavit on compliance of its order by 31 March 2014. The bench also observed that directing the implementation of the national regulator is must as the present system under the central government was deficient. The bench of the Court in its order said to the Union of India to appoint a regulator with its offices in as many states as possible. The judgment was passed after rejecting the plea of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) that there is no need to need to appoint such a regulator to oversee the implementation of forest policy. In its order the Court made it clear that the regulator will see the implementation of the Forest Policy of 1988, while the clearances will be made under the Forest Act by the MoEF only. The national regulator will deal directly the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification of 2006 for every project. The Courts order came on an MoEF plea that was seeking the modification of the 2011 decision in which the it directed the centre to appoint a national regulator for appraising projects enforcing environmental conditions for approvals and to impose penalties on polluters. There was no need to set up a green regulator to oversee matters related to environment clearances and pleaded for modification of its order to set a body was said by the centre in 2013.
Rare odonate species found in Western Ghats

A rare odonate species was spotted for the first time in the southern parts of Western Ghats on 5 January 2014. The species is known to use tree holes as a larval habitat. The species was found to bred in the tree holes of evergreen and semi-evergreen forests in the southern Western Ghats. Western ghats was a biodiversity hotspot. Many species of odonates are known to use phytotelmata (plant-held waters), as a breeding habitat worldwide. But no species are known to breed in phytotelmata in India. Odonates are mainly aquatic insect group and their part of lifecycle completed through aquatic
195
www.jagranjosh.com
environment. All rivers with the riparian zones, perennial streams and meadows form key areas of the reserve and provide best opportunity to the odonates to flourish.
Endangered Tigers, Lions and Red Pandas died due to Canine Distemper Virus: Scientists
Endangered tigers, red pandas and lions are perishing due to infection caused by Canine Distemper Virus (CDV). The Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) scientists in Bareilly found CDV in the blood samples of dead animals. The disease has been found in the dead bodies of the animals of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Patna Zoo and many areas of West Bengal and Darjeeling.
About Canine distemper Virus

CDV is a common disease in domestic dogs. CDV affects different systems of the body including nervous and respiratory system in these animals. CDV breaks down the immunity system and causes various secondary bacterial infections, which leads to death. It spreads in the animals that eat dogs infected with the virus and/or drink water from same source.
Indian Pittas, endemic bird spotted in Delhi

India Pitta, a small and colourful bird which is endemic was spotted at Aravalli Biodiversity Park in Delhi after 60 years recently. A rare butterfly, Striped Blue Crow, was also seen for the first time at Aravalli Biodiversity Park. Indian pitta is mainly found in the Himalayan foothills and Western Ghats in winters is mainly seen in closed canopy forest. Pittas belong to the family of Pittidate that has 32 species distributed throughout Asia, Africa and Australia. The bird is also known as the Blue-Winged Pitta, the Bengal Pitta, the Painted Thrush and Navaratna in Hindi because of it vibrant colours. The bird sighting was last reported by omithologist Usha Ganguli in her book A Guide to the Birds of Delhi.
196
www.jagranjosh.com
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Union Government banned cosmetic companies from testing on animals
Union Government banned cosmetic companies from testing on animals. The notification prohibiting testing of cosmetics on animals was issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 27 January 2014. The rules prohibiting testing of cosmetics on animals will become effective within 45 days of it being made public. The ban implies that no cosmetic which has been tested on animals in the country will be allowed to be sold. With this India became the first country in South Asia to ban the testing of cosmetics and its ingredients on animals. To give effect to the notification, the amendment was made in the Drug and Cosmetics Act, 1945. The amendment provides that any cosmetic product which carries out animal testing will face action as per provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and the Animal Cruelty Act. The Union Ministry of Health decided to amend the rules after issues were raised by certain
197
www.jagranjosh.com
organizations and Members of Parliament, and to follow standards in line with the European Union (EU). EU in 2013 implemented the final phase of the EU law which made the testing of cosmetics on animals completely illegal. However, the ban will not prevent companies from importing and selling animal-tested cosmetics in the country. Companies are still free to outsource their animal testing to other countries and then import newly animal-tested cosmetics and ingredients back into India. To prevent this, India must also ban the import and sale of cosmetic products and ingredients that have been newly animal-tested anywhere in the world. Israel and the 27 countries that make up the European Union have implemented both testing and sales bans to bring an end to cosmetics animal suffering in their respective jurisdictions.
NASA rover Opportunity found Mars had life friendly fresh water
ASA Mars rover Opportunity found that Mars had life friendly fresh water once. This was confirmed by the scientists at NASA on 23 January 2014. The discovery has reinforced the similar discoveries made by Curiosity on the other side of the planet Mars. Opportunity had been analyzing water-bearing rocks at the rim of an ancient impact crater called Endeavour. Rather than the chemical fingerprints of acidic, salty water found at previous sites, Opportunity discovered telltale clays called smectites that form in Ph-neutral water. The finding adds to an emerging picture of a planet Mars that spent its first billion years or so warmer than it is today, with pools of fresh water on its surface. Gradually, water activity declined and what did exist became acidic, scientific findings reveal, and then, beginning about 3 billion years ago, Mars dried up. By studying rocks at various levels, scientists expect to not only get a better idea of how long the planet Mars was able to sustain life, but where conditions might be favourable to perverse key evidence, such as organic carbon.
NASA Mission on Mars

Opportunity, along with its now-defunct twin, Spirit, landed on Mars in 2003 for concurrent 90-day missions to look for clues of the past existence of water on planet Mars. NASA in 2012 another Mars rover named Curiosity equipped with an onboard chemistry lab for follow-up investigations to determine that Mars had other ingredients essential for supporting life. Curiosity is exploring an area known as Gale Crater.
198
www.jagranjosh.com
NASA Mars Rover discovered doughnut rock

Jelly doughnut rock discovered by NASA Mars rover was revealed on 21 January 2014 on the tenth anniversary of the Mars rovers landing on the planet. The researchers named the rock as Pinnacle Island, which is high in composition of three elements sulfur, magnesium and manganese. Researchers said the rock is the one of the oddest things on Mars that space experts have ever come across on Mars. The rock is examined and it can be seen as a whitish colour on the outer surface while bearing reddish colour toward its center and looks like sweet desert.
About Opportunity Mars Rover

One of the NASAs Mars Exploration Rovers, Opportunity reached the Red Planet on 24 January 2004. The Opportunity rover was built for a three-month mission on Mars, but continues to return valuable scientific data even after 10 years. NASAs Opportunity Mars Exploration Rover Search for and characterize a variety of rocks and soils that hold clues to past water activity.
Tulasi genetically engineered to increase Pharmaceutical Value

Scientists at Western Kentucky University, US genetically engineered Tulasi or basil to enhance its pharmaceutical value. Scientists genetically engineered Tulsai to produce eugenol, a compound found in basil. Eugenol has a pharmaceutical value which controls the breast cancer. Tulasi is a medicinal plant and has anti-cancerous compounds called metabolites.
About Tulasi or Basil

Tulasi is scientifically called Ocimum tenuiflorum or Ocimum sanctum. Tulasi leaves are used in Ayurvedic medicine and it is known to promote the longevity of life. The herb Tulasi is used to cure the respiratory disorders and to combat cardiac disorders. Smart contact lens unveiled by Google to measure glucose levels in tears
199
www.jagranjosh.com
Google X Lab unveiled a smart contact lens that can help diabetics to measure their glucose level in tears on 17 January 2014. The smart contact lens has been developed in collaboration with the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) by Brian Otis and Babak Parviz. The contact lens uses a tiny wireless chip and a minituarized glucose sensor. Besides it uses an antenna, thinner than a human hair, to measure tear glucose with better accuracy. The lens also uses tiny LED lights to warn users when their glucose levels cross certain thresholds. The company is currently testing prototypes of contact lens that can take about one reading per second. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diabetes affects 347 million people worldwide. In 2004 alone, 3.4 million people died as a result of high fasting blood sugar. The International Diabetes Federation data shows that one in ten people across the worlds population are forecast to have diabetes by 2035.
Union Government allowed imports of frozen human embryos to boost infertility treatment
Union Government allowed the import of frozen human embryos for artificial reproduction on 15 January 2014. The decision allowed foreign couples to bring in frozen human embryos and rent a surrogate womb in India for the baby to be born. The relaxed rules will also apply to other infertility related treatment such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF). On the one hand, the decision will give boost to the infertility treatment and on the other it will open a huge segment of the medical tourism market. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will give a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to ensure the quality control of imports. There is no restriction on implantation of imported frozen embryo in a surrogate either but the conditions for granting of NOC are stringent. The documents required for an NOC include a certification of registration of the ART clinic. The ART Clinic will recommend the transfer of embryos or gametes and clinic in India with name and address of its in-charge where the treatment will happen. The foreign clinic has to certify the woman that she cannot conceive or that such conception may lead to undesirable medical implications. There should be certification that at least one of the gametes was from the infertile couple. The ART clinic has to certify that foreign clinic details of the couple like from which country, name and address of the couple. The foreigns counterpart has to certify that the embryo was generated
200
www.jagranjosh.com
in their clinic and there was no sex selection. The couple has to furnish identification documents and proof of marriage.
NASA discovered potentially hazardous asteroid 2013 YP139

NASA discovered a new potentially hazardous asteroid named 2013 YP139 on 29 December 2013. It was confirmed by the NASA on 15 January2014. It was first discovered by NASAs Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE). The Researchers at the University of Arizona used the Spacewatch telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory southwest of Tucson to confirm the discovery. The 2013 YP139 is about 43 million kilometers from Earth. On the basis of Infrared brightness, it is found to be 650 meters in diameter and extremely dark like a piece of coal. NEOWISEs sophisticated software picked up the moving object against a background of stationary stars. The asteroid circles the Sun in an elliptical orbit titled to the plane of solar system. It is possible for its orbit to bring it as close as 482803 km from Earth, a little more than the distance to the Moon. But it will not come that close within the next century. NEOWISE was originally called as Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) which made the most comprehensive survey to date of asteroids and comets. In 2010 and early 2011, WISE discovered more than 34000 asteroids and characterised 158000 throughout the solar system. Its reactivation in September 2013 followed 31 months in hibernation.
Nanotechnology may prevent Cancer from spreading

Nanotechnology may prevent cancer from spreading by using sticky nanoparticles. Researchers of Cornell University (US) have designed these sticky nanoparticles. These are made by attaching Trail protein and other proteins to the nanoparticles. As per the results of earlier trial tests, Trail protein has the ability to kill cancer cells. These sticky nanoparticles are injected into blood stream which attaches themselves with the white blood cells.
201
www.jagranjosh.com
Tests revealed that as soon as sticky nanoparticles came in contact of cancel tumor cells which had broken off the main tumour and were trying to spread, it kills them. It thus prevent tumour from spreading into other regions. The test results are significant in human blood and mice. The lead researcher Professor Michael King suggested that sticky nanoparticles should be used before surgery or radiotherapy. This move would help in removing tumour cells from the main tumour.
India completed three years without any polio case
India completes three years without reporting any case of polio on 13 January 2014. It is only the second time in the history that a disease is being eliminated in India through immunisation after small pox in May 1980. Officially the World Health Organisation (WHO) will certify India as polio-free on 11 February 2014. The WHO on 24 February 2012 removed India from the list of countries with active endemic wild polio transmission. Once India is declared polio-free, the entire WHO region would also become polio free. Indias being declared polio-free is particularly important because it was the only country in the South East Asian region with polio cases.The number of polio cases came down from 741 in 2009 to 42 in 2010 and just one in 2011 reported from West Bengal.
202
www.jagranjosh.com
India won the war against polio through intense Pulse Polio Immunisation under the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). The Pulse Polio Immunisation programme was launched in 1988 by Rotary International in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO). Under the Polio Immunisation programme, over 17 crore children were vaccinated in each round of vaccination with the help of 24 lakh vaccinators.
About Polio
Poliomyelitis often called polio or infantile paralysis is an acute, viral, infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route. Poliomyelitis was first recognized as a distinct condition by Jakob Heine in 1840. Its causative agent, poliovirus, was identified in 1908 by Karl Landsteiner.
Causes
Poliomyelitis is caused by infection with a member of the genus Enterovirus known as poliovirus (PV). This group of RNA viruses colonize the gastrointestinal tract - specifically the oropharynx and the intestine. The incubation time (to the first signs and symptoms) ranges from three to 35 days, with a more common span of six to 20 days. Three serotypes of poliovirus have been identifiedpoliovirus type 1 (PV1), type 2 (PV2), and type 3 (PV3)each with a slightly different capsid protein. PV1 is the most commonly encountered form, and the one most closely associated with paralysis.
Vaccine
Albert Sabin developed oral polio vaccine (OPV). It was produced by the repeated passage of the virus through non-human cells at sub-physiological temperatures. It was licensed by the US National Institutes of Health in 1962.
Indigenous Glucose Monitoring Device launched by Government

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched two indigenous Glucose Monitoring Device, Suchek and QuickcheQ, on 13 January 2014. The launching of two kinds of glucometers and testing strips will make mass screening and detection feasible. Suchek is designed and developed by Nanobios Lab, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai. Suchek is very useful for health camps as it has a mobile application, which helps save, trend and analyse blood glucose levels at an individual level.
203
www.jagranjosh.com
QuickcheQ is designed and developed by the Birla Institute of Technology, Hyderabad with funding from the Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR). These will be manufactured by Biosense Technologies and will be available in the open market in the next six months. Among the non-communicable diseases, diabetes is rapidly rising all over the world. Globally, it is estimated that 382 million people living with diabetes. India alone is reported to have more than 65 million cases of diabetes, the second largest number after China. Under the national programme on prevention and control of cancer, diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases and stroke, more than 53 million people have been screened for diabetes and more than 50 million for hypertension.
About Diabetes
Diabetes, diabetes mellitus, describes a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar), either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the bodys cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both. Patients with high blood sugar will typically experience polyuria (frequent urination), they will become increasingly polydipsia(frequent thirst) and polyphagia( frequent hunger).
There are three types of diabetes: Type 1 Diabetes

The body does not produce insulin. People usually develop type 1 diabetes before their 40th year, often in early adulthood or teenage years. Patients with type 1 diabetes will need to take insulin injections for the rest of their life. They must also ensure proper blood-glucose levels by carrying out regular blood tests and following a special diet. Approximately 10% of all diabetes cases are type 1.
Type 2 Diabetes
The body does not produce enough insulin for proper function, or the cells in the body do not react
204
www.jagranjosh.com
to insulin (insulin resistance). Some people may be able to control their type 2 diabetes symptoms by losing weight, following a healthy diet, doing plenty of exercise, and monitoring their blood glucose levels. Approximately 90% of all cases of diabetes worldwide are of this type.
Gestational Diabetes
This type affects females during pregnancy. Some women have very high levels of glucose in their blood, and their bodies are unable to produce enough insulin to transport all of the glucose into their cells, resulting in progressively rising levels of glucose.
Anu Vidyut Pariyojana launched in Fatehabad, Haryana

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation of 2,800 Megawatt nuclear power plant in Fatehabad district of Haryana on 13 January 2014. The project named as Anu Vidyut Pariyojna, will have four units of 700 MWes each and it will be built at a cost 23502 crore rupees. They are Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) which will use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as both coolant and moderator. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) will build these reactors. This is the first time Haryana will have a nuclear project. In the second stage, the NPCIL will build two more PHWRS of 700 MWe each at the Gorakhpur site of Haryana. The nuclear plant will accelerate the pace of development of the area and it would also generate more employment opportunities. The NPCIL is already building four PHWRS of 700 MWe each, two units each at Kakrapara in Gujarat and Rawatbhatta in Rajasthan. The units at Kakrapara are under advanced stage of construction and they will attain criticality in 2016. NPCIL is the sole body responsible for constructing and operating Indias commercial nuclear power plants. The company had 21 nuclear reactors in operation at seven locations. Total installed capacity of nuclear reactors is 5780 MWe.
Indias three-stage nuclear power programme

Programme was formulated by Dr. Homi Bhabha in the 1950s. The objective of the plan is to secure
205
www.jagranjosh.com
the countrys long term energy independence, through the use of uranium and thorium reserves found in the monazite sands of coastal regions of South India.
Programme has three stage vision:

The first stage consists of the pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWR), the second stage consists of fast breeder reactors (FBR) and the third stage consists of advanced heavy water reactors (AHWR).
iOptik, new eyewear system developed to give superhuman vision

The US based company Innovega unveiled a new eyewear system, the iOptik, on 11 January 2014. The eyewear system was showcased at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The new eyewear system combines high-tech contact lenses and Google Glass-like smart glasses to provide the wearer with superhuman vision. The iOptik system has been developed to take the concept of wearable technology to the next level. The prototype features up to six times the number of pixels and 46 times the screen size of mobile products that rely on conventional optics. The contact lenses provide the wearer with enhanced focusing abilities. It also allows the wearer to see objects and images that are very close up, as well as those that are some distance away, in great clarity. The glasses unlike Google Glass cover the whole eye. They are integrated with flat-panels or microprojectors that create a virtual canvas, onto which digital media such as photos, maps and social media updates can be projected. They can also play games and watch films that mimic IMAX performance.
206
www.jagranjosh.com
Scientists measured the distance to galaxies accurate to 1%

Scientists for the first time measured the distance to galaxies more than six billion light years away accurate to 1%. The analysis was revealed on 9 January 2014. This new map was created from the BOSS Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey using Sloan Foundation Telescope. This survey is one of the four projects being carried out by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-111), at the Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico. The analysis incorporates spectra of 1277503 galaxies and covers 8509 square degrees of the sky visible from the northern hemisphere. This is the largest sample of the universe ever surveyed at this density. Since 2009, BOSS has been collecting the data and will continue to gather till June 2014. The BOSS map used baryon acoustic oscillations (BAOs) as a standard measurement of the distance between galaxies. A BAO is an imprint of pressure waves from the early universe suspended in the barren depths of intergalactic space. Further, the phenomenon known as BAO is a subtle ripples in the distribution of galaxies throughout the Universe. These ripples were created during the formation of the early universe as particles of light (photons) and protons and neutrons (collectively known as baryons) created mammoth pressure waves pulsing through the cosmos. The new results were presented by Schlegel and his team at the 223rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
Saturns Ring 4.4 billion years old

Saturns iconic rings were formed about 4.4 billion years ago said the researchers at the University of Colorado. This was announced at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union on 3 January 2014. The new study was conducted using data gathered by the NASAs Saturn-orbiting Cassini spacecraft. The main rings are believed to be extremely old, rather than hundreds of millions of years old said the researchers. Saturns main ring system is huge but razor-thin, measuring about 280000 kilometres across but just 33 feet or so in the vertical direction. The rings are composed primarily of water ice, but they contain small amounts of rocky material
207
www.jagranjosh.com
contributed by micrometeoroid bombardment. The University of Colorado researchers used Cassinis Cosmic Dust Analyser instrument to measure how frequently such tiny particles cruise through the Saturn system. The researchers were able to reconstruct the orbits of many of these particles, finding that the lions share come from the Kuiper Belt, the ring of icy bodies beyond Neptunes orbit.
Scientists designed Moclic software to predict weather
Researcher from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) designed the software Monitoring Climate Change (Moclic) through which is possible to organise, store and operate georeferenced data from climate elements. Moclic can calculate bio and agro climatic indicators such as humidity, aridity, rain erosion and rainfall concentration. Using the new software information regarding temperature can be known more accurately which feeds on data from weather stations in any state or country. Moclic project allows an agronomist to obtain annual rainfall records and relate them to the crops production figures for explanation of a possible event. It is also possible to identify desiccation processes in a region which comes useful while considering
208
www.jagranjosh.com
the seeds that can resist droughts or the optimization of rainwater catching techniques, storage or types of irrigation. The software is very simple and can be used by decision making characters, as governors, breeders, physicians, farmers, students or anyone whose repercussions could have economic politic or social effects.
Hubble discovered clouds on new planets

Hubble discovered the two new planets, GJ 436b and GJ121 4b, providing the weather forecast for a planet outside our solar system. The Astronomers led by University of Chicago Laura Kreidberg and Jacob Bean W determined that both the planets covered with clouds and contains hydrogen. These clouds hide any information about the composition and behaviour of the lower atmosphere and surface. GJ 121 4b is about 40 light years away from Earth in the constellation Ophiuchus. GJ436b is similar in mass to Neptune and GJ 121 4b is considered a Super Earth planet because of its mass is intermediate between those of Earth and Neptune.
About Hubble
The Hubble space Telescopes launched in 1990 that orbits Earth. Its gaze has helped determine the age of the universe and the existence of dark energy.
Indias Supercomputer, PARAM Yuva-II ranked 1 in India

PARAM Yuva-II Indias supercomputer rated 1st in India, 9th in the Asia Pacific Region and 44th in the world among the most power efficient computer systems as per the Green500 List. It was announced at the Super computer Conference (SC 2013) in Denver, Colorado, US. PARAM Yuva-II was developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).
209
www.jagranjosh.com
C-DAC is the second organization worldwide to have carried out the Level 3 measurement of Power versus Performance for the Green500 List PARAM Yuva II uses hybrid technology, processor, co-processor and hardware accelerators. PARAM uses hybrid technology to provide the peak compute power of 520.4 Teraflop/s using 210 kilowatt power. The interconnect network comprises of homegrown PARAMNet-III and Infiniband FDR System Area Network. This system is designed to solve large and complex computational problems. The system has 200 Terabytes of high performance storage, and requisite system software and utilities for parallel applications development.
About Supercomputers
A Super computer is the fastest type of computers that is typically used for scientific and engineering applications which handles very large databases or does a great amount of computation or both. In general Supercomputers consume a lot of electrical power and produce much heat. To reduce heat, it requires elaborate cooling facilities, which increases the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of a supercomputer. Green500 ranks computer systems in the world according to compute performance per watt and providing a world ranking based on energy efficiency. Energy consumed by supercomputers is measured at various Levels L1, L2, and L3.
210
www.jagranjosh.com
CORPORATE
Google purchased DeepMind Technologies of UK
Google purchased the British start-up DeepMind Technologies an artificial intelligence company on 27 January 2014. The American tech giant Google confirmed the deal in its London office. This deal represents Googles biggest ever single acquisition in Europe. The acquisition of DeepMind would prove to be helpful for Google in further developing its most recent Hummingbird search update. The Hummingbird search update was created to make Google more human and searches which can now understand context like a human brain.
About DeepMind Technologies

The artificial intelligence company DeepMind Technologies was founded by Demis Hassabis,
211
www.jagranjosh.com
neuroscientist and computer genius together with Shane Legg and Mustafa Suleyman in London. Artificial intelligence uses computers for tasks normally requiring human intelligence, like speech recognition or language translation.
Samsung and Google signed Global Patent Agreement

Google Inc and Samsung Electronics Co signed an agreement to cross-licence their global patents. This agreement was signed to reduce the risk of costly legal disputes over intellectual property on 26 January 2014. This agreement would also foster greater collaboration between the two technique giants. As per Samsung, the Seoul-based company the deal between the two giants also covers the patents to be filed over the next 10 years as well as existing patents. The deal does not cover every patents held by both the companies. Samsung and Google work closely as Googles Android mobile operating system is used by Samsung. Both the companies did not disclose the financial consideration that will be paid/considered for the use of each others patents. Apart from this, Samsung also reached an agreement with Ericsson on global patent licences related to GSM, UMTS and LTE standards for both networks and handsets on 27 January 2014. As per the agreement, Samsung will pay the telecom equipment maker Ericsson about 4.2 billion Swedish Kronas (over 650 million dollars) to settle patent-related disputes, including royalties.
Background: The telephone industry giant Samsung has been into a range of disputes related to patents with its rival Apple in the business of smartphones. Google and Apple are also fighting a patent battle that involves Motorola Mobility that was acquired by Google in 2012. Rockstar Consortium (a patent owner) formed by Apple and other companies, has sued Samsung, Google and other companies who are involved in Android. This is a part of the patent lawsuits that has seen an increase in past half decades due to the expansion of use of tablets and smartphones globally.
Federal Aviation Administration ordered safety checks of Boeing 767s

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on 27 January 2014 ordered for inspection of Boeing 767 airplanes to check for problems that could cause the pilot to lose control of the plane. This order has been issued for safety checks of more than 400 Boeing 767 jets.
212
www.jagranjosh.com
FAA in its government filing said that the mandatory safety check was prompted by the reports of failed sheer rivets in the elevator power control actuator bellcranck used in adjusting the pitch of the aircraft. The directive was issued to prevent continued operation with failed shear rivets and also to prevent jams or certain failures which acts as a cause and results in a significant pitch upset and possible loss of control of the airplane. Till now, the problem in functioning of the elevators has not been identified, which has caused accident of the 767 jet. FAA became aware of the problem for the first time in 2000 and ordered a series of inspection of the jet to find the problem.
SBI launch Youtube channel

State Bank of India launched its channel on Youtube on 24 January 2014. SBI aim to strengthened its social media presence with this launch. YouTube is a popular video sharing website. YouTube is a platform that will enable SBI to connect with their customers. The YouTube channel will initially have information about the banks products and services and its legacy to begin with and will gradually include philanthropic initiatives. The You Tube channel will help the bank to connect with the young and technologically savvy customers. Soon SBI will be launching its micro blogging site on Twitter.
About State Bank of India (SBI)

SBI is one of the oldest financial institutions in the country with an over 200 years of history. It is the largest lender bank of India. SBI controls around a fourth of the deposits in the country. It has over 15,000 branches and over 43,000 ATMs. Its current Chairman is Arundhatti Bhattacharya. She is the first woman to head the 206 year old State Bank of India.
Wal-Mart registered Wal-Mart India Private Ltd in India

Global Retail giant Wal-Mart registered a new entity called Wal-Mart India Private Ltd in India on 15 January 2014 to enter the lucrative multi-brand market in India. Wal-Mart India Private Ltd was registered as a new entity with Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
213
www.jagranjosh.com
A Joint venture of Wal-Mart and Bharthi private Ltd was setup to operate wholesale stores and it was not catering directly to retail consumers. The Wal-Mart and Bharthi Enterprises in 2013 decided to independently own and operate their business formats in India. Earlier, a controversy broke, when Wal-Mart declared that it has spent 25 million dollars on lobbying activities that included enhanced market access for investment in India and for no law that bars it from lobbying in India.
Etihad Airways demonstrated flight with Biofuel mix

Ethihad Airways on 19 January 2014 flew a Boeing 777 plane on a 45-minutes demonstration flight that was powered in part by biofuel. The biofuel was developed in collaboration with a French firm Total. With this exercise, UAE has turned among the countries that have produced and flown on their own aviation biofuel. The biofuel driven flights emits about 50 percent less carbon dioxide that the fossil fuel over its lifecycle. The initiative to support a sustainable aviation biofuled industry in United Arab Emirates, the AbuDhabi based carrier teamed up with Total, US-manufacturer Boeing local refiner Takreer and Masdar research institute. The biofuel amounted to 10 percent of the fuel in the demonstration flight was also used in the past in similar flight during the Paris airshow. Total partially converted the biofuel from plants which was refined into a jet fuel by government-owned Takreer (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.). At present, a sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium is being hosted by Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi, of which Boeing and Etihad Airways are among the founding partners. The team is researching and developing salt-tolerant plants that will act as the raw material for refining processes, which will be used in production of renewable fuel for the flights of Etihad Airways. The initiative focuses on research and development as well as investments in feedstock production and refining capability in UAE and across the world.
AirAsia aimed to start India operations by April

Tony Fernandes, the chief of the Malaysian carrier AirAsia on 22 January 2014 announced that its India operations will start from April 2014. The decision came during Fernandes India visit to attend the World Economic Forums (WEFs) annual meeting. AirAsia has set up a joint venture with Tata and Mittu Chandilya is the CEO of the Indian venture of AirAsia. The stakeholders also include Telstra Tradeplace.
214
www.jagranjosh.com
Earleir, AirAsia India got a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Civil Aviation Ministry on 20 September 2013 to start its airline operations in the country. The permission was given after AirAsia applied to the aviation regulator for a permit. As per the decision, it has planned to operate fleet of Airbus A320-200 aircraft to start with 4 to 5 planes, which will be expanded to ten within 12 months.
About AirAsia
AirAsia is the leading Asian airline which was established in 2001 with an aim to make flying possible for everyone. Air Asia was named the Worlds Best Low Cost Airline in the annual World Airline Survey by Skytrax for five consecutive years in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and has been ranked Top 5 among the most recognized and admired airlines in the Asia Pacific Top 1000 Brands 2008. At the 27th ASEANTA Awards for Excellence 2013 it has bagged two awards namely Best Asean Tourism Photo by AirAsias photojournalist Adam Lee and Best Asean Marketing & Promotional Campaign by the airlines marketing team.
Google acquired cybersecurity firm Impermium for 9 million dollar

Google acquired Bengaluru based Impermium for 9 million dollar on 20 January 2014. The acquisition will help Google improve its abuse monitoring efforts and make internet a safer place. Bengaluru based Impermium is a three year old startup. The startup focused on building security products for websites. Impermium was founded by two Indians, Vish Ramarao and Naveen Jamal and American Mark Risher. Mark Risher is the CEO of the company. Prior to Impermium, all three co-founders were in Yahoo Mail, where they dealt with problems of spam, web security and fraudulent account creation. Impermium has 300000 clients, including Tumblr, Pinterest, CNN, ESPN, Typepad and Washington Post. The company had built a number of services that worked as a risk-determination system, which could help identify when an account had been compromised. Earlier, Facebook had acquired Bangalore based Little eye Labs. Acquisitions of India-based startups by the likes of Google and Facebook are expected to provide a big boost to the startup ecosystem.
215
www.jagranjosh.com
3F tied up with Fuji Oil to set-up a joint venture Non-Dairy Cream Making Plant
3F, the manufacturer of edible oil and food Ingredient Company on 17 January 2014 tied up with Fuji Oil Co, the Japanese oil and fats firm. The two firms will have tied up to jointly set-up a nondairy cream making plant. The two firms will make an investment of about 100 crore rupees on the 15-acre plant in Burgul on the outskirts of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Fuji will hold 55 percent of the joint venture and remaining 45 percent will be with 3F. The plant that will be constructed in a period of 1 year will make 500 tonnes of cream in a month during the first year. Capacity of the plant will be doubled in next three years. Fuji Oil have its several plants in China and other parts of the world, but this tie-up is its first partnership in India.
RBI allowed Foreign Investors to invest in South Indian Bank

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed the foreign investors to buy the shares of South Indian Bank. The permission has been given as the foreign shareholding in the bank has gone below the prescribed limit that is stipulated under the extant FDI policy. RBI said that the FIIs (Foreign Institutional Investors), PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin) and NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) have been allowed to make investments in the primary as well as secondary markets in India through the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS). It also said that the South Indian Banks equity can also be purchased through primary market and stock exchanges. The ceilings on FII, NRI and PIO investments are monitored by RBI in Indian companies on a daily basis. The foreign investment ceiling limits that has fixed by RBI for effective monitoring is two percent points lower than the actual ceilings.
About South Indian Bank

South Indian Bank is one of the earliest launched banks of South India. It came into being during the Swadeshi Movement that happened in 1905 and continued till 1911. It was created with the aim for service oriented repository of savings of the community on one hand and to free the business community from the clutches of money lenders on the other by providing need based credit at reasonable rates of interest. South Indian Bank is among the private banks in Kerala to become a scheduled bank in 1946 under the RBI Act
216
www.jagranjosh.com
It is the first bank in the private sector in India to open a Currency Chest on behalf of the RBI in April 1992 It is the first private sector bank to open a NRI branch in November 1992 It is the first bank in the private sector to start an Industrial Finance Branch in March 1993
USFDA raised concern over Ranbaxys Toansa Plant

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised concern on 13 January 2014 over Ranbaxy for not maintaining its Toansa plant in line with the required standards. The FDA issued the Form 483 to drug major Ranbaxy Laboratories. FDA claimed that equipment maintenance programmes at Toansa plant were not appropriate. Also the sampling plans and procedures were not scientifically sound. The plant was found to be deficient in ensuring the quality of raw materials in line with established standards of quality. More than 70% of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), or raw materials, used by Ranbaxy in finished drugs are manufactured at the Toansa plant in Punjab, India. Currently, drugs from Ranbaxys key formulations plants in India in Dewas, Paonta Sahib, Batamandi and Mohali are barred from the US market because of quality control issues.
Form 483 of FDA

Form FDA 483, is a form used by the US Food and Drug Administrator (USFDA) to document and communicate concerns discovered during inspections from the companies indulging in manufacturing over public health. However, it does not mean the regulator has concluded that the unit is guilty of manufacturing malpractices or has banned products from them. Form 483 notifies the companys management of objectionable conditions. At the conclusion of an inspection, the FDA Form 483 is presented and discussed with the companys senior management. A recipient of a 483 should respond to the FDA, addressing each item. While a response is not compulsory, a good response can usually help a company avoid receiving a Warning Letter from the FDA.
Biz Stone, Twitter Co-founder, launched JELLY

Co- Founder of Twitter, Biz Stone unveiled a new mobile service called Jelly on 8 January 2014. The
217
www.jagranjosh.com
Jelly smartphone app seeks to improve the way people search for and find information, by querying people instead of Internet search engines. The free app plugs into Facebook or Twitter, or both, and allows users to test the knowledge of people in their social network and answer their questions. The experience is focused around pictures in Jelly. The app aims to capitalize on the popularity of mobile smartphones and the pervasiveness of social networks. The app is also meant to personalize the search experience.
Facebook acquired Little Eye Labs for 90 crore rupees

Facebook acquired Bengaluru-based Little Eye Labs for 90 crore rupees on 7 January 2014. It has become the first Indian and the third Asian company to be acquired by Facebook. Facebook is the worlds largest social networking site. Little Eye Labs was founded in May 2012 by Giridhar Murthy, Kumar Rangarajan, Satyam Kandula, and Lakshman Kakkirala. Kumar Rangarajan is the current CEO of Little Eye Labs. Little Eye Labs, a company that develops a tool to helps Android app developers to measure, analyse and optimise Facebook apps. The acquisition is expected to help the overall mobile strategy of Facebook with a technology that could help track and improve the performance of Facebook Apps. This is one of the most high profile acquisitions involving an Indian product start-up. It is a development that could go a long way in boosting the confidence of the fledgling tech newbie.
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance launched an all women branch in Pune

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance launched an all women branch in Pune on 4 January 2014. It is the first insurer to give an opportunity to women with an aim to tap the vast talent pool of women professionals. This initiative includes support facilities such as creche,
218
www.jagranjosh.com
pickup and drop, work from home and flexible timings. In future, the company is planning to roll out similar branches in other metros soon. Women focused initiatives have been observed in other financial services like banking (Bharatiya Mahila Bank). Bharatiya Mahila Bank is the Indias first all womens bank was launched in Mumbai which aims at economic empowerment of women.
Central Government allowed Tesco to invest in brownfield entity

Government of India allowed British retailer Tesco to invest in brownfield entities in India. Tesco could now invest up to 50 percent of the total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Government of India has amended its current provision of FDI. Out of the total FDI, 50 per cent has to be mandatorily invested in back-end infrastructure such as warehouses, supply chain and logistics. This would be in addition to investments in front-end greenfield assets such as retail stores. Previously, it was mentioned that the front-end retail stores must also be set up as an additionality and not through acquisition of existing stores. According to the current policy, a foreign investor in the multi-brand retail sector can invest 51 per cent, the minimum investment size being 100 million dollar. Tesco, the worlds third-largest retailer, has a franchise agreement to provide support to Trents Star Bazaar chain. Initially, Tesco would open stores at Karnataka and Maharashtra. Investment in an existing asset or company is termed as brownfield investments. Greenfield investment is a form of FDI where a parent company starts a new venture in a foreign country by constructing new operational facilities from the scratch. In addition to building new facilities, most parent companies also create new long-term jobs in the foreign country by hiring new employees.
Cephlon Inc filed suit against Glenmark over cancer drug in US

A US based biopharmaceutical company Cephlon Inc has filed a suit against an Indian drug manufacturer company Glenmark Pharmaceuticals. The suit is a result of patent infringement by Glenmark. Cephlon Inc has filed a patent infringement suit on 26
219
www.jagranjosh.com
December 2013 in the US District Court. Glenmark has plans to sell generic version of leukaemia treatment drug in the American market before the expiry of patent. Cephlon Inc seeks to prevent Glenmark from commercializing its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Bendamustine Hydrochloride product. Bendamustine is a generic version of Treanda. Bendamustine is indicated for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Leukaemia
Leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called blasts. Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases. In turn, it is part of the even broader group of diseases affecting the blood, bone marrow, and lymphoid system. Leukemia is a treatable disease. Most treatments involve chemotherapy, medical radiation therapy, hormone treatments, or bone marrow transplant.
220
www.jagranjosh.com
SPORTS
India suffered 4-0 loss in 5 match ODI series against New Zealand
New Zealand on 31 January 2014 won the five ODI Series of 5 matches against India by 4-0 after defeating India in the fifth match by 87 runs at the Westpac Stadium at Wellington. New Zealand that batted first gave a score of 304 runs to chase to the visitors, who were all out at the score of 216. While chasing the score of 303 runs in the fifth and final match, India lost wickets at regular intervals apart from Kohli and Dhoni, who scored 82 and 47 respectively, 20 runs was scored by two players and five batsmen fell for single digits along with one duck. From India Varun Aaron took 2 wickets by giving 60 runs and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as well as Mohammad Shami took one wicket each. Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the fifth match became the fourth fastest batsman to complete 8000 runs in one-day cricket.
221
www.jagranjosh.com
New Zealand
Debutant Matt Henry as a bowler took 4 wickets in 10 over by giving 48 runs Ross Taylor scored 102, his 10th ODI century Williamson contributed 88 his fifth-consecutive half century
In the series win, the hosts, New Zealand won the first two and last two matches. The third match was tied. This loss of the series by the men in blue had dethroned them from the number one spot in the ODI rankings.
Result
Man of the Match Ross Taylor
Earlier series losses of India

October-December 1983: 5-0 loss against West Indies March 1989: 5-0 loss in West Indies November-December 2006: 4-0 loss in South Africa
This loss of the series can be termed as one of the worst defeat of the team in the ODI series in New Zealand. Earlier, India lost 2-5 in a seven-match ODI series in 2002-03 to New Zealand. Before that India lost to win even a single match against New Zealand in their country in 1956-76 and 1980-81, both the two-match series was lost by 0-2.
Heena Sandhu 10 m Air Pistol score recognized as World record

Heena Sandhus score of 203.8 in 10 m Air Pistol set at the Munich World Cup in November 2013 was recognized as World record on 30 January 2014. The declaration was officially made by the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF). The declaration of the ISSF came following the adoption of new format. At the Shooting World Cup held in Munich, Germany in November 2013, she had defeated the World Champion Zorana Arunovic of Serbia by 5.2 points in the final to win the Gold.
222
www.jagranjosh.com
Heena, thus, became the first Indian woman ever to hold the world record in Shooting World Cup. Co-incidentally at the World Cup in November 2013, she also became the first Indian woman to win Gold in Shooting World Cup. She shot to fame with winning the Gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
Kiwi Kathy Cross is first woman in ICC Umpires Panel

Kathy Cross of New Zealand on 30 January 2014 became the first woman to be appointed in an International Cricket Council (ICC) umpires panel. Cross of 56 years in age was named as an Associate and Affiliate panel of International umpires for 2014 following the annual review and selection process. The panel comprises 11 umpires that sits below the elite and international panels-officiates in ICC World Cricket League matches for teams ranked in divisions three to six and other associate and affiliate tournaments. The panel of 11 umpires panel for 2014 has been joined by Kathy Cross and Nigel Morrison. The other members of the panel are Sameer Bandekar, Mark Hawthorne, Wynand Louw, David Odhiambo, Buddhi Pradhan, Sarika Siva Prasad, Richard Smith, Ian Ramage and Courtney Young. Associate and Affiliate Selection Committee has named the panel.
About Kathy Cross

She was born on Taumarunui has umpired for 16 years, having stood at three womens World Cups She is now eligible for appointments to ICC World Cricket League Divisions 3 to 6. Previously Cross has officiated in the Womens World Cup in Australia in 2009 and in India in 2013 She has also umpired in the Womens World Cup Qualifier in 2011 as well as in the Womens World T20 Qualifier in 2013. She became the first woman to be selected in the mens Test umpiring team in 2002, when she was named as the fourth umpire for a match between England and New Zealand played in Wellington
India won gold in mens Basketball at Lusofonia Games

India on 27 January 2014 won the basketball gold in the mens section at the Lusofonia Games by
223
www.jagranjosh.com
defeating Angola 77-70 at the Shyam Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Taleigao in Goa.
Match report quarter wise

Till the end of the first quarter India led the game with 19-14 By the end of second quarter, Angola brought themselves back in the match with 16-15 Angola dominated the third quarter by scoring 23 points against 16 points of India The score went to 77-70 by the end of fourth and final quarter leading victory to India In the womens category gold was bagged by Mozambique by defeating Angola 73-49 and India won the bronze title. Mozambique men won the bronze defeating Cape Verde 56-37.
Total Medal details at Lusofonia Games 2014 at Goa till 27 January 2014 Country
India Portugal Macau Sri Lanka Angola Mozambique Guinea-Bissau Cape Verde Brazil Sao Tome and Principe Timor-Leste Total
Gold
29 18 10 5 5 4 2 1 0 0 0 74
Silver
24 12 5 10 8 3 1 6 1 1 0 71
Bronze
26 10 14 12 14 5 0 5 2 0 1 89
Total
79 40 29 27 27 12 3 12 3 1 1 234
About Lusofonia Games 2014

Goa is hosting the Portuguese commonwealth games in nine disciplines with participation from 12 countries. Participating countries are Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Macau (China), Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe, Sri Lanka and the host nation Goa
224
www.jagranjosh.com
(India). Goa- 2014 is one of the most scintillating games ever witnessed in the history of Lusofonia Games movement. The Association of the Portuguese Speaking Olympic Committees (ACOLOP) was officially established on 8 June 2004 in Lisbon to solidify unity and enhance cooperation among members through sports. ACOLOP is a non- governmental organization with 12 members. ACOLOP is approved by the IOC (International Olympic Committee). Founding members of ACOLOP are National Olympic Committees of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Macao (China), Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome & Principe, East Timor and Equatorial Guinea, as an associate member. In 2006, India and Sri Lanka joined the Association, also as associate members.
Saina won Syed Modi International India Grand Prix title

Saina Nehwal won the Syed Modi International India Grand Prix title 2014 on 26 January 2014. Sania beat P V Sindhu 21-14, 21-17 in the final held at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. The win was Sanias third straight win over sindhu. Sanias last title was Denmark Open in 2012 against Juliane Schenk of Germany. At present Saina is ranked ninth whereas P V Sindhu is ranked eleventh in world ranking of women singles.
Mens Single
Chinas Xue Song won the mens single of the Syed Modi International India Grand Prix title. He beat K Srikanth of India 21-16, 19-21, 13-21 in the final.
Mixed Doubles
In the mixed doubles final Yilv Wang and Huang Yaqiong of China beat compatriot Kaixiang Huang and Qingchen Chen 21-18, 21-14.
Womens Doubles
In the womens doubles final, Qingchen Chen and Yi Fan Jia of China registered a 22-24, 21-19, 21-11 victory against Yu Xiaohan and Huang Yaqiong of China.
Mens Doubles
In the mens doubles final, Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen of China beat compatriot Kaixiang Huang and Si Wi Zheng 21-17, 19-21, 22-20.
225
www.jagranjosh.com
SPO-Churchill Brothers Won the 35th Football Federation Cup

Churchill Brothers won the 35th Football Federation Cup on 25 January 2014. In the final held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Cochin, Churchill Brothers beat Sporting Clube de Goa 3-1 to lift their maiden Federation Cup. The goal scorers from Churchill Brothers were Balwant Singh, Alesh Sawant, and Abdel Hamid Shabana whereas the lone goal from Sporting Club de Goa was scored by Victorino Fernandes. The maiden Federation Cup, made the Churchill Brothers richer by 25 lakh rupee which they got as prize money while the Runners-up collected 15 lakh rupees. A total of 16 teams played in the 35th edition of the Federation Cup. The top goal scorer was Balwant Singh of Churchill Brothers who scored 4 goals in the tournament.
About Federation Cup

The Federation Cup is an annual knockout style club football tournament in India. It started in 1977. It is the most important club tournament after the I-League which started in 1997. The winning club of the Federation Cup gets a chance to compete in the continental level in AFC Cup. The 2012 Football Federation Cup was won by East Bengal who beat Dempo SC 3-2 in the final.
MS Dhoni became first captain to play in four tied ODIs

MS Dhoni on 25 January 2014 became the first captain to be involved in four tied One Day International matches. Indian cricket team captain achieved this feat in Auckland, while playing third ODI match against New Zealand. The third match of India-New Zealand ODI series that tied by the end is the first tied game between the two countries in ODI.
The last three tied matches Dhoni has played are

ICC World Cup 2011 match in Bangalore against England ODI match played on 11 September 2011 at Lords against England ODI match played in February 2012 at Adelaide against Sri Lanka
226
www.jagranjosh.com
Other cricketers who have faced tied matches in three cases are
Richie Richardson of West Indies Steve Waugh of Australia Shaun Pollock of South Africa
Till date, India has been featured in seven tied games in ODIs of which two games are against Zimbabwe and England respectively. Other three matches were played against New Zealand, Sri Lanka and West Indies. New Zealand has participated in six tied ODI games till now. The ODI history has seen three games that have produced totals of 300 or more from both the sides. The three occasions are New Zealand against India at Auckland on 25 January 2014 India against England at Bangalore on 27 February 2011 England against New Zealand at Napier on 20 February 2008
Australia won ODI series against England by 4-1

Australia on 26 January 2014 won the five matches ODI series against England 4-1. England lost the fifth match by five runs, while chasing 217 run target score set by Aussies at Adelaide Oval. Earlier, England won the fourth ODI match in Perth with a margin of 57 runs after losing the first three matched of the series.
Score of the final and fifth match

Australia: 217 for 9 England 212 all out in 49.4 over Now, three T20 matches are to be played between England and Australia to wrap the tour of England to Australia. The matches will be played in Hobart on 29 January, in Melbourne on 31 January and in Sydney on 2 February 2014. England has already been clean swiped in the Ashes series 5-0 by Australia.
227
www.jagranjosh.com
India Women Cricket team won one day series against Sri Lanka 3-0
Indian women team won the three ODI series 3-0 by defeating Sri Lankan women team. In the last and final ODI played at ACD-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam, India defeated the Lankan team by 95 runs. The ODI series will be followed by three Twenty20 matches to start from 25 January 2013. The trophy of the tournament was handed to the Indian team by DV Subba Rao, the president of the Andhra Cricket Association. Indian team was captained by Mithali Raj The Sri Lanka team was captained by Hettimulla Appuhamilage Shashikala Dedunu Siriwardene
The scores of the third and final match

India 229 for five in 50 overs Sri Lanka 134 in 44 overs
Shane Warne to mentor Australias spinners for World T20 Tournament

Australia has appointed Shane Warne as a specialist spin consultant on 23 January 2014 to support Darren Lehmann ahead of Australian campaign in World Twenty20 to be played in Bangladesh. His role in the team will be to train the spinners of the squad. Warne will join the squad of the team for the three-match series against South Africa at the conclusion of the Test tour in March 2014. Australia has to play three T20 games against South Africa on 9, 12 and 14 March 2014. George Bailey is the captain of the Australian Twenty20 cricket team and at present the team is ranked at eighth position in the list of International Cricket Council. The coach of the Australian cricket team Lehmann considers that the role of Warne in the game will be a crucial turning point for the team.
About Shane Warne

Shane Warne was born on 13 September 1969
228
www.jagranjosh.com
He is an Australian former international cricketer, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game He was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century in 2000. He is the only specialist bowler to be selected in the list He officially retired from all formats in July 2013 He has played his first test match in 1992 and has more than 1000 international wickets in Test and One-Day International In January 2007, he retired from International cricket at the end of Australias 5-0 Ashes series victory over England He signed to play cricket in the Indian Premier League in March 2008 and during the first edition he played a role of a captain as well as a coach for the team named Rajasthan Royals
Other players who have enlisted the help of their legendary predecessors are
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic has Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker to be trained before the Australian Open
OCA recognized Russian martial art Sambo and is now a part of Asian Games
Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has recognised Sambo, the Russian martial art and has become part of the Asian Games. The decision of recognition to Sambo Union of Asia was taken by the Executive Board of OCA on 17 January 2014 at Manila, Philippines. The board decided to include Sambo in the Asian Games was later ratified by the OCA General Assembly. According to the International Sambo Federation, the board met during the ongoing 32nd General Assembly of the pan-Asian continental body. With this finalization, Sambo became a part of the combat sports on the list of OCA like Wrestling, Wushu, Judo and Taekwondo. The 17th Asian Games in 2014 is scheduled to be conducted from 19 September to 4 October 2014 at Incheon, South Korea. The Incheon Asian game does not have Sambo in its programme consisting of 36 disciplines, eight of which are non-Olympic ones, including cricket and kabbadi. It is expected that Sambo will be a part of Asian games in its 18th edition in 2019 scheduled at Hanoi, Vietnam.
229
www.jagranjosh.com
About Sambo
In 20th century, the Russian Army developed a loose combination of wrestling and judo, which is a self-defence technique without weapons. SAMBO as a word is an acronym for SAMozashchita Bez Oruzhiya meaning self-defence without weapons. It began in 1920s by the Sovit Red Army to improve their hand in their abilities to combat. The USSR-Union Sports Committee recognized Sambo as an official sport in 1938.
Mahesh Bhupathi launched IPTL in Melbourne

Tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi launched the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) in Melbourne, Australia on 21 January 2014. He also announced the name of the teams during the launch of IPTL. The host cities or the teams which will participate in the IPTL are Mumbai, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. The fifth host city will be from the Middle East. Mahesh Bhupati linked arms with German tennis legend Boris Becker, and American Justin Gimelstob, a former pro and member of the ATP board to launch the IPL styles IPTL. The IPTL is expected to start in Asia from 1 December 2014 to 20 December 2014 for which the auction of players will be held in UAE on 2 March 2014. Each team is expected to field 10 players. The salary which each team will pay to its players is estimated to be between 4 million dollars and 10 million dollars. The International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) is a first of its kind endeavour in Asia. The IPTL aims at bringing together some of the best male and female professional tennis players across the world on the same platform.
Indian Fencers barred from competing in Qatar Fencing World Cup

The four-member women fencing team from India was barred from competing in the Qatar Fencing World Cup in Doha on 17 January 2014. The four-member women team included Ketaki Kaushal, Jyotika Dutta, Pratishth Batish and Midhu Meghna Akurathi. The Fencing Association of India (FAI) was ordered to cough up 1000 euros as penalty to enable the Indian fencers to compete in the team event which will get underway from 19 January 2014.
230
www.jagranjosh.com
The team was not allowed to compete because of the suspension of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC had suspended the IOA in December 2012 after IOA elected Secretary General Lalit Bhanot was jailed for 10 months on corruption charges related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. The suspension of IOA by IOC already has done immense damage to the sporting fraternity in India. Earlier, London Olympic Bronze Medalist Yogeshwar Dutt had to return back without competing in the Golden Grand Prix event in Azerbaijan.
Third Lusofonia Games started in Goa

The third Lusofonia Games started in Goa on 18 January 2014. The Games will hold from 18 January to 29 January 2014. It is for the first time the Lusifonia Games are being held in India. Lusofonia Games are multinational and multi-sport games in the World. These games are organized by ACOLOP (Association of the Portuguese Speaking Olympic Committees). The Athletes from 12 Portuguese Commonwealth nations will be participating in the Lusofonia Games 2014. These are Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Goa (India), Macau (China), Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe and Sri Lanka. The Indian team will participate as Goa (India). The Games has nine sporting disciplines which are Athletics, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Football, Judo, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Volleyball and Wushu. The first Lusofonia Games were held in Macau (China) in 2006 and second Lusofonia Games in Lisbon (Portugal) in 2009.
Abhijeet Gupta won the Parsvnath International Grandmasters chess tournament

Abhijeet Gupta won his second Parsvanth International Grandmasters chess tournament on 16 January 2014. Abhijeet Gupta won against Eldar Gasanov of Ukraine. In 2008, he won the Parsvanth International Grandmasters chess tournament for the first time. Indian Grandmaster Deepan Chakkravarthy beat
231
www.jagranjosh.com
Russian Grandmaster Alexander Evdokimov to finish third in the tournament. 12th Parsvnath International Grandmasters Chess Tournament was held from 9 to 16 January 2014 by Delhi Chess Association. Grandmaster Aleksei Aleksandrov of Belarus won the 11th Parsvanth International Grandmasters chess tournament in 2013.
Mahesh Mangaonkar won Open du Gard squash title

Mahesh Mangaokar of India on 6 January 2014 won the Open du Gard squash title, the PSA Challenger 5 event. Mangaokar (19) of Mumbai defeated the top-seeded Scottish player Scot Greg Lobban 9-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-5 in the final match played at Squash des Arenes in Nimes, France to claim the tour title. Mangaokar from Mumbai defeated Lobban in the IMET Open in December and repeated the same again in the sixth edition of the 5000 dollar PSA Challenger event. To qualify for the finals, Mangaonkar defeated the second seeded Ammar Alamimi of Kuwait in the semi-finals. The is the third win of Mangaonkar on the PSA Tour and this also set up a nine-match winning streak for the Indian - the longest of his career.
Results Semi-finals
Greg Lobban of Scotland defeated Christophe Andre of France 11-8, 11-5, 11-7 Mahesh Mangaonkar of India defeated Ammar Altamimi of Kuwait 11-9, 11-2, 11-0
Final
Mahesh Mangaonkar of India defeated Greg Lobban of Scotland 9-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-5
232
www.jagranjosh.com
Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 boss to be tried on bribery charges

Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula 1 boss will be tried on bribery charges as per a rule passed by a court in Munich on 16 January 2014. He is accused of making bribe of 45 million dollar to Gerhand Gribkowsky, a German Banker who is serving a jail sentence for receiving the payment for organising the sale in 2005. He was jailed in 2012 for more than eight years for tax evasion and bribery. As per the prosecutor, the payment was made to ensure that F1 was sold to a private equity group of the choice of Ecclestone. The payment was made between July 2006 and December 2007. Ecclestone has admitted of payment to Gribkowsky but he has denied it as a bribe and claimed that he is a victim of blackmail. He has stepped down from the board of the company that runs the sport, Delta Topoco till the case concludes for the interest of the F1 business. He will continue to run the sport in a day-to-day basis.
About Bernie Ecclestone

He is the chief executive of F1 and has ruled it for more than four decades He has been the long-time commercial rights of the sport In 1990s he sold the majority of the ownership of the sport His full name is Bernard Charles Ecclestone He was born in St. Peters Suffolk of Great Britain on 28 October 1930
Tamil Nadu government sanctioned 1.75 crore rupees for Kabaddi and Squash
The Tamil Nadu government on 16 January 2014 sanctioned 1.75 crore rupees towards conducting two world level events in Chennai. This step was taken to promote sports even in the state. Ahead of the World Cup Kabaddi matches scheduled to take place here next month, Chief Minister
233
www.jagranjosh.com
J Jayalalithaa has allocated Rs one crore towards conducting the event in the state capital. Players from 20 countries will participate in the event in both men and women categories. The countries that will participate in the event that will be conducted in the fourth week of February 2014 include India USA England Japan South Korea Mexico Vietnam Iran Afghanistan Nepal Pakistan Turkmenistan Bangladesh Thailand Malaysia Chinese Taipei Australia Canada Italy West Indies
The 75 lakh rupees were allocated to conduct the 8th World University Squash Championship. It will be held in the squash indoor stadium in Chennai in December 2014. This event will be the first such event to be held in Asia. Players from 19 countries will participate in the event namely
234
www.jagranjosh.com
India Australia Canada Great Britain Hong Kong China South Africa Netherlands USA Switzerland Czech Republic Germany Ireland Egypt Singapore Austria Nigeria Spain New Zealand
Jimmy Walker won Sony Open Golf tournament

Jimmy Walker of the US won the Sony Open golf tournament held in Hawaii on 12 January 2014. This was his second PGA Tour title. His first PGA Tour title came in October 2013 when he won the Frys.com Open, the first tournament of the new wraparound season. Walker closed with 7-under 63 for a one shot victory over his compatriot Chris Kirk who was placed second. As a result, he won 1.08 million dollars in prize money. The third place was taken by Jerry Kelly of England.
235
www.jagranjosh.com
Walker had gone 187 tournaments in seven years on the PGA Tour without winning. However, in last six months he has won two PGA Tour titles. As the first multiple winner for the 2013-14 season, he is leading the FedEx Cup and closing in on cracking the top 30 in the world. PGA tour is the organizer of the professional golf tours played by the men in North America and United States.
CBI to set up special cell to handle cases of fraud in sports

Ranjit Sinha, the director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 15 January 2014 announced to set-up a specialized unit to handle the cases related to sports fraud, fixing and illegal batting. The announcement was done at the FIFA-Interpol national workshop in New Delhi. The unit to be constituted will act as a repository of intelligence on the data related to fraud and corruption in sports sector. Lack of the legal framework acts as the hindrance for CBI, while probing the cases related to sports fraud. CBI has taken a due notice of the menaces of corruption activities growing, which has played a key role as a challenge for football and other sports. The CBI Director also said that the Sports Ministry is in the final stages of drafting a law that will tackle with corruption in Sports. Background: Earlier, spot fixing and betting case arose during the 2013 Indian Premier League. On the charge of accusation of fixing the game Delhi Police arrested three cricketers Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan. All the three were the player of Rajasthan Royal IPL team in 2013. Apart from them, the Mumbai police arrested Vindu Dara Singh and Gurunath Meiyappan on betting charges and having links with the bookies
Anju Bobby George declared winner of World Athletics Final, 2005

Anju Bobby George was declared winner of the World Athletics Championships final held in Monte Carlo in 2005. The decision was given by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) on 13 January 2014. The decision of the IAAF came following the disqualification of the Gold Medalist Tatyana Kotova of
236
www.jagranjosh.com
Russia for doping. At the World Athletics Final in 2005, Anju Bobby George won the Silver Medal with a long jump of 6.75 meter. The Gold Medal was won by Tatyana Kotova with a jump of 6.83 meter and the Bronze Medal was won by Grace Upshaw of the US.
Following the decision of IAAF to disqualify Kotova, the new rankings now stand as:
1. Anju Bobby George (India, 6.75m) 2. Grace Upshaw (USA, 6.67m) 3. Eunice Barber (France, 6.51m) Similarly, Anju also moved up one place to fourth in the new long jump results of the 2005 Helsinki World Championships. This happened after the Silver Medalist Tatyana Kotova was tested positive for doping by the IAAF in 2013.
About Anju Bobby George

Anju from Kerala was the first Indian athlete who won the bronze medal in the World Athletics Championships held in Paris in 2003. She received the Arjuna award in 2003 and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2004. She was conferred Padma Shri, Indias fourth highest civilian award in 2004.
Vijay Zol selected captain of India to lead U-19 Cricket World Cup
Vijay Zol of Maharastra was selected as the Captain of India to lead the Under-19 Cricket World Cup by the AllIndia Junior Selection Committee on 13 January 2014. The U-19 Cricket World Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in February 2014. Vijay Zol also led India to victory in the U-19 Asia Cricket Cup against Pakistan in January 2014. India has won the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup three times in 2000, 2008 and 2012. In 2012 India won the World Cup under the leadership
237
www.jagranjosh.com
of Unmukt Chand.
Louis Oosthuizen retained the Volvo Golf Champions title

South Africas Louis Oosthuizen retained the Volvo Golf Champions title at the Durban Country Club held on 12 January 2014. Oosthuizen carded a four-underpar 68 to win on 12 under, one shot clear of compatriot Branden Grace (68). Englands overnight leader Tommy Fleetwood finished with a level-par 72 to tie for third with Joost Luiten of the Netherlands (71) on 10 under. Louis Oosthuizen was the winner of Home of Golf title in 2010.
Nikhat Zareen won gold medal at the third Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament
Nikhat Zareen won gold medal at the third Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament held in Novi Sad, Serbia on 12 January 2014.Zareen defeated Paltceva Ekaterina of Russia in the 51 kg weight category. The boxing tournament was held from 8 January 2014 to 12 January 2014. She won the silver in the Youth World Boxing Championship held in Bulgaria in 2013. In 2011 Zareen won the gold medal in flyweight division held at the AIBA Womens Junior and Youth World Boxing Championship in Turkey
75th National Table Tennis Championship

Sanil Shetty and Ankita Das won their maiden mens and womens singles championship at the 75th Senior National Table Tennis Championships held on 12 January 2014. Shetty defeated Harmeet Desai 4-2 in the mens final and won the amount of 2.30 lakh rupees.
238
www.jagranjosh.com
Ankita Das defeated Krittwika Sinha 4-0 in the womens final and won the amount of 1.45 lakh rupees. Sanil Shetty is the first national champion to emerge from Mumbai after the great Kamlesh Mehta, who last won the title in 1995.
Results
Men Women Mixed Doubles Final: Sanil Shetty (PSPB) beat Harmeet Desai (PSPB) Final: Ankita Das (PSPB) beat Krittwika Sinha Roy (AAI) Final: Sanil Shetty/Neha Aggarwal (PSPB) beat Arjun Ghosh/Mousi Pal WB).
75th Senior National Table Tennis Championship: PSPB Women and Men won title
The 75th Senior National table tennis championship, which concluded on 9 January 2014 at the Patliputra Sports Complex, was a special moment for Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB). The PSPB men retained the Barna Ballack cup by winning over West Bengal. PSPB Women regained the Jayalakshmi Cup by beating North Bengal.
Results (Team event finals)

Men: Petroleum Sports Promotion Board beat West Bengal 3-0 Soumyajit Ghosh defeated Soumyadeep Roy 16-14, 7-11, 11-7, 11-4 Sharath Kamal defeated Sourav Saha 11-8, 11-7, 11-2 Amal Raj defeated Sougata Sarkar 11-9, 11-8, 12-10
Women: Petroleum Sports Promotion Board beat North Bengal 3-0 Madhurika Patkar defeated Nandita Saha 6-11, 11-6, 12-10, 9-11, 11-5 K. Shamini defeated Sagarika Mukherjee 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 10-12, 11-8 Ankita Das defeated Sukanya Bose 11-9, 11-8, 11-7
239
www.jagranjosh.com
ONGC Men & Chhattisgarh Women won Federation Cup National Basketball Championship
ONGC on 9 December 2014 won the mens title of the IMG-Reliance 28th Federation Cup National Basketball Championship. The event was held at YMCA International Centre by defeating Tamil Nadu 61-53. With this winning the team won the prize amount of 1 lakh and a title. Apart from this, Chhattisgarh Women scored a one-point 77-76 victory over Maharashtra in the final. The points tied at 72 points in the final minute, with two minutes left time for regulation. The Runners were each awarded Rs 75000
Most Valuable Player

Men - Vishesh Bhriguvanshi Women - Smruthi Radhakrishnan
Players and Coaches accused of doping barred from getting Arjuna and Dronacharya Awards
The Government of India on 10 January 2014 set the new guidelines for National Sports Awards under which players and coaches accused of doping will not be considered for Arjuna and Dornacharya Awards. These guidelines were issued by the Sports Minister Jitendra Singh for awarding Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyanchand Awards. These guidelines were issued after the nomination of the controversial athlete Ranjit Maheshwari for Arjuna Award in 2013. The award was not given to Ranjit following the old doping case against him of 2008. He was tested as positive for banned stimulant ephedrine at Kochi during the 48th Open National Athletes meet after he was suspended for three months by
240
www.jagranjosh.com
the Athletics Federation of India. The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is the national organization responsible for promoting, coordinating, and monitoring the doping control programme in sports in all its forms in the country. NADA works towards a vision of dope free sport in India. It came into being in India in 2009. These Anti Doping Rules of NADA came into force from 01 January 2010.
Union Cabinet approved the National Youth Policy, 2014

The Union Cabinet approved the introduction of the National Youth Policy, 2014 (NYP, 2014) on 9 January 2014. The NYP, 2014 will replace National Youth Policy, 2003 which is currently in force. The vision of NYP, 2014 is to empower youth to achieve their full potential, and through them enable India to find its rightful place in the community of nations. The Policy is basically aimed at development of an educated and healthy young population, who are not only economically productive, but are also socially responsible citizens contributing to the task of nation-building. For achieving the vision of NYP, 2014; five well-defined objectives and 11 priority areas have been identified. The priority areas are: education, skill development and employment, entrepreneurship, health and healthy lifestyle, sports, promotion of social values, community engagement, participation in politics and governance, youth engagement, inclusion and social justice. The Youth Policy, 2014 will cover the entire country. It will cater to the needs of all youth in the agegroup of 15-29 years. According to the Census 2011 the youth in the age group of 15-29 years constitute 27.5 per cent of the population, that is about 33 crore persons. The Policy has proposed broad policy interventions for the youth which are consistent with the 12th Plan priorities. It has not proposed any specific programme/scheme, having financial implications. Rather all concerned Ministries/Department has been mandated to bring focus on youth issues within the framework of their plans/programmes/schemes.
Aditya Joshi became world no. 1 junior shuttler

Young shuttler Aditya Joshi from Madhya Pradesh on 6 January 2014 became the first male junior badminton player from India to be ranked top in the world. The shuttler, Aditya of 17 years in age is a resident of Dhar town of the state. He got the number one slot in the January Rankings released by the World Badminton Federation (WBF).
241
www.jagranjosh.com
Rankings of Mens Singles in juniors

Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 10 12 12 12 12 12 14 14 14 Player Aditya Joshi Christie Jonatan ZhaoJun Peng Max Weisskirchen June Wei Cheam Shi Yuqi Cao Cuong Pham Harsheel Dani David Peng Wolfgang Gnedt
Rankings of Womens Singles in juniors

Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2 3 4 4 4 Aya Ohori Busanan Ongbumrungpan He Bing Jiao Xiaoyu Liang Akane Yamaguchi G. Ruthvika Shivani Jinjing Qin Luise Heim Maja Pavlinic Chochuwong Pornpawee Wolfgang Gnedt
242
www.jagranjosh.com
Under-19 Asia Cup: India defeated Pakistan by 40 runs.

India defeated Pakistan to win 2014 Under-19 Asia Cup in the final match played at Sharjah cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on 4 January 2014. The Indian under-19 squad led by Vijay Zol beat Pakistan side by 40 runs. Centuries by Vijay Zol and Sanju Samson leads their team to a glorious victory. Batting first the India team scored 314 runs with the loss of 8 wickets. Pakistan have won the toss and have opted to field. Kamran Ghulam scored 102 and tried to keep Pakistan afloat. Pakistan has climbed 274 runs with the loss of 9 wickets. The stars of the innings were India skipper Vijay Zol and Rajasthan Royals IPL star Sanju Samson. Both struck centuries and were involved in a 180-run stand for the third wicket. This is only the third time for India that two batsmen have scored centuries in the same innings of an Under-19 match. Pakistan entered the final with a two-wicket victory over Afghanistan. India earned their place in the final with three-wicket win over Sri Lanka. Earlier, in the Asia Cup of 2012, the trophy was shared by both Pakistan and India because the scores were tied on 282. 2012 Asia Cup was held at Kuala Lumpur in Sri Lanka.
Serena Williams won the Brisbane International Title 2014

Serena Williams won the Brisbane International title in Queensland, Australia on 4 January 2014. Serena Williams won over Victoria Azarenka, the Belarusian tennis player, ranked 2. This was Serenas 14th win in 17 matches played with Victoria Azarenka. Williams is a fivetime champion in Melbourne but has not won the title, since 2010. Recently Serena Williams won the Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in December 2013. Serena Williams won 11 titles and ranked number 1 for the 2013 season.
243
www.jagranjosh.com
About Brisbane International title

Brisbane Tournament was held from 29 December 2013 to 5 January 2014 in Queensland, Australia. Brisbane Tournament was played on outdoor hard courts.
Wimbledon tennis event, The Road to Wimbledon, to be hosted outside UK for the first time
The Wimbledon Foundation has teamed up with HSBC and All India Tennis Association (AITA) to launch The Road to Wimbledon event in India. This will be the first ever Wimbledon tennis event to be hosted outside the UK. The first phase of the Road to Wimbledon event will be held in Delhi and Mumbai between 6 14 January 2014. The event will focus on boosting the development of junior tennis in the country. Former Great Britain Tennis player Tim Herman has been rolled in for launching coaching missions in India. As part of the initiative, Herman will team up with All England Club Head Coach Dan Bloxham to launch a series of coaching clinics and events offering local children the chance to play at Wimbledon in August 2015. The coaching clinics are part of two Under-14 National singles events in Delhi (RK Khanna Tennis Centre) and Mumbai (MSLTA Tennis Centre). The top sixteen boys and girls from these two events are invited to the Wimbledon Foundation Junior Masters in Delhi in April 2014. Out of these, two boys and two girl finalists will be invited to compete in the UK HSBC National Finals on the grass at Wimbledon in August 2015.
Ronaldinho got South American footballer of the year award

Ronaldinho has been elected as the South American footballer of the year in the annual poll conducted by the Uruguayan daily El Pais on 30 December 2013.
244
www.jagranjosh.com
Ronaldinho is a Brazilian football player. Ronaldinho became a key member of the Brazilian team that won the 2002 World Cup. He has played for clubs in Brazil, France, Spain and Italy. Ronaldinho won FIFA World player of the year in 2004 and he won Europes Ballon dOr in 2005.
245
www.jagranjosh.com
STATE
Uttrakhand Assembly passed new Lokayaukata Bill
The new Lokayukta Bill was passed by the Uttarakhand Assembly on 21 January 2014 despite of protest from the opposition. The Bill has replaced the Uttarakhand Lokayukta Act that was passed by the previous BJP government headed by the former Chief Minister BC Khanduri. Uttarakhand Lokayukta Bill 2014 was passed by the Assembly of the state during the special session amid walkout by opposition BJP legislators that was criticised as weak and full of loopholes. The Bill is in line with the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill that has been passed by the Parliament. The new Lokayukta Bill states about the creation of Lokayukta in the state headed by a practicing or retired judge or Chief Justice of the High Court. A five-member selection committee headed
246
www.jagranjosh.com
by the Chief Minister will appoint the head of the Lokayukta and also its members. Apart from the head, four other members will be available on the panel, of which 50 percent will be from the judiciary. No member of a legislature of any other state or Union territory will be a member of the Lokayukta body.
Tamil Nadu Governor inaugurated 15th Express Technology Sabha

Tamil Nadu Governor, Rosaiah inaugurated 15th Express Technology Sabha on 17 January 2014. The annual event is an established platform to share ideas, best practices and innovations on e-governance from senior government IT officials across the India. On the occasion Governor stressed the effective utilization of Information Technology in offering better services, business interaction and greater revenue generation opportunities. The Tamil Nadu governor expected to work on efficient inter-department integration which is critical for reducing response time for services. The time limit should be fixed for the Public Sector Undertakings to response to citizens.
Goa Government approved the proposal to increase Reservation for OBC to 27%
Goa Government on 15 January 2014 decided to increase the reservation of Other Backward Classes (OBC) from 19.5 percent to 27 percent. The announcement of the decision has been done by the Manohar Parrikar, the Chief Minister of Goa after a State Cabinet Meet. The reservation has been given for employment in the government sector and to take admissions in the educational institutions. The decision of the state Cabinet would be effective from the date of its notification in the state gazette. The government has made the decision to increase the reservation for OBCs following the elaborate survey of the OBCs population in the state and recommendation from the OBC commission. The survey showed about 3.84 lakh people in the OBC category divided in 19 castes of the total population of 14 lakh as per the survey. The 19 castes of
247
www.jagranjosh.com
OBC also include two castes from the Christian community. The OBC population accounts to 26.6 percent of the state [population. While determining the backwardness status during the survey, the literacy, educational and income background along with job profiles were taken into account. The state has also raised the condition to define creamy layer to 6 lakh rupees from 4.5 lakh rupees, the creamy layer OBCs has been excluded. Apart from the reservation of OBCs, the state has provided 12 percent reservations for the scheduled castes and 2 percent for the scheduled tribes. The increase in the reservation of OBCs accounts to the total reservation of the state to 41 percent and this percentage is below the limit of 50 percent set by the Supreme Court of India that can fall under the reservation category.
Arunachal Pradesh witnessed the first trial run of rail engine

Arunachal Pradesh witnessed the first trial run of a rail engine on 15 January 2014. The first trial run was of 20-km from Harmutty in Lakhimpur district of Assam to the Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar. The ambitious railway line project is estimated to cost 372 crore rupees. The State government would put a mechanism in place for checking the inner line permit (ILP) of the passengers. The ILP issued under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1973 is necessary even for an Indian citizen to enter Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland. Arunachal Pradesh has also demanded the construction of 161-km Tinsukia Parsuram Kund rail line to help tourists from all over India to put the holy place in global tourism map.
Proposed Railway Lines in Arunachal Pradesh

198-km Lumding Silchar Jiribam gauge conversion 100-km Ziribam Imphal extension project to link Manipur 108-km Kumarghat Agartala, Jiribhum Tulpul; Dimapur Zuzba; Azra Byrnihat gauge link to Rangiya Murkongsele 84-km Badarpur Bhairabi section for gauge link to Mizoram 15-km Amguri Tuli line This all would expand the rail network in the region.
248
www.jagranjosh.com
Karnataka first State to provide Universal Health Coverage

Karnataka became the first State in India to provide Universal Health Coverage to its population. It achieved the distinction with the launch of Rajiv Arogya Yojana on 9 January 2014. The Scheme entails the beneficiary to pay only 10 percent of the cost of treatment or procedures. It aims at providing subsidized healthcare to virtually every citizen in the State with Above Poverty Line (APL) card. The BPL families are already covered under health scheme through Vajpayee Arogya Sree programme. Under the scheme, APL family members are entitled for health check up to 1.5 lakh rupees per annum. In special cases, if the expenditure exceeds 1.5 lakh rupees, the government grants another 50000 rupees. The scheme covers 447 procedures and 50 follow-up packages. The beneficiaries can avail treatment in 160 hospitals, including 14 hospitals outside the State. The scheme will cover cardiovascular diseases, cancer treatment (surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy), neurological diseases, renal diseases, burns, poly-trauma cases not covered by motor vehicle insurance and neo-natal cases. The cost of Universal Health Coverage is estimated to be 120 crore rupees annually.
Dryland Farming Programme Maharashtra farmers
for
monsoon-dependent
The state government of Maharashtra on 9 January 2014 decided to undertake a dryland farming programme for the farmers. The programme will benefit the farmers who are dependent on the monsoon and also do not have any other irrigation source.
249
www.jagranjosh.com
The state government has planned to spend 20000 crore rupees on the programme in five years with headquarter at Aurangabad. More than 50 percent of people of the state is dependent for livelihood on agriculture. About 80 percent of the 225 lakh hectares cultivable land is a dryland. Apart from the launch of the farming programme, the state cabinet of Maharashtra also decided to allow 55000 homeopathic doctors in the state to prescribe allopathic medicines, subject to some conditions, which includes a one-year allopathic course.
Delhi became first state to withdraw FDI in Multibrand Retail

Delhi government on 13 January 2014 withdrew the Foreign Domestic Investment (FDI) in Multibrand Retail. With this, Delhi became first state to take this step. This action is a reversal of previous Governments stand in FDI that was made in July 2012 and allowed multi-brand retail trade. Delhi is one of the major recipients of FDI. This action can adversely affect the investment in the capital and tarnish its FDI friendly image. The Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal said that he is not opposed to FDI. He also agreed that FDI in multibrand retail gives more choice to the consumers. But, it was found that at the global level FDI in multibrand retail caused massive job losses at multiple places. Thus, to prevent unemployment in the capital this decision was taken.
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated ANTRI at Port Blair

The President of India Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated Andaman and Nicobar Tribal Research and Training Institute at Port Blair on 12 January 2014. The ANTRI will formulate a new policy for the tribal integration with the developed society, but in their own way and own environment without disturbing their distinct identity and unique culture.
250
www.jagranjosh.com
The institute will also conduct a detailed study to ensure the welfare and protection of vulnerable tribal groups, particularly Jarawas, Sentenalese, Onges and Shompens effectively. The President emphasized the need for a tribal museum by the tribes themselves to preserve their unique culture, tradition and rare artefacts for the future generations.
Centre asked Odisha Government to Disburse delayed payments to beneficiaries of MGNREGA Scheme
The Union Government of India on 10 January 2014 asked the state government of Odisha to disburse the payments to the beneficiaries of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA) Scheme. Jairam Ramesh, the Union Rural Development Minister in his letter to Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha expressed his concern over the delay in the payment of wages to the workers under the MGNREGA Scheme by the state. In the letter, Jairam Ramesh has also mentioned about the violation of the basic norms of wage payments to be made within 15 days to the workers covered under the Scheme. Odisha Government has crossed over 15 days of payment of wages to the workers amounting 216 crore rupees, which is 41 percent of the total wage payment. In the process of delaying, the states government has delayed a payment of 29 crore rupees of total wages by over 60 days. Earlier, the Schedule II of MGNREGA has been amended to ensure timely payment of the wages with adequate compensations in case of delays by the Union Rural Development Ministry. The amendment was done to make the process accountable and to bring great transparency. The Union Minister in his letter has asked the Chief Minister of the state to keep the issue of delay in payment of wages on the highest priority. The letter has also mentioned to take immediate disbursal of the delayed payment to the beneficiaries with the compensation that is due.
MP Government to roll back the decision to sell Indian Made Foreign Liquor
The Government of Madhya Pradesh on 8 January 2014 decided to roll back the cabinet decision to sell Indian Made Foreign Liquor at Country Liquor outlets. The decision was rolled back within 48 hours of the decision after a two-day-long state executive meeting of BJP. The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan has decided that the Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) will not be sold from the country-made liquor shops. The decision has been
251
www.jagranjosh.com
taken to prevent the sale of spurious liquor. Earlier, the Cabinet on 6 January 2014 decided that liquor licences could be applying for IMFL licences in settlements with the populations of more than 5000. It was mandatory, that any IMFL vend does not exist in a radius of 10 kilometer.
Third phase of North Eastern Community Resource Management Project launched in Manipur
Third phase of the North Eastern Community Resource Management Project was launched on 8 January 2014 at Imphal in Manipur. Chandel and Churachandpur districts of Manipur will be covered during the third phase of the project. The project has been created with an aim to improve the economic condition of the poor tribal populace by 60 percent in the implementing districts. The third phase of the project has been launched by Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region Pawan Singh Ghatowar. The Union Government has sanctioned 216 rupees for the third phase of the project.
Objective of the Project

The project has been created with an objective to transform the lives of the poor and marginalized tribal families of the region. Manipur was the best implementing state during the first phase of the project which was completed in 2008. The first phase of the project was launched in 1999 and covered Ukhrul and Senapati districts of the state.
Delhi Government Launched a Helpline to curb corruption

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a helpline number 011-27357169 on 8 January 2014, to catch bribe seekers. In future the helpline will be four-digit number which will make it easier for citizens to remember the number. The service has been set up under the chief ministers office and the cases will be passed on to the vigilance department. The helpline will instruct the caller on how to conduct
252
www.jagranjosh.com
a sting operation by secretly recording the bribe seekers demand whether in audio or video. The audio or video is the first evidence on the basis of governments anti-corruption team which will lay a trap to nab the offender red handed. Action will be taken within 24 hours of the first evidence being submitted to the state vigilance department. The helpline is only an advisory number and will be active from 8 am to 10 pm.
Chhattisgarh Government launched Toll Free Number 1100 to curb Corruption

Chhattisgarh government launched a toll free helpline number 1100 to curb corruption in its departments on 7 January 2014. On the toll free number people could lodge corruption-related complaints against the state government officials. STA-CHHT-Chhattisgarh Government launched Toll Free Number 1100 to curb Corruption
The complaints which can be lodged by the people against the government officials are:
Any complaint related to government officer or employee demands money for doing their work Complaints related to civic problems that include cleanliness, street lights and others The facility will help provide better governance to the people.
Environmental Information dissemination centre set up in Choolai, TN

An environmental information dissemination centre (EIDC) was set up in Chennai Corporation Middle School in Choolai, TamilNadu in 6 January 2014. An environmental information dissemination centre (EIDC) is a part of the National Green Crops (NGC). An EIDC is a central resource which will aid students and teachers in
253
www.jagranjosh.com
learning about environment related topics such as pollution and energy conservation. The centre has a resource room with books, multimedia and television and a laboratory where teachers will be trained to use soil, water and air testing kits. The centre will be accessible to Chennai Corporation, government, government aided and private schools that are members of NGC.
About National Green Crops

Ministry of Environment and Forest initiated the National Green Crops in 2001. NGC is a major initiative for creating environmental awareness among children. It is a unique partnership between the MoEF, the states government agencies, NGOs who are working in the field of Environment Education.
Assam will start a Vaccination drive against Japanese Encephalitis from 22 February
Assam will launch its adult vaccination drive against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) from 22 February 2014. As per the sources, in the first phase, all upper Assam districts will be covered during a weeklong vaccination programme. With this initiative, Assam will become the first state to start adult vaccination against the deadly disease. On pilot basis, the health department of the state has conducted the adult vaccination in Sivsagar district
254
www.jagranjosh.com
In last 3 years, more than 3000 cases of Japanese Encephalitis have been registered in the state of which 342 people have died. National Rural Health Mission will undertake a massive awareness drive before the programme. India on 4 October 2013 launched its first indigenous vaccine to protect children from Japanese encephalitis. Till now, the vaccine was imported in India from China. JE vaccine-JENVAC is a Vero cell derived purified inactivated received manufacturing and marketing approval from Drug Controller General of India. JENVAC is the first vaccine, which will be manufactured in publicprivate partnership mode between the Indian Council of Medical Research and Bharat Biotech.
Japanese Encephalitis
Japanese encephalitis is a viral disease that infects animals and humans. In humans, it is transmitted by mosquitoes, which causes inflammation of the membranes around the brain. Expansion of the irrigated rice productions systems in over past 20 years in the South and South-East Asia have played an important role in increasing the impact of the disease, which is caused by Japanese Encephalitis. The irrigated fields into the semi-arid areas at the start of each cropping cycle leads to help mosquitoes in building-up explosively. This may cause the circulation of the virus to spill over from their usual hosts (birds and pigs) into the human population. Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a disease caused by a flavivirus that affects the membranes around the brain. The virus causing Japanese encephalitis is transmitted by mosquitoes belonging to the Culex tritaeniorhynchus and Culex vishnui groups, which breed particularly in flooded rice fields. Japanese encephalitis is a leading cause of viral encephalitis in Asia with 30,000-50,000 clinical cases reported annually.
Delhi High Court ruled CAG audit can telecom companies

The Delhi High Court ruled that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) can audit the books of accounts of private sector telecom companies on 6 January 2014. The court has ruled that the CAG has powers and jurisdiction to audit telecom companies accounts. Companies that are operating in power, telecom sectors provide that services to the common man. License fee is paid for spectrum and the profit generated by companies is a public resource. The people have right to know whether the income goes into public exchequer is proper or not. Adviser on infrastructure to deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission said there can be no objection to the audit of the companies that share revenue with the Government. FICCI, industry body did not take the ruling positively and said that private companies are not meant to be audited by CAG. India Inc and telecom companies are likely to appeal to the Supreme Court.
255
www.jagranjosh.com
About Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)

The duties and powers of CAG are enshrined in Part V (article 149-151) of the Indian constitution. CAG audits all the expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India of Union, of each State and of each Union Territory having a Legislative Assembly. All trading, manufacturing, profit and loss accounts, balance-sheets and other subsidiary accounts kept in any department of the Union or of a State, to report on the expenditure, transactions or accounts are audited. CAG presents a number of Audit Reports on the basis of audit of the Union Government and the State Governments to the Parliament and State Legislature respectively under Article 151 of the Constitution of India. CAG certifies the Appropriation Accounts and Finance Accounts of the Union Government and of the State Governments. CAG audits the Government Companies and Corporations under the Companys Act 1956 and CAGs (DPC) Act, 1971.
CCEA approved the Transmission system in Ladakh region

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal for construction of a 220kV Transmission system from Alusteng (Srinagar) to Leh on 2 December 2014. The System will pass via 66kV Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) interconnection system for Drass, Kargil, Khalsti and Leh substations with an estimated total cost of 1788.41 crore rupees. The transmission project will provide grid connectivity and reliable power supply to the Ladakh region. The project will be implemented through PGCIL, a central transmission utility, within 42 months from the date of release of the first installment of funds. The project cost will be borne by the Government of India and the Government of Jammu &Kashmir in 95:5 ratios. The commissioning of the transmission system will be transferred to the State of J&K Government.
256
www.jagranjosh.com
J& K government will carry out Operation & Maintenance (O&M) and other related activities at their own cost as per the terms & conditions in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Background
The electric supply system of Ladakh Region in the State of J&K is currently isolated from the northern grid because of its difficult terrain. The electricity is generated through local small hydro generation and diesel generator sets and the region is experiencing an energy shortage of about 95 percent. Since Ladakh is an area of defence establishments, reliable power supply arrangement is very crucial.
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh agreed to maintain Status Quo along the Inter-State boundary
The district administration of Sonitpur district in Assam and East Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh agreed on 2 January 2014 to maintain the status quo along the Inter-State boundary. As per the agreement reached, the status quo along the boundary will be maintained till the Supreme Court delivers its verdict. The Supreme Court had constituted a Local Boundary Commission headed by Justice (Retd) Tarun Chaterjee in 2006. The decision was reached during a meeting convened in Assams Sonitpur district to discuss the boundary issue. At the meeting, the administration of East Kameng (Arunachal) and Sonitpur (Assam) emphasized on the need to maintain peace, harmony and the age-old bond of the people of the two neighbouring States. Earlier in December 2013, the district administration of Papum Pera in Arunachal Pradesh and Sonitpur in Assam also had reiterated to maintain the status quo along the boundary. The agreement was reached following the tense situation in boundary area under Tarasso circle in Arunachal
257
www.jagranjosh.com
Pradesh. Boundary dispute between Assam and Arunachal arose after the 1951 notification that demarcated the boundary between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh which was ab initio rejected by the later.
Delhi Government ordered CAG audit of 3 power distribution companies

State Government of Delhi on 1 January 2014 ordered an audit of three private power distribution companies in the city by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. The decision of the CAG audit was taken during a Cabinet meeting in New Delhi. As per the order, audit of the finances will be done of the three private power distributors. The formal order has been issued by Lieutenant Governor, Najeeb Jung of Delhi and it will be sent to the CAG, Shashi Kant Sharma on 2 January 2014. The state Government of Delhi has given time to the three companies namely BSES Yamuna Power Ltd, BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd till 2 December 2014 asking their views on why there should not be a CAG audit of their companies. The newly elected Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal gave many reasons, why to conduct a CAG audit but not a single reason why it should not be carried out. He also rejected the view on the matter of the audit that it is subjudice and decision cannot be taken. He also announced that the state government will approach IIT Delhi and Delhi College of Engineering for suggestions to improve the quality of meters.
258
www.jagranjosh.com
NEWS CAPSULE
Person in news
Anand Sinha, the Deputy Governor of RBI retired
Anand Sinha, the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India retired on 20 January 2014. His retirement came following his superannuation and his portfolio has been allocated to other three Deputy Governors. The reallocation was necessitated consequent upon Anand Sinha relinquishing his charge as Deputy Governor. Earlier, Singh was looking after the process of granting new bank licences along with the procedure for granting the licencse to the private sector. The process and procedures of allocation of new licence is incomplete till now.
259
www.jagranjosh.com
The reallocation of portfolios following the retirement of Anand Sinha and are
Name
Portfolios Assigned
Customer Service Department Department of Banking Supervision Department of Currency Management Financial Stability Unit Human Resources Management Department
Dr. K.C. Chakrabarty
Rural Planning & Credit Department Secretarys Department Premises Department Urban Banks Department Legal Department Co-ordination Work Central Security Cell Department of External Investments & Operations Department of Government & Bank Accounts Department of Payment & Settlement Systems Foreign Exchange Department
H.R. Khan
Internal Debt Management Department Inspection Department Department of Banking Operations & Development Department of Non - Banking Supervision Department of Information Technology
260
www.jagranjosh.com
Department of Communication Department of Economic Policy & Research Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation Department of Statistics & Information Management Financial Markets Department Dr. Urjit R. Patel Monetary Policy Department Department of Expenditure & Budgetary Control Risk Monitoring Department Rajbhasha Department Right to Information (RIA) Division
On appointment of the new Deputy Governor, the portfolios will be reallocated.
About Reserve Bank of India and its Central Board

Establishment: The Reserve Bank of India was established on 1 April 1935 in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. The Central Office of the Reserve Bank was initially established in Calcutta but was permanently moved to Mumbai in 1937. The Central Office is where the Governor sits and where policies are formulated. Though originally privately owned, since nationalisation in 1949, the Reserve Bank is a fully owned by the Government of India.
Central Board: The Reserve Banks affairs are governed by a central board of directors. The board is appointed by the Government of India in keeping with the Reserve Bank of India Act. Appointed/nominated for a period of four years
Constitution: Official Directors

Full-time: Governor and not more than four Deputy Governors
261
www.jagranjosh.com
Non-Official Directors
Nominated by Government: ten Directors from various fields and two government Officials Others: four Directors - one each from four local boards
Aviation ministry removed V.P.Agrawal from position of AAI chairman

The Aviation Ministry removed V.P.Agrawal as chairman of the state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) on 24 January 2014. Alok Sinha has given additional charge as AAI chairman. Alok Sinha is a joint secretary in the Aviation Ministry. V.P. Agrawal took over as chairman on 1 January 2009 for a period of five years. His tenure was ended on 31 December 2013, but he was allowed to continue in the post. Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) did not clear his name for further extension.
About Airports Authority of India

Airports Authority of India (AAI) was constituted by an Act of Parliament and came into being on 1 April 1995 by merging erstwhile National Airports Authority and International Airports Authority of India. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation infrastructure in India. It provides Air traffic management (ATM) services over Indian airspace and adjoining oceanic areas. It also manages a total of 125 Airports, including 11 International Airports, 8 Customs Airports, 81 Domestic Airports and 25Civil enclaves at Military Airfields.
Qamar Ahmed, third cricket journalist, to cover 400 Test Matches

Qamar Ahmed, the veteran Pakistani Cricket journalist on 16 January 2014 became the only third man in history to cover 400 test matches. He covered his 400th test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Sharjah, which was overall the 2115 test match in number. Ahmed of 76 years follows the British journalist John Woodcock and Australian captain-turnedwriter and commentator Richie Benaud to achieve the milestone. He is fondly known as Q to friends and cricketers around the world.
262
www.jagranjosh.com
About Qamar Ahmed in cricket

He covered the 1000th Test match between Pakistan and New Zealand at Hyderabad, Pakistna in 1984 He covered his 2000th test in 2011 between England and India at Lords He has covered 732 one-day internationals and eight world cup tournaments He played first-class cricket in Pakistan as an orthodox slow left-arm spinner, who dismissed the five of the legendry Mohammad brothers of Pakistan namely Wazir, Mustaq, Sahiq, Hanif and Raees He reported the first match at Lords in 1974 of England against Pakistan. This match was the 743rd Test match He has covered 19 percent of all the test matches played till date and 29 percent of all the test matches played in four decades He has covered at 59 venues used for test matches of the 107 venues About Test Cricket: Test cricket started in March 1877 and the 400th test match was played in February 1955.
MPs voted Thatcher as the best UK Prime Minister in survey

Iron lady Margaret Thatcher on 2 January 2014 rose-up as the most successful post-war British Prime Minister by lawmakers in a survey, Winston Churchill was ranked at distant fourth. Margaret Thatcher has been voted as the most successful post war Prime Minister. Politics and International Relations students at Royal Holloway, University of London carried away the survey. Margaret Thatcher died in April 2013 at the age of 87. She was valued for her decisiveness by MPs, who took part in the poll.
263
www.jagranjosh.com
She achieved 7.4 as her average score and beat Clement Attlee, the Labour Party, who scored 7.3. Tony Blair, the former Labour Prime Minister scored 6.8 and stood at the third position and been ahead of Winston Churchill of Conservative Prime Minister, who scored 6.5. Gordon Brown scored the least score of 3.3. She topped the survey under, which every leader between 1945 and 2010 were rated by the MPs, said the website of the University. Each Prime Ministers were also evaluated for their success and unsuccessfulness by the MPs on a scale of 0 to 10.
Chief of Army Staff Bikram Singh took Charge as Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman
Army chief General Bikram Singh took over as the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) on 30 December 2013. He received the baton of Chairman, COSC from outgoing Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal N.K.Browne. General Singh will have a brief tenure of around seven months as the CoSC, as he is expected to retire in July 2014. Browne was a member of the COSC, since 1 August 2011 and its Chairman from 1 September 2012. The COSC is the senior-most officer of the three Services and is in-charge for looking after the joint issues related to them. The senior-most of the three Services chiefs takes over the post. General Singh was also shortlisted for appointed as the Permanent Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee -- a post which has been recommended by the Naresh Chandra Committee for reforms in the higher defence management. The National Security Council Secretariat is expected to prepare proposals for the appointment of a four-star general to head the tri-services organisation, after the government consensus.
264
www.jagranjosh.com
Person Appointed
Arun Gupta appointed as CMD of Shipping Corporation of India
Arun Kumar Gupta took charge as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) by the Union Government on 28 January 2014. The post was vacant for over a year after the retirement of S Hajara. Before this elevation to the post, Arun Gupta was the director of offshore services at the Mumbaiheadquartered shipping line. Since retirement of S Hajara in December 2012, the Shipping Corporation of India has been without a full time head and has reported a net loss of 114.31 crore rupees in last fiscal. BK Mandal, the director finance of SCI has been acting as a CMD since the retirement of Hajara.
About Arun Gupta

He graduated from Marine Engineering College and joined Shipping Corporation of India as an engineer in 1976 Onboard of Shipping Corporation of India he sailed till 1988 He has been a trustee of Kandla Port and V O Chidambaranar Port Trust, Tuticorin He is a chairman of the Institute of Marine Engineers, Mumbai The decision on CMD of SCI was made following the losses in three consecutive years in a row, which was challenging the Navratna status of the company. The government rules for Navratna status to the PSUs mentions that a company that reports losses for three consecutive years stands to lose Navratna status. This removal of Navratna satus also curbs their financial autonomy.
Egypts Army Chief Fattah al-Sisi promoted to Field Marshal

Egypts army chief Gen Fattah al-Sisi on 27 January 2014 was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal (the highest in the military). His promotion came amid speculation that the military strongman way readying for the Presidential bid. Fattah al-Sisi is the person who ousted the Islamist President, Mohammed Morsi.
265
www.jagranjosh.com
The presidential decree of promoting the 59-year-old Sisi to the rank of Field Marshal was issued by the interim president Adly Mansour. Egypts army rarely promotes senior officers to the rank of a field marshal. The top military body of Egypt has also given its approval for armed forces chief field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to run for the presidency. SCAF (Supreme Council of the Armed Forces) held an hourlong meet to discuss the demands of people that is candidacy of Sisi in presidency elections. His promotion to the armys top rank also came during the meet only, which is the final hounour before he stands down for presidency elections. After stepping down as the chief of army of Egypt, al-Sisi will be replaced by chief-of-staff, Gen Sedky Sobhy as head of the armed forces.
About Fattah al-Sisi

He became popular after ousting the former President in July 2013. Since then several campaigns has been carried out to pressure Sisi to run for the presidency in the upcoming elections. Morsi appointed Sisi as the Minister of Defence in August 2012 and before this appointment he served as the head of military intelligence since 2010. To place al-Sisi as the army chief and defence minister, Morsi replaced the then military chief Hussein Tamtawi, who ruled the country between Hosni Mubaraks ouster in February 2011 and election of Morsi in June 2012.
Egypt and presidential elections

Mansour has announced that the presidential elections of Egypt will held before the parliamentary polls, which is an amendment of the transitional roadmap that has been agreed by various political parties since July 2013, the month of ouster of Morsi. The decree of the interim president says that the procedures to hold the polls in no less than 30 days and not more than 90 days by Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) that will be followed by the successful passage of the newly-amended constitution. The amended constitution of Egypt was put into effect on 18 January 2014 following two-day referendum on 14 and 15 January 2014, that has received 98.1 percent majority approval of the charter.
Professor Rakesh Khurana of Indian origin appointed as Dean of Harvard College

Indian American Professor Rakesh Khurana on 23 January 2014 was appointed as the Dean of Havard College. With this appointment, Khurana has joined the long list of Indian-origin academicians, who has assumed the leadership roles at the renowned global universities. With this appointment will succeed Evelynn Hammonds, the professor of History of Science and of African and African
266
www.jagranjosh.com
American Studies at Harvard. He will assume the charge of the dean from 1 July 2014. Harvard College is the school within the Harvard University that grants undergraduate degrees.
About Rakesh Khurana of 46 years

At present he is a professor of Leadership Development at Harvard Business School (HBS) and he is also a professor of Sociology in the faculty of Arts and Sciences He is a co-master of Cabot House at Harvard In 1998, he received his PhD through a joint programme between HBS and Harvards Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Kailash Meghwal elected as the Speaker of Rajasthan Assembly

Kailash Meghwal was elected unanimously as the Speaker of Rajasthan Assembly on 22 January 2014. His name was proposed by the Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje and the leader of Opposition, Rameshwar Dudi seconded this proposal. Kailash Meghwal was Mines Minister and resigned from that office on 21 January 2013. Apart from this, 143 of the 200 newly-elected MLAs of the state sworn-in by the Pro Tem Speaker Pradyuman Singh on 21 January 2014, the first session of the 14th Rajasthan Assembly. Vasundhara Raje was the first person to take the oath of the office. The other 12 Ministers were administered the oath of the office followed by MLAs alphabetically order of their names.
Aruna Bahuguna first woman to be appointed chief of National Police Academy

The Union Government appointed IPS Aruna Bahuguna as chief of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderbad. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) issued the orders for the appointment on 20 January 2014. Aruna Bahuguna is the first woman to be appointed as the chief of the National Police Academy. She is the 28th chief of the academy and will be at its helm till February 2017. She will replace the incumbent IPS Subhas Goswami who was appointed as the Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in November 2013.
267
www.jagranjosh.com
About Aruna Bahuguna

Aruna Bahuguna is a 1979 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre and has served in various positions in Andhra Pradesh Police. Currently, Aruna Bahuguna is the Special Director-General of Countrys largest paramilitary force, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). She was the first woman to be posted as the Special Director General of CRPF.
About National Police Academy

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy was established on 15 September 1948 in Mount Abu, Rajasthan as Central Police Training College. It was shifted to Hyderabad in November 1975. In recognition of the outstanding achievements of the academy and its service to the nation, the academy received the Presidents Colours on its 40th anniversary on September 15, 1988.
Catherline Samba-Panza, Mayor of Bangui elected CARs Interim President

Catherline Samba-Panza, the mayor of Bangui on 20 January 2014 was elected as the interim president of the Central African Republic (CAR). With this she became the first woman to hold the post after defeating her rival Desire Kolinba, in the second round of voting by the interim Parliament. She secured 75 votes against 53 of the rival. She has been tasked to restore peace in the country as violence has struck the Bangui after two Muslim men were killed and burned in Bangui on 19 January 2014. She has succeeded Michel Djotodia, who on 10 January 2014 resigned from the post following the pressure of former colonial power, France and regional leaders on his failure to stop the violence. At present, 4000 African troops and 1600 French troops are available in CAR to end the violence and more 500 European Union troops will be deployed as per the decision of the foreign Minister.
Jamila Bayaz, first women to be appointed police chief of Kabul province

Jamila Bayaz was appointed as the police chief of District One of Kabul province on 15 January 2014. She is the first woman in Afghanistan to be appointed as police chief of an entire district.
268
www.jagranjosh.com
She joined Afghan police force more than three decades ago and at present serving as Colonel in Kabuls police force. The appointment of Jamila Bayaz is significant in more than one sense. Firstly, the appointment will pave the way for more Afghani women to rise through the ranks. Secondly, her appointment as police chief to one of the core districts of Kabul testifies that women position in Afghan society is improving since the Taliban were driven out from power in 2001. District One of Kabul province houses the presidential palace and numerous ministries. Besides it houses the Central Bank of Afghanistan and is the main money and gold market of Afghanistan. Kabul province is divided into 22 districts. Each number specifies the name of the district and is organized in ascending order in order of importance.
Sirajuddin Qureshi elected as the President of IICC

Sirajuddin Qureshi was elected as the President of Indian Islamic Cultural Centre (IICC). The Indian Islamic Cultural Centre (IICC) held an election on 12 January 2014 for its managing body. The election intended to elect office bearers for the posts of President, Vice-President, Members of Board of Trustees and Executive Committee.
Other personalities that were elected are

Delhi Minorities Commission chairman Safdar H. Khan has been elected as vice-president. Doordarshan News Director General S. M. Khan has been elected to the board of trustees for the managing body of IICC.
Priority of the newly elected body are resuming civil service coaching classes for Muslim youth, promoting vocational courses and to opening branches of IICC in six other States Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.
About Indian Islamic Cultural Centre (IICC)

The IICC as a Society was registered in April 1981. The main purpose of IICC is to promote mutual understanding and amity amongst the people of this country and to depict the true face of Islam, which is most tolerant, liberal, progressive, rational and forward looking religion besides being based on cardinal principles of human values irrespective of faith, caste, creed and color. The IICC also provides a forum where scholars from all fields of learning can interact with each other to promote brotherhood, friendship, peace and amity amongst the various cultural and religious
269
www.jagranjosh.com
groups in India and also to strive for a peaceful co-existence.
Munish Sharda appointed as MD and CEO of Future Generali Life

Munish Sharda has been appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of private insurer Future Generali India Life Insurance on 7 January 2014. Before this induction Sharda has worked with Aviva Life at the position of Director Sales and Distribution for past five years. He has also served Citibank India for 10 years in its mortgages business. Sharda has pursued his Masters in Business Administration (PGDM) from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow. He also holds a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College.
Uninor appointed Morten Sorby as new CEO

Uninor appointed Morten Karlsen Sorby as the new chief executive officer (CEO) on 8 January 2014. Uninor is a joint venture between Telenor Group and Unitech Group. Telenor is a telecommunications company headquartered in Oslo, Norway. Morten Sorby is the fourth CEO of Uninor. Uninor started operations in 2009. Telenor is in operational and managerial control of the Uninor. It offers mobile voice and data services based on the GSM technology. Uninor serves more than 32 million customers in 6 circles covering the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarkhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
US Senate confirmed Janet Yellen as next Chairperson of Federal Reserve

The US Senate on 6 January 2014 confirmed the name of Janet Yellen as the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve. With this confirmation, the Senate has elevated an advocate to fight unemployment and a backer of the Central Banks efforts to spur the economy with low interest rates and massive bond purchases.
270
www.jagranjosh.com
She succeeds the Chairman Ben Bernanke as the next head of Americas central bank. Ben Bernanke is stepping down after serving as the Chairman of Federal Bank for eight years, which was dominated by the Great Recession and the efforts of the bank to combat it. Her term in the office will begin on 1 February 2014. Her appointment marks an important shift in the direction of the efforts of the banks policies as the monetary policy of past 5 years have resulted in fed pouring about 3.8 trillion dollars into the US economy leading to the financial crisis. Yellen aged 67 was voted by the senators with a margin of 56-26 on her name and numerous of absences, which was caused due to delays in the flights due to arctic temperatures around America. 45 Democrats and 11 Republicans voted for the name of Yellen, who has been the Vice-chair of the Bank, since 2010. The 26 votes, which were casted against her name was done by Republicans. Her term as the leader of the Century old bank will be four years from the date of her joining. The Federal Bank under Bernanke has driven short term interest rates down to near zero and flushed money into the economy with huge bond purchases. Its expected that Yellen, the strong ally of Bernanke who has supported these policies will continue until some concrete signs does not emerge to sustain improvement of the economy as well the job market. Yellen has headed the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco She has chaired the Council of Economic Advisers of the former President of US, Bill Clinton She has been an economics professor at the University of California at Berkeley Yellen was one of the first person to warn in 2007 warned US about the damage of its entire economy Earlier in December 2013, Federal Bank announced that it will gradually reduce its 85 billion dollar in monthly bond purchase by trimming them back to initially 75 billion dollar in the month and will take further measured steps as the economic conditions improve. The banks holdings reached to 4 trillion dollar, which was four times to the level of before US was hit by the financial crisis in 2008. The Great Recession ended in June 2009 by modest growth in the economy of the country, which has seen signs of encouragement in past few months. Apart from it, the unemployment of US has fallen to 7 percent in December 2013 from its recent peak level of 10 percent in October 2009. US has seen an average 200000 jobs monthly Since August and its economy has grown at an annual rate of 4.1 percent from July 2013 through September
271
www.jagranjosh.com
2013.
Federal Reserve Board Mission

The Federal Reserve System is the central bank of the United States. It was founded by Congress in 1913 to provide the nation with a safer, more flexible, and more stable monetary and financial system. Over the years, its role in banking and the economy has expanded.
Today, the Federal Reserves duties fall into four general areas
Conducting the nations monetary policy by influencing the monetary and credit conditions in the economy in pursuit of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates Supervising and regulating banking institutions to ensure the safety and soundness of the nations banking and financial system and to protect the credit rights of consumers Maintaining the stability of the financial system and containing systemic risk that may arise in financial markets Providing financial services to depository institutions, the U.S. government, and foreign official institutions, including playing a major role in operating the nations payments system
Federal Reserve Districts

As soon as practicable, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Comptroller of the Currency, acts as the Reserve Bank Organization Committee. The committee shall designate not less than eight or more than twelve cities to be known as Federal Reserve cities, and shall divide the continental United States, excluding Alaska, into districts, each district to contain only one of such Federal Reserve cities. The determination of said organization committee shall not be subject to review except by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System when organized: Provided, That the districts shall be apportioned with due regard to the convenience and customary course of business and shall not necessarily be coterminous with any State or States. The districts thus created may be readjusted and new districts may from time to time be created by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, not to exceed twelve in all.
Chandrashekhar appointed the President of NASSCOM

R. Chandrashekhar was appointed as President of National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) on 4
272
www.jagranjosh.com
January 2014. R. Chandrasekhar succeeded Som Mittal whose tenure with the NASSCOM ended on 3 January 2014. He was at the helm of NASSCOM for six long years. After taking over as the President of NASSCOM his immediate challenge would be to achieve NASSCOMs ambitious target of 300 billion dollar of revenue by 2020 from the IT sector. He had previously worked as the chairman of telecom commission and secretary of the department of telecom till March 2013. Chandrasekhar established the first department of Information Technology in the country in Andhra Pradesh and was secretary of the department from June 1997 to December 1999. Besides, drafting National Telecom Policy 2012, he played a key role in the drafting the first National IT Policy and National Policy on Electronics during his dual role of IT and Telecom Secretary with the Union Government.
273
www.jagranjosh.com
summit confrence
ASSOCHAM organized Seventh Global Insurance Summit at Hyderabad
Seventh Global Insurance Summit was held at Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh on 8 January 2014. The summit was organised by National Council on Insurance of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). The focus of the summit was on the need for simplifying the insurance process and to provide financial security for the masses in India. At the summit IRDA advocated for a single policy covering all basic need of insurance which would be more effective to increase insurance penetration in India. Cost effective ways of distributing insurance covers would be key to success in increasing insurance coverage among low income groups. Issuance of e-policies through insurance repositories would reduce policy issuance costs significantly.
274
www.jagranjosh.com
Person on Visit
External Affairs Minister met US Secretary of State in Montreux
Union External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid held a bilateral meeting with John Kerry, the US Secretary of State on 22 January 2014 on the sidelines of Geneva II meet on Syria in Montreux. During the bilateral meet, the two ministers reviewed the recent developments in India-US relations. They also agreed that the bilateral relationship is important for both the countries and looked forward towards early realization of the mutually-agreed calendar of bilateral exchanges. This included Visit of US Energy Secretary Moniz for the India-US Energy Dialogue Visit of the Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Margaret Hamburg
The two sides also reviewed the ongoing defence cooperation between the two countries. They also agreed to recognize the need to put in place institutional arrangements to look at all outstanding issues related to the privileges and immunities of diplomats of the two countries. This discussion was done in view of the recent episode involving the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York. External Affairs Minister also underlined Indias concern over trafficking visas issued to Indian nationals by the US Embassy in India.
Bhutan King and Queen will visit India from 6-10 January 2014
The King and Queen of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Jetsun Pema Wangchuck respectively will pay an official Visit to India from 6-10 January 2014. During this visit, a delegation of the King of Bhutan includes the Foreign Minister, Home Minister and Economic Affairs Minister. The King has been invited to India by the President, Pranab Mukherjee and will the first
275
www.jagranjosh.com
foreign Head of the State to be invited to stay at the renovated Dwarka Suite in the Rastrapati Bhawan after about two decades. As per an official release, during the visit the two will meet with the President of India, Vice President of India, Prime Minister, Chairperson of the UPA, Finance Minister, External Affairs Minister, Home Minister, and Leader of the Opposition. The unique relations between India and Bhutan are characterized by close friendship, deep understanding and mutual trust. It is predicted that this visit of the King and the Queen will help in strengthening and expanding the close bilateral ties of the two countries.
276
www.jagranjosh.com
Person Resigned
Vijay Bahuguna, the Chief Minister of Uttrakhand resigned
Vijay Bahuguna, the Chief Minister of Uttrakhand submitted his resignation to the Governor of the state on 31 January 2014 in Dehradun. The resignation follows a meeting of senior party leaders of the party in Delhi on 29 January 2014 that was headed by Congress President, Sonia Gandhi. Bahuguna submitted his resignation a day before the visit of the observers (namely Ghulam Nabi Azad, Janardan Dwivedi and Ambika Soni) of Congress in the state. The observers of the state will attend a Congress Legislature Party meeting in which the new leader will be elected. Congress party that leads the state have 33 members in the State Assembly and it is supported by 7 members of Progressive Democratic Front including 3 members from BSP, 3 independents and 1 MLA from Uttarakhand Kranti Dal.
Ukraine Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigned

Ukraines Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigned on 28 January 2014 in order to facilitate peaceful settlement of the political crisis. President Viktor Yanukovych accepted the resignation of the Prime Minister. The move came after the Ukrainian parliament voted overwhelmingly to annul a controversial anti-protest law. The Parliament voted by 361 to two to repeal the protest legislation which among other measures banned the wearing of helmets by protesters and the blockading of public buildings. The resignation of the Prime Minister will not change
277
www.jagranjosh.com
anything because under the current power sharing system the President has total control of the government. The Ukrainian cabinet can remain in their posts for 60 days until a new government is formed. Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov will assume temporary leadership of the cabinet. Apart from this, Viktor Yanukovych the President of Ukraine on 31 January 2014 signed into law repeal of anti-protest laws and a controversial amnesty for protesters. He signed it as part of his concessions to the opposition, while being in hospital with a respiratory ailment.
Analysis
Mr Azarov was unpopular with the opposition, who accused him of mismanaging the economy and failing to tackle corruption. The oppositions antipathy towards him grew after the protests started in November 2013 when he described demonstrators as extremists and was also seen as being responsible for the use of force by police. Besides, Mr Yanukovych pulled out of a planned trade deal with the European Union in favour of 15 billion dollars bailout from Russia to bolster the ailing public finances. Ukraines protest movement against President Yanukovychs government will not end suddenly due to the repeal of the controversial anti-protest law or Prime Ministers resignation.
Garry Kenneth Toomey resigned from Jet Airways

Garry Kenneth Toomey, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jet Airways was resigned on 16 January 2014. Toomey succeeded Nikos Kardassis for a period of three years in June 2013. Jets Chief Financial Officer Ravishankar Gopalakrishnan will be the acting CEO of Jet airways until a new CEO is appointed by Jet Airways. Prior to joining Jet Airways, Toomey was the CEO of Air New Zealand Group and CEO of Airlines PNG in Papua New Guinea. Jet Airways is the Indias second largest domestic airline which sold 24 percent stake to the Eithad Airways of United Arab Emirates In November 2013.
Justice A K Ganguly resigned as chairman of WBHRC

The former Supreme Court Judge, Justice A K Ganguly on 6 January 2014 resigned as the Chairman of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC). He resigned following allegations of
278
www.jagranjosh.com
sexual harassment by a law intern. He submitted his resignation letter to the M K Narayanan, the Governor of the West Bengal when he met him in the Raj Bhavan. He had a 45-minute long meeting with the Governor. His decision of resigning came following the Presidential reference to the Supreme Court was issued by the Union Cabinet Justice Gangulys decision to quit came close on the heels of the Union Cabinet on the issue. The issued Presidential reference was seen as a step towards his removal as WBHRC chairman. This step of resign by the former Justice of Supreme Court has been welcomed by majority of legal fraternity and Attorney General Soli Sorabjee considered the step as good by Justice (retired) Ganguly.
279
www.jagranjosh.com
Person Died
Raymond Weil, the pioneer of Swiss watch died
Raymond Weil, the founder of the watch brand of his name died at the age of 87 on 27 January 2014. He is considered as one of the great innovators of the Swiss watch industry. Raymond Weil Geneve is a Swiss luxury watchmaker that was founded in Geneva. It is one of the last independent brands in the Swiss watch industry. The company was formed at a time when the Swiss watch industry was going down due to the quartz crisis.
About Raymond Weil

Raymond Weil retired from the board of the company in September 2013 and remained as the honorary president He was a Swiss watch entrepreneur who formed his company the Raymond Weil watch company in 1976. His aim for forming a company was to create high quality timepieces with superior design at affordable prices He has worked with the Camy watch in Switzerland He is considered as one of the people who considered watches to be a luxury accessory Till 1995, he also was the president of the Exhibitors Committee of the Basel International Watch and Jewellery Fair Raymond Weil was born in 1926 At present, Weils son-in-law, Olivier Bernheim is the CEO and President of the Raymond Weil watch company.
Karl Slym, MD of Tata Motors died after falling from hotel building in Bangkok
Karl Slym, the managing director of Tata Motors died on 26 January 2014 after falling from a hotel building in Bangkok. He was in Bangkok to attend a board meeting of the Tata Motors Thailand Limited. Slym, the British-born executive ran all the operations of Tata Motors except of the Jaguar
280
www.jagranjosh.com
Land Rover in the UK. Tata Motors was joined by Slym in October 2012, which was a part of a major management overhaul and he was responsible for charting out the companys strategy to regain momentum in the domestic market. Before joining Tata group, he served as the executive vice-president of SGMW Motors, China, which is a joint venture of General Motors. Before, SFMW, from 2007 to 11, he was the President and managing director as well as a board member of the General Motors in India. He started his career by serving at Toyota in UK.
Legendary Telugu actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao died

Legendary actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao died at the age of 91 in Hyderabad on 22 January 2014. He was suffering from cancer for months. Nageswara Rao was the first generation actor who acted 240 movies as hero in Telugu and in Tamil movies as well. He popularly known as ANR and he acted in movies like Devadasu, Laila Majnu, Anarkali, Premabhishekham, Prem Nagar and Megha Sandhesham etc. Nageswara Rao had an acting spanning of 75 years and he had own production house in the name of Annapurna Productions. He received Padma Vibhushan, Padma shri, Dada Saheb Phalke Award, the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award and the NTR National Award in recognition of his work in Telugu Industry.
Sudhir Mahato, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Jharkhand died

Sudhir Mahato (58), the former Deputy Chief Minister of Jharkhand died on 22 January 2014 following a heart attack at Ghatsila in Singhbhum district. He is a leader of the JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha). Now he is survived by his wife and four daughters. He won the assembly elections for the first time in 1990 from Ichchagarh and retained it in 2005, the year he became the Deputy Chief Minister. In 2009, he last the seat in the polls.
Sudhir Mahato
He has been a member of Legislative Assembly of Bihar Assembly and Jharkhand Assembly from 1995 and 2005
281
www.jagranjosh.com
In 2005 he served as the Deputy Chief Minister Jharkhand and also as Industry Minister Jharkhand He was the President cum Chairman of Jharkhand Cricket Academy
Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin spiritual leader of Dawoodi Bohra community died

Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohra community died of cardiac arrest in Mumbai on 17 January 2014. He was 102. He was the 52nd Dai al-Mutlaq or spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohras community for more than 50 years. He was credited with having built several institutions. One among them is the Raudat Tahera, the mausoleum of his father Syedna Taher Saifuddin, near Saifee Mosque. The mausoleum has the entire Quran inscribed in letters of gold on its walls. He also started community kitchens across the world so as to provide hygienic and nutritious food to members of his community. He had received the numerous honours, the memorable being the Star of Jordan and Order of the Nile from the governments of Jordan and Egypt respectively. He was also given honorary doctorates by renowned institutions like Cairos Al-Azhar University, the Aligarh Muslim University and the University of Karachi. In October 1999, he was elected chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University.
About Dawoodi Bohras

Dawoodi Bohras community is a merchant community having a blend of cultures, including Yemeni, Egyptian, African, and Indian. Dawoodi Bohras have their own language called Lisanu d- Dawat, which is written in Perso-Arabic script and is derived from Urdu, Gujarati and Persian. They have a very small, tight-knit community made up of approximately one million adherents worldwide, with the majority of adherents residing in India. There is also a large community in Karachi, as well as a significant population in Europe, North America, the Far East and East Africa. Presently, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the second son of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, is the Dai al-Mutlaq or the spiritual head of the community. He is 53rd Dai al-Mutlaq in succession.
282
www.jagranjosh.com
Famous Bengali Actress Suchitra Sen died

Famous Bengali actress Suchitra Sen died in Kolkota on 17 January 2014. She was 82. She was born as Rama Dasgupta in Pabna district of West Bengal on 16 April 1931. She was famously known as the Greta Garbo of Bengali cinema and had worked in more than 60 films, the most memorable being Aandhi in hindi and Deep Jwele Jai in Bengali. For Aandhi she was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. The other memorable films in Bengali include Saat Paake Bandha, Agnipariksha, Saptapadi and Deep Jwele Jai. In 1955, Suchitra Sen starred as Paro in her first Hindi film Devdas which was Bimal Roys adaptation of Bengali classic Devdas. She played the leading lady opposite Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in the film. In 1963, Suchitra Sen became the first Indian actress to win an international award. She had received the Silver Prize for Best Actress at the Moscow Film Festival for Saat Paake Bandha. In 2012, Suchitra Sen received the Banga Bibhushan award from the government of West BengaL.
Famous Marathi writer Namdeo Dhasal died

Namdeo Dhasal, the famous Marathi poet, writer and social activist died in Mumbai on 15 January 2014. He was born on 15 February 1949 in Pune district. His selected poems were translated into English under the title Namdeo Dhasal: Poet of the Underworld, Poems 1972-2006. He practiced the ideals of BR Ambedkar throughout his life. He used his works like Golpitha, Khel and Tu Hi Yatta Kunchi to highlight problems of dalit community. He was one of the founders of the militant Dalit Panther movement after the casteist riots in Worlis BDD chawls.
Awards won by Namdeo Dhasal

In 1999, he was honored with the prestigious Padma Shri Award
283
www.jagranjosh.com
In 2004, he won Sahitya Akadamis Life time achievement award He received the Soviet Land Nehru award in 1974 for his collection of poems Golpitha
Israels Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon died

Israels former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon died on 11 January 2014.The former general of Israeli Army had been in coma since 4 January 2006. He was 85. He served as the 11th Prime Minister of Israel until he was incapacitated by a stroke. Sharon was a commander in the Israeli Army from its creation in 1948. Sharon was born in British-mandate Palestine on February 26, 1928, to immigrants from Belarus. He was just 17 when he joined the Haganah, the militia that fought in the 1948 war of independence and eventually became the Israeli army. Sharon switched to politics in 1973, championing the development of Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. He was famous for his personal but indirect responsibility in the 1982 massacre of hundreds of Palestinians by Israels Lebanese Phalangist allies in Beiruts Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.
Social activist Ila Pathak died

Ila Pathak, the socialist activity died on 10 January 2014 following a brief illness at Ahmedabad hospital. Her death was confirmed by a NGO, Charkha. She was 80.
About Ila Pathak

She was born in 1933 and was an active member of Movement for Secular Democracy She was the vice-president of People Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) She was one of the lead members, who played key role in the movement for justice to the victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots She was the former professor of HK Arts College. She served in English language and literature She supported the agitation of Irom Sharmila of Manipur against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) She was the president of India Chapter of Womens International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
284
www.jagranjosh.com
She turned to social activism in 1981 as one of the founder members of the Ahmedabad Womens Action Group AWAG, which raised voice of women against violence
Vishwanath Ramachandra, the former Ranji Trophy cricketer of Mumbai died

Vishwanath Ramachandra (nick named Vishu Bondre), a former Ranji Trophy Cricketer of Mumbai team died on 8 January 2014. He was a right arm medium pacer who has played eight matches of Ranji Trophy for his team, Mumbai, the then Bombay. His first session in the Ranji Trophy was 1965-66 and second season was 1969-70. The 77 year old Vishu died due to cardiac arrest. During his career as a cricketer, he played as a lower order batsman and a medium fast bowler. For his team of ACC, Shivaji Park Gymkhana and Mumbai, he formed a combination with Ramakant Desai, the former fast bowler of India. He has played 28 first class matches, which included the then tournaments that have been removed from the list of first class cricket games namely Moin-Ud-Dowla in Hyderabad and Buchi Babu in Chennai.
Portugals former footballer Eusbio died

Portugals former football player Eusebio da Silva Ferreira died on 5 January 2014 due to heart attack. Eusebio was born in Mozambique but he played for Portugal. He was Africas first international football star.
Following are the list of tittles won by Eusebio:

Eusebio won 64 caps for Portugal and the European Cup with Benfica in 1962. 11 national championships European footballer of the year in 1965. Golden Ball for the best European player in 1965. The Golden Ball award is given for best player. Two Golden Boots (1967/68 and 72/73) for the best European scorer. The Golden Boot was first awarded in 1930 for top goal scorer. Seven times top scorer in the national championship
285
www.jagranjosh.com
American Champion in 1975, and Mexican in 1976.
Singer Phil Everly died at age 74

Singer Phil Everly passed away in Burbank, California due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on 3 January 2014. He was 74. Everly and his older brother are popularly known as Everly Brothers. Phil Everly gave hit albums like All I Have To Do Is Dream, Wake Up Little Susie, and Bye Bye Love. In 1986 Everly Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is described as one of the musical treasures of the 1950s and 1960s. They were also inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame.
Uday Kiran Telugu film actor died

Uday Kiran, a Telugu film actor allegedly has committed suicide at his house on 6 January 2014. He was one of the youngest winners of the filmfare best actor award. 33-year-old Kirans parents and his wife found his body hanging from the ceiling at his flat. On being taken to the hospital, he was declared dead upon arrival. Several film personalities of Telugu film industry have expressed shock and grief on his sudden death.
About Uday Kiran

Uday Kiran got a title Hat-trick Hero after his films Chitram, Nuvvu Nenu and Manasantha Nuvve Nee Sneham and Kalusukovalani are his romantic films He got the filmfare award as Best Actor Telugu for his film Nuvvu Nenu in 2001. With this award, he became the youngest winner of the filmfare award as best actor after Kamal Hasan He debut in the Tamil film industry with his film titled Poi, which was directed by K Balachender
286
www.jagranjosh.com
Places in News
Archaeologists discovered lost dynasty of Pharaonic Kings in Egypt
As per the Ministry of Antiquities of Egypt, a team of archaeologist from Egypt and America in January 2014 discovered a tomb of the Pharaonic king (unknown) that dates back to about 1650 BC. The Egyptian Kingdom was discovered while working in the Nile Valley near the city of Sohag by the archaeologists from University of Pennsylvania who had uncovered the tomb of the sixteendynasty Kings. The hieroglyphics has helped them to decipher the name on the tombs walls and they identified the tomb of Senekay by an inscription on the burial chamber. The excavations reveal the existence of the royal cemetery of the mysterious pharaohs as it is the first time that any trace of the Pharaoh has been found. The existence of the Pharaohs dynasty has till now been considered as the virtually world. In past thousands of years, the painted inscription has been deciphered and reveals the name and titles of the pharaohs. This discovery is the first proof of the existence of the lost kingdom mentioned in mythology and its ruling dynasty.
About Pharaohs as considered in Mythology

Pharaohs, in the ancient Egypt were the most powerful person, who was the political as well as religious leader of the people of that time Egypt. They were mainly known as Lord of the Two Lands and High Priest of Every Temple. The lord of the two lands ruled both the upper and lower Egypt, whereas the Priest of the Temple was a represent of gods on the Earth, who was responsible for the rituals of the gods and build temples also.
Gorakhpur railway station entered Limca Book of Records as worlds longest platform
Gorakhpur railway stations platform number one of Uttar Pradesh has entered into the Limca Book of Records as longest rail platform in the world. The certificate given by the Limca Book of Records was unveiled on 10 January 2014 by KK Atal, the General Manager North Eastern Railways (NER).
287
www.jagranjosh.com
The platforms length is 1355.40 meters and was inaugurated in 6 October 2013. Before the platform number one of Gorakhpur, the platform of Kharagpur railway station of West Bengal had the distinction of being worlds largest platform with length of 1072.5 meters.
Tropical storm One struck Sri Lanka with heavy rainfall and strong wind
Tropical storm One has made its landfall in Sri Lanka on 5 January 2013. The storm that carries winds with pace up to 100 kilometer per hour struck the east coast north of Trincomalee. Disaster Management Centre evacuated people living very near the coastline of the country across Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Mannar. The fisherman of the nation has also been warned from venturing out in the vast sea. The stormy wind is slowly moving inland towards Jaffna. The US Navy and the Air Force Joint Typhoon Warning Centre forecasted about the storm earlier that it will strike Jaffna with warnings that sea levels could rise above 3 meters.
Tropical storm/cyclone
Tropical cyclone is a rapidly-rotating storm system, which is characterized by a low-pressure center, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms. It produces heavy rain and its name is referred depending upon its location and strength, a tropical cyclone. The cyclones/storms forms over large bodies with warm water and derives energy from water evaporated from the ocean surface, which further re-condense into clouds. It rains when moist air rises and cools it to saturation. Its energy differs depending upon its location and it is primarily fueled by horizontal temperature contrasts.
Tropical Storm Risk (TSR)

The Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) is a venture that has been developed from the UK governmentsupported TSUNAMI initiative project on seasonal tropical cyclone prediction which ran from October 1998 to June 2000. TSR consortium comprises experts in modeling and forecasting tropical cyclones and in insurance and risk management. TSR provides information and forecasts to benefit basic risk awareness and decision making from tropical storms. TSR has won two major insurance industry awards - the British Insurance Awards for Risk Management (2006) and for London Market Innovation (2004).
288
www.jagranjosh.com
Awards | Honours
56th annual Grammy Awards for 2014 announced
The Recording Academy announced the 56th Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on 26 January 2014. This year the Grammy Awards werent just about the music and they were also about making a statement in the same-sex marriage debate.
Category
Album of the year New artist Song of the year Childrens album Pop solo performance Royals
Album
Random Access Memories Daft Punk
Name of Artist
Daft Punk , Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Lorde Jennifer Gasoi Lorde
Record of the year Get Lucky
Throw a Penny in the Wishing Well Royals
About Grammy Awards

The Grammy awards are the recording industrys most prestigious award presented annually by The Recording Academy.The Recording Academy also known as The National Academy of Recording Arts & Science in United States was established in 1957. The Grammy Awards are truly a peer honor, awarded by and to artists and technical professionals for artistic or technical achievement. The Grammy Awards presentation brings together thousands of creative and technical professionals in the recording industry from all over the world.
National Communal Harmony Awards 2013 won by Centre for Study of Society and Secularism
289
www.jagranjosh.com
Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS), Mumbai on 25 January 2014 was selected for the National Communal Harmony Awards 2013 in the organisation category. In the individual category award, Mohinder Singh of Delhi and N Radhakrishnan of Kerala were selected. The award carries a citation in each category, the Award carries a cash award of Five Lakh Rupees for Individuals and Ten Lakh Rupees for Organizations.
About the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS)

The Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) a Mumbai based organization was established in 1996 to work to promote peace, secularism and communal harmony in the country. It has also been working on human rights issues and issues of the marginalized and deprived sections of the society.
About Dr. Mohinder Singh

Mohinder Singh aged 72 is a scholar and presently member of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions. He was also Member of the National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities from 2005 to 2007 In 1984, he along with other social activists, organized relief camps at Delhi and restored friendship between the Hindu and Sikh communities in the wake of anti-Sikh riots In 1985, he set-up a Communal Harmony Forum along with Dr. Nirmala Deshpande, which worked for nearly four years and organized inter-faith meetings and visit to holy places by its members
About Dr. N Radhakrishnan

Dr. N Radhakrishnan, aged 69 is a Gandhian scholar and a peace worker. He initiated the Shanti Sena programme at the Gandhigram University and extended this work to other parts of the country He has been actively working to restore peace in communally tense areas of Tamil Nadu and Kerala His campaign Himsamukth Bharat Andolan motivates people to become foot soldiers in campaigning for peace and sustainable development.
About National Communal Harmony Awards
290
www.jagranjosh.com
The National Communal Harmony Awards were instituted in 1996 by the National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH), an autonomous Organization set up by the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs. The award was instituted to promote communal harmony and national integration. It was instituted with a vision to demonstrate due to appreciation and recognition of the efforts of individuals and organisations that promotes communal harmony and national integration.
59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2013: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Bags Seven Awards
59th Idea Filmfare Awards were given away on 24 January 2014. At the 59th Idea Filmfare Awards, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag grabbed seven Black Lady awards. The award for the Best Actor was given to Farhaan Akhtar for his performance in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Deepika Padukone on the other hand was adjudged as the Best Actress for Ramleela. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was awarded with the Best Film award, and its director Omprakash Mehra won the Black Lady for the Best Director. The lifetime achievement award was given away to Tanuja.
Rest of the awards was as follows:

Award for Best Debut Director: Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox) Award for Best Debut (Male): Dhanush (Raanjhanaa) Award for Best Debut (Female): Vaani Kapoor (Shuddh Desi Romance) Award for Best Film (Critics): Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox) Award for Best Actor (Critics): Rajkummar Rao (Shahid) Award for Best Actress (Critics): Shilpa Shukla (BA Pass) Award for Best Screenplay: Abhishek Kapoor, Chetan Bhagat, Supratik Sen and Pubali Chaudari (Kai Po Che) Award for Best Story: Subhash Kapoor (Jolly LLB) Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Nawazuddin Siddiqui (The Lunchbox) Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Supriya Pathak Kapur (Goliyon Ki Raslila- Ram Leela) Award for Best Music: Jeet Ganguly, Mithoon and Ankit Tiwari (Aashiqui 2)
291
www.jagranjosh.com
Award for Best Lyrics: Prasoon Joshi for Zinda (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag) Award for Best Playback Singer Male: Arijit Singh (Tum hi ho, Aashiqui) Award for Best Playback Singer Female: Monali Thakur (Sawaar loon, Lootera) The RD Burman Award: Sidharth Mahadevan Award for Best Action: Thomas Struthers and Guru Bachchan (D Day) Award for Best Cinematography: Kamaljit Negi (Madras Cafe) Award for Best Editing: Aarif Sheikh (D-Day) Award for Best Costume: Dolly Ahluwalia (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag)
Ela Gandhi honoured with Amadelkufa in South Africa

Ela Gandhi, the granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi was honoured with Amadelkufa in South Africa on 26 January 2014. She was honoured for her lifetime contribution to the freedom struggle of South Africa. Amdelkufa in Zulu language means Sacrifice. She formed the trio of Indian-origin South Africans along with Sunny Singh and Mac Maharaj. These three played an active role in the Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation). The Umkhonto we Sizwe was the armed struggle wing of the African National Congress. Umkhonto we Sizwes former members were incorporated into the South African defence force after 1994, when multi-racial democracy came in existence in the country, followed by the release of Nelson Mandela. Mandela was the first democratically-elected president of South Africa.
About Ela Gandhi

Ela Gandhi was born on 1 July 1940 in South Africa and is a peace activist in the country She was a Member of Parliament in South Africa from 1994 to 2004. She was an alternate member of the Justice Committee and served on Theme Committee 5 on Judiciary and Legal Systems Gandhi grew up in an ashram of the Phoenix Settlement near Durban, South Africa. This settlement area is the place where Mahatma Gandhi ran his successful anti-discrimination activities during his tenure in Durban She has served as an executive member of the Natal Organisations of Women from its inception until 1991
292
www.jagranjosh.com
During apartheid, Gandhi was banned in 1975 from political activism and subjected to house arrest for a total of nine years She was among the members of the United Democratic Front who met with Nelson Mandela prior to his release from Pollsmoor Prison on 11 February 1990 Prior to the 1994 elections, Gandhi was a member of the Transitional Executive Committee
Queen Latifah won 2014 Matrix Award

Rapper-turned-actress Queen Latifah won the 2014 Matrix Award on 25 January 2014. New York Women in Communications presented the 2014 Matrix Awards to honor seven remarkable women who have changed the world, through their work in the communications industry.
About Matrix Award

The Matrix Awards is recognized by the communications and entertainment communities as one of the most outstanding and prestigious events of the year. The Matrix Awards are given by New York Women in Communications to honour females who change the world.
About Queen Latifah

Dana Elaine Owens, better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singersongwriter, rapper, model, comedienne, television producer, record producer, actress, and talk show hostess. She has long been considered one of hip-hops pioneer feminists. Her work in music, film, and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy Award nomination and an Academy Aard nomination.
Cyrus Mistry won the DSC prize 2014

Cyrus Mistry won the DSC prize 2014 for South Asian literature for his book Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer on 18 January 2014. Mistry was awarded with a cash price of 50000 dollars at Jaipur International Literature Festival 2014. Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer derives a true story of the son of a Parsi priest, who falls in love with the daughter of a corpse bearer, a community segregated and shunned by society.
293
www.jagranjosh.com
About DSC Prize

This category was instituted in 2010 with cash prize, which is not limited by geography or ethnicity. Short story is not eligible for the award. A book focusing on the culture, politics, history and the people of South Asia can be entered for the prize.
Earlier, winners are

H M Nagvi for his novel Home Boy in 2011 Shehan Karunatilaka for his novel Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew in 2012 Jeet Thayil for his novel Narcopolis in 2013
Abhishikta S Shetty of Karnataka won Miss South India Pageant Title
Abhishikta S Shetty of Karnataka on 19 July 2014 was crowned as the Miss South India 2014 at the Le Meridien in Coimbatore. The first and second dice were also won by Aditi Shetty and Meghana Shetty of Karnataka as runners-up of the 11th Edition of Miss South India Pageant organised by Pegasus.
294
www.jagranjosh.com
Abhishikta was crowned by Anusha Venkataraman of Tamil Nadu, who was the winner of the title of 2013. Founder Chairman of Pegasus is Ajith Ravi. First runner-up Aditi and second runner-up Meghna were crowned by the MD and CEO of Manappuram Finance Ltd, VP Nandakumar.
Other winners
R Raxshmi Miss Queen Andhra Pradesh title Darshithmita Gowda - Miss Queen Karnataka title Archana Jayakrishnan - Miss Queen Kerala title Shree Iraa - Miss Tamil Nadu title The pageant was judged by Miss World Parvathy Omanakuttan, film director Major Ravi, India Jeemole Jaibin, actor and fashion designer Sajimon Parayil and media personality Toshma Biju.
UNWTO Ulysses Awards for Innovation announced

Ulysses Award given by United Nation World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) was presented on 22 January 2014.The awards were given for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism. The winners were announced at the Awards Ceremony which took place at the International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) in Madrid, Spain.
The list of 2013 UNWTO Awardees

UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance: Responsible Tourism Project at Kumarakom, Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, India. UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Enterprises: Arromanches 1944, Biplan, France UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Non-Governmental Organizations: From Charity to Social Entrepreneurship, Borneo Ecotourism Solutions and Technologies (BEST) Society, Malaysia. UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Research and Technology: 3D AR Visual Portal, DSP Studio & Momentum Studio, Croatia.
About Ulysses Award

These are the flagship awards for the global tourism sector, recognizing knowledge creation, dissemination and innovative applications. Every year, Awards are conferred by the UNWTO and the UNWTO Knowledge Network to highlight
295
www.jagranjosh.com
and showcase innovation and application of Knowledge in Tourism. In doing so, the UNWTO Awards seek to recognize and stimulate knowledge creation, dissemination and innovative applications in tourism and to bring to light the latest advances in the area. This has a transversal effect on governance and society at large.
Dr. Tej Vir Singh won the UNWTO Ulysses Prize

Dr. Tej Vir Singh from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh won the 2013 UNWTO Ulysses Prize for Excellence in the Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge on 22 January 2014. Dr.Singh is the professor and Founding Director of the Centre for Tourism Research & Development (CTRD) in India. In 1976, he established the CTRD, a non-government organization devoted to the cause of tourism academics and research, with a special focus on India. The Award honors outstanding members of the academia for their significant contribution to the development of tourism education and research. Dr. Singh is the Founding Editor of Tourism Recreation Research. It is a pioneer in introducing extensive tourism research in the region. It is the oldest and highly respected, international tourism journal in Asia. A specialist in Himalayan tourism, Dr. Singh has produced several books on tourism and many papers on tourism development and its impacts. One of his book is Critical Debates in Tourism. Dr. Singh started the first Himalayan tourism training course, as the Founding Director of the Institute of Himalayan Studies and Regional Development at the University of Garhwal.
About UNWTO Ulysses Prize

The UNWTO Ulysses Prize is given to a distinguished scholar, whether in academia, government or private industry, for outstanding contributions to innovation and knowledge in tourism.
Richard Quest won 2013 UNWTO Lifetime Achievement Award

UNWTO awarded CNNs Richard Quest the 2013 UNWTO Award for Lifetime Achievement on 22 January 2014. The award was given in recognition of his work as a business journalist reporting on the tourism industry.
296
www.jagranjosh.com
The UNWTO Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented during the UNWTO Awards Ceremony held in Madrid, Spain. The Award recognizes Mr. Quests reporting across the globe on CNN, which has showcased the challenges and successes of the tourism industry - raising it into the mainstream of the international agenda. Richard Quest is the presenter of CNNs flagship daily business programme Quest Means Business and the monthly CNN Business Traveller, regularly covering business affairs from around the world.
About UNWTO Lifetime Achievement Award

The UNWTO Award for Lifetime Achievement is conferred to recognize a lifetime achievement of individuals with visionary leadership and significant contribution throughout the nominees career as an inspirational role model for the development at the local, national, regional or international level.
Deepika and Farhan won best actors at Screen Awards
Deepika Padukone and Farhan Akhtar won the Best Actress and Best Actor awards respectively on 15 January 2014 at the 20th Screen Awards. Padukone was awarded as the best actor Award (female) for Ram-leela and Farhan was awarded for his power packed performance in the Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Apart from the award of the best actress, Padukone also bagged the most popular choice award (female) for Chennai Express. She had four blockbuster movies in 2013 namely Race 2, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Chennai Express and Ram Leela. All the four films were ranked in the 100-crore club
297
www.jagranjosh.com
in the box office. The Most Popular Choice Award (male) was given to Shah Rukh Khan for Chennai Express. Amitabh Bachan received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Other awards announced and given were:

Special Jury Award: won by director Anand Gandhi for Ship of Theseus Ram Nath Goenka Memorial award won by John Abraham for Madras Cafe Best on-screen Jodi of the Year given to Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor of Aashiqui 2 Best Film Award won by Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Best Director Award won by Shoojit Sircar for Madras Cafe Best Story Award won by Mohan Sikka for BA Pass Best Screenplay won by Hansal Mehta, Sameer Gautam Singh and Apurva Asrani for the biopic on murdered lawyer Shahid Azmi (Shahid) Best Supporting Actor awards won by Saurabh Shukla and Swara Bhaskar for Jolly LLB and Raanjhanaa respectively Best Actor in Negative Role (male) won by Rishi Kapoor for his role in D Day in which he played the role of Dawood Ibrahim Best Actor in Negative Role (female) won by Shilpa Shukla for her erotic drama in BA pass Best Actor in Comic Role award won by Richa Chadda for Fukrey Most promising newcomer award - won bySushant Singh Rajput for Kai Po Che Most promising newcomer (female) won by Aida Ei-Kashef for Ship of Theseus Most promising debut director won by Ritesh Batra for The Lunchbox
Yushi, Taiwanese poet awarded Thiruvalluvar award

Taiwanese poet Yushi was awarded the Thiruvalluvar award on 15 January 2014 by the Tamil Nadu government in Chennai. Yushi is the first foreign scholar to receive Thiruvalluvar award. The award was given to Yushi on the occasion of Thiruvalluvar Day. The award was given to him in recognition of his contribution to the Tamil language. Yushi has translated Tirukkural (one of the collection of sangam literature), the poems of poet Subramanya Bharathi and poet Bharathidasan in Mandarin, Chinese language.
298
www.jagranjosh.com
The Thiruvalluvar award carries a gold medal and a cheque of one lakh rupees. Yushi is the founder president of the Tamil Sangam in Taiwan. In 2004 he received the highest honour award by Seoul World Academy of Arts and Culture.
President presented Sunil Gangopadhyay Award 2012 & 2013

President of India, Pranab Mukherjee presented the Sunil Gangopadhyay Memorial Award of 2012 and 2013 on 11 January 2014 to two eminent Bengali poets, namely Nirendranath Chakraborty and Sankha Ghosh, respectively. The awards were given at a function at Raj Bhawan in Kolkata.
About Sunil Gangopadhyay Memorial Award

The Sunil Gangopadhyay Memorial Award was instituted by a cultural organisation The Bengal in 2012 following his death. Gangopadhyay had a talent of bringing in the historical research works into his writings.
P.K.Goyal won Best CFO Award

P.K.Goyal, Director of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) was awarded the Best CFO Award on 12 January 2014. The award was conferred by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). Best CFO Awards recognises chartered accountants who have demonstrated excellence and have created value for their companys stakeholders. Mr. Goyal is a Chartered Accountant by profession. He has over three decades of experience in Indian Oil and has handled the entire gamut of activities in the Finance function. Mr. Goyal has held Board-level positions in Indian Oils subsidiaries such as Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd., Lanka IOC, IOT Infrastructure & Energy Services Ltd and erstwhile Bongaigaon Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd.
Andhra Pradesh bagged Oil and Gas Conservation Award, 2013

Andhra Pradesh bagged the Oil and Gas Conservation Award for the best performance among the
299
www.jagranjosh.com
big States. The award is given by the Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. The PCRA observes the Oil and Gas Conservation Fortnight from January 16 to 31 every year. The award is given away for exceptional support and cooperation extended by the governments for various conservation activities organised by the state-level coordinator during OGCF-2013. The award will be presented by petroleum and natural gas minister M Veerappa Moily during the inaugural function of OGCF 2014 to be held in Delhi on 16 January 2014.
71st Golden Globe Awards 2014 announced

71st Golden Globe Awards were announced at Los Angeles on 11 January 2014. The event was organised by Hollywood Foreign Press Association. It is one of the few awards ceremonies that span both television and motion picture achievements.
The winners in the various categories are as follows- Best Motion Picture, Drama: 12 Years a slave Best Director - Motion Picture: Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity Best Actress in a Motion Picture: Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama: Mathew Mc Conaughey for Dollas Buyers Club Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy - American Hustle Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy - Leonardo DiCaprio The Wolf of Wall
Street
Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Amy Adams American Hustle Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, Musical or Comedy - Jared Leto Dallas Buyers Club Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama, Musical or Comedy Jennifer Lawrence - American
Hustle
Best Screenplay- Spike Jonze Her Best Animated Feature Film- Frozen
300
www.jagranjosh.com
Best Foreign Language Film - The Great Beauty (Italy) Woody Allen won a lifetime achievement award for more than four decades of writing, producing and directing films.
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards conferred by the President

Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India on 9 January 2014 conferred the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Awards to thirteen NRIs, PIOs and organisations for their outstanding contribution in the country of their residence as well as to India. The Pravasi Bhartiya Divas was organised in New Delhi from 7 to 9 January 2014. The theme for the year was Engaging Diaspora: Connecting Across Generations.
Following people were awarded

Lisa Maria Singh from Australia she was given for Public service and fostering friendly relations between India and Australia. Kurian Varghese from Bahrain was awarded for Business for enhancing Indias image and for Promotion better understanding of India abroad. Vasdev Chanchlani from Canada was awarded for Community service and fostering ties between India and Canada and efforts in promotion Indian culture and heritage. Ramakrishna Mission from Fiji was awarded for Community service and philanthropic activity and enhancing Indias prestige abroad. Satnarainsing Rabin Baldewsingh from Netherlands was awarded for Public service and developing closer ties between India and South Africa. Bikas Chandra Sanyal from France was awarded for Education and culture and enhancing Indias image. Sasindran Muthuvel from Papua New Guinea was awarded for the field of Public service. Shihabudeen Vava Kunju from Saudi Arabia was awarded for the Community service and
301
www.jagranjosh.com
promoting ties between India and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ela Gandhi from South Africa was awarded for Public service, enhancing Indias image and promoting ties between India and South Africa. Shamsheer Vayalil Parambath from United Arab was awarded for Health business and in promoting Better understanding of India United Arab Emirates. Shailesh Lakhman Vara from United Kingdom has been awarded for Public service and in promoting ties between India and the people of U.K. Parthasarathy Chiramel Pillai from USA was awarded for Science and for fostering closer relations between India and USA. Renu Khator from USA has been awarded for Education and enhancing Indias prestige abroad.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on 9 January every year to mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India. Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa to India on 9 January 1915 and thats the reason that the day has been chosen to celebrate the day. He has been termed as the greatest Pravasi of India, who led the freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever. PBD conventions are being held every year since 2003. These conventions provide a platform to the overseas Indian community to engage with the government and people of the land of their ancestors for mutually beneficial activities. These conventions are also very useful in networking among the overseas Indian community residing in various parts of the world and enable them to share their experiences in various fields.
Dr. Ambedkar National Merit Awards conferred by Kumari Selja

The Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Kumari Selja on 7 January 2014 gave away the Dr. Ambedkar National Merit Awards to meritorious students belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The awards were given to students, who have appeared in Secondary and Senior Secondary School Examination - 2013 conducted by State/Central Education Boards/Councils. 517 meritorious students from 13 boards of 10th class and 17 boards of 12th class of the year 2013 were found eligible for the Awards.
Dr. Ambedkar National Merit Awards

Dr. Ambedkar National Merit Awards is given by the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation, which is an
302
www.jagranjosh.com
autonomous organization under the aegis of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. The award is distributed to the meritorious students every year to recognize and encourage the students belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. They are given the awards for their commendable performance in Class 10th and Class 12th examinations. The award carries a citation and cash award.
Government of India announced Jeevan Raksha Padak for 37 people

Government of India on 6 January 2014 announced Jeevan Raksha Padak for 37 people for their meritorious act of human nature in saving human lives. As per the official release, three persons have been selected for the Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak posthumously, six have been awarded with Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak and 28 have been awarded with Jeevan Rakhsa Padak. The award is given in three categories, namely, Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak, and Jeevan Raksha Padak. Persons of either sex in all walks of life are eligible for these awards. The award can also be conferred posthumously. The decoration of the award (medal, certificate signed by the Home Minister and demand draft for lump sum monetary allowance) is presented to the awardee in due course by the respective state Government to which the awardee belongs. The lump sum monetary allowance is given at the rate of 1 lakh rupees, 60000 rupees and 40000 rupees to the Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak and Jeevan Raksha Padak awardee respectively.
The President of India has approved the conferment of Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards-2013 on the following persons Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak (3)
1. M. Khayingthei (Posthumous), Manipur 2. Soumya Ranjan Biswal (Posthumous), Odisha 3. Ramdinthara (Posthumous), Mizoram
Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak (6)

1. Shaashwath Raj, Karnataka 2. Arjun Oli, Uttarakhand 3. Tarang Atulbhai Mistry, Gujarat
303
www.jagranjosh.com
4. Mukesh Nishad, Chattisgarh 5. Vishnu M.V.,Kerala 6. Stripleaseman Mylliem, Meghalaya
Jeevan Raksha Padak (28)

1. Sushil Kumar, Himachal Pradesh 2. Fayaz Ahmad Naik, Himachal Pradesh 3. Thomas T.T., Kerala 4. Munwar Yusuf Khan, Maharashtra 5. Niraj Kesar Thakur, Maharashtra 6. Sudhakar Gopal Mondkar, Maharashtra 7. Mangesh Ramchandra Haram, Maharashtra 8. Somnath Balaji Bharde, Maharashtra 9. Tatyasahen Arjun Bansode, Maharashtra 10. Mukesh Choudhary, Rajasthan 11. Ashish, Delhi 12. Prakash Bhushan Jha, Jammu & Kashmir 13. Suresh Lal, Jammu & Kashmir 14. Gurdev Singh, Jammu & Kashmir 15. Raj Kumar, Uttarakhand 16. Arjan Singh, Assam 17. Sanjay Kumar, Himachal Pradesh 18. Vinod Waman Rao, Maharashtra 19. Satish Kumar, Uttar Pradesh 20. Pawan Kumar Rana, Himachal Pradesh 21. Uttam Kumar Sarva, Chhattisgarh 22. Mohammed Midhilaj P.P, Kerala
304
www.jagranjosh.com
23. E. Suganthan, Tamil Nadu 24. Arambam Sanajaoba Singh, Manipur 25. Viswendra Lohkna, Uttar Pradesh 26. Satendra Lohkna, Uttar Pradesh 27. Dharmendra Kumar, Uttar Pradesh 28. Akanksha Gaute (Simmy), Chhattisgarh
US author Danielle Steel awarded Frances Legion of Honour

US author Danielle Steel was conferred with the Legion of Honour by French government on 1 January 2014. The Legion of Honour is the highest honour given in recognition of service to France. Steel, aged 66 is the author of novel Queen of Romance. 600 million copies of the novel were sold in 70 countries and had been translated in 45 languages. More than 20 of her books have been adapted for TV, including Daddy and Palomino. Steel had already been decorated as an officer of the Order of Arts and Letters, Frances top Cultural honour. She also was made a Chevalier of the Order. Other US author who received the Legion of Honour before Steel is Philip Roth. Besides, singers Bono, Douglas MacArthur, Julia Child and Bob Dylan also have received the honour. About Legion of Honour The award Legion dhonneur (in French) was instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. It is given traditionally by the French government on 1 January every year, as well as on every Easter and on 14 July, the France National Day. It is given to both the nationals and non-nationals in recognition of service to France or work that is deemed to uphold its ideals.
Mammen Mathew selected for prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award for Journalism
Mammen Mathew was selected for prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award for journalism on 31 December 2013. He is the Chief Editor and Managing Director of Malayala Manorma.
305
www.jagranjosh.com
Mathew is the former President of the Editors Guild of India and Indian Newspaper Society. He also served as Chairman of the Indian Chapter of the Commonwealth Press Union. He was the first Indian Director Trustee of the Thomson Reuters Founders Share Company, which runs the international news agency Thomson Reuters.
About the Award

The Lokmanya Tilak National Award has been instituted by the Kesari Mahratta Trust. It is given for excellence in journalism. The award comprises a memento and a cash of 1 lakh rupees. It is given on 4 January every year when the Trust was founded in 1881.
306
www.jagranjosh.com
Report | Survey
India likely to post 4.6 percent growth in 2013-14: IMF
International monetary Fund (IMF) on 21 January 2014 said that Indias economic growth rate in the current fiscal will be 4.6 percent. In its statement the IMF said the Indian growth has picked up after the favourable monsoon season. The higher export growth along with the strong structural policies had also played an important role in supporting investment in the country. It also predicted that the growth rate may improve to 5.4 percent in 2014-15 and to be 6.4 percent in 2015-16. It has also projected the global growth to around 3.7 percent in 2014. IMF about the global and US economies looks to be optimistic as it has predicted that US economy will grow 2.8 percent. The forecast of US is 0.2 percent and globally growth by 0.1 percent higher than its October 2013 forecast.
About the International monetary Fund (IMF)

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an organization of 188 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world.
The Report Working for the Few released by Oxfam

The Report titled Working for the Few was released by Oxfam on 20 January 2014. The report highlights the impact of widening inequality in the world. According to the report, richest 85 individuals hold wealth equivalent to what the 3.5 billion poorest people holds. That is, bottom half of the worlds population owns the same as the richest 85 people in the world.
Main highlights of the report:

70 percent of people live in countries where the gap between the rich and poor has widened in the last 30 years. 1 percent of the global population shares a collective wealth of 1.10 trillion dollar which is 65 times the total wealth of the bottom half of the worlds population. The richest one percent increased their share of income in 24 out of 26 countries between 1980
307
www.jagranjosh.com
and 2012. In the US, the wealthiest one percent captured 95 percent of post-financial crisis growth since 2009, while the bottom 90 percent became poorer. In India, the number of billionaires has increased tenfold in the past decade. Since the late 1970s, tax rates for the richest have fallen in 29 countries.
The Report notes that given the scale of rising wealth concentrations, opportunity capture and unequal political representation are a serious and worrying trend. In this light, Oxfam has called upon members of the World Economic Forum (to be held in Davos, Switzerland to: Not dodge taxes in their own countries or in countries where they invest and operate, by using tax havens; Not use their economic wealth to seek political favors that undermine the democratic will of their fellow citizens; Make public all the investments in companies and trusts for which they are the ultimate beneficial owners; Support progressive taxation on wealth and income; Challenge governments to use their tax revenue to provide universal healthcare, education and social protection for citizens; Demand a living wage in all the companies they own or control; Challenge other economic elites to join them in these pledges.
Oxfam also has recommended policies in multiple contexts to strengthen them political representation of the poor and middle classes to achieve greater equity. These policies include: A global goal to end extreme economic inequality in every country. This should be a major element of the post 2015 framework, including consistent monitoring in every country of the share of wealth going to the richest one percent. Stronger regulation of markets to promote sustainable and equitable growth; and Curbing the power of the rich to influence political processes and policies that best suit their interests.
308
www.jagranjosh.com
About Oxfam
Oxfam was originally founded in Oxford in 1942. It was set up by the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief by a group of Quakers, social activists, and Oxford academics. It is an international confederation of 17 organizations working in approximately 90 countries worldwide to find solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world.
Indian economy to grow by just over 6% in 2014-15: WB forecast

The World Bank in its Global Economic Prospects Report released on 15 January 2014 forecasted that economy of India will grow by just 6 percent in 2014-15. In its forecast, the World Bank has also said that the economic growth of India will improve to 6.6 percent in 2015-16 and 7.1 percent in 2016-17. The economic growth will be followed by the recovery in global demand and increase in domestic investment. The report released by the World Bank also says that the global GDP growth in 2014 will be 3.2 percent from 2.4 percent in 2013. It also said that the global GDP will stabilise at 3.4 percent and 3.5 percent in 2015 and 2016 respectively. The report also mentions that the global economy is projected to strengthen with growth and will pick up in developing nations. The high-income economies will finally come-out from the global financial crisis that has lasted for five years. The report has also estimated that the growth of China will remain flat at 7.7 percent in 2014 and will slow to 7.5 percent for 2015 and 2016. Growth prospects for 2014 are, however, sensitive to the tapering of monetary stimulus in the United States, which began earlier in January and to the structural shifts taking place in Chinas economy. Background: The global economy has seen dramatic changes in private capital inflows in the developing countries in past two decades. These capital inflows have increased the substantially in absolute terms as a share of developing countries GDP. This is characterized by large fluctuations in response to changing global financial and economic conditions. Financial inflows averaged around 6 percent of the GDPs of the developing countries in the postcrisis period. It was supported by low interest rates in high-income countries and stronger growth prospects across the emerging and developing region.
About Global Economic Prospects of World Bank

The World Banks twice-yearly Global Economic Prospects examines growth trends for the global economy and how they affect developing countries. The reports include three-year forecasts for the global economy and long-term global scenarios, which look ten years into the future. The
309
www.jagranjosh.com
publication covers financial markets, trade, commodities and inflation.
About World Bank

Established in 1944, the World Bank Group is headquartered in Washington, DC. It has more than 10000 employees in more than 120 offices worldwide. The World Bank Group has set two goals for the world to achieve by 2030: End extreme poverty by decreasing the percentage of people living on less than 1.25 dollar a day to no more than 3 percent Promote shared prosperity by fostering the income growth of the bottom 40% for every country The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. It is not an ordinary bank but it has unique partnership to reduce poverty and support development. The World Bank Group comprises five institutions managed by their member countries.
Five institutions together make up the World Bank Group

IBRD: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) that lends to governments of middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries. IDA: The International Development Association (IDA) that provides interest-free loanscalled credits and grants to governments of the poorest countries. IFC: The International Finance Corporation (IFC), is a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. We help developing countries achieve sustainable growth by financing investment, mobilizing capital in international financial markets, and providing advisory services to businesses and governments. MIGA: The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) that was created in 1988 as a member of the World Bank Group to promote foreign direct investment into developing countries to support economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve peoples lives. MIGA fulfills this mandate by offering political risk insurance (guarantees) to investors and lenders.
310
www.jagranjosh.com
ICSID: The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) that provides international facilities for conciliation and arbitration of investment disputes.
Pakistan only polio-endemic nation with more cases

A report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that Pakistan is the only polio-endemic country in the world and it reported most cases of crippling disease in 2013 and 2012. Pakistan had 83 polio cases in 2013 and 58 cases in 2012. In 2013, a total of 369 cases from the endemic and non-endemic countries have been recorded from the world, which also includes Pakistan. Of 83 cases recorded in Pakistan, 59 cases are from Fata, 10 were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and seven each from the Punjab and Sind. All the recorded cases are type-1 cases but no cases of type-3 was recovered. As per an analysis, non-uniform routine immunisation coverage in several areas is a major reason for the increase in the cases. Basic reason for non-uniform routine immunisation coverage in Pakistan is the attack of Taliban on health workers. Many health workers have lost their lives due to the militant attacks suffered by them. In its report, WHO report witnessed only 11 polio cases in 2013 in Afghanistan of which maximum were associated with multiple importations with no evidence of local re-establisation circulation. 35 cases were reported there in 2012. Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the three nations where polio remains endemic as per the report released by WHO. Polio and its symptoms: Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It has the ability to cause total paralysis in a matter of hour by invading into the nervous system. The virus generally enters through intestine and is multiplied in the intestine. Fever, fatigue, vomiting, headache, pain in limbs and stiffness in neck are the initial symptom of the disease. One in 200 infections leads
311
www.jagranjosh.com
to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). 5 to 10 percent of paralysed people die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. It mainly affects children under five years of age. There is no cure for polio, it can only be prevented. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, can protect a child for life. Polio and Global cases: Polio cases have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350000 cases in more than 125 endemic countries then, to 223 reported cases in 2012. In 2013, only parts of three countries in the world remain endemic for the diseasethe smallest geographic area in historyand case numbers of wild poliovirus type 3 are down to lowest-ever levels. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative: In 1988, the forty-first World Health Assembly adopted a resolution for the worldwide eradication of polio. It marked the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), spearheaded by national governments, WHO, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF, and supported by key partners including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This followed the certification of the eradication of smallpox in 1980, progress during the 1980s towards elimination of the poliovirus in the Americas, and Rotary Internationals commitment to raise funds to protect all children from the disease. Overall, since the GPEI was launched, the number of cases has fallen by over 99%. In 2013, only three countries in the world remain polio-endemic: Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 1994, the WHO Region of the Americas was certified polio-free, followed by the WHO Western Pacific Region in 2000 and the WHO European Region in June 2002. Of the three types of wild poliovirus (type 1, type 2 and type 3), type 2 wild poliovirus transmission has been successfully stopped (since 1999). The new Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018 has been developed, in consultation with polio-affected countries, stakeholders, donors, partners and national and international advisory bodies. The new Plan was presented at a Global Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, at the end of April 2013. It is the first plan to eradicate all types of polio disease simultaneously both due to wild poliovirus and due to vaccine-derived polioviruses.
India ranked 120th in the 2014 Index of Economic Freedom

India was ranked 120th out of 178 countries in the 2014 Index of Economic Freedom. The Index was released by the Heritage Foundation in collaboration with Wall Street Journal on 14 January 2014.
According to the Index of Economic Freedom

India notched up its highest economic freedom score in the 20 years since the list was first
312
www.jagranjosh.com
compiled in 1995. India scored 55.7 out of a possible 100 points for the freedom it provides individuals to work, produce, consume and invest. India slipped down to 120 in the year 2013. In 2012 India was ranked 119. The index classified India as a mostly unfree economy despite modest signs of improvement. India continues to underperform partly because of policies adopted by Union Government.
Other highlights of the Report

Hong Kong and Singapore were ranked first and second in the 2014 Index of Economic Freedom for the 20th straight year. Australia, Switzerland, and New Zealand were ranked third, fourth and fifth place respectively. The US for the first time does not figure in top 10 of the list. It has been ranked 12th in 2013. The 2014 Index of Economic Freedom rated 186 countries in 10 categories of economic performance such as rule of law, regulatory efficiency, limited government and open markets. Out of 186 countries only 178 countries were ranked. The eight countries which were not ranked are Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Libya, Liechtenstein, Somalia, Sudan and Syria. The world average score of 60.3, which is seven-tenths of a point above the 2013 figure, is the highest in the history of the index. Singapore and Sweden were among 43 countries that achieved their highest scores yet. Among the 178 countries ranked, scores improved for 114 countries and declined for 59.
About Index of Economic Freedom

Index of Economic Freedom is a joint publication of The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal. The Index was first published in 1995 to track the progress of economic freedom around the globe. The Index is constructed on the basis of 10 quantitative and qualitative factors, grouped into four broad categories, or pillars, of economic freedom. These are: Rule of Law: Property rights, Freedom from corruption Limited Government: Fiscal freedom, Government spending Regulatory Efficiency: Business freedom, Labour freedom, Monetary freedom
313
www.jagranjosh.com
Open Markets: Trade freedom, Investment freedom, Financial freedom Each of the ten economic freedoms within these categories is graded on a scale of 0 to 100. A countrys overall score is derived by averaging these ten economic freedoms, with equal weight being given to each.
International Poll titled World most admired people released

An International Poll titled the Worlds most admired people conducted by YouGov was released on 11 January 2014. YouGov is an international, full service market research agency. YouGov compiled the results of a poll conducted in 13 countries and used the mix of internet, mobile phone survey to construct the Worlds most admired people report. Microsoft founder Bill Gates was named as the most admired person on the planet. President Barack Obama has been ranked second followed by the Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pope Francis at the number third and fourth position respectively. The batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has been placed fifth among the list of worlds most admired peoples. He has been ranked first in India among the list of six other Indians who featured in the worlds most admired list of 30 persons. The other Indians are: Narendra Modi (7th), Amita bachhan (9th) and Abdul Kalam (10th). The list also mentions about six women who have found place among the 30 most admired people with Queen Elizabeth ranked highest among them. Women in the list are Hollywood actress Angelina Joile, Germen Chancellor Angela Merkel, and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese contemporary folk singer Peng Liyuan.
Business confidence would improve in Q1 of 2014: Dun and Bradstreet Survey

Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) report on 8 January 2014 hinted that the business optimism saw a significant rise in the first quarter of 2014. The rise will be mainly in sales volume and better stability will bring net profit and new orders. 16.6 percent of significant increase has been recorded by D&B Composite Business Optimism Index for Q1 in 2014. The optimism in three segments namely volume of sales, net profit and new orders, stands at an 11-quarter high for the period January-March 2014. As per Dun & Bradstreet President and CEO, the business sentiment will be triggered with political stability, accompanied by certainty on the policy front. The 83 percent respondents expect that
314
www.jagranjosh.com
the volume of sales would increase in Q1 2014. 5 percent of respondents believe that the selling prices will decline whereas a 12 percent respondent doesnt expect that volume of sales will remain unchanged.
315
www.jagranjosh.com
Defence | Security
Dhruva-3 indigenous High Performance Computing System inaugurated
Dhruva-3 was inaugurated by Avinash Chander, DG DRDO and Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister at Advanced Numerical Research and Analysis Group (ANURAG) in Hyderabad on 25 January 2014. Dhruva-3 an indigenous High Performance Computing System was designed to solve critical Defence Research and Development applications by Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO). Dhruva-3 is a high end facility and very useful for the design of aircraft, particularly Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and other such aircraft where we require analysis of aerodynamics at high speed and under different conditions. It is one of the fastest computing facilities in India which will play a vital role in cyber security and information processing.
India successfully test-fired nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-IV missile

India on 20 January 2014 test-fired nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-IV missile with a range of 4000 kilometers from Wheeler Island in Dhamra of Odisha Coast. The missile was launched from the launch complex number 4 of Integrated Test Range (ITR) of Wheeler Island. DRDO conducted the test-firing today at the Integrated Test Range on the Wheeler Island.
About Agni-IV
It is the fourth missile in the series of Agni missiles. It was earlier known as Agni-II prime In missile technology, Agni represents a quantum leap of its own type With light weight, the missile has two stages of solid propulsion and a payload with re-entry heat shield
316
www.jagranjosh.com
Earlier, the missile has been tested three times Agni-IV was developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) It is 20 meters in length weighs 17 tonnes and carries a pay load of one tonne Yet Agni-IV and Agni-V has not been inducted in Army, whereas other variants of the same, Agni-I, II and III has been inducted in Army. Agni, I, II and III
Apart from this, the DRDO will fire Agni-V with a range distance of 5000 kilometer carrying a nuclear warhead of one tonne from a canister in next two to three months.
INS Vikrant has completed operational life and should be disposed

Union Ministry of Defence on 16 January 2014 justified its decision to scrap INS Vikrant to High Court of Mumbai. The ministry said that the ship has completed its operational life and the decision of scrapping it in the best interest of the naval services of India to dispose it instead of preserving. INS Vikrant is the first aircraft carrier of India. The hull (body) of Vikrant is over 70 years old and it was decommissioned on the completion of its operational life. At this stage the ship cannot be repaired or refurbished economically and its maintenance and berthing of such ship requires a heavy expenditure of public funds, mentioned an affidavit of the Ministry of Defence. The affidavit also mentioned that the Indian Navy has spent 22 crore rupees on the repairs and dry cocking of the ship and has been preserving and maintaining INS Vikrant till date. It also mentions that in 1998 the Maharashtra Government proposed to the defence ministry to converse it into a museum is pending and a considerable amount has been spent in maintaining the ship. State government has neither arranged an alternate berth for the ship nor accepts the responsibility of safety of the ship and failed to convert it into a museum. The affidavit was filed by Admiral Shankar Mathur, the Chief Staff Officer of the Western Naval Command. his affidavit was filed following public interest litigation (PIL) that demands to preserve and convert
317
www.jagranjosh.com
the first aircraft carrier of India into a maritime museum. The PIL also sought a direction of the Union Government for not auctioning the ship as scrap. It also seeks quashing of the tender by the ministry that states auction of the ship as scraps on 29 January 2014.
Fast Patrol Vessel Abhinav, the Indian Coast Guard Ship commissioned in Kochi
The Indian Coast Guard Ship Abhinav was commissioned in Kochi on 15 January 2014 by the Director General of Coast Guard Vice Admiral Anurag G Thapiyal. Abhinav is the third in the series of twenty Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs) and has been designed and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited. The ship has been named ICGS Abhinav (which literally means Modern). It will be based at Kochi under the administrative and operational control of the Commander, Coast Guard Region (West). The ship is commanded by Commandant (JG) Raman Kumar and has complement of 5 officers and 34 other ranks.
About the Fast Patrol Vessel Indian Coast Guard Vessel (ICGS) Abhinav
The 50 meter indigenous FPV displaces 290 tonnes and can achieve a maximum speed of 33 knots with an endurance of 1500 nautical miles at economical speed of 13 knots, It is equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry and advanced communication and navigational equipment It has been designed to undertake multifarious close-coast missions that includes surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue as well as medical evacuation
Special features of the ship includes

Integrated Bridge Management System (IBMS) Integrated Machinery Control System (IMCS)
318
www.jagranjosh.com
Integrated gun mount with indigenous Fire Control System (FCS) In next five years, the Indian Coast Guard will have 150 ships/boats and 100 aircraft maritime force. Apart from these, a Coastal Surveillance Network is being established, which will have 46 stations to ensure real time coastal surveillance. The Government of India has an emphasis on the coastal security following asymmetric threats from the sea.
Prithvi II, the Nuclear capable Surface-to-Surface missile, successfully test-fired

India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable surface to surface Prithvi II missile with a strike range of 350 km from a test range at Chandipur near Balasore on 6 January 2014. Prithvi-II is capable of carrying warheads of 500 kg to 1,000 kg. It is thrusted by liquid propulsion twine engines. It uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory. The missile was test fired from a mobile launcher in salvo mode from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range. The entire launch activities were carried out by the specially formed Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the defence service. The entire trajectory of missile was tracked by DRDO radars, electro-optical tracking systems and telemetry stations. Prithvi II is the first missile which was developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under Indias prestigious IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Program) IGMDP was managed by DRDO, started in early 1980 and ended in 2008.The missiles developed under the program were Prithvi, Agni, Trishul, Akash, Nag. Prithvi-II missile is already inducted into the Indian Armed forces. The last trial of Prithvi-II was successfully carried out from the same base on 3 December 2012. The naval operational variant of Prithvi II class missiles are known as Dhanush. It was already inducted into Indian navy.
Navy planned to circumnavigate globe by all-woman crew

Indian Navy on 5 January 2013 looked forward to pave the way for a circumnavigation of the globe
319
www.jagranjosh.com
by an all-woman crew whose member officers are to be trained aboard INS Mhadei. INS Mhadei that is the first Indian solo circumnavigator is set to participate in the Cape2Rio Yachting Race 2014. Navy said that one lady officer would be a part of the crew for each leg of the voyage. Till the time, INS Mhadei will return back to Goa, it would have trained three lady officers. The three lady officers would form the core of the prospective all-women crew that will circumnavigate the globe. Navy said that a solo circumnavigation of the globe by a lady officer is also being planned. The vessel INS Mhadei till now has seen two circumnavigations of which first was done under the commander Diilip Dhonde in 2009-10 and the second was a non-stop under Commander Abhilash Tomy in 2012-13. The first tour for INS Mhadeis circumnavigations included three members under the command of Commander Dhonde and comprised crew Commander MVV Satish, who was the trainee skipper, Commander TGS Bedi and Lieutenant Commander Shweta Kapur, a lady officer.
Cape2Rio Yachting Race 2014

Cape2Rio Yachting Race 2014 will have more than 30 boats as participates. The race will start from Cape Town in South Africa and will terminate in the Rio de Janerio in Brazil. INS Mhadei has sailed from Goa on 25 November 2013 and reached Cape Town on 27 December 2013 after travelling over 5000 miles, as per the Navy.
320
www.jagranjosh.com
Books & Author

Bihars turnaround analysed at London School of Economics
The New Bihar: Rekindling Governance and Development: edited by NK Singh and Nicholas Stern
A panel discussion at the London School of Economics (LSE) on 20 January 2014 was centered on the turnaround in the growth of Bihar that is one of the Indias poorest and most populous states. The topic was the centre of discussion with the panel because the launch of a new collection of essays titled The New Bihar: Rekindling Governance and Development. It was launched at an event in the London School of Economics. The essays have been edited by NK Singh, an MP of Rajya Sabha and Nicholas Stern, director of LSE India Observatory.
Vice President released book entitled Indias Political and Foreign Relations with the Gulf Region
Indias Political and Foreign Relations with the Gulf Region edited by Prof AK Pasha
Hamid Ansari, the Vice President of India has released a book entitled Indias Political and Foreign Relations with the Gulf Region on 21 January 2014 at New Delhi. The book has been edited by Prof AK Pasha. During the release function the Vice President congratulated the editor of the book for bringing out informative and useful book on the relation of India with the Gulf regions. The book is a compilation of the working/occasional papers, some research papers presented in the four seminars organized by Gulf Studies Programme (GSP), Centre for West Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawahar Lal Nehru University.
India and Gulf Nation Relation

India and the Gulf nations have share cordial relations. India has rapidly made its place in the Gulf nations as a most influential regional power. It also shares strong economic relations with the Gulf countries, where two-thirds of its oil imports originate.
321
www.jagranjosh.com
Countries that are a part of the Gulf region

Saudi Arabia UAE Yemen Bahrain Iraq Kuwait Libya Omen Qatar
Vice President released a book entitled Sangharsh Ke Safar Ka Nayak Mulayam

A book entitled Sangharsh ke safar ka nayak Mulayam written by Omveer Tomar was released by the Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari on 17 January 2014 at a function. The book was released to mark the birthday of Mulayam Singh, who is the chief of his party SP. He turns of 75 in age on 22 November 2013. During the launch of the book, the Vice President said that farmers are the base of the country and has been a main part of progress of India. He also cited the slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan of the former Prime Minister late Lal Bhahadur Shastri as an example, as the countries growth depends on the farmers and the youths.
About Mulayam Singh

He held the post of Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh three times He was appointed Indias Defense Minister in 1996 He formed the Samajwadi Party in October 1992 He was born in Etawah on 22 November 1939 He has mainly been influenced by Ram Manohar Lohia, who joined the great socialist leaders movement during the 1950s to fight for farmers rights.
322
www.jagranjosh.com
Art | Culture
China marked arrival of the Year of the Horse
China on 31 January 2014 marked the arrival of its Year of the Horse, which is celebrated across the world by Chinese people. The Chinese Lunar New Year is the only traditional day of holiday for the people of China. The Chinese Lunar New Year is also the largest annual mass migration on the earth as hundreds of millions of people of China head back to their home towns to spend the festival with their families. A call for ethnic harmony among the people living in China was issued by Xi Jingping, the President of China on this day to mark the greetings to the people in his Lunar New Year. This day is marked by riotous displays of fireworks, which is thought by people that it scares off the evil spirits and brings good luck in return.
USA handed over three stolen 10th Century Indian artifacts to India
USA handed over the three stolen 10th century Indian artifacts to Indian consulate in New York on 14 January 2014. The stolen artifacts include a sandstone sculpture of Vishnu and Lakshmi, a sandstone sculpture of Vishnu and Parvati and a black stone figure of Bodhisattva. The artifacts are together valued between 1.5 to 2 million dollar. The artifacts were stolen in 2009. The 350-pound Vishnu and Lakshmi sandstone sculpture belong to the 11th to 12th century period. It was stolen from the Gadgachh temple in Baran district of Rajasthan. Interpol had listed it as No. 6 on the worlds top 10 most wanted artworks. The 600-pound sandstone sculpture of Vishnu and Parvati also belongs to the same period and was stolen from the same temple. The sandstone sculptures were discovered by the Homeland Security Investigations, which operates under the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The Homeland Security Investigations received information about the stolen artefacts in 2010 from Indias Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.
323
www.jagranjosh.com
The black sandstone figure of Bodhisattva belongs from an unspecified location in India. It was discovered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The last cultural property repatriation to India was in 2006 when American officials returned a 9th century stone idol that was stolen from a temple in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh, in 2000.
Dhanu Yatra of Bargarh started in Odisha

The world Famous Dhanu Yatra of Bargarh started on 6 January 2014. The yatra is a 11-day long festival, which will continue till 16 January 2014.
About Dhanu Yatra

During this Dhanu Yatra celebration, Bargarh town is virtually transformed into Mathuranagar, the capital of King Kansa, whereas nearby Ambapalli village across river Jeera becomes into Gopapura, the adobe of Lord Krishna and Jeera river between the two places stands for Yamuna river. Dhanu Yatra of Bargarh is considered as worlds biggest open-air theatre. Almost the entire population of Bargarh town takes part in the festival and it is the biggest assembly of actors that a play can ever have. It is a conglomeration of several open-air theatres, with the action taking place simultaneously at different places. Both actors and viewers keep moving from one place to another as the drama unfolds. The age-old story of Lord Krishna killing the tyrannical King Kansa of Mathura forms the central theme of the play. It is believed that, Dhanu Yatra in its present form started in 1948, post-Independence, as a performance charged with a nationalistic fervour. Kansa, the demon king, symbolizes the imperialist British government on its way out and Lord Krishna stands for the nationalistic aspiration of the people.
Losara New Year festival of Ladakh is celebrated

The festival of Losar is being celebrated across Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir with traditional
324
www.jagranjosh.com
and religious fervor. The 15 daylong celebration of Losar festival, mark the beginning of the New Year. The centuries-old tradition of celebrating Losar continued to strengthen the existing community bond and add joy to the lives of inhabitants of the landlocked Himalayan territory of Ladakh. Losar is a community-based socio-religious festival celebrated by the Buddhists of Ladakh, which has 19 major monasteries celebrating 18 monastic festivals every year. The Losar celebrations begin with prayers to the god and goddess common to a group of families, known as Faspun. They exchange wishes and greetings for the New Year. On the eve of Losar, family ancestors are remembered by offering delicious food and lighting the traditional lamp in front of the graveyard. Lardaak is responsible for offering prayers to the village god and goddess during Losar celebrations and carrying out rituals to purify the individual, who perform the traditional role of the three Lama Jogis and grandparents. Lardaak heads the Karoks, the dancers of the grand celebrations. Karoks have to complete the dance 360 times before the deadline set by the village astrologer. Considered pilgrims of Kailash Mansarovar and well-wishers of New Year, Lama Jogis visit each house of the village, wishing prosperity. Children and youngsters also join the grand celebrations by covering their faces and dressing up in animal skin jackets. They visit houses to wish a prosperous New Year.
325
www.jagranjosh.com
Committees | Commissions
Pitroda Committee submitted report to Information and Broadcasting Ministry
Expert Committee constituted by Information and Broadcasting Ministry to review the institutional framework of Prasar Bharti has submitted its report on 25 January 2014. The committee was headed by the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure, Sam Pitroda. The committee was set up on 29 January 2013. Committee has recommended to amend the Act of 1990 to give effective freedom to the Prasar Bharti with administrative and financial powers.
Committee has following recommendations:

To develop a funding mechanism for Prasar Bharati to address the need for autonomy with financial accountability. The organisation should have the power to frame rules and regulations for its employees without requiring government approval. There should be an reorganisation of the Prasar Bharati board to make it a professionally managed body effective in guiding the organisation. Complete transfer of ownership and management of assets and human resource to Prasar Bharati to make the organisation administratively and financially autonomous of government. Significantly, it recommended setting up of a regulatory body to ensure public accountability of the organisation with respect to all content broadcast on its television and radio network. It should be a sub-committee of the Prasar Bharati board. Prasar Bharati should create a world-class broadcasting service benchmarked with the best in the world. The committee encouraged outsourcing of content creation to external producers to attract high quality and diverse programme and creation of a distinct brand identities for different TV and radio channels, defining the content strategy for each. The committee also strongly batted for the use of social media by Prasar Bharati which can be implemented immediately and defining a social media strategy for the organisation.
326
www.jagranjosh.com
It also called for setting up of a Prasar Bharati connect as a third arm of the public service broadcaster independent of DD and AIR and mandate it to manage the various social media initiatives of the organisation. The committee sought expansion of satellite and digital cable TV operations to meet the obligations of public service broadcasting. It also pressed for digitalisation of the present AM radio system to a new radio transmission system after due evaluation, subject to cost and technical availabilities. The committee further suggested greater involvement of the private sector to expand broadcasting market with a view to effectively utilise infrastructure being created by Prasar Bharati. Ther should be a creation of a dedicated, multi-platform channels for dissemination of Prasar Bharatis archival products.
Andaman & Nicobar: Committee to review safety standards of tourist vessels

Lt Gen AK Singh, the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands constituted a high level committeeon 27 January 2014. The Committee will be headed by the Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Shipping. The committee will review the safety standards of all tourist vessels that are being operated at different tourist spots of the island. The vessels on the island would be permitted for operations only after they receive clearance by the Committee for their safety standards. Apart from the constitution of the committee, the Lt Governor of the island has also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the boat tragedy that claimed lives of 21 people including 13 women on 26 January 2014. Ak Singh also announced an ex-gratia payment of one lakh rupees to each member of the bereaved families. Background: A boat named Aqua Marine loaded with 43 tourists on board overturned between the Ross Island and North Bay near Port Blair in Andaman on 26 January 2014. Twenty-two persons drowned after the tourist boat capsized. Of the dead people 16 were from Kanchipuram District of Tamil Nadu, other three were from Maharashtra and one each from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
327
www.jagranjosh.com
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved amendments to Mega Power Policy 2009
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved amendments in the Mega Power Policy 2009 on 2 December 2014. The amendments will clear the road blocks in the realization of provisional Mega Power projects. The objective is to increase power availability to boost overall growth of the country and also ensure that consumers are reasonably charged for electricity supplied.
The major amendments to the Mega Power Policy 2009 are:

The developer must tie up at least 65 percent of installed capacity through competitive bidding. Remaining 35 percent of installed capacity will be allocated under regulated tariff as per the respective State government policies. The thermal power projects of 1000 MW and above, capacity and hydro power projects of 500 MW and above are allowed duty-free equipment imports. To avail the a benefits, project developers must submit status certificate of the provisional mega power projects along with fixed deposit receipt from any scheduled bank as a security for a term of 36 months. Extend the maximum time period to 60 months instead of 36 months from the date of import for provisional mega projects for furnishing final mega certificates to tax authorities. The dispensation will be one time and limited to 15 projects which are located in the States having mandatory host State power tie up policy of PPAs under regulated tariff.
328
www.jagranjosh.com
Science | Space
GSLV-D5 carrying communication satellite GSAT-14 successfully launched
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 5 January 2014 launched its heavy-duty rocket GSLV-D5 for placing communication satellite GSAT-14 into the orbit. The rocket GSLV-D5 lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota at 4:18 IST. It was powered by an indigenously developed cryogenic engine. The capacity of the INSAT/ GSAT system will be augmented further by the 12 communication transponders onboard GSAT-14. It will help the country in providing many satellite-based communication services, which includes tele-education and tele-medicine This successful launch has helped India to join the groups of nations namely US, Russia, France, China and Japan in mastering the complex cryogenic technology. This is a major achievement for the GSLV programme, said by Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, the Chairman of ISRO.
Astronomers discovered Earths gassy twin 200 light years away

Astronomers in January 2014 discovered a gassy twin of Earth with a mass similar to that of Earth in another solar system 200 light years away. The first Earth-mass planet that transits or crosses in front of its host star was discovered by an international team. KOI-314c is the latest planet to have both its mass and physical size measured. Although the planet weighs the same as Earth but its diameter is about 60 percent larger than earth, this means that it has a very thick, gaseous atmosphere.
329
www.jagranjosh.com
As per David Kipping, the lead author of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics that has discovered the planet, the planet might have the same mass as Earth but it is not like Earth. This is proved that the planet does not have clear diving line between the rocky worlds like Earth and is fluffier planet like water worlds or gas giants. The data of the planets characteristics has been collected by using the information of NASAs Kepler spacecraft. The planet KOI-314c orbits across a dim red dwarf star that is located approximately 200 light-years away. It completes a circle of its star every 23 days. The Astronomers have calculated that the planets temperature about 104 degree Celsius, which is too hot to allow a life to exist as per the knowledge. The Astronomers weighed the planet by using a new technique called transit timing variation (TTV), which can be used only in case more than one plant orbits a star. The two planets are tugged each other altering the time they take to cross the stars face. They calculated the mass of the planet by analyzing the way the wobbles of the planet affects the light that comes from the star. The new planets discovery was made by the Astronomers, while scouring data of Kepler Space telescope, while looking the evidence of moons instead of the planets. Transit timing helped the Astronomers to make sure that a planet exists in the system and not a moon. They also confirmed that the system also have its second planet and named it as KOI-314b. The second planet is similar to KOI-314c but is denser than it and weighs 4 times as much of the Earth and it orbits the star in 13 days. As per the researchers, might be possible that the planet would have begun life as a mini-Neptune and it lost the gases of its atmosphere over time, which would have boiled off by intense radiation of its star. The discovery of the planet was presented by Kipping at a meeting of the American Astrological Society.
RBI panel recommended setting up of specialized banks to cater to low income households
A panel of Reserve Bank of India has suggested to set-up specialized banks to cater to the low income households. These banks will ensure that every citizen have a bank account by 2016. The panel has also suggested that facility for withdrawal, payment and deposit to be set up within a 15 minute walking-distance across the country. The panel was set up by Governor of India, Raghuram Rajan on the same day when he took the charge as the Governor of RBI. He constituted the panel to suggest steps for promoting financial inclusion. The panel has advocated setting up the Payments Banks to provide payment services and deposit products to low income households and small businesses. It has limited the maximum balance for
330
www.jagranjosh.com
an individual customer to 50000 rupees. In its suggestion it has mentioned that these banks can be set up with minimum capital requirement of 50 crore rupees, which is one-tenth of 500 crore rupees that is required for a full-service bank. It has also suggested that an Aadhaar card should be used automatically to open a bank account. These recommendations have made a provision of sweeping changes in the Banking structure.
331
www.jagranjosh.com
Plan | Programme
Union Government raised quota of subsidised LPG cylinders to 12
Union Government raised the quota of subsidised LPG cylinders to 12 cylinders per household in a year on 30 January 2014.The hike will be effective from April 2014. Union government had also decided to put on hold linking the Aadhaar platform to the Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG (DBTL) scheme. However, households will be entitled to get one cylinder extra, beyond the quota of nine cylinders, in February 2014 and March 2014. One cylinder will be given to a consumer every month. The hiked subsidised LPG quota will cost 5000 crore rupees more in subsidy to the exchequer annually. 99 crore people will be benefitted from the hike. Under the DBTL scheme, consumers in as many as 289 districts in 18 states were getting the subsidy amount directly credited to their bank accounts.
Meena appointed as Secretary Security

H C Meena has been appointed as the Secretary Security in the Cabinet Secretariat on 24 January 2014. Meena will hold the post till his superannuation on 30 September 2014. Meena an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1976 batch has served as the director general in Rajasthan.
About Secretary Security

Secretary Security is a nodal authority in respect of policy relating to procurement of jammers by the State Governments and Central Police Forces. Secretary Security is an administrative head of the Special Protection Group (SPG) and is responsible for closely monitoring the security arrangements for the Prime Minister and former Prime Ministers in India as well as abroad. All operational proposals of Special Protection Group (SPG) are approved and processed by
332
www.jagranjosh.com
Secretary Security. It is also responsible for work related to preparation and review of Crisis Management Plan and National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), review and updating of Union War Book.
Ministry of Women and Child Development launched Multi Sectoral Nutrition Programme
Ministry of Women and Child Development launched the Multi Sectoral Nutrition Programme (MSNP) and Nutrition Resource Platform (NRP) on 24 January 2014.
Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Programme

Multi -Sectoral Nutrition Programme (MSNP) aims to bring inter-sectoral convergence and coherence in policy, planning and action. It focuses on both direct interventions and indirect interventions for maternal and child undernuatrition which will provide a continuum of care and follow a life cycle approach. The programme will be implemented as a special intervention in 200 high burden districts spread over 19 States. In the current financial year it will be launched in 100 districts.
Nutrition Resource Platform

NRP aims to collect, collate and make available resources and material on nutrition and child development to various stake holders. NRP is an interactive knowledge resource base which facilitates real quick time interaction, exchange of ideas, discussions between Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and other stakeholders. NRP is functional at National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD). It is a virtual repository with the support of Food and Nutrition Board and NIC. The NRP is an e-platform and is a valuable source of information.
Analysis
The child sex ratio in the 0-6 year age group declined steeply from 927 in 2001 to 919 in 2011.The child marriages are still prevalent in the country as 47 % of women in the age 20-24 were married before the age 18.
333
www.jagranjosh.com
The problems like gender discrimination, early marriage, undernourishment lead to a cycle of multiple deprivations for girl. To overcome the undernourishment and develop girl child as a national resource government launched MSNP.
LPG Connection Portability Scheme launched

The Union Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas launched LPG Connection Portability Scheme across the country on 22 January 2014. The scheme covers 480 districts in the country and all possible LPG markets which have multiple LPG distributors. Under the scheme an LPG consumer can switch to the distributor of his or her choice within a cluster of LPG distributors in the vicinity. To facilitate LPG to consumers Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have made more than 1400 clusters distributors. The Procedure to opt for portability is very simple. No transfer fee or additional security deposit will be charged for transfer of connection under the scheme. In October 2013 OMCs together launched LPG connection Portability Scheme as a pilot project in 24 districts covering 13 states. The OMCs in India are Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum.
DRH issued new Guidelines to give psychological help to molestation victims

The Department of Health Research (DHR) on 8 January 2014 issued new guidelines to extend psychological support to molestation victims. These guidelines aim to deal with the problem of secondary victimization.
The new guidelines were drawn because of the following reasons

Molestation Victims often suffer mental agony due to lack of support from family, friends and other institutions of the society. Victims are ill-informed about legal and medical options available to them. Loss of income, perceived insensitive attitude of Judiciary, Hospitals and Courts, further enhances trauma of the victim. Delay in getting justice discourages victim to share their problems and seek justice.
334
www.jagranjosh.com
The New Guidelines are

It is now mandatory for the Counselor to inform victim about possible questions in the court and other proceedings. Victim should be informed about importance of medical examination, procedure. Doctors/Nurses/counselors should give clear, accurate information to the victim regarding her case and available options. Irrespective of the choice made by victim, the counselors/doctors must remain supportive and nonjudgmental.
Union Government introduced Know India Programme for young Overseas Indians
The Government of India introduced a Know India Programme for young persons of Overseas Indians at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) on 8 January 2014. The Programme is to provide an exposure to the country of their origin so that they can understand it better and more intimately. Under the programme every year 20 young persons of Indian origin in the age group of 18 to 24 from different countries will be invited so as to provide them an opportunity to have a deeper insight into Indian people and society.
Union Ministry of Human Resource Development announced Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Baligan scheme
Union Ministry of Human Resource Development announced Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Baligan scheme along with two other new initiatives on 5 January 2014.It was announced at the annual meeting of the National Monitoring Committee
335
www.jagranjosh.com
for Minorities Education. Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Baligan aims to achieve higher literacy for the minority Muslim community. The scheme will be launched in 61 Muslim-concentrated Sakshar Bharat districts, the Centres adult literacy programme running in eleven states. The scheme will impart literacy to one crore population in the age group of 15 years and above and the basic education to 2.5 lakh adults and skill development programmes. Additional 1000 Adult Education Centers will be set up exclusively for women exceeding 5000 muslim population. The other new scheme is for establishing educational hubs by co-locating KGBV, Girls/Women Hostels, Degree colleges, Polytechnics in few selected towns/Districts which are educationally backward and have substantial Muslim concentration. Besides, a new scheme on the lines of HUNAR for skill development among Minority girls has been announced. The scheme will cover 9.20lakhs minority girls at the proposed outlay of Rs.978 crores.
Government launched Indias first comprehensive adolescent health programme

The Government of India on 7 January 2014 launched the nations first comprehensive adolescent health programme named Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) in New Delhi. The programme will include a sharp focus on adolescents sexual health. The programme has been launched by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad. The Health Minister also inaugurated a three-day National Adolescent Health Consultation. The RKSK defines an adolescent as a person within 10-19 years of age, in urban and rural areas, includes both girls and boys, married and unmarried, poor and affluent, whether they are in school or out of school. This broad definition helps to address the myriad problems of adolescents across various groups and categories. The programme is committed at promotion of adolescent health mission across India and would address to the health needs of 243 million adolescents constituting 21 percent of the total population in the country. RKSK envisions at help adolescents to realize their full potential by making them informed and responsible decisions related to the health and well-being. As per Azad, World Health Organization (WHO) will declare India as a polio free country on 13 January 2014, which is a great milestone for the country.
336
www.jagranjosh.com
Dimensions of Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK)

Mental health Nutrition Substance misuse Gender based violence Non-communicable diseases The programme introduces community based interventions through peer educators, and is underpinned by collaborations with other Ministries and State governments, knowledge partners and more research. The programme will have a strategic approach to RMNCH+A (Reproductive, Maternal, New born, Child Health + Adolescent) in which `A` denotes adolescents.
The programme emphasis upon seven Cs

Coverage Content Communication Counseling Clinics Convergence A handbook on the strategy frameworks was also launched by the Health Minister.
The handbook includes

The framework for monitoring, supervision and evaluation of the programme once it is rolled out The handbook on operational framework which will help to translate the programme into action The resource packs for the ANMs, ASHAs, medical officers, LHVs and peer educators
337
www.jagranjosh.com
Day | Week | Year

The Election Commission of India celebrated the 4th National voters Day: 25 January
The Election Commission of India celebrated the 4th National Voters Day across the country on 25 January 2014. The theme for the 4th NVD is Ethical Voting. National Voters Day is started from 25 January 2011. NVD functions were held at more than 6.5 lakh locations across the country covering nearly all 8.5 lakh Polling Stations. Around 46000 Educational Institutions also celebrated National Voters Day. Around 4867 Youth Voter Festivals have been held across the states to engage youth in the registration process.The National Function to mark the 4th National Voters Day was held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. 25th January is also the foundation day of the Commission, which came into being on this day in 1950. The Commissions objective through NVD is to increase enrolment of voters, especially of the newly eligible ones, to make universal adult suffrage a complete reality. The National Voters Day is also utilized to spread awareness among voters regarding effective participation in the electoral process.
National Girl Child Day observed on 24 January

National Girl Child Day observed on 24 January 2014 across India by the Government. This day is observed every year to raise awareness and consciousness of the society towards girl children. The day is being observed every year on 24 January since 2008. Government of India has started National Girl Child Day as a national girls development mission. The mission raises the awareness among people all over the country about the importance of girls promotion. It helps in enhancing girls meaningful contribution in decision making processes by active support of the parents and the community members.
Some Schemes for girls in India

Dhan Lakshmi Scheme - Government of India (Ministry of Women and Child Development)
338
www.jagranjosh.com
Bhagyalakshmi Scheme Karnataka Ladli Lakshmi Yojana - Madhya Pradesh Girl Child Protection Scheme - Andhra Pradesh Ladli Scheme Delhi and Haryana Rajalakshmi Scheme - Rajasthan (Discontinued) Balika Samridhi Yojana (BSY) Gujarat Beti Hai Anmol Scheme - Himachal Pradesh Rakshak Yojana Punjab Mukhya Mantri Kanya Suraksha Yojana Bihar Mukhya Mantri Kanya Vivah Scheme Bihar Kunwarbainu Mameru Scheme Gujarat Indira Gandhi Balika Suraksha Yojana - Himachal Pradesh Mukhya Mantri Kanyadan Yojana - Madhya Pradesh
Most of these schemes are administered through the Department of Women and Child Development using the vast network of ICDS and Anganwadi workers. The Constitution of India offers all citizens, including children, certain basic fundamental rights. The Directive Principles of State Policy emphasizes that the state needs to ensure that all children are provided with services and opportunities to grow and develop in a safe and secure environment. However, in the Indian context, the adverse social attitude towards daughters has left girl children vulnerable and at a disadvantage. Their survival, education, health care, development, security and well being are a matter of national concern. A significant impact of this discrimination is reflected in the deterioration of the male-female ratio, particularly among children. The 1991 Census of India indicated worsening trends in sex ratio. The 2001 Census revealed the gravity of the situation. The dwindling number of girl children on account of increasing incidences of sex selection is a matter of concern in many states. Even after legislations such as the Pre-conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act of 1994, popularly known as the PCPNDT Act, and many campaigns to promote the value of the girl child, the situation has barely improved. Programmes and policies clearly state that it is necessary to empower girl children in all aspects of life so that they become equal partners in society. They should be in a position to avail equal
339
www.jagranjosh.com
freedom and opportunity.
Objective of the National Girl Child Day

National Girl Child day is observed with an aim to ensure that every girl child is respected, valued and treated equally in the society. On this day multi-pronged approach to address and work towards the diminishing child sex ratio in India is taken up by the Women and Child Development Ministry. These initiatives help the country in nurturing the girl child in a way that equal opportunities are given to them similar like the boys. Earlier on 22 January 2014, the India Post launched a special savings scheme for the girl child between 10 and 20 in age of India. The scheme has asked the parents of girls to open a Savings Bank account. It says that the parents can open Recurring Deposit (RD) Monthly Income Scheme (MIS) Fixed Deposits And can also buy National Savings Certificate (NSC) Parents who open an account during the National Girl Child Week (24 to 30 January 2014) will be given special prizes. India Post has mentioned that the parents can deposit minimum 10 rupees for the Recurring Deposit account, for Savings bank accounts 50 rupees can be deposited and for Monthly Income Scheme can be opened from 5000 rupees and it goes up to 6 lakh rupees.
Incentives to Girls for Secondary Education

To promote enrolment of girl child in the age group of 14-18 at secondary stage, especially those who passed Class VIII and to encourage the secondary education of such girls, the Centrally Sponsored Scheme. National Scheme of Incentives to Girls for Secondary Education was launched in May, 2008.
The Scheme covers

All SC/ST girls who pass class VIII and Girls, who pass class VIII examination from Kastrurba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (irrespective of whether they belong to Scheduled Castes or Tribes) and enroll for class IX in State/UT Government, Government-aided or local body schools in the academic year 2008-09 onwards. Girls should be below 16 years of age (as on 31 March) on joining class IX. Married girls, girls studying in private un-aided schools and enrolled in schools run by Central Government are excluded.
340
www.jagranjosh.com
A sum of 3000 Rupees is deposited in the name of eligible girls as fixed deposit. The girls are entitled to withdraw the sum along with interest thereon on reaching 18 years of age and on passing 10th class examination. International Day of the Girl Child is observed on 11 October and was declared as a day to be observed by United Nations in 2012. UN declared this day to support more opportunities to a girl child worldwide upon their gender like education, legal rights, medical care, nutrition, child marriage and violence. Comment: In India there are many government schemes to promote girls education but it has failed till date because of the lack of information transmission. These schemes have also failed to reach the target group even in urban areas. In terms in education girls from the economically weaker section of the country hardly has been able to go beyond eighth or tenth class.
Army Day observed across India on 15 January
The 66th Army Day is being observed on 15 January 2014. The day is celebrated in recognition of the appointment of General K M Cariappa as the first Commander-in-Chief of independent India. He succeeded British Army General Roy Butcher on this day in 1948. The day is celebrated at the army command headquarters across India by organizing parades and other military shows. The main function of the day is observed in the parade ground of New Delhi near the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate. The military shows are held on this day to showcase the new technologies and
341
www.jagranjosh.com
accomplishments by the Indian Army. Bravery Awards are also given away on this day which includes Sena Medals and Unit credentials. Army Day Parade that takes place on the day also involves the exhibition of BLT T-72, Brahmos Missile, 155 MM soltum Gun, T-90 tanks, Army Aviation Corps, Advanced Light Helicopters and Mortar Tracker Vehicle. Apart from all these things, people serving in Indian Army also take a pledge on the day to maintain their service and to protect the nation against the enemies in all cases and maintain the territorial integrity of India.
World Hindi Day observed on 10 January

World Hindi Day was celebrated by the Ministry of External Affairs on 10 January 2014 by organizing a function at the Foreign Service Institute at Ber Sarai in New Delhi. Navtej Sarna, the Special Secretary was the Chief Guest of the occasion. Hindi Essay Competition was organised for foreign students studying Hindi and the winners will be awarded with cash prizes and books. Kavi Sangosthi was also organised on the occasion. Cultural Programme was presented by the students of Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, Agra on the occasion of celebration. The first World Hindi Conference was organised on 10 January 2006 in Nagpur and since then every 10 January is observed as the World Hindi Day. The Ministry of External Affairs is also committed to propagate Hindi as a language abroad through Indian Missions/posts. Apart from this, the World Hindi Day was also observed in the Indian Embassy of Nepal as Vishwa Hindi Diwas in Kathmandu. As per Ranjit Rae, the Indias Ambassador to Nepal 10 January has been decided to make an international day of Hindi to bring awareness and make it bridge to communicate. On the occasion the Embassy presented books and reading material in Hindi for Tribhuvan University, Hindi section worth one lakh rupees. Spread of Hindi movies and television along with the religious bhajans has made Hindi popular in Nepal and people in the country understand Hindi as much translation is not required to be done. At present Hindi as a language is spoken in more than 20 countries around the world and is being taught in 150 Universities of the world.
342
www.jagranjosh.com
Miscellaneous
Lewis Clarke youngest person to reach South Pole
Lewis Clarke, 16 years old became the youngest person to trek to the South Pole on 18 January 2014. Clarke spent 48 days at temperature of -40 Celsius and winds of up to 193 km/h. Clarke from Bristol, UK aimed to enter the record books as the youngest person in the world to ski from the Antarctic coast to the Pole using 1100 kilometer Hercules Inlet route. An 18 year old Sarah Mc Nair Landry from Canada previously held the same coast to pole route in 2005. The British Antarctic Survey said that the Antarctic is the highest and coldest continent and is nearly as big as Europe in size which is entirely buried by snow and ice.
Garuda Vasudha Advanced Light Helicopter of Geological Survey of India launched

Minister of Mines, Dinsha Patel launched the Advanced Light Helicopter named Garuda Vasudha of Geological Survey of India from the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Bangalore on 23 January 2014. The Garuda Vasudha a Dhruv category built by HAL dedicated to the nation. The Ministry also laid the foundation stone of a Centre of Excellence Laboratory building of GSI at Bangalore, worth of 42 crore. Garuda Vasudha of GSI is equipped with Heliborne Geophysical Survey System (HGSS) comprised of four aerogeophysical sensors namely
Time Domain Electromagnetic Magnetic Spectrometric Gravimetric along with Data Acquisition Systems procured from M/s Pico Envirotec Inc, Canada The installation and integration of the HGSS has been carried out at HAL and total cost of HGSS
343
www.jagranjosh.com
is about 60 crore rupees.
Garuda Vasudha
Garuda Vasudha is used for extensive surveys by the GSI for locating hidden mineral health. Heliborne Geophysical Survey System (HGSS) will bolster the probing prowess of aerogeophysical surveys for locating concealed and deep seated mineral deposits of the country. Remote Sensing and Aerial Survey Wing of Geological Survey of India will be using both the aerial and heliborne survey together to locate mineral resources which will fulfill the rising demands.
Centre of Excellence
Establishment of Centre of Excellence at Bangalore is to create a highly modernized and sophisticatedly equipped state-of-the-art centre for carrying out diverse geoscientific studies. At present GSI has three Centres of Excellence in the cities of Faridabad, Kolkata and Bangalore. The Centre will be equipped with Electron Probe Micro Analyser In Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer X-ray fluorescence Spectrometer X-ray diffraction spectrometer Raman Spectroscopy Atomic absorption spectrometer The Centre will have facilities for Fluid inclusion studies, petrological studies, and Geophysical data analyses. It will give a huge fillip to the laboratory support for mineral exploration and research.
Indus Civilization ended due to Disease and violence

The Researchers at Appalachian State University, US discovered that violence, infectious disease and changes in climate were responsible for the end of Harappa, Indus Civilization around 4000 years ago. The study focused on human skeletal remains discovered in the Harappa currently in Pakistan were not peaceful and egalitarian group so often proposed.
344
www.jagranjosh.com
The study results showed that climate, economic and social changes all played a role in the process of urbanization and collapse but not known how these changes affected the human population. The study revealed that communities of Harappa, particularly marginalized communities faced more significant impacts than others from climate and socio-economic strains. In southeast of the city a small pit contained the remains of men, women and children revealed the presence of violence at rate of 50 percent and 20 percent showed signs of presence of leprosy.
RBI issued 5 rupees and 10 rupees coins bearing Goddess Vaishno Devi
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued new 5 rupees and 10 rupees coins bearing images of Goddess Vaishno Devi on 16 January 2014. The coins were issued to commemorate the silver jubilee of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. RBI had already issued six more commemorative coins in 2014 to commemorate 150 years of Kuka Movement, 150th birthday of Swami Vivekananda, 150th birthday of Motilal Nehru and 150th birthday of Madan Mohan Malaviya. According to Coinage Act 1906, the responsibility for coinage, designing and minting vests with the Government of India. RBI only monitors the distribution of the coins.
Anthropomorphic motif figure discovered in Wayanad

An Anthropomorphic motif figure has been discovered in the Wayanad district of Kerala in the third week of January 2014. The figure was discovered among the prehistoric rock engravings, which is termed as Petroglyps near the caves of Edakkal on the Thovari hills. This discovery emerges as one of the first anthropomorphic figure of pre-historic rock arts sites on the world. The motif figure was discovered by a team of rock art enthusiasts, when they were documenting the petroglyphs of the district. The discovered Petroglyph bears close resemblance to the motifs of the Indus valley seal. Petroglyphs that is also known as the rock engravings are a logogram images that is created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. It is generally believed that the Thovari hill carries geometrical and abstract figures of rock engravings.
Earlier in March 2014, similar graffiti that resembled the letters of Brahmi language was discovered in the Neolithic rock engravings on the rocks of the Thovari hills. It was discovered by the Department
345
www.jagranjosh.com
of Archaeology of Edakkal, when they were on a official visit for the prehistoric site for documentation of the Thovari Rock arts.
Anthropomorphic Motifs
Anthropomorphic (human-form) representation is generally these are the object that depicts religious pictures as well as the sculpture. This particular tendency has been found during the early religious history, which symbolise typically religious behavior.
About Wayanad
Wayanad district was carved on 1 November 1980 as the 12th district of Kerala. It was carved out from Kozhikode and Kannur districts. There are many indigeneous tribals in this area. It is set lofty on the majestic Western Ghats with altitudes ranging from 700 to 2100 Metres above mean sea level. It is a home of ancient ruins, mysterious mountain caves, and aborigine tribes.
151st Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda celebrated worldwide

The 151st birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda was celebrated on 12 January 2014. The celebrations marked the culmination of year-long ceremonies. Birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda is now celebrated as National Youth Day every year. The Vedanta Society of Korea also celebrated Swami Vivekanandas 150th birth anniversary. The event, Vivek 150, included Vivekananda Yoga Olympiad, a speech contest, and an exhibition on Swami Vivekanandas life and message. The event was organised at Sookmyung University. He was the disciple of Saint Ramakrishna and went on to set up the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission in 1897.
346
www.jagranjosh.com
Nirbheek, Indias first gun for women, launched

Indias first gun for women, Nirbheek was launched on 9 January 2014. It is a tribute to the gang rape victim of December 2012, Nirbhaya. Gun has been manufactured by the Indian Ordnance Factory, Kanpur. It is a 0.32 bore light weight revolver which has been developed to give more power to women to defend themselves. It only weighs 500 grams and is made of titanium alloy. Besides, being the lightest revolver, Nirbheek is also the smallest revolver made in India. For it simple mechanism and light frame it has been described by arms experts as an Indian hybrid of a Webley & Scott and Smith & Wesson.
347
www.jagranjosh.com
ONE LINERS
January 2014
State Government of Delhi on 1 January 2014 ordered an audit of three private power distribution companies in the city by - Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India FIFA have named a track by Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez as the official - anthem for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil Mammen Mathew, the Chief Editor and Managing Director of Malayala Manorma has been chosen for prestigious journalism award instituted by a trust founded by - Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak India scrapped the 3600 crore rupees to supply 12 VVIP helicopter deal with the AngloItalian firm - AgustaWestland on 1 January 2014 The Health Ministry of Japan on 1 January 2014 estimated that a quarter of the population is currently aged over 65 and the figure is expected to reach nearly - 40 percent by 2060 India on 1 January 2014 decided to send a team of senior officials to assess the political and security situation in - South Sudan. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) ON 2 January 2014 approved a proposal for setting-up of CCTVs and GPS devices on public transport vehicles in 32 cities for women safety. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its nod for implementation of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project for Low Income States - Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. India has signed a credit agreement of 160 million dollar with World Bank for - Rajasthan Road Sector Modernisation Project. CCEA has approved the proposal for establishment of 58 new medical colleges by upgradation of existing district hospitals - in deficient states. Union Government approved a proposal for sending a Presidential reference to Supreme Court for conducting a probe in the case of retired Justice AK Ganguly case. Due to on-field problems a football team dropped out of the top three of the worlds topearning clubs for the first time - Manchester United India and Saudi Arabia on 2 January 2013 signed an agreement to protect the interests and rights of - Indian domestic sector workers in the Gulf Kingdom. Chinas first aircraft carrier on 1 January 2014 successfully finished a series of tests during a training mission in the disputed - South China Sea
348
www.jagranjosh.com
The person who rose-up as the most successful post-war British Prime Minister by lawmakers in a survey is - Iron lady Margaret Thatcher Southern Grid of India has been synchronously connected with the grids of the country. It was done to successfully accomplish the mission of - One Nation - One Grid - One Frequency New Zealands player has made world record by his name by blasted the fastest century in One Day International - Corey Anderson Justice (Retd) AK Ganguly, the Chairman of West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) on 3 January 2014 resigned from the post of the honorary professor - of the National University of Judicial Sciences (NUJS). The government has allowed free medical visas for the Maldivian nationals for - 90 days India on 3 January 2014 announced a new rule to vaccinate against polio to the travelers from - Pakistan World Braille Day is absorbed across the world on 4 January to commemorate the birthday of - Louis Braille. Union Cabinet on 2 January 2014 approved the Policy Guidelines for - Land Management by Major Ports 2014. India on 2 January 2014 has signed a credit agreement of 160 million dollar with World Bank for - Rajasthan Road Sector Modernisation Project (RRSMP). National Archives of India has successfully collaborated with the - State Archives of Turkey and the National Records and Archives Authority of Oman Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 5 January 2013 launched its heavy-duty rocket GSLV-D5 for placing communication satellite - GSAT-14 into the orbit. Assam will launch its adult vaccination drive against a disease from 22 February 2014 Japanese Encephalitis The party of Bangladesh that secured an absolute majority in the Parliamentary elections is - Awami League The King and Queen of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Jetsun Pema Wangchuck respectively were on an official Visit - to India Tropical storm One has made its landfall in Sri Lanka on 5 January 2013 that carried winds with pace up to 100 kilometer per hour struck - the east coast north of Trincomalee
349
www.jagranjosh.com
Indian Navy is looking forward to pave the way for a circumnavigation of the globe by an allwoman crew whose member officers are to be trained aboard - INS Mhadei Young shuttler on 6 January 2014 became the first male junior badminton player from India to be ranked top in the world - Aditya Joshi from Madhya Pradesh Top seed Stanislas Wawrinka lifted his fifth ATP World Tour title and second Chennai Open trophy after a convincing straight sets win over - Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the final A US-based Arms Company has turned down a multi-million offer to supply high-tech guns to Pakistan, arguing that these weapons might end up being used - against American soldiers. India has offered its technical expertise to Oman in - digitising its archival records besides exploring other areas of collaboration. The American Secretary of State John Kerry has said the United State will help the Iraqi authorities in their fight against militants linked to - Al-Qaeda. Information and Broadcasting Ministry has issued show cause notices to three private Direct-To-Home, DTH operators for not showing all the - 24 mandatory channels to their subscribers Known as the Black Panther or simply The King, football legend died aged 71 Eusebio da Silva Ferreira The silver jubilee celebrations of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) kicked off early on Friday with a photo exhibition showcasing the varsitys journey - since it was set up in 1988. A consortium of organisations, which agitated against alleged ban on cycles and other nonmotorised-transport (NMTs) - Chakrya Satyagraha Myanmars leader lent his support to reform of the countrys junta-era constitution, indicating he would back changes to allow opposition leader - Aung San Suu Kyi to become president. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved amendments in the Mega Power Policy 2009 - for provisional Mega Power projects Assam government will launch mass vaccination drive against - Japanese Encephalitis, JE Delhi Police, DP, in a landmark decision has announced that charge sheets in rape cases will be filed within - 20 days to ensure speedy justice to victims In Egypt, a Cairo administrative court has upheld the presidential decree calling on Egyptians to cast their votes on - constitutional amendments in an upcoming referendum
350
www.jagranjosh.com
Reliance Industries will add about 1-3 million standard cubic meters per day of gas production at its eastern offshore KG-D6 fields A 21-year-old man has been arrested in the US for allegedly stealing brains of dead mental patients from a medical history museum and selling them on an online trading website David Charles Mumbai Police have issued a lookout notice against former world Billiards champion Michael Ferreira after he failed to appear before them in connection with a - 425-crore rupees scam. Former Great Britain No. 1, Tim Henman will be in India to spearhead a new initiative aimed at boosting the development of junior tennis in the country and will be joined by All England Club Head Coach - Dan Bloxham India and Maldives have agreed to strengthen cooperation to enhance maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean Region through - joint patrolling, aerial and maritime surveillance. Government has deferred a decision to give a go-ahead to the Ken-Betwa river interlinking project and asked - three Cabinet ministers to discuss the issue and get back to the Cabinet. Former Chairman of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board, V S Vijayan, claimed that the Kasturirangan report on the Western Ghats was not - legally maintainable and asked authorities to reject it. Millions of Americans will receive health insurance cover for the first time today as President Obamas healthcare reforms come into effect as the presidents aim to ensure - affordable healthcare to everyone. Observing that the evil of corruption has taken the shape of a hydra-headed monster, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed the state government to make the - Prevention of Corruption Act more stringent and rejected the recommendations made by an official panel. Homegrown handset maker Intex has launched Indias first - octa-core processor-powered device, Aqua Octa priced at 19999 rupees. The former Supreme Court Judge, Justice A K Ganguly on 6 January 2014 resigned as the - Chairman of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) Government of India on 6 January 2014 announced Jeevan Raksha Padak for 37 people for their meritorious act of - human nature in saving human lives The Reserve Bank of India on 6 January 2014 allowed the Indian companies to issue nonconvertible or redeemable preference shares or debentures - to non-resident shareholders as bonus
351
www.jagranjosh.com
Open du Gard squash title, the PSA Challenger 5 event was won by - Mahesh Mangaokar of India US Senate has confirmed the name of Janet Yellen as the first woman to lead the - US Federal Reserve. Government has launched the nations first comprehensive adolescent health programme named - Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram. Supreme Court of India has directed the Government of India to appoint a national regulator to oversee the - implementation of forest policy. Astronomers have discovered a gassy twin of Earth with a mass similar to that of Earth in another solar system - 200 light years away. RBI panel has suggested to set-up specialized banks to cater to the low income households to cater to - every citizen have a bank account by 2016. India has launched the third phase of its housing project in Sri Lanka, which will include Indian origin Tamils settled in Sri Lanka. Person has been appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of private insurer Future Generali India Life Insurance - Munish Sharda Third phase of the North Eastern Community Resource Management Project was launched on 8 January 2014 - at Imphal in Manipur The Reserve Bank of India on 8 January 2014 allowed the Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) to lend up to - 75 percent of the value of gold. Fishermen found a conjoined gray whale calves in the lagoon in - Baja California A report from an institution on 8 January 2014 hinted that the business optimism saw a significant rise in the first quarter of 2014 - Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Aircraft wreckage considered of Second World War has been found by the residents of an interior village of - Manipur at Konu Hil in Senapati district. The Government of Madhya Pradesh on 8 January 2014 decided to roll back the cabinet decision to sell - Indian Made Foreign Liquor at Country Liquor outlets First case of yellow rust in wheat crop discovered in - Yamunanagar district of Haryana A deep freeze spread from the US Midwest to the East and South, setting record low temperatures from - Boston to Birmingham The Prime Minister of Tunisia resigned from his office on 9 January 2014 - Ali Larayedh,
352
www.jagranjosh.com
SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) on 9 January 2014 launched a programme that provides guiding factors for dealing with settlement processes (Settlement of Administrative and Civil Proceedings) Regulations, 2014 The newly elected MPs the Parliament of Bangladesh took the Parliamentary oath on 9 January 2014 is led by - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Russia on 8 January 2014 blocked a statement of UN Security Council that condemned the Syrian Governments use of - air-strikes against civilians in the city of Aleppo An institution on 9 January 2014 made it compulsory for all investments into Collective Investment Scheme (CIS) funds to be made through banking channels and not in cash. The institution is - Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Union Cabinet on 9 January 2014 approved a comprehensive regulatory framework in the form of guidelines for - Television Rating Agencies in India The South Korean steel maker giant on 10 January 2014 received environment clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) for a steel plant worth 52000 crore rupees in Odisha POSCO (Pohang Iron and Steel Company) World Hindi Day was celebrated by the Ministry of External Affairs on - 10 January 2014 A platform of a railway station of India entered into the Limca Book of Records as longest rail platform in the world - Platform number one of Gorakhpur railway station of Uttar Pradesh The Government of India on 10 January 2014 notified the new natural gas pricing formulae, which will be in effect from 1 April 2014 on recommendation of - Rangrajan Committee United Nations and its humanitarian partners on 10 January 2014 launched an initiative to save millions of Syrian Children from loosing generation amidst the civil war in the country No Lost Generation initiative The Union Government of India on 10 January 2014 asked the state government of Odisha to disburse the payments to the beneficiaries of - Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA) Scheme. Pakistans Attorney General, the governments top law officer resigned on 10 January 2014 for personal reasons - Munir Malik A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on 10 January 2014 held that a person can be made an accused by the trial court in case evidence crops up during - the proceedings even if he has not been named in the FIR or charge sheet China has conferred a top award on a leading Pakistani scientist for his contribution to boost
353
www.jagranjosh.com
international scientific cooperation - Atta-ur-Rahman Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has asked all state Chief Ministers to be careful while arresting youth from the - minority communities India and Canada on 13 January 2014 signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for - co-operation in Iron and Steel Sector. An International team of 34 scientists on 13 January 2014 spotted the footprints of Dinosaurs at - Thaiat village in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan. The Supreme Court of India on 13 January 2014 directed the Government of India to place the report of - Justice Shah Commission on illegal mining in Odisha and Jharkhand The European Parliament has signed off new carbon dioxide restrictions for commercial vans on 14 January 2014 that will slash emissions by - 28 percent from 2020. The Bank of Japan (BOJ) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 11 January 2014 agreed to expand the maximum amount of the Bilateral Swap Agreement (BSA) to - 50 billion dollars between the two countries. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on 11 January 2014 reduced the refinance rates for the banks and other lending agencies by - 0.20 percent. Pope Francis has issued his strongest condemnation yet of abortion, calling it a horrific symptom of a - throwaway culture Nepal Government has set up a five member committee to implement the provisions of the - Right to Information (RTI) Act 2064. India celebrated the Army Day on 15 January 2014 WHO report ranked at top a country as the polio-endemic country in the world and it reported most cases of crippling disease in 2013 and 2012 Pakistan The World Bank in its Global Economic Prospects Report released on 15 January 2014 forecasted that economy of India to grow by just - 6 percent in 2014-15 In Goa, the iron ore dumps lying in mining areas and jetties will now be auctioned as per mandate of the Supreme Court Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) industry will now be considered as part of the sub-sector of airport in the transport sector infrastructure for the purpose of - External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs) Paulraj have been awarded with prestigious 2014 Marconi Society Prize for developing the
theory and application of - MIMO antennas. Olympic Council of Asia has recognised the Russian martial art and has become part of the Asian Games Sambo Two top American scientific agencies in their separate releases have confirmed the trend of global warming is continuing - NOAA and NASA Indian American Professor on 23 January 2013 was appointed as the Dean of Harvard College - Rakesh Khurana South Sudan Government and rebels signed a ceasefire agreement on cessation of hostilities and question of the detainees in - Addis Ababa National Girl Child Day observed across India by the Government - on 24 January 2014 Parliament of a country has amended an article of the penal code that allowed rapists of underage girls to avoid prosecution by marrying their victims- Morocco The Railways has decided to earmark berth no. 71 in coach S-1 in all the trains having security escort India saved over 1.3 billion dollars in damage to its papaya, eggplant and tomato crops from a devastating pest after - US researchers led by an Indian- American scientist found a natural way to combat the bug. Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan on 24 January 2014 said the order withdrawing all currency notes printed before 2005 was not an attempt at - demonetisation or had anything to do with the general elections State-owned telecom firms MTNL and BSNL are likely to launch new roaming plans from 26 January Stanislas Wawrinka won the Australian Open mens singles title on 26 January 2014 by defeating - Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in Melbourne Ela Gandhi was awarded for her lifetime contribution to the freedom struggle in South Africa - with Amadelkufa The managing director of Tata Motors died on 26 January 2014 after falling from a hotel building in Bangkok - Karl Slym Australia on 26 January 2014 won the five matches ODI series against England 4-1 by defeating England the fifth match by five runs - at Adelaide Oval. Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS), Mumbai was selected in the organisation
355
www.jagranjosh.com
category for - National Communal Harmony Awards 2013. A cricketer captain who became the first captain to be involved in four tied One Day International matches - MS Dhoni India on 27 January 2014 won the basketball gold in the mens section at the Lusofonia Games by defeating - Angola Egypts army chief Gen Fattah al-Sisi on 27 January 2014 was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal (the highest in the military). Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan was the Chief Guest of India on the occasion of the Republic Day parade on 26 January 2014
356
www.jagranjosh.com
Descriptive Questions
January 2014
1. The recent decision of Pakistan government to disallow the trucks carrying goods from India to enter into Pakistan has once again highlighted the bitter relationship between India and Pakistan. In this context discuss the strategic implications of souring relationship between India and Pakistan for the South Asian region. Also discuss whether fostering and promoting people-topeople contact can reduce the tensions between India and Pakistan.
2. Bring out the main features of Non-Discriminatory Market Access (NDMA). Whether the agreement on NDMA between India and Pakistan can boost the bilateral trade between the two. Or Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status for India would have been more meaningful in boosting bilateral trade. Examine.
3. The approval of new Constitution by the National Constituent Assembly of Tunisia is historical for the whole Arab world. In this light, discuss the main features of the new Constitution approved by the Tunisian Assembly. How far this will go a long way addressing the concerns on which the Arab Spring of 2011 was based?
4. Discuss the main features of Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2013-14. In this light also examine the status of education in India and whether India with its recent emphasis on Right to Education will be able to achieve the 2000 Dakar Goals of Universal Education or not.
5. India seems to be becoming more controlled economy. Do you agree? Discuss the main highlights of the 2014 Index of Economic Freedom with respect to India and give suggestions to improve the economic climate of Indian economy.
6. Discuss the implications of Supreme Courts judgement on mercy pleas. Do you agree that it is a case of judicial activism or is it a case of judicial review? Discuss with citing examples from past Supreme Court judgements.
357
www.jagranjosh.com
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
IBPS Specialist Officers Exam 2014: Study Package
IBPS Specialist Officers Exam 2012: General Awareness: Question Paper Online Test-eBook
IAS PRE EXAM Complete Study Package
Basic Economics and Indian Economy For IAS PRE Exam
445 280
30 20
390 299
60
IBPS Specialist Officers Exam 2012: Reasoning: Question Paper Online Test eBook
CBSE Class 12th Solved Chemistry Guess Paper 2014
30 20
CMAT: Language Comprehension Mock test Set 3 e-Book
SSC Combined Higher Secondary Level Exam 2013 General Intelligence
35 25
50 25
125 99
November 2013 Current Affairs
October 2013 Current Affairs
General Science EBook For IAS PRE Exam
50
50
40
CBSE class 12th Chemistry Practice Paper(Ebook)-Set I
35
25
359
www.jagranjosh.com
360
www.jagranjosh.com
Disclaimer Readers are requested to verify/cross-check up to their satisfaction themselves about the advertisements, advertorials, and external contents. If any miss-happening, ill result, mass depletion or any similar incident occurs due to any information cited or referenced in this e-book, Editor, Director/s, employees of Jagranjosh.com cant be held liable/responsible in any matter whatsoever. No responsibilities lie as well in case of the advertisements, advertorials, and external contents.

Current Affairs January 2014 1

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Current Affairs January 2014 1

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

PREFACE

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

SC directed Centre to appoint a National Regulator to oversee implementation of Forest Policy

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Centre asked Odisha Government to Disburse delayed payments to beneficiaries of MGNREGA

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Union Ministry of Human Resource Development announced Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Baligan

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

PICK OF THE MONTH

UNESCO released 11th EFA Global Monitoring Report 2013-14

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

The Main Highlights of the Report Goal 1 Pre-primary Education

Goal 2 Universal Primary Education

Goal 3 Lower Secondary Education

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Goal 4 Adult Literacy

Goal 5 Primary Education Gender Disparity

Goal 6 Lower Secondary Education Gender Parity

Global Monitoring Report and India

The main highlights of the Report in context of India are:

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

About the Global Monitoring Report

Chilika lake named Destination Flyways by UNWTO

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)

India ranked 155th in global Environment Performance Index

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Other highlights of the EPI

The list is given below: I Environmental Health (i) Health Impact

(ii) Air Quality

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

(b) Air Pollution PM 2.5 Exposure

(iii) Water and Sanitation

II- Ecosystem Vitality

(viii) Biodiversity and Habitat

(ix) Climate and energy

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Iran halted Uranium Enrichment activities

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Stanislas Wawrinka won Australian Open Mens title

Padma Awards for the Year 2014 announced

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Dr. Raghunath A. Mashelkar Science and Engineering B.K.S. Iyengar Others-Yoga

Padma Bhushan Name

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Uttar Pradesh Andhra Pradesh Bangladesh USA USA Delhi

Padma Shri Name

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

Current Affairs eBook January 2014

PREFACE