BY ///**AVK****///

Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) 2010

Also known as the National Solar Mission. Officially launched by Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2010. Objective: To establish India as a global leader in solar energy, by creating the policy conditions for its diffusion across the country as quickly as possible. Mission: To have 20 GW of grid-connected solar power by 2022 and to make it as cheap as electricity from conventional sources. Part of National Action Plan on Climate Change. Adopted 3-phase approach: Phase I (2012-13), Phase II (201317) and Phase III (201722). The first phase with a target total of 1,200MW (off-grid and on-grid) ended in March 2013. (In the first phase, the off-grid solar energy target was only 200 MW). The second phase has a target of 9,000 MW grid-connected and 800 MW off-grid solar power by 2017.

The Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee **** IPL *** OCT 2013

The allegations of betting and passing of information against Mr. Gurunath Meiyappan (the Son-in-Law of BCCI president N Srinivasan) stand proved. More investigation is needed against Rajasthan Royals owner Mr. Raj Kundra, who is facing charges of betting and fixing the match. The allegations of spot-fixing and match fixing against five players Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila, Amit Singh and Siddharth Trivedi on the basis of evidence provided by Delhi Police were facing criminal trial and adequate punishment has been imposed upon them by the BCCI. Constitution of IPL Governing Council, the two teams Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals may be suspended. As per the Clause 11.3 of the IPL franchise agreement in any case, if the team, official, team owner or anyone else associated with the team tries to bring in bad image on the league, then the team can be suspended immediately.

Sikkim became the only state in India to achieve 100% sanitation in rural
and urban households, schools, sanitary complexes and Aanganwadi centres. o Under the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan scheme, the Himalayan state, Sikkim has constructed 98,043 individual household latrines against the target of 87,014 till January, and achieved 112.67% of its target. The scheme was implemented by the Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

The state has also sensitized people to adopt a holistic approach to improve sanitation and hygiene in a clean environment while accelerating its overall development. Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling launched a community-led total sanitation campaign in 1999 for achieving full sanitation in the 7,096 sq km area of the state. And, to encourage sanitation activities, the state government has instituted a Nirmal Gram Puraskar (Clean Village Award). Sikkim also topped the list among all states of the country in net performance indicators.

BY ///**AVK****///

About Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA)

Community-led total sanitation program initiated by Government of India in 1999. Mission: To eradicate the practice of open defecation by 2017. Ambassador: Bollywood Actress Vidya Balan. Objective: Accelerate sanitation coverage in rural areas to achieve the vision of Nirmal Bharat by 2022 with all gram Panchayats in the country attaining Nirmal status. Motivate communities and Panchayati Raj Institutions promoting sustainable sanitation facilities through awareness creation and health education. Encourage cost effective and appropriate technologies for ecologically safe and sustainable sanitation. Govt. of India launched Nirmal Gram Puraskar (NGP) to encourage the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) to take up rural sanitation promotion and attain 100% open defecation free Panchayats. Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) is being implemented in association with Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) at all levels, through social mobilization for construction of toilets and also maintain clean environment by way of safe disposal of wastes. Note: Sikkim is Indias least populated and second smallest state in area after Goa.

SUSHIL KOIRALA ---- NEPAL NEW PM **75 AGE

The famous Hindi writer, Mr. Vishwanath Tripathi (82) honored by the prestigious Vyas Samman 2013. He has been chosen for his memoir

Vyomkesh Darvesh that is a biography of the noted Hindi scholar Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi. o The Vyas Samman 2012 was given to Hindi litterateur Narendra Kohli for his historical novel Na Bhooto Na Bhavishyati based on Swami Vivekananda. o Mr. Surya Prasad Dikshit was the selection committee head of Vyas Samman 2013. o Mr. Tripathi has around 20 publications by his name that includes memoirs, novel and poetry collection. o Note: The Vyas Samman award instituted in 1991 by the K.K. Birla Foundation and the award carries a prize of Rs. 2.5 lakh. It is one the most prestigious award of India that is given every year to the poet or writer for their out standing contribution in the Hindi language. Ms Arunima Sinha bagged with Amazing Indian Award by the Vice President
of India, Mr. Hamid Ansari, for scaling Mount Everest despite being physically challenged.

Ms. Sinha is the first Indian amputee who scales the Mount Everest on May, 2013. She is a former national volleyball and football player from Uttar Pradesh. She lost her right leg in 2011 after being thrown off a moving train. Two years later she stood on the peak of the Mount Everest with an artificial leg and an indomitable spirit to achieve the unimaginable.

BY ///**AVK****///

The

Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is developing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for the Central Reserve Police
Force (CRPF) to track down maoists in naxal hit states viz. Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, etc. And would demonstrate the operational capability of the first such vehicle, Nishant in Jagdalpur.

The UAVs being developed for CRPF would be able to help the forces trace and track down the ultra Left operatives in even thick forests. The Nishant, a multi-mission UAV developed by Indias Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a branch of DRDO, had already been inducted by the army. (Nishant consists of an air vehicle supported by ground control station equipment mounted on Tatra vehicles and it can be moved to any location for launching whenever required making it very versatile). The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released draft report on enabling

Public Key

Infrastructure (PKI)

in payment system applications. Public Key Infrastructure enabled electronic payment systems that has been introduced by the RBI are RTGS, NEFT, CBLO, FOREX Clearing, Government Securities Clearing and Cheque Truncation System (CTS).

For the 2014 Worlds Childrens Prize, Pakistani teenage rights activist Malala Yousafzai, John Wood from the USA and Nepalese child rights worker Indira Ranamagar are nominated for an award also known as the Childrens Nobel Prize.

Ms. Malala Yousafzai nominated for her courageous and dangerous fight for girls right to education. She started to speak out for girls rights at the age of 11, when the Taliban banned girls from going to school in the SwatValley in Pakistan. Mr. John Wood nominated for his 15-year fight for childrens right to education. John quit his job as a manager at the Microsoft company to fulfil his dream: to fight poverty by giving children all over the world the chance to go to school. Ms. Indira Ramanagar nominated for her 20-year struggle for prisoners children in Nepal. She has built up an organisation called Prisoners Assistance Nepal (PA), which has rescued over a thousand children from cramped, dirty prisons.

Indira Ramanagar and Prisoners Assistance:

Run three childrens homes, two schools, and youth programs on organic agriculture, arts and crafts, and more. Support girls in villages to enable them to go to school. They are also given bikes, since they often have a long journey to get to school. Search for relatives and support them to take care of the children. Make sure that children get a chance to visit their parents in prison. Run programs allowing children to go to school during the day and stay with their mothers in prison at night. They also educate mothers in prison up to Year 5 level and give them vocational training. Support prisoners who have been released, so that they can be reunited with their children. Speak out for the weakest in society and fight for prisoners especially women and their children to be treated in a fair and humane way.

BY ///**AVK****/// India and Germany signed two umbrella agreements for financial and technical co-operation, under Indo German bilateral Development Cooperation framework. The Umbrella Agreements were signed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram and German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Mueller during their bilateral meeting. The pacts were signed during an official six-day visit of German President Joachim Gauck.