Sree Current Affairs MARCH

CONTENTS
Honours & Awards Appointments News Makers Committees Science Snippets Space Science Defence Environment Sports Schemes Summits Economic Scenario NationalRound-Up Polity Reports International Round-Up Knowledge Capsules Current MCQ Capsules 2 6 7 8 9 9 10 12 13 14 15 17 20 22 23 24 26 28
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Current News & Events
Latest
Current Affairs
Honours & Awards

OSCAR AWARDS 2013
Ben Affleck's Iranian hostage drama 'Argo' won the Best Picture Oscar while Ang Lee pulled off a big surprise by taking home the Best Director trophy for 'Life of Pi' at the 85th Academy Awards. British actor Daniel DayLewis, 55, scored a historic third Best Actor Oscar for his turn as the 16th US President Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's civil-war set drama 'Lincoln'. He has become the first actor to win the most number of Best Actor Oscars. His previous Oscars were for 'My Left Foot' in 1989 and 'There Will Be Blood' in 2007. 22-year-old Jennifer Lawrence emerged a winner for 'Silver Linings Playbook' in a tight best actress race by tripping strong contenders like Jessica Chastain, Emmanuelle Riva, Naomi Watts and Quvenzhane Wallis. 'Argo' saw off tough competition from eight other films -including 'Lincoln', 'Life of Pi', 'Amour', 'Django Unchained' and 'Zero Dark Thirty'-- to walk away with the top award. The film, based on real incidents, narrates the near impossible escape story when CIA pulled out six US diplomats from Iranin 1979 by posing as a fake film crew. List of Oscar Winners from the 2013 Academy Awards:
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Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained." Animated Short Film: "Paperman."
3. 4. 5. 6.
Animated Feature Film: "Brave." Cinematography: "Life of Pi." Visual Effects: "Life of Pi." Costume: "Anna Karenina."
China confers top science award on C N R Rao

Three scientists from India, Germany and Russia won the 2012 Award for International Scientific Cooperation at the China's top science academy 23 January. Indian professor C.N.R. Rao from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Herbert Jaeckle from Germany's Max Planck Society and Russian space physicist G.A. Zherebtsov shared the award for 2012, launched by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in 2007 to honour foreign scientists for their contributions in Sino-foreign research cooperation. Rao is devoted to the research of solid-state and structural chemistry. Jaeckle is a world-famous scientist in the fields of molecular developmental biology. Zherebtsov actively promoted the construction of a Sino-Russian weather research centre and is currently working to get Russia involved in a CAS space science programme, the CAS said. Founded in Beijing in 1949, the CAS is China's top academic and research institution for natural sciences.

7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Makeup and Hairstyling: "Les Miserables." Live Action Short Film: "Curfew." Documentary (short subject): "Inocente." Documentary: "Searching For Sugar Man." Foreign Language Film: "Amour." Sound Mixing: "Les Miserables." Sound Editing (TIE): "Skyfall," "Zero Dark Thirty." Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables." Editing: "Argo." Production Design: "Lincoln." Score: "Life of Pi." Song: Adele, "Skyfall." Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio, "Argo." Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained." Director: Ang Lee, "Life of Pi." Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook." Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln." Picture: "Argo."
Taiwanese Business Magnate Launches Asias NobelType Prizes

A business tycoon from Taiwan with interests mainly in China declared on 28 January 2013 that he was funding the Asia's Nobel Prizes for outstanding achievements in natural and social sciences. Samuel Yin, the head of Ruentex Group announced that he would establish Tang Prize Foundation which would have an initial donation of 103 million dollar. Tang Prize Foundation, which uses the name of Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), is valued by the Chinese for cultural as well as scientific achievements. It was decided that the prizes under the Tang Prize Foundation will be awarded every alternate year to the international leaders in sustainable development, biopharmaceutical science, and the rule of law as well as the study of China. Samuel Yin declared that these categories were kept in the new awards because the Nobels, which are 118 years old, did not include these fields. He also opined that these categories had high importance for the humanity. The prizes under the Tang Prize Foundation will commence from 2014. The winners of the prize would be entitled to receive 1.7 million US dollar. Nobel prizes award 1.2 million US dollar to the awardees. The winners of the Tang Prize will be nominated as well as screened by the special committees which in turn would be established by the Academia Sinica, the highly prestigious research organisation of Taiwan. Skoda Prize 2012 for contemporary art. In his exhibition titled Quintessential Mr. Tallur narrates his theory of 5th dimension. He believes, when an object of art is museumised, it creates a fifth dimension, and is a further addition to Einsteins 4 dimensions (timespace). Artist Rohini Devasher won the Skodas 2012 Art India Breakthrough Artist Award. be held here on February 16. On the occasion, Dr. Lalji Singh would deliver the 21st Dr. Y. Nayudamma Memorial Lecture on the theme Mystery of Our Origins. He was earlier Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad. The award was instituted in 1986 to honour persons who made significant contributions to the development of science and technology, in commemoration of the distinguished scientist and renowned leather technologist Dr. Nayudamma.
21. 22. 23. 24.
Ratan Tata Awarded the Life Time Achievement Award 2012 by Ernst & Young
Ratan Tata, the former head of Tata Group was awarded the life time achievement award 2012 by Ernst & Young on 21 February 2013. He was given away the award for displaying great role for the Indian businessmen on global business level. The entrepreneur of the year (2012) award was given away to Adi Godrej, Godrej Group Chairman. It is important to note that entrepreneur of the year award is an only business award which is based on self-nomination.
Nayudamma award for Lalji Singh

Lalji Singh, scientist and Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University, has been selected for the prestigious Dr. Y. Nayudamma Memorial Award for 2012 for his outstanding contribution to life sciences, particularly in establishing DNA finger printing as a tool of both fundamental research and crime detection, and for trying to unravel the puzzle of human evolution in relation to the Andaman-Nicobar tribes. Dr. Y. Nayudamma Memorial Trust Founder P. Vishnu Murthy stated that the award would be presented by Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar at a function to
National Communal Harmony Award 2012

The Foundation for Amity & National Solidarity, Delhi has been selected for the National Communal Harmony Award for the year 2012 by the Jury headed by the Vice-President of India. Formed in 1984, the Foundation for Amity & National Solidarity (FANS) is a Delhi based Trust which works for spreading amity and communal harmony. It has organized numerous
L.N. Tallur wins Skoda Art Prize 2012

Renowned artist L.N. Tallur from Karnataka, whose works portray majorly the underbelly of India, has won the Rs. 1 million

seminars, workshops, symposiums, inter-religious meets, youth camps, sadbhavana sabhas and rallies to promote social amity. The Foundation has instituted `National Amity Award`, which is given every year to an eminent personality. A serial `Yeh Gulistan Hamara` produced by the Foundation on national integration was telecast on Doordarshan. It has awarded numerous scholarships under its Amity Scholarship Scheme to promote education amongst the economically backward students. It has extensively contributed for promoting solidarity and communal harmony. 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, for promoting communal harmony and national integration. The ward has been instituted with a view to demonstrating due appreciation and recognition of the efforts of individuals and organisations for promotion of communal harmony and national integration in a sustained manner over a sufficiently long period of time. In addition to a citation, the award carries a cash prize of Rupees five lakh for the Organisation. that have revolutionised vision enhancement. At a glittering function held yesterday at the White House, Obama presented National Medal of Science to 12 eminent scientists while 10 extraordinary inventors received 2011 National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest honours bestowed by the United States Government upon scientists, engineers, and inventors.
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Taliban for campaigning girls education, on 9 January 2013 received France's Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women's Freedom in Paris. Malalas father Ziaudin Yousafzai received the honour on her behalf. The award is accompanied with 2.5 million Rupees honorarium. In the first week of January 2013, Malala Yousafzai got released from the British hospital. She is waiting for the reconstructive surgery to be performed on the skull. Malala was shot by the Taliban in her head after her school bus drove through Mingora town of Swat Valley of Pakistan.
Allan Border Medal 2013

Michael Clarke, the Australian captain won the fourth Allan Border Medal in Melbourne on 4 February 2013. 31-year old Clarke had won the medal earlier in 2005, 2009 and 2012. Apart from Clarke, the only other player to win this medal four times is Captain Ricky Ponting. Michael Clarke also won the Test cricketer of the year award for the second consecutive time after he scored 1080 runs in nine tests from 25 February 2012 to January 28 2013.
70th annual Golden Globe Awards 2013

In the prestigious The 70th annual Golden Globe Awards 2013, the hostage-crisis movie Argo thrashed Lincoln to bag best picture as well as best director awards on 13 January 2013. Les Miserables, on the other hand won the awards in best musical or comedy category with the actors Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman winning one trophy each. The award-winning movie Argo is actually inspired by 1979 crisis US diplomats in Iran. In the category of Best Drama, other nominees were Django
Malala Yousafzai Honoured with Frances Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Womens Freedom
Malala Yousafzai, 15, the schoolgirl from Pakistan shot by
Indian-American scientist honoured by Obama

US President Barack Obama, presented the prestigious National Medal of Technology and Innovation to eminent IndianAmerican Rangaswamy Srinivasan for his ground-breaking work with laser. Rangaswamy received the award along with Samuel Blum and James Wynne, for the pioneering discovery of excimer laser ablative photodecomposition of human and animal tissue, laying the foundation for PRK and LASIK laser refractive surgical techniques
U.R. Rao to join Satellite Hall of Fame

Prof U R Rao, former Chairman, ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space is being honoured by the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) by inducting him as a Member of the highly prestigious Satellite Hall of Fame, Washington. Since 1987, the SSPI Hall of Fame has been recognising the invaluable contribution of the visionaries who have transformed life on planet earth for the better through satellite technology. Members of the Hall of Fame are recognised pioneers in communications, satellite related aerospace scientific research or development and delivery of applications for business, institutions and government via satellite. As a honoured member of Hall of Fame, Prof Rao joins over 40 past illustrious space scientists such as Sir Arthur C Clarke, Dr James Van Allen, Dr William Pritchard, Dr Harold Rosen, Dr Fredric dAllest, Dr Takayashi Yoshida, Dr Peter Jackson and Dr Olof Lundberg. The induction of Prof Rao into the Satellite Hall of Fame is scheduled to take place on March 19, 2013 at a gala function to be held in Washington, D.C. USA.

Unchained, Zero Dark Thirty as well as Life of Pi. Lincoln which was leading the race with a total of seven nominations took away just the trophy of best actor which was awarded to Daniel Day-Lewis for his role as the 16 President of US. However, the film might have better opportunities at Oscars where it is running first with 12 nominations. The Golden Globe Awards 2013 also did not stand with Life of Pi and the film only took home a single award, the best original score by Mychael Danna.
Anupam Kher Awarded With City Proclamation Award in Los Angeles

Anupam Kher, the veteran Bollywood actor was awarded with the City Proclamation Award in Los Angeles in the last week of February 2013. It is important to note that Anupam Kher was also nominated for Oscars 2013 for the Hollywood movie- Silver Lining Playbook. He has also acted in the Hollywood movies like Bend it Like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice, The Mistress of Spices, American Blade, Hope and a Little Sugar, Midnight Children as well as in the television series. Padma Shri is given to a person for his/her distinguished service in any field In 1999, Sugata along with his colleagues installed the Internet-connected computer in New Delhi and left it with the hidden camera. Eventually, the slum kids started learning English as well as searched the Internet for various Science and other topics. Sugata along with his colleagues performed these experiments for 13 years, which eventually earned him 1 million US dollars TED Prize.
Padma Awards 2013

President has approved the conferment of 108 Padma Awards. These comprise 04 Padma Vibhushan, 24 Padma Bhushan and 80 Padma Shri Awards. 24 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 11 persons in the category of Foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and Posthumous awardees. Padma Awards, the countrys highest civilian awards, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, vizart, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year. The awards are conferred by the President of India at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhawan sometime around March/ April. Padma Vibhusan is conferred on the people for the exceptional and distinguished services done by them Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order
Surender Mohan Conferred With the CEO with HR Orientation Award

B Surender Mohan, CMD, NLC (Neyveli Lignite Corporation) was conferred with the CEO with HR Orientation Award on 17 February 2013 at the World HRD Congress 2013 in Mumbai. Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited is a Navratna Government of India Enterprise. World HRD Congress is actually the largest meeting of the HR professionals from the world which brings together global personalities. World HRD Congress is held annually and the purpose of the meeting is to honour best CEOs who implement as well as innovate the new techniques in HR arena.
About the TED Prize:

TED Prize was first introduced in 2005. Till 2010, TED gave three extraordinary people with 100000 US Dollars prize money along with the wish to make changes in the world. At the annual conference of TED, the winner talks about the wish to bring changes in the world. In 2013, the prize money offered by TED increased to 1 million US Dollars.
Sugata Mitra Awarded the Million-Dollar TED Prize for Extraordinary Creativity
Sugata Mitra was awarded the million-dollar TED Prize on 26 February 2013 for pursuing his idea for building the schools in the Internet. TED Prize is actually awarded to the extraordinary people who have creative as well as bold ideas for global change.
Vishwaroop, CEO of NSPCL Conferred With the Exemplary Leader Award

Vishwaroop, the CEO, NTPC SAIL Power Company (NSPCL) was conferred with the Exemplary Leader Award in Mumbai on 25 February 2013. He was conferred with the award for his contribution to Power sector. NTPC SAIL Power Company (NSPCL) is the joint venture between NTPC Limited and SAIL for generating power for the steel plants in India.
About Sugata Mitra:

Sugata Mitra is a researcher who started inspiring the children across the world to arouse curiosity in them.
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retired in the rank of Secretary to Government of India. Chakravarty will hold office till the end of the calendar year in which he completes 70 years of age i.e. upto 31.12.2017.
Appointments
T. S. Vijayan, the Former LIC Chief Took Over as the Chairman of IRDA
T. S. Vijayan, the former LIC chief took over as the Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) on 21 February 2013. Vijayan will succeed J. Hari Narayan. J. Hari Narayan completed the five-year term on 20 February 2013. The tenure for IRDA chairman is five years or till 65 years.
R.K. Dubey is Canara Bank CMD

R.K. Dubey, 59, has been appointed the Chairman and Managing Director of Canara Bank. Dubeys was areas of expertise include planning and budgeting, resource mobilisation, credit, risk management, human resources (HR), IT and marketing. A postgraduate in English, Dubey also has a degree in law and management in HR practices. He is also a certified associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers. Dubey joined Punjab National Bank in 1977 as a management trainee and moved up the ranks to become a general manager in 2008 and was appointed as executive director of Central Bank of India in 2010.
Rajnath Singh is new BJP President

Rajnath Singh was unanimously elected the new president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), succeeding Nitin Gadkari who decided against a second term till he was cleared of alleged corruption charges. Rajnath Singh will serve his term from 2013 to 2015, and lead the party in the 2014 general elections. A resolution supporting Rajnath Singh as the BJP chief was unanimously adopted by the parliamentary board of the party, after which he filed his nomination papers. The returning officer announced that 17 other nominations were also filed in Rajnath Singh's favour. Rajnath Singh has previously been the president of the party from 2005 to 2009. He first became the party president in December 2005, following the resignation of L.K. Advani. He was re-elected in November 2006 unanimously and was succeeded by Nitin Gadkari in 2009. He also served as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh from October 2000 to March 2002.
Justice Y Bhaskar Rao sworn in as new Lokayukta of Karnataka

Justice Yarabati Bhaskar Rao was sworn in as the new Lokayukta of Karnataka. Governor HR Bharadwaj administered the oath of office to the anti-corruption ombudsman in Bangalore on February 14. The post of Lokayuktha was lying vacant since September 2011, after Justice Shivaraj Patil, resigned following allegations of false declaration while obtaining a housing site. The 74-year-old former Chief Justice Bhaskar Rao was acting Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court for three months in 1999 and later served as Chief Justice for four months. After retirement, he was appointed Chairman of Andhra Pradesh Human Rights Commission and later became a member of the National Human Rights Commission.
P.R. Vasudeva Rao Appointed As the Director of the IGCAR

P.R. Vasudeva Rao became the Director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) at Kalpakkam on 31 January 2013. He succeeded S.C Chetal, who has now retired. Dr. Rao was earlier the Director, Chemistry Group in IGCAR and is also a specialist in the field of actinide chemistry as well as a few areas of chemistry of nuclear fuel cycle. In IGCAR, Dr. Rao led various R&D programmes related to the field of chemistry.
Halimah Yacob Became First Woman Speaker of the Singapore Parliament

Halimah Yacob (58) became the first woman and the 9th Speaker of the Singapore Parliament on 14 January 2013. She replaced Michael Palmer, the former People's Action Party MP. Palmer got down from the post of Speaker of the Parliament and as an MP on 12 December 2012. Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong nominated her for the designation of speaker. Halimah Yacob came down from her post of Minister of State (Social and Family Development) and was elected as the Speaker by Members of Parliament. In her role, she is expected to play an independent role during all the parliamentary debates, but she stressed the fact that she would remain ahead for the Singaporeans' concerns and would also share the views on various policies.
Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty Appointed As the Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi

The President of India has appointed Shri Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty, as Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi. Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty is a 1970 batch Indian Administrative Service Officer and
News Makers
37 Year Old Woman Became First Complete Body Donor of AIIMS
Chandrakanta Rawat, the 37-year-old Uttrakhand woman became the first complete body donor in January 2013 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. Chandrakanta Rawat was admitted to the hospital on 2 January 2013 and was declared brain-dead. Rawats husband permitted the doctors to retrieve her organs. Heart, two kidneys as well as liver of the woman were used for the patients in need while other organs such as bones and cornea were kept to be used in the future. While the heart of the woman was used for the purpose of transplant at AIIMS, her kidneys were transported to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and liver was utilised at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, Vasant Kunj for the purpose of transplant.
Urvashi Dholakia wins Bigg Boss 6

TV actress Urvashi Dholakia has won the sixth season of reality show Bigg Boss defeating her nearest rival Iman Siddique. With Urvashi's win, this is the third time in a row that a TV 'bahu' has won the reality show. Dubbed as vamp of the small screen, Urvashi won the show by a narrow margin. Previously, TV actresses Shweta Tiwari and Juhi Parmar had won season 4 and 5 of Bigg Boss, respectively. Urvashi could not control her emotions when she was declared as the winner while Imam looked composed and forthcoming. Urvashi has won Rs 50 lakh and a trophy as the prize, while Colors channel gave Rs 10 lakh to Imam for being a 'wholehearted entertainer'. He had been given Rs 5 lakh by the channed during the show earlier. Urvashi had been in Bigg Boss house from day one starting October 1, whereas Imam was first placed in 'Padosi House' before being shifted to Bigg Boss house. Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honours those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature, and to the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/ implementing innovative approaches to engineering education. has been rejected. Guru was buried inside the prison complex after his execution. Guru was convicted on charges conspiracy in the December 2001 attack on Parliament. On December 13, 2001, five heavily-armed gunmen stormed the Parliament complex and opened indiscriminate fire, killing nine persons. They included five Delhi Police personnel, a woman Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) official, two Parliament watch and ward staff and a gardener. A journalist, who was injured, died later. All five terrorists were shot dead.
Ratan Tata elected to National Academy of Engineering

Tata Group Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata along with eight Indian-Americans has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering, which is the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer in the US. The National Academy of Engineering in a statement said that Ratan Tata has been elected as one of the 11 new foreign members of the academy for his outstanding contributions to industrial development in India and the world. The top American engineering institute also announced election of 69 new members of which eight are eminent Indian-American engineers.
Afzal Guru hanged, buried in Tihar jail

Afzal Guru, convicted in the audacious attack on Parliament in 2001, was on February 9 hanged in Tihar Jail, in an operation shrouded in secrecy. The mercy plea of the 43year-old Guru, who was sentenced to death in 2002 by a special court and later upheld by the Supreme Court in 2004, was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee a few days back. The family of Guru residing in Sopore in north Kashmir was informed about the decision of the government that his mercy petition
Barack Obama Nominated Sally Jewell as the U.S. Interior Secretary

US President Barack Obama nominated Sally Jewell, a retail executive and outdoor enthusiast on 6 February 2013 as the U.S. interior secretary for looking after the huge energy reserves as well as the national parks. Obama while nominating Jewell described her as an expert on climate issues and energy issues. It is important to note that Jewell is the first woman who is nominated to join second term of Obama.
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under Planning Commission member K Kasturirangan, will review what kind of projects can be dealt with at the state level and which would require central nod. At the moment, projects below a certain size or of certain nature require clearance only from the state level environmental authority while the rest are sent to the expert panels set up under the environment ministry in Delhi. The PMO has been pushing, along with several states, for changing the criteria in some cases to make the clearance process simpler for the industry and infrastructure projects. mode (DTH) and in a demand based mode like YouTube. The committee comprises members; retired IAS officer Asha Swaroop, who had earlier served as secretary in the I&B Ministry, Professor M P Gupta of IIT Delhi, B K Gairola (Mission Director eGovernance), Jitendra Shankar Mathur, additional secretary and nominated member on the Prasar Bharati Board and Shekhar Kapur (a member of the National Innovation Council).
Committees
Justice Usha Mehra Commission Submitted its Report to the Union Government of India
Justice Usha Mehra Commission on 22 February 2013 submitted its report to on the 16 December 2012 Delhi gang-rape incident to the Union Government of India. The report was received by the Union Minister of Law and Justice Ashwani Kumar and the Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh. Major findings of the Usha Mehra Commission Lack of Coordination between the Police and the transport department Lack of cooperation between the police of National Capital Territory and National Capital Region plays a great role in escape of the criminals from one place to another Lack of PCR vans and public transport facility in Delhi
Wadhwa Committee
The Supreme Court of India has appointed the Wadhwa Committee to look into the maladies affecting the proper functioning of the public distribution system (PDS) in India. The committee has ruled that the whole system of procurement and distribution of food grains is built on corruption and its benefits to the poor are low. The Committee has recommended least human intervention and end-to-end automation and computerization of the complete PDS chain.
Expert committee under Sam Pitroda Constituted to review Working of Prasar Bharti
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry on 29 January 2013 constituted a sevenmember expert committee to review the institutional framework of Prasar Bharti. The committee will be headed by the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure, Sam Pitroda. The committee will have Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar as its convener.The committee will review the relationship of Prasar Bharti with the government, its continuing role as a public broadcaster and measures needed to ensure its technical up gradation. It will also suggest ways of using the new media to deliver digital content both in broadcast
Usha Mehra Commission:

The Usha Mehra Commission was constituted by the Union Government on 26 December 2012 to inquire into the different aspects of the brutal rape and assault incident of the girl on 16 December 2012 on the streets of Delhi. The commission was asked to submit the report within three months. Retired Delhi High Court Judge, Usha Mehra was the head of this commission.
Justice Verma Committee report on reform in antirape laws

The Justice J S Verma committee which was set up to suggest ways to make rape laws stronger in the country (after the gruesome gang rape of a trainee physiotherapist in Delhi last month), submitted its report.
Kasturirangan Committee
Following the push from the PMO, the infrastructure ministries and industry, the environment ministry has set up a committee to review the kind of projects requiring environmental clearance from the Centre. A re-assessment is likely to reduce the number of projects that would have to seek approval from Delhi. The committee, set up
Mukul Mudgal Committee

Recently, in its probe into global retail giant Wal-Mart's lobbying activities in the US for entry into India, the government asked the general public to provide it with all the important information available with them on the matter. The government has appointed a one-man Inquiry Committee, headed by former Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court Justice Mukul Mudgal, to inquire into reports on the US lobbying activities of Wal-Mart for access to India market. The Committee has to submit its report within three months and it is being provided administrative and functional support by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in its probe.
JBY & AABY has merged
Science Snippets
Worlds first cloned buffalo gives birth to calf in Karnal
The cloned buffalo Garima II gave birth to a calf at the Karnalbased National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) on January 25. The calf, named Mahima, was born through hand-guided cloning technique.It weighs 32 kg and is reported to be normal and healthy. The newborn Mahima is keeping good health and started suckling of milk within 30 minutes of birth, said A.K. Srivastava, Director, National Dairy Research Institute. The NDRI is known across the globe and came into the limelight for production of worlds first buffalo cloned calf Garima.
Worlds first complete bionic man named Rex

Researchers have built the worlds first complete bionic man named Rex. Rex, which is on display in UK, has the face of a man, prosthetic limbs, a functional artificial blood circulatory system and artificial organs, including a pancreas, kidney, spleen and trachea. At 6.5-feet tall, Rex is valued at a whopping $1 million. Rex showcases the potential future of prosthetics. As per scientists, in future, people may be able to fix a failing organ without having a transplant and without having to wait for a compatible donor. telescope would also help in filling the longitudinal gap between Europe and Japan. The telescope with its innovative design and backend instruments would also provide crucial information on nature of magnetic fields due to its unprecedented spatial resolution. launched next year. NASA wants at least seven TDRS satellites working in orbit at any one time. The one launched today will make eight.
Japan launches 2 intelligence satellites

Japan has launched two intelligence satellites into orbit. Officials say the launch of the domestically produced HII-A rocket on January 27 went smoothly and the satellites, an operational radar satellite and an experimental optical probe, appear to have reached orbit. The radar satellite is intended to augment a network of several probes that Japan uses to collect intelligence on hotspots around the world, while the optical probe will be used to test future technology. Japan began the intelligence satellite programme after North Korea fired a long-range missile over Japans main island in 1998. North Korea had conducted a launch last month that it says carried a satellite into orbit but has been condemned by the US and others as a cover for its development of missile technology.
Space Science
NASA launches communication satellite
NASA on January 31 launched a new communication satellite to stay in touch with its space station astronauts and relay more Hubble telescope images. An unmanned Atlas V rocket blasted into the starry night sky carrying the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite. This is the 11th TDRS satellite to be launched by NASA. The space agency uses the orbiting network to communicate with astronauts living on the International Space Station. The first TDRS spacecraft flew in 1983; it recently was retired along with No. 4. The second was lost aboard space shuttle Challenger in 1986; Monday marked the 27th anniversary of the launch disaster. This newest thirdgeneration TDRS carries the letter K designation. Once it begins working, it will become TDRS-11. It will take two weeks for the satellite to reach its intended 22,300-mile-high orbit. Testing will last a few months. NASA estimates the satellite costs between $ 350 million and $ 400 million. Another TDRS spacecraft, L in the series, will be
Indian Institute of Astrophysics to Develop Worlds Largest Solar Telescope

The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore in the first week of January 2013 informed about its decision to come up with worlds largest solar telescope in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. The project would commence by the end of year 2013 and the telescope is likely to be placed at Hanle or Merak village near Pangong Lake in Ladakh. The telescope would be a 2-metre class, state-of-the-art National Large Solar Telescope (NLST). Its expected that the project would complete by 2017. The project has been planned with a budget of 300 crore rupees and after installation, it would help the astrophysicists capable of practicing day and night astronomy. This telescope would help the researchers to understand the process of creation and decay of sunspots along with other fundamental processes that takes place on the surface of sun. This
First-ever Original Song Written and Recorded in Space

A Canadian astronaut has teamed up with Barenaked Ladies lead singer Ed Robertson for the first ever original track to be written and recorded in space, 402 km above the Earth aboard the International Space Station.The pair

wrote the song together before the collaboration was recorded via satellite at a studio in Toronto.The song, called ISS ( Is Somebody Singing) focuses on the experience of a person in space missing his loved ones on the Earth below.
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Defence
India will be fourth biggest defence spender by 2020
Information Handling Services (IHS) has predicted that India would become the fourth biggest defence spender by 2020, behind the U.S., China and Russia, surpassing France, Japan and the U.K. IHS Janes Defence Budgets projects that Indias defence spend will reach $65.4 billion in 2020 despite cuts announced by the government last month. The challenging economic and fiscal climate is expected to wane over the next three years, with IHS expecting Indias GDP growth to recover to rates of around 8 per cent by 2015 allowing Indias plans for increasing defence spend to recover from 2015 to 2020. Based on current projections, IHS Janes Defence Budgets expects the Indian defence budget, including related pensions obligations, to reach $55.6 billion over the five years.
Russia plans unmanned moon mission in 2015

An unmanned spacecraft to the moon in 2015 from a new launch pad in the countrys Far East will be sent, the Russian Space Agency has said. Roscosmos head Vladimir Popovkin told Russian news agencies on Tuesday that the rocket booster would deliver a 500 kg (1,100-pound) space exploration vehicle with up to 25 kg (55 pounds) of scientific equipment that would search for water and take soil samples. Mr. Popovkin said the moon-bound spacecraft would be launched from Russias new Vostochny cosmodrome. President Vladimir Putin has vowed to invest $1 billion in building this launch pad in the Amur Region not far from the Chinese border. Russias last and only moon mission was accomplished in 1973.
India successfully testfires underwater missile

India on January 27 successfully test-fired the underwater ballistic missile, K-15 (code-named B05), off the
Spaceplane Successfully Completed Flight Test

The spaceplane constructed by Richard Branson's spaceflight company called Virgin Galactic successfully completed the important flight test which would be able to carry the people to space. SpaceShipTwo, the spaceplane was piloted to soft runway touchdown after highaltitude release from WhiteKnightTwo mothership, which eventually enabled it to score successful test drop. It additionally also checked off various milestones at Mojave Air and Space Port in California.
Visakhapatnam coast, marking en end to a series of developmental trials. In its twelfth flight trial, the 10metre tall Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) lifted off from a pontoon, rose to an altitude of 20 km and reached a distance of about 700 km as it splashed down in the waters of the Bay of Bengal near the pre-designated target point. According to scientific advisor to the Defence Minister V.K. Saraswat, the missile was tested for its full range of 700 km and the mission met all its objectives. He said the impact accuracy of the medium range strategic missile was in single digit. With the completion of developmental trials, the process of integrating K-15 missile with INS Arihant, the indigenously-built nuclear submarine, will begin soon. As many as 12 nucleartipped missiles, each weighing six tonnes will be integrated with Arihant, which will be powered by an 80 MWt (thermal) reactor that uses enriched uranium as fuel and light water as coolant and moderator. India is only the fifth country to have such a missile -- the other four are the United States, Russia, France and China. Meanwhile the reactor has been integrated with the submarine and it was expected to go critical in May/ June 2013. Once that was done, the harbour trials will begin.
Aero India-2013 begins in Bengaluru

Asias largest and one of the most important military aviation exhibitions in the world, Aero India-2013 got started in Bengaluru on Wednesday, the biennial air show will continue till 10th Feb. The 9th edition of the Air show and aviation exhibition will be inaugurated by Defence Minister A K Anthony. Aero India show is a premier aerospace event that attracts global aviation experts, industries and technicians. It also provides a significant platform in bolstering business opportunities in the international aviation sector. The opening up of defence production to private sector, have given a major fillip to the defence industry in India. More than 700 companies and 78 overseas delegations will participate in this ninth edition of Aero India. A range of products and services offered by the Indian defence Industry in the international market will be showcased during the show.
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Pakistan Successfully Test Fired Short Range Surface-To-Surface Missile Hatf IX (NASR)
Pakistan on 11 February 2013 successfully test fired short range surface-to-surface missile Hatf IX (NASR). The test fire took place with consecutive launches of two missiles from multi-tube launcher. NASR has 60 km range with the capability of in-flight manoeuvring. It also has the capability of carrying nuclear warheads having apt yields, with higher efficiency.
India and China hold Third Annual Defence Dialogue

The Third India-China Annual Defence Dialogue took place in Beijing on 14th January. Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma led the Indian side and the Chinese Deputy Chief of General Staff General Qi Jianguo led the Chinese side. The discussion took place in a friendly and cooperative atmosphere and in a forward looking manner. The two sides discussed bilateral, regional and international issues of common interests including the situation in the Asia-Pacific region and in the India-China border areas. Both sides agreed to expand and enhance bilateral exchanges covering the Army, Navy and Air Force of both countries. The two sides agreed to advance mutual strategic trust and also enhance mutually beneficial practical cooperation. The two sides reviewed the ongoing measures to maintain peace and tranquility on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The two sides agreed upon a plan of bilateral military exchanges for 2013 which includes conduct of the next joint military exercise.
ALH Mk-IV Rudra handed over to Army

An Advanced Light Helicopter Mk-IV army version 'Rudra' was handed over by Dr RK Tyagi, Chairman, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to Lt Gen Narendra Singh, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (P & S), Indian Army during AERO India 2013 at Yelahanka Air Base, Bangalore. At the outset of the ceremony, Shri P Soundara Rajan, Managing Director said Rudra, first armoured helicopter - is the Mk IV variant of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) designed and manufactured by HAL. This helicopter is fitted with Day and Night Targeting systems and can carry a mix of weapons (70 rockets, anti-tank missiles, air to air missiles and 20 mm turret gun), providing the required capability to search and destroy any targets. Rudra is designed indigenously at the Rotary Wing Research and Design Center (RWR & DC) to meet the mission specifications and tested extensively over varied terrains and firing ranges in India. Regional Center for Military Airworthiness has provided Initial Operational Clearance for the project facilitating delivery of helicopters to Indian Armed Forces. Rudra is all set to redefine battle tactics in modern day conflicts.
Cochin Shipyard launched Aadesh, the First Fast Patrol Vessel for Coast Guard
Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) on 8 January 2013 launched the first fast patrol vessel (FPV), built for the Indian Coast Guard. The vessel which is named Aadesh was launched by Jayasree Muralidharan, in the presence of M.P. Muralidharan, Director General of Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and K. Subramaniam, Chairman and Managing Director of the Coast Guard. The vessel is the first in a series of 20 numbers fast patrol vessel (FPVs) contracted by CSL for the Indian Coast Guard. The contract was signed in year 2010 with of which the delivery the last vessel scheduled for 2017. The ship was designed by the Kochi-based SEDS and this is the first association between CSL and a local design house. The yard also launched two other platform supply vessels for PSV Holdings Inc, Cyprus.
eight Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPVs) was commissioned by Director General Indian Coast Guard, Vice Admiral MP Muralidharan in Kolkata. Commander, Coast Guard Region (North-East) Inspector General KC Pandey and other senior dignitaries of the Central and State Govt. were also present in the commissioning ceremony.
N.A.K. Browne inaugurated a Medium Lift Helicopter Complex at Phalodi

The Chief of the Air Staff, N.A.K. Browne inaugurated the Medium Lift Helicopter Complex on 7 January 2013 at Phalodi, near Jodhpur. The complex has been developed with the purpose of raising the new Mi-17 V5 helicopter Unit. The Hanger Complex inaugurated by the Chief is one of the biggest pre-engineered hangers of its type and in the Indian Air Force. This unit would add up to the operational capabilities of the new Air Base. The new air base would be utilized by the Air Force in the forthcoming exercises namely Iron Fist scheduled for 22 February 2013 and Live Wire in March 2013.
Commissioning of Indian Coast Guard Ship Rajratan

Indian Coast Guard Ship `Rajratan, the fifth of a series of
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The new scheme will have conservation and management of lakes and wetlands in the country within its scope, to include inventory and information system on lakes and wetlands national level directive on criteria for lakes and wetlands, regulatory framework, capacity building at state government and local body levels, evaluation etc. Seismologists also explained that beginning of any of huge eruptive events could lead to gigantic destruction on the Earth. This mechanism would lead to huge plume eruptions but these would happen somewhere in 100 million to 200 million years time duration. The study conducted revealed that the activity created zone of partly molten rock which was that of the size of Florida and this would cause massive eruptions in the times to come. Hotspot plume supervolcano eruptions during previous 2 million years at Yellowstone caldera of Wyoming led to huge landforms. For example, gigantic flood basalt eruptions created huge provinces such as Pacific Northwests Columbia River basalts some 17 to 15 million years ago. Since early 1990s, scientists knew about existence of thermochemical piles, which were that of the size of continents, sitting on top of the Earths core and below most of the volcanic hotspots of the Earth.
Environment
Merger of National Lake Conservation Plan and National Wetlands Conservation Programme into a new scheme
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the proposal for the merger of National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) and National Wetlands Conservation Programme (NWCP) into a new scheme called the `National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems` (NPCA). The merged scheme shall be operational during the XII Plan Period at an estimated cost of Rs.900 crore on 70:30 cost sharing between the Central Government and respective State Governments (90:10 for North-East States). For conservation of lakes and wetlands, the Ministry of Environment and Forests is presently, implementing two separate Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), namely the NWCP and the NLCP. To avoid overlap, promote better synergies and to ensure conservation and management works, an integrated scheme, NPCA is proposed, with the objective of conserving aquatic ecosystems (lakes and wetlands), through implementation of sustainable conservation plans and governed with application of uniform policy and guidelines. The principal objectives of the new scheme will be holistic conservation and restoration of lakes and wetlands for achieving desired water quality enhancement, besides improvement in biodiversity and the ecosystem, through an integrated and multidisciplinary approach with a common regulatory framework, The scheme would contribute to reduction of pollution loads and improvement in goods and services provided by these water bodies to stakeholders.
Seismologists Declared Life on Earth Was Facing Threat Due to Catastrophic SuperVolcano
Seismologists in the second week of February 2013 declared that life on our planet was facing threat because of the catastrophic super-volcano which would erupt anytime in 200 million years. The seismologists explained that around two heaps of rocks which are like the size of continents, were crashing against each other as they shift under the mantle of the Earth, i.e., 2900 km below Pacific Ocean.
Government of Madhya Pradesh identified and declared 17 Eco-Sensitive Zones in the State
The Government of Madhya Pradesh in the first week of January 2013 declared that it has identified 17 eco-sensitive zones across the wildlife sanctuaries and parks of the state. It also cleared that illegal mining and commercial activities around these eco-sensitive zones would be prohibited. The move of identifying the eco-sensitive zones across the state came up in response to the last-chance offered to the State Government by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for identification of such zones and provide a site specific proposal before 15 February 2013. The notice was issued to the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh by the Ministry of Environment and Forests on 11 December 2012, which directed the state government to submit the proposal within the stipulated timeframe. If there would have been any delay in identification and declaration of these Zones, then the Ministry would have declared an area of 10 kilometers as eco-sensitive zones of the National Parks and Sanctuaries and this declaration would have barred the commercial and associated activities which had an impact on the environment. All these things would have happened following the norms of the ministry. Madhya Pradesh at present has twenty-five wildlife Sanctuaries and eight National Parks. The state Forest Department identified and approved the eco-sensitive zones across Pench National Park, Kanha National Park, Panna National Park and Kuno Palpur sanctuary, Bandhavgarh National Park and others.
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Sports
Viswanathan Anand won Grenke Chess Classic Trophy
Viswanathan Anand, the World Champion in Chess from India won the Grenke Chess Classic trophy of 2013 after defeating Arkadij Naiditsch from Germany on 17 February 2013. To secure his win in the Grenke Chess Classic, Anand also defeated Fabiano Caruana from Italy. This was his first title of the year. The 43 years old Anand, managed to take a 49 move win against Arkadij with his black pieces to claim the title for his all-play-all tournament title in five years. Anand last won a title in March 2008 at Linares, when he topped the field with 8.5 points in the eight player field. In January 2013, Anand finished at third position in the Tata Steel at Wijk aan Zee in although he lost the first round to Wang Hao from China.
Sixth World Cup triumph for Australia

Australias attack found its spearhead in Ellyse Perry while offspinner Lisa Sthalekar deceived them with flight and turn as first time finalist West Indies, chasing 259 for victory, fell short by 114 runs in the final of the ICC Womens World Cup. Australia wrapped its hands around the World Cup for the sixth time. Despite Deandra Dottins ruthless smashing of the ball at the Brabourne stadium here West Indies was all out for 145 in 43.1 overs. Ellyse, who had missed the Super Six due to a leg injury, lopped off the West Indian top order, her figures reading three for 19. Player-of-the-match: J. Cameron (Aus). Player-of-the-series: S. Bates. captured their record 13th Grand Slam doubles title, defeating the Dutch team of Robin Haase and Igor Sijsling in the Australian Open final 6-3, 6-4. The Americans had been level with the Australian legends John Newcombe and Tony Roche with 12 major titles. The Bryans now have six Australian Open titles to go along with four at the U.S. Open, two at Wimbledon and one at the French Open. The brothers, top seeds at Melbourne Park, have also finished eight of the last 10 years as the No. 1 ranked doubles team, including last year.
Simon Taufel to be the First Umpire to deliver the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture 2013
Simon Taufel, the umpire who has been the five-time ICC Umpire of the Year from 2004 to 2008 would be the first umpire to deliver the prestigious MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture that would take place on 24 July 2013. This announcement was made by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on 11 January 2013. The lecture of 2013 would be the 13th lecture, ever since its inception and Taufel would be the third Australian after Adam Gilchrist (2009) and Richie Benaud (2001 the first lecture) to deliver this lecture.
Sachin Tendulkar equaled Sunil Gavaskars record of 81 Centuries

Sachin Tendulkar on 8 February 2013 equaled the record of Sunil Gavaskar of 81 first class hundreds in first class cricket at Mumbai. He managed to equal Gavaskars record after scoring an unbeaten 140 runs in Irani Trophy against Rest of India in the first innings of the tournament of Mumbai team.
Mumbai won its 40th Ranji Trophy after defeating Saurashtra in Final
Mumbai won its 40th Ranji trophy at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 28 Jan 2013. Mumbai won the final match against Saurashtra by an inning and 125 runs on the third day of Ranji Trophy final. The Mumbai team so far has played in 44 finals of Ranji Trophy. Mumbai in their first inning scored 355 runs while Saurashtra in reply could manage only 148. In its second inning Saurashtra was bundled out for merely 82. Mumbai pacers Ajit Agarkar (4-15) and Dhawal Kulkarni (5-32 & 9-56) did an excellent job. Wasim Jaffar was declared Man of the Match. Ajit Agarkar was the captain of the winning team.
Centuries of Sachin in first class cricket:

51 in Test matches 18 in Ranji Trophy 2 in Irani Cup 3 in Duleep Trophy 1 in county cricket for Yorkshire 6 in other games
Usain Bolt and FraserPryce Won Athlete of the Year Award At JAAA Golden Cleats Awards Ceremony
Usain Bolt, the fastest man of the world and Shelly-Ann FraserPryce, the women's 100m Olympic champion won the male and female Athlete of the Year awards respectively on 8 January 2013 at Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) Golden Cleats Awards ceremony which took place at Terra Nova Hotel in St Andrew.
Bryans win record 13th Grand Slam doubles title

Mike and Bob Bryan have
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The initiative, called Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, is part of the National Rural Health Mission of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The scheme aims to provide comprehensive health care for all children. As part of the programme, District Early Intervention Centres will be made operational in all districts to treat cases referred from block levels. Tertiary health services will also be made available for cases requiring surgery. The dedicated mobile health teams will carry out screening of all the children in the age group 0 to 6 years enrolled at Anganwadi centres at least twice a year besides screening of all children enrolled in Government and Government aided schools. The newborns will also be screened for birth defects in health facilities where deliveries take place and during the home visit by ASHA. An estimated 27 crore children in the age group of zero to eighteen years are expected to be covered in a phased manner. The implementation of these services will also generate country wide epidemiological data on selected health conditions for improved future planning of health services.
Schemes
Government raises assistance to rural poor for housing
The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Rural Development to provide a quality and affordable house to the rural poor keeping in view the steep increase in cost of materials. The Government has raised the amount of assistance from Rs 45,000 to Rs 70,000 for construction of a dwelling unit in Indira Awaas Yojana. For hilly and other difficult areas, the grants for constructing houses have been increased from Rs 48,500 crore to Rs 75,000. There will also be a provision now of loan up to Rs 20,000 - up from Rs 10,000 - with four per cent interest for buying land for the house.
ISRO's PSLV-C20 Rocket Successfully Launched

Six foreign micro and mini spacecrafts as well as the IndoFrench oceanographic study satellite, SARAL (Satellite for Argos-3 and Altika) were launched successfully by ISRO's PSLV-C20 rocket on 25 February 2013 from the spaceport at Sriharikota. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of Indian Space Research Organizations (ISRO) flew from first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre and was successfully put into the orbit. The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee witnessed this launch from mission control centre at Sriharikota. Satellites launched by PSLV-C20 rocket: 410-kg SARAL with payloads - Argos and Altika Two micro-satellites UniBRITE and BRITE from Austria AAUSAT3 from Denmark STRaND from United Kingdom Micro-satellite (NEOSSat) Mini-satellite (SAPPHIRE) from Canada These seven satellites were launched successfully by PSLV which depicted its versatility and recorded 22nd successful flight consecutive. ISRO also has plans to launch the Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle that has indigenous cryogenic engine, along with the Indias mission to Mars, both of which are scheduled for 2013. SARAL, the unique satellite SARAL is said to be a very unique satellite which serves the research community. This satellite will assist the researchers in oceanographic studies. SARAL will study the sea surface heights and ocean currents. ARGOS-2 will help in collecting the data, while Altikameter will be responsible for measuring the height of sea surface. SARAL will also assist researchers in studying about the climatic developments. Its practical applications include study of migration of the marine animals, continental ice studies, protection of biodiversity and coastal erosion.
About Indira Awaas Yojana:

The IAY is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development and aims at addressing rural housing issues by providing grant for construction / upgradation of dwelling units of BPL families especially giving priority to Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes, freed bonded labourers and physically challenged persons with financial assistance of Rs. 45,000/- in plain areas and Rs. 48,500/- in hilly / difficult areas.
Sonia Gandhi launches universal child health screening service in Thane, Maharashtra
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi today launched universal Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Service at Palghar town in Thane district of Maharashtra on February 6.
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Summits
President inaugurates the National Conference on Green Design
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the fourth GRIHA National Conference on Green Design at a function at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi February 14, 2013. The President congratulated The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India on the development and implementation of GRIHA- the indigenous green building rating system of India. He also congratulated the recipients of the GRIHA awards for demonstrating environmental responsiveness, energy efficiency and for making significant efforts to adopt renewable energy integration in their respective buildings and expressed hope that others would emulate and benefit from the examples set through these buildings.
First India-Japan Maritime Affairs Dialogue was held in New Delhi

The first India-Japan Maritime Affairs Dialogue was held in New Delhi on 29 January 2013. Issues of mutual interest were discussed, inter alia, maritime security including non-traditional threats, cooperation in shipping, marine sciences and technology, marine biodiversity and cooperation at various multilateral forums. The Indian delegation was led by DB Venkatesh Varma, Joint Secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs), in the Ministry of External Affairs and the Japanese delegation by Mr. Kazuyuki Yamazaki, Deputy Director General (Ambassador), Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Bangalore on February 14. Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare was the Chief Guest on the occasion. Conference on e-Governance on 11-12 February, 2013 in Jaipur. Senior Officers from the Government, industry, academicians, technical experts and NGOs will participate in the Event.
South Asian Autism Network Conference

A daylong Conference of South Asian Autism Network (SAAN) is being held on February 11. Representatives from India, Bangladesh, Thailand and WHO, SEARO are participating in the daylong conference. Autism is a complex condition and individuals with autism have a completely different social understanding of the world from those who are non-autistic. The challenges in processing information and in social communication make it hard for most them to express themselves and advocate for their rights. This is why parents, activist parent groups and NPOs have taken the lead in advocating for their children and bringing about these changes we now see.
3rd National Community Radio Sammelan

The 3rd National Community Radio (CR) Sammelan is being organised at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, from 9-11 February 2013. This Sammelan is significant as it also celebrates the first decade of the CR Policy in India, which was announced in 2002.
International Conference on Inclusive Urban Planning

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (M/ oHUPA), Government of India is organizing a two day International conference on Inclusive Urban Planning on 18-19th February 2013 at Vigyan Bhavan. The conference is a part of the series of such events organized every two years, where publication of India Urban Poverty Report is an immediate outcome.
India to Host 14th BASIC Meeting in Chennai, 1516 Feb., 2013

India will host the next meeting of BASIC Environment Ministers. The meeting will be held in Chennai on February 15-16, 2013. Smt. Natarajan said that BASIC Group is a platform of the four countries for coordination on issues related to climate change. BASIC has emerged as an important grouping in the climate change negotiations, and has acted as a key voice of developing countries. BASIC countries meet four times in a year and once a year in each of the four countries by rotation. Typically, the first meeting of the year takes place in India.
National Conference on e-Governance at Jaipur

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Government of India, in association with the Department of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India and the Department of Information Technology & Communication, Government of Rajasthan, is organizing 16th National
Seventeenth Convocation of National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences

The 17th Convocation of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences was held in
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Water Policy, recommends that, there should be a master plan, for flood control, and management for each flood prone basin. participated by the Health Secretaries and Senior Advisors of BRICS countries. The second days programme will be participated by the Health Ministers of BRICS countries. It may be mentioned that the first BRICS Health Ministers Meeting was held at Beijing, China on 11th July, 2011 following a decision taken by Heads of BRICS countries in the Sanya Declaration of 14th April 2011.
Indian Railways to Host 10th International Heavy Haul Association Conference

The Indian Railways is hosting the 10th International Heavy Haul Association (IHHA) Conference in New Delhi from 4th to 6th February 2013. The conference is organised once in every four years. The last conference was held in Shanghai China in 2009. The Conference is an excellent forum for railway researchers, practitioners, policy makers and industry leaders from all over the world to meet and share their knowledge and experience and perhaps open new frontiers in heavy haul railway operation. IHHA is a worldwide non government, scientific and technological association of Heavy Haul Railways incorporate in USA and is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in Heavy Haul operation, Engineering, maintenance and technology. India, USA, Canada, Brazil, Russia, China Sweden, South Africa, and Australia are the members of International Heavy Haul Association.
World Conference on International Telecommunications Held in Dubai

International telecommunication Union (ITU) summoned the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates which was held from 3 to14 December 2012. In the landmark conference, it was decided that the current International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs) shall be reviewed.
Aquaria India 2013 at Vijayawada

Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) will be hosting the Aquaria India 2013 - one of the largest Aquaculture and Aquarium shows in Asia at Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh from February 8-10. The three-day event comprises technical sessions by renowned national and international experts in aquaculture and ornamental fisheries. At least 100 stalls have been exclusively reserved for aquaculture sector and 50 for ornamental fisheries. About 500 farmers from various states engaged in fish farming particularly vannamei shrimps, ornamental fish are expected to participate.
2nd BRICS Health Ministers Meet

The second BRICS Health Ministers Meet will begin with a two-day programme in New Delhi on 10th January. While the programme of first day will be held at Dr. Ramalingaswamy Auditorium, AIIMS, New Delhi, the second day programme will be at Banquet Hall, Ashoka Hotel, New Delhi. The first days programme will be
16th Meeting of the Ganga Flood Control Board

The 16th meeting of Ganga Flood Control Board was held on January 16 under the chairmanship of Union Minister of Water Resources Shri Harish Rawat here in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion Shri Rawat elaborated the purpose of constitution of GFCB by saying that the Ganga Flood Control Board was constituted by the Government of India, for laying down broad policies, and directing concerted efforts, towards the management of floods in the Ganga basin, through preparation of integrated plans, for tackling the problems of flood, erosion and improper drainage. The National
11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas meet kicked off in Kerala

The three-day 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) kicked off in Kochi on 7 January 2013. The event saw delightful response from the people with more than 2000 registrations. The distinctive feature of this year's Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is that this is the first time that there is going to be an exclusive session on Middle East. The organizing partner of this year summit is IndoCanada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC). Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi is leading the day-long Middle-East session along with Chief Minister of Kerala Oommen Chandy and Joseph. The whole day event of 7th January 2013 would see discussions on problems that people from Kerala face in the region. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the annual flagship event on 8 January2013 and President Pranab Mukherjee will deliver the valedictory address on 9 January 2013and also confer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards.
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Economic Scenario
Finance Minister Chidambaram launched Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme in Mumbai
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on 9 February 2013 launched the much-awaited Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme in Mumbai. The move will encourage new investors to put their money in the stock market. The scheme, which was announced in the Budget 2011-12, seeks to provide tax benefits to first-time investors in stock market. Under the scheme, an individual with an income of less than 10 lakh rupees would get tax incentives for investing up to 50000 rupees in the stock market. As per the notification issued by the Securities and Exchange Board of India on the scheme, there would be a lock-in period of one year on investments made under the scheme.
MCX-SX, the Third National Stock Exchange Made its Debut in India
MCX-SX, the third bourse on the equities and equity derivatives trading block debuted on 11 February 2013. It is the third national stock exchange of India after Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange. MCX-SX started its trading in shared of 1116 listed companies against 1665 companies in National Stock Exchange and 5191 companies in Bombay Stock Exchange.
MCX-SX Index:
MCX-SX Index is called SX40. This is like Sensex of BSE and Nifty of NSE. SX40 is formulated for measuring the economic performance through polished presentation of different industries as well as sectors based on ICB, which is a leading international classification from FTSE-100 of Britain. acquisitions (M&As) in India or abroad. GAIL started in 1984 as a single pipeline project company and has today emerged as an integrated natural gas company with activities spread across the entire value chain from gas transportation and marketing to processing for Liquid Hydrocarbons and polymers, pioneering CGD in the country, gas sourcing including signing a firstof-its-kind R-LNG deal with Cheniere, USA and being the first PSU to buy acreage in Shale Gas in the US. GAIL has also recently commissioned the LNG Terminal at Dabhol as owners engineer and is the operator of the terminal. In the past 3-4 years, GAIL has earned recognition and respect internationally as a leading and innovative player in the Asian gas market. The recent initiatives have the potential of far reaching impact in ensuring future supplies and the energy security of the country. GAIL (India) Ltd., is India's principal Natural Gas Company with activities ranging from Gas Transmission and Marketing to Processing (for fractionating LPG, Propane, SBP Solvent and Pentane); transmission of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG); production and marketing of Petrochemicals like HDPE and LLDPE and leasing bandwidth in Telecommunications. The Company has extended its presence in Power, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) re-gasification, City Gas Distribution and Exploration & Production through equity and joint venture participations.
MAHARATNA CPSES:
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited Coal India Limited GAIL (India) Limited Indian Oil Corporation Limited NTPC Limited Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Limited Steel Authority of India Limited
GAIL accorded Maharatna status

GAIL (India) Limited, a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Indias largest natural gas company was accorded the Maharatna status by the Government of India. It is also the youngest Public Sector Undertaking to be accorded this recognition. This is the latest in the series of recognitions received by GAIL. In the recent past, GAIL has been recognized as Asias no. 1 Gas Utility and the worlds No. 1 Downstream company apart from consistent excellence awards for MoU performance. The Maharatna status will provide greater flexibility in day to day operations of the Company with enhanced powers to accord approvals, to make equity investment to establish financial JVs and wholly owned subsidiaries and undertake mergers and
Navratna CPSEs:
Bharat Electronics Limited Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited National Aluminium Company Limited NMDC Limited Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited Oil India Limited Power Finance Corporation Limited Power Grid Corporation of India Limited Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited Rural Electrification Corporation Limited Shipping Corporation of India Limited
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by the government can pave the way for investment in new technology and marketing of agricultural produce in India. Fast agricultural growth remains vital for jobs, incomes and food security. The survey points out that the priority for the Government will be to fight high inflation by reducing the fiscal impetus to demand as well as by focusing on incentivizing food production through measures other than price supports. But unlike the previous year, when food inflation was mainly driven by higher protein food prices, this year the pressure has been coming mainly from cereals. On the Balance of Payments and External Position, the survey highlights that with net exports declining, Indias balance of payments has come under pressure. Moreover, in the current fiscal, foreign exchange reserves have fluctuated between US$ 286 billion and US$ 295.6 billion, while the rupee remained volatile in the range of Rs 53.02 to Rs 54.78 per US dollar during October 2012 to January 2013. The survey had a special chapter focusing on jobs. The future holds promise for India provided we can seize the demographic dividend as nearly half the additions to the Indian labour force over the period 201130 will be in the age group 30-49. India is creating jobs in industry but mainly in low productivity construction and not enough formal jobs in manufacturing, which typically are higher productivity. The high productivity service sector is also not creating enough jobs. As the number of people looking for jobs rises, both because of the population dividend and because share of agriculture shrinks, these vulnerabilities will become important. Because good jobs are both the pathway to growth as well as the best form of inclusion, India has to think of ways of enabling their creation. The survey calls for a widening of the tax base, and prioritization of expenditure as key ingredients of a credible medium term fiscal consolidation plan. This along with demand compression and augmented agricultural production should lead to lower inflation, giving the RBI the requisite flexibility to reduce policy rates. Lower interest rates could provide an additional fillip to investment activity for the industry and services sectors, especially if some of the regulatory, bureaucratic, and financial impediments to investment are eased. On financial sector reform, it takes note of the high level of gross NPAs (nonperforming assets) of the banking sector which increased from 2.36 percent of the total credit advanced in March 2011 to 3.57 percent of total credit advanced in September 2012. The survey suggests that revival of growth will help contain NPAs, but more attention will have to be paid to whether projects are adequately capitalized up front given the risks. Expenditure on social services also increased considerably in the 12th Plan, with the education sector accounting for the largest share, followed by health. In the 11th Plan period nearly 7 lakh crore rupees has been spent on the 15 major flagship programmes. A number of legislative steps have also been taken to secure the rights of people, like the RTI, MGNREGA, the Forest Rights Act, AND THE Right to Education. However, the survey notes that there are pressing governance issues like programme leakages and funds not reaching the targeted beneficiaries that need to be addressed. Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) with the help of the Unique Identification Number (Aadhaar) can help plug some of these leakages. With the 12thPlans focus on environmental sustainability, India is on the right track. However, the challenge for India is to make the key drivers and enablers of growth-be it infrastructure, the transportation sector, housing, or sustainable agriculture-grow sustainably.
SUMMARY OF ECONOMIC SURVEY 2012-13

Indian economy is likely to grow between 6.1% to 6.7% in 2013-14 as the downturn is more or less over and the economy is looking up. Following the slowdown induced by the global financial crisis in 2008-09, the Indian economy responded strongly to fiscal and monetary stimulus and achieved a growth rate of 8.6 per cent and 9.3 per cent respectively in 2009-10 and 201011, but due to a combination of both external and domestic factors, the economy decelerated growing at 6.2% and an estimated 5% in 201112 and 2012-13 respectively. The Economic Survey 2012-13, presented by the Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambaram in the Lok Sabha predicts that the global economy is also likely to recover in 2013 and various government measures will help in improving the Indian economys outlook for 201314. While Indias recent slowdown is partly rooted in external causes, domestic causes are also important. The slowdown in the rate of growth of services in 2011-12 at 8.2%, and particularly in 2012-13 to 6.6 percent from the double-digit growth of the previous six years, contributed significantly to slowdown in the overall growth of the economy, while some slowdown could also be attributed to the lower growth in agriculture and industrial activities. But despite the slowdown, the services sector has shown more resilience to worsening external conditions than agriculture and industry. For improved agricultural growth, the survey underlines the need for stable and consistent policies where markets play an appropriate role, private investment in infrastructure is stepped up, food price, food stock management and food distribution improves, and a predictable trade policy is adopted for agriculture. FDI in retail allowed
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Expressing his confidence on India returning back to the higher growth path Chidambaram advocated for support from all quarters to navigate through economic crisis. The Union Budget of year 2013-14 stressed on achieving a growth of 8 per cent on an immediate effect. The finance minister expressed his worry on Current Account deficit (CAD). CAD which required 75 billion Dollars to finance was high because of high import in Oil, coal and gold imports. The Highlights of the Union Budget 2013-14 are as Follows: Total budget expenditure was Estimated at 16.65 trillion rupees in 2013-14 India's 2013-14 plan expenditure seen at 5.55 trillion rupees To allocate 801.94 billion rupees to rural development in 2013-14 Plan to allocate 270.49 billion rupees for agriculture in 201314 RBI expected GDP growth of 5.5% for Financial Year 201314 80194 crore rupees allocation have been made for rural development schemes including MGNAREGA, PMGSY, INDIRA AWAS YOYANA. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission will to continue during the 12th plan period. 3511 crore allocation to minorities which is 12 per cent hike over budget estimates, 110 crore rupees allotted for welfare of disabled. 65867 crore rupees have been allocated to the Ministry of Human resources development which is 17 per cent hike over the revised estimates. 500 Crore rupees have been earmarked for high tech crop diversification program. Allocations also include 13215 crore rupees for mid day meal programme. 27,049 crore rupees for agricultural ministry and additional 200 crore to women and child Welfare Ministry. 14000 crore Rupees will be provided for PSB recapitalization. He will constitute a panel on transaction costs, and financial policies. Education gets 65867 crore rupees, an increase of 17 percent over RE for 2012-13. Drinking water and sanitation will receive 15260 crore rupees. 1,400 crore was provided for setting up water purification plants to cover arsenic and fluoride affected rural areas. Health and Family Welfare Ministry had been allotted 37330 crore rupees. Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) Refinance Fund doubled to an amount of 10000 crore rupees. Plans of Government are to encourage PPP projects along with Coal India. P. Chidambaram announced setting up of a new all-women's bank. 1000 crore Rupees initial capital for a new women's bank which will be another public sector bank. The Bank will be set up by October 2013. An amount of additional 10000 crore rupees allotted for Food Security Bill in FY14. 3000 km of road projects will be awarded in first six months of FY14. Finance ministry approved 50000 crore Rupees tax-free bonds in FY14. The government expects to raise 25000 crore rupees via tax-free bonds in FY13. Refinancing capacity of SIDBI raised to Rs. 10,000 crore. Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) for textile to continue in 12th Plan with an investment target of 151000 crore Rupees. 14000 crore Rupees will be provided to public sector banks for capital infusion in 2013-14. A grant of 100 crore each has been made to 4 institutions of excellence including Aligarh Muslim University, Banaras Hindu University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati and Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).
Railway Budget 2013: Highlights

Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has announced the Union Railway Budget for 2013-14 in Parliament. Here are the highlights : No increase in passenger fares Railways will absorb Rs. 850 crore on account of no hike in passenger fare Marginal increase in reservation charges, cancellation charges Supplementary charges for superfast trains and tatkal booking 26 new passenger trains to be launched 67 express trains to be launched 9 Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains to be introduced 500-km new lines to be completed in 2013-14 Concessional fare for sportspersons 5 per cent average increase in freight Railways hopes to end 201314 with a balance of Rs. 12,506 crore 5.2 per cent growth in passenger traffic expected in 2013-14 Railways' freight loading traffic scaled down by 100 million tonnes from 1025 million tonnes because of economic slowdown Railways to set up a Debt Service Fund Rs. 3,000 crore loan from Finance Ministry re-paid with interest by Railways this financial year.
UNION BUDGET 2013-14

Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on 28 February 2013 tabled the Union budget in the Parliament for the financial year 2013-14. Chidambaram was presenting his 8th Union Budget. The union Budget of 2013-14 emphasized fast track economic growth with due importance on infrastructure development, skill development, employment generation and funding for social schemes.
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National Round-Up
Two Blasts in Hyderabad claimed 16 Lives and left 119 Injured
Two bomb blasts took place in Dilsukhnagar, the busy shopping area of Hyderabad, the Capital City of Andhra Pradesh on 21 February 2013. 16 people were reported dead and 119 were critically injured in the serial blasts that rocked the city around 6:50 pm. Investigations were ordered by both the Central Government and the State Government to find out the group involved in the blast. The State Government of Andhra Pradesh appointed a probe team into the matter. The blasts were triggered using the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), which were placed on two different bicycles at a distance of 100 meters from each other near Konark and Venkatadri theatres. The area of blasts lie on the Hyderabad-Vijaywada National Highway within Cyberabad police limits.
Supreme Court to examine constitutional validity of Juvenile Justice Act

The Supreme Court decided to examine the constitutional validity of the provision giving the definition of juvenile in the Juvenile Justice Act which treats a person as a minor till he attains the age of 18 years. The issue assumes significance in the wake of the brutal gang rape and assault of a 23-year-old in Delhi on December 16 in a moving bus that shook the conscience of the nation. The victim died in a Singapore hospital on December 29. One of the six accused in the case is a juvenile. Attorney General G. E. Vahanvati was asked by the apex court to assist on the issue raised in a petition which seeks to strike down the definition of juvenile from the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. A bench comprising justices K. S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra decided to hear the matter from April 3, and asked the Attorney General to file counter affidavits and relevant reports relating to the issue. The petition, filed by two advocates - Kamal Kumar Pandey and Sukumar contended that sections 2(k), 10 and 17 of the JJ Act which deals with the issue were irrational and ultra vires of the Constitution. The counsel, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that the constitutional validity of the definition of juvenile in the Act is in conflict with the law. The counsel said that the definition of juvenile under section 82 and 83 of the IPC is a much better classification. Hanging of Mumbai terror attack militant Ajmal Kasab was called Operation X. he was hanged at Yerwada Central Jail on 21 November 2012. government not notifying the award even after the warring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had agreed before it on 4 January 2013 that they had no objection if the award was notified. The Centre had earlier assured the apex court that it would notify the tribunals award by 31 December 2013. The apex court also directed Karnataka to release 2 Thousand Million Cubic feet, of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and directed the Central Water Commission to file a report on the water requirement of the two states. It asked the Commission to form a threemember expert body which will visit the states and directed it to file report within two days. The court posted the matter for further hearing on 7 February 2013. The court was hearing Tamil Nadu's petition seeking the immediate release of 12 TMC of water.
Afzal Gurus Secret Hanging Was Called Operation Three Star

Operation Three Star: Code name given to secret plan for executing Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist Afzal Guru in Tihar Jail on 9 February 2013. Operation Three Star started on 4 February 2013, just a day after the President of India Pranab Mukherjee rejected mercy plea of Afzal Guru. A few top officials of Home Ministry were aware about secret Operation Three Star. Afzal Guru was hanged on 9 February 2013 at 8 AM in Tihar Jail, New Delhi. Afzal Guru was guilty of conspiring as well as providing shelter to terrorists who attacked Indian Parliament on 13 December 2001.
Ministry of Civil Aviation launched Monthly Bilingual Shubh Yatra Magazine

Ministry of Civil Aviation on 8 February 2013 released Shubh Yatra, an exclusive monthly bilingual (Hindi & English) inflight magazine of Air India. It covers travel, lifestyle, culture and entertainment in all colour and spice.
SC directed Government to notify Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal Award

The Supreme Court of India on 4 February 2013 directed the Union Government of India to notify the six-year-old final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal by 20 February 2013. A bench headed by Justice RM Lodha expressed displeasure over the
Centre forms Committee to review Cinema Act

The Ministry of Info & Broadcasting has constituted a panel under the Chairmanship of Mukul Mudgal, Retired Chief

Justice, High Court to examine issues of certification under the Cinematograph Act 1952. The constitution of the Committee is as follows: i) Mukul Mudgal, Retired Chief Justice, High Court of Punjab and Haryana Chairperson; ii) Lalit Bhasin,Chairperson, FCAT; iii) Sharmila Tagore, former Chairperson, CBFC; iv) Janab Javed Akhtar, renowned music composer, writer & lyricist; v) Leela Samson, Chair person,CBFC; vi) L. Suresh, Secretary, South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce and former President, Film Federation of India; vii) Rameeza Hakim, Advocate, Supreme Court of India. viii) Raghvendra Singh, Joint Secretary(Films), I&B-MemberConvenor. terming it as a sumptuous feast of colour, culture and cuisine and emphasised on empowerment of the country's handicraft sector. "The mela has become a sumptuous feast of colour, culture and cuisine... and is a manifestation of nation's pride," he said in his inaugural address on February 02.
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Pakistan, Iran, Nepal, the US, Britain, South Korea, Singapore and Sri Lanka.
Presidents Rule Imposed in Jharkhand

Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India on 18 January 2013 imposed Presidents Rule in Jharkhand. The decision came as a follow up of the approval made by the Union Cabinet of India on 17 January 2013 and fall of the state machinery in form of Government on 8 January 2013 after the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha the supporting party to BJP led Coalition Government withdrew its support from it. The President imposed the Rule on the state following the provisions of imposition of Presidents Rule on a state mentioned under Article 356 (1) of the Constitution of India, after the failure of Constitutional Machinery in the state. Madhukar Gupta, the former Union Home Secretary and K. Vijay Kumar, the former Central Reserve Police Force Director General has been appointed as the advisers to the Governor of Jharkhand, Syed Ahmed.
New Delhi World Book Fair

New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) 2013 will be held from 4th-10th February at Pragati Maidan exhibition ground, New Delhi. The theme of this year will be Indigenous Voices: Mapping India's Folk and Tribal Literature. The fair will celebrate indigenous literature and commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda with a special pavilion exhibiting photographs and books from the spiritualist's life. The fair is organised by National Book Trust (NBT) and co-organised by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO). France will be the Guest of Honor Country for this year. The fair will host 1,100 Indian and foreign publishers from countries such as
India records 57 percent drop in fresh HIV cases

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said India has recorded a 57 percent drop in fresh HIV cases and the govt is making all efforts to sensitize people especially the youth of the country. Asserting that creating awareness is not an easy task, the Minister said, the Red Ribbon Express train, which concluded its third phase yesterday reached one crore 14 lakh people with an awareness message on HIV and AIDS and on other health issues. Adressing a function on the concluding run of the express at the Safdarjung Railway Station in New Delhi, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said the government plans to further strengthen the awareness campaign.
3 new High Courts for North East States

The Centre has constituted three new High Courts in the northeast Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura taking the total number of High Courts in the country from 21 to 24. According to Law Ministry sources, the strength of judges in each High Court will be as follows: Tripura 4 (including the Chief Justice), and Meghalaya and Manipur: three each (including the Chief Justice). As per the recommendations of the Supreme Court collegium, Justice T. Meenakumari, judge of the Patna High Court, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, is being elevated as Chief Justice of Meghalaya. Justice Deepak Gupta, who hails from Himachal Pradesh, is being elevated as Chief Justice of Tripura, and Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre, judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court, is being appointed CJ of Manipur. The sources said recommendations had been received for the transfer of Justice Rajesh Kumar Agrawal, judge of the Allahabad High Court to the Madras High Court. Once transferred, he would become acting Chief Justice by virtue of his seniority, said the sources. Justice S. Nagappan, judge of the Madras High Court, is being elevated as Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court and Justice D.H. Waghela, judge of the Gujarat High Court, is being appointed Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.
President inaugurates 27th Surajkund Fair

President Pranab Mukherjee has officially inaugurated the 27th Surajkund fair,
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Polity
Supreme Court to examine constitutional validity of Juvenile Justice Act
The Supreme Court decided to examine the constitutional validity of the provision giving the definition of juvenile in the Juvenile Justice Act which treats a person as a minor till he attains the age of 18 years. The issue assumes significance in the wake of the brutal gang rape and assault of a 23-year-old in Delhi on December 16 in a moving bus that shook the conscience of the nation. The victim died in a Singapore hospital on December 29. One of the six accused in the case is a juvenile. Attorney General G. E. Vahanvati was asked by the apex court to assist on the issue raised in a petition which seeks to strike down the definition of juvenile from the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. A bench comprising justices K. S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra decided to hear the matter from April 3, and asked the Attorney General to file counter affidavits and relevant reports relating to the issue. The petition, filed by two advocates - Kamal Kumar Pandey and Sukumar contended that sections 2(k), 10 and 17 of the JJ Act which deals with the issue were irrational and ultra vires of the Constitution. The counsel, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that the constitutional validity of the definition of juvenile in the Act is in conflict with the law. The counsel said that the definition of juvenile under section 82 and 83 of the IPC is a much better classification.
Constitution of Twentieth Law Commission

The Union Cabinet today approved the constitution of 20th Law Commission for a period for three years from 01.09.2012 to 31.08.2015. The details are as follows: The terms of reference of the 20th Law Commission will include : (i) identification of laws which are in harmony with the existing climate of economic globalization, (ii) exploring suitable measures for equal redressal of citizens grievances related to the field of law, (iii) examination of laws which affect the poor and carrying out post-audit for socio-economic legislations, (iv) to take measures to harness the law and legal process in the service of the poor, (v) to eliminate delays, speedy clearance of arrears of cases and reduction in costs, (vi) examining existing laws with a view to promote gender equality and suggesting amendments to such cases, (vii) to examine the impact of globalization on food security and unemployment and recommend measures for the protection of the interests of the marginalized. The 20th Law Commission will be headed by a full-time Chairperson and will consist of four full-time Members (including Member-Secretary), Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs ( as ex-officio Member), Secretary, Legislative Department (as ex officio Member) and five part-time Members that, This time, Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs and Secretary, Legislative Department have been added to the Commission as ex officio Members with a view to achieve better implementation of Law Commission Reports. Further, before concretizing its recommendations, the Commission will consult the nodal Ministry /Department(s) and such other stakeholders as the Commission may feel necessary for the purpose. The Law Commission of India is a non-statutory body constituted by the Government of India from time to time. The Commission was originally constituted in 1955 and is reconstituted every three years. The tenure of the Nineteenth Law Commission has ended on 31st August, 2012. Panchayats' diktat on dress code for women and asking them not to carry mobile is unlawful. A bench of justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai ruled that such diktats are against the fundamental right to life and asked Khap Panchayats, which are castebased councils, to file their replies on the issue. Right to life is guaranteed to all the citizens of India under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
Official Amendments to Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011

The Union Cabinet has approved the proposals submitted by the Department of Personnel & Training for moving official amendments to the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011 as reported by the Select Committee of Rajya Sabha. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011 was passed by the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2011. The Bill was taken up for discussion and passing in the Rajya Sabha on 29.12.2011. Discussions remained inconclusive. Thereafter, the Rajya Sabha adopted a motion on 21.05.2012 to refer the Bill to a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha for examination and report.
Khap Panchayats Diktat on Dress Code for Women Unlawful

The Supreme Court of India on 14 January 2013 ruled that Khap
Article 21 in the Constitution of India 1949:

Protection of life and personal liberty No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law.
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news and information than countries where human rights are flouted. In dictatorships, news providers and their families are exposed to ruthless reprisals, while in democracies news providers have to cope with the medias economic crises and conflicts of interest. Coinciding with the release of its 2013 Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders for the first time has published an annual global indicator of worldwide media freedom. This new analytic tool measures the overall level of freedom of information in the world and the performance of the worlds governments in their entirety as regards this key freedom In view of the emergence of new technologies and the interdependence of governments and peoples, the freedom to produce and circulate news and information needs to be evaluated at the planetary as well as national level. Today, in 2013, the media freedom indicator stands at 3395, a point of reference for the years to come. The indicator can also be broken down by region and, by means of weighting based on the population of each region, can be used to produce a score from zero to 100 in which zero represents total respect for media freedom. This produces a score of 17.5 for Europe, 30.0 for the Americas, 34.3 for Africa, 42.2 for Asia-Pacific and 45.3 for the former Soviet republics. Despite the Arab springs, the Middle East and North Africa region comes last with 48.5. The high number of journalists and netizens killed in the course of their work in 2012 (the deadliest year ever registered by Reporters Without Borders in its annual roundup), naturally had a significant impact on the ranking of the countries where these murders took place, above all Somalia (175th, -11), Syria (176th, 0), Mexico (153rd, -4) and Pakistan (159th, -8).
Reports
World Press Freedom Index 2013
The Press Freedom Index is an annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders based upon the organization's assessment of the countries' press freedom records in the previous year. A smaller score in the index corresponds to greater freedom of the press. This years index is a better reflection of the attitudes and intentions of governments towards media freedom in the medium or long term. For the third year running, Finland has distinguished itself as the country that most respects media freedom. It is followed by the Netherlands and Norway. Although many criteria are considered, ranging from legislation to violence against journalists, democratic countries occupy the top of the index while dictatorial countries occupy the last three positions. Again it is the same three as last year Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea. India has dropped nine places to 140th rank in the list of 179 countries because of increasing impunity for violence against journalists and because Internet censorship continues to grow. It is the lowest for the worlds biggest democracy since 2002. China (173rd, +1) shows no sign of improving. Its prisons still hold many journalists and netizens, while increasingly unpopular Internet censorship continues to be a major obstacle to access to information. The Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate
India to become 2nd largest coal consumer in 2024: BP report

India is expected to overtake US as second largest coal consumer in 2024, according to BP World Energy Outlook 2030. Nearly 93 per cent of the net growth in demand to 2030 will come just from India and China. The combined share of global coal consumption in these two Asian countries would rise from 57 per cent in 2011 to 65 per cent in 2030, BP said. The US will not be increasingly dependent on energy imports, with energy set to reinvigorate its economy. And China and India are expected to need a lot more imports to keep growing, said Bob Dudley, Chief Executive of BP Group. However, the BP outlook points out that Indias coal demand growth slows down more gradually. It has come down to 3.6 per cent every year during 2011-2030 from 6.5 per cent a year in 2000-10. This is because energy efficiency gains partially offset rising energy demand for industrial and infrastructure expansion. The similar trend is also noticed for China. Coal demand in the worlds fastest growing economy decelerates rapidly from nine per cent a year in 2000-10 to 3.5 per cent every year this decade and 0.4 per cent each year in 202030. This is due to shift to less coalintensive economic activities and by energy improvements. Interestingly, coal consumption for electricity generation has seen a slide. The growth has reduced from 3.6 per cent a year in 2000-10 to 2.4 per cent in 2011-20 and would further dip to 0.4 per cent after 2020. As a result of the reduction for power generation, coals share in fuels used for generating electricity declines from 44 per cent in 2020 and down to 39 per cent in 2030. This is because gas, nuclear and renewable are gaining their shares.
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International Round-Up
Three Year Old Girl Joins Mensa After Taking IQ Test in Russian
A brainy 3 year old girl Clever Alice Amos has been unveiled as the youngest new member of Mensa with a higher IQ than Stephen Hawking.Amos has been granted full membership of the brain box society after scoring an incredible 162 on an IQ test she took in Russian.Her IQ of 162 ranks her higher than a list of the worlds greatest luminaries dead and living.Former US presidents Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin and Bill Clinton could only muster 128, 160 and 137 respectively.
Worlds First Mercury Treaty adopted by 140 Countries at Geneva

An international treaty that legally binds the nation to limit the use of health hazardous mercury was adopted by 140 nations in the third week of January 2013 at Geneva. The treaty would be signed in Minamata, Japan, in October 2013 to honour the inhabitants of town who have suffered the consequences of serious mercury contamination for decades The treaty that was reached after four years of difficult negotiations will aim at Reduction of global emission levels of the toxic heavy metal or the quick silver Reduce the production and the use of mercury in industrial processes and product production To cut mercury pollution from utility plants, mining, a host of products and industrial processes, and set enforceable limits as well as to encourage alternatives where mercury in not used or released
Making of the treaty:

Switzerland and Norway pushed forward for making of an international treaty to limit the emission of Mercury in the atmosphere. The two nations came up with the plans of reducing the emission of mercury decades ago and it was finalized after a long conference in Geneva held in February 2013.
Jackie Chan, Mo Yan selected as members of Chinese parliament

Movie star Jackie Chan and the 2012 winner of Nobel prize for literature Mo Yan has been selected as members of one of the houses of Chinese parliament, the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The new leaders in China led by the new general secretary of the Communist Party Xi Jinping have picked 2,237 persons as new members of the CPPCC National Committee. Xi is expected to become the countrys new president when the two Houses of Parliament meet in March, 2013. The CPPCC members, who are related to different fields, were selected without an election process and include 893 members of the Communist Party. Those chosen include officials, military officers, members of nonCommunist parties, along with representatives from economic, political, cultural , social and environmental fields.
Headley gets 35 years in jail

Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley was on January 24 sentenced to 35 years in prison by a U.S. court for masterminding the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The sentence will be followed by five years supervised release. While the U.S. government admitted the deplorable nature of his role in the 26/11 attacks, the prosecution had pressed for a sentence of 30-35 years under a plea bargain with Headley in return for his cooperation. The death penalty and extradition options were dropped. Pronouncing the sentence here, U.S. federal district court judge Harry Leinenweber said he had to consider that Headley had committed numerous crimes in the past, confessed to them and received lenient sentences. Headleys defence team argued for mitigation based on his past drug addiction and the need to set an appropriate sentence to encourage cooperation from future
defendants in a similar position. Under his deal with the U.S. government, Headley supplied information on other terror suspects, which, prosecutors said, helped them investigate and bring criminal charges against codefendant Tahawwur Rana, Ilyas Kashmiri and several Pakistanbased operatives. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, there is no Federal parole and defendants must serve at least 85% of their sentence.
US-employment and manufacturing rise stock market on five year high

The main US share index closed at a five-year high on February 1, buoyed by official data showing that the economy added more jobs than previously estimated at the end of last year. The Dow Jones finished up 1.1% or 149 points to 14,010, the first time it had passed 14,000 since October 2007. The Labor

Department said that in November and December the economy added 127,000 more jobs than first thought. Investor sentiment was further lifted by strong manufacturing output data. The employment and manufacturing figures were a welcome boost to the markets, as they came just two days after other official data estimated that the US economy contracted by 0.1% in the final quarter of 2012. For January, the US economy added 157,000 new jobs, slightly below forecasts. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate ticked up to 7.9% in January, from 7.8% in December. In 2012, an average of 181,000 jobs a month were created, the Labor Department said. The manufacturing figures came in a survey from financial data firm Markit. Its latest purchasing managers' index rose to 55.8 last month, up from 54 in December. A reading above 50 indicates growth. perished into the atmosphere of the Earth upon its re-entry. Seven astronauts were aboard Columbia which disintegrated across southern United States. The debris of Columbia spread across 200mile stretch from Texas to Louisiana. NASA decided to mark the anniversary in just the low-key ceremonies in Texas as well as Florida in order to honour the crew members of Columbia along with those who died in the Challenger shuttle explosion on 28 January 1986. Participants of the ceremony include family members of the crew who waited at Kennedy on 1 February 2003 when Columbia was about to land. The seven crew members on-board included Commander Rick Husband, co-pilot William McCool, specialists Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, and Ilan Ramon, an Israeli fighter pilot. Columbia broke into pieces on re-entering the atmosphere of the Earth. The cause for its explosion was attributed towards the piece of foam which dropped from external rocket tank on launch, which eventually created a hole in the shuttle wing.
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81. He played 26 tests for South Africa between 1953 and 1962 and was chosen by the respected Wisden Cricket Almanack as one of its five cricketers of the year in 1961 following his 26 wickets at 22.52 during South Africas series in England in 1960. CSA acting chief executive Jacques Faul paid tribute to Adcock as one of the great fast bowlers during what was truly a golden era of fast bowling and said he formed South Africas first great new ball attack with the late Peter Heine. Adcock took 104 career wickets at an average of 21.10.
North Korea carries out nuclear test

North Korea has sparked alarm around the world by testing a nuclear bomb. It has staged its most powerful nuclear test yet, claiming a breakthrough with a "miniaturised" device in a striking act of defiance to global powers including its sole patron China. Its claim of miniaturisation suggests that it is a step closer to fitting a nuclear warhead onto a ballistic missile. North Korea stated that the nuclear test was conducted as part of measures to protect national security and sovereignty against the reckless hostility of the United States that violated republic's right for a peaceful satellite launch.
China successfully tests jumbo air-freighter

China on January 26 said it has successfully conducted the test flight of its first country made jumbo air-freighter, capable of handling various air transportation tasks. The Yun20, or Transport20, is a huge, multi function air-freighter which can perform various longdistance air transportation tasks targeting cargo and passengers, staterun Xinhua news agency reported. The successful maiden flight of Yun20 is significant in promoting Chinas economic and national defence buildup as well as bettering its emergency handling such as disaster relief and humanitarian aid, it said.
Former South Africa bowler Adcock dies

Former South Africa fast bowler Neil Adcock has died after a long battle with cancer. He was
Brazil to do a biodiversity study of the Amazon

The Brazilian government says it's undertaking a four-year, $33 million study of its vast Amazon rainforest to compile a detailed inventory of the plants, animals and people that live there. Environment minister Isabella Teixeira signed an accord with the country's national development bank, which is funding the study. The government says the inventory will help in formulating environmental policies aimed at preserving the forest and preventing deforestation. Last year, Brazil lost 4,656 square kilometers (1,797 square miles) of Amazon to deforestation. That's the smallest amount on record. More than 60 percent of the Amazon's 6.1 million square kilometers are located in Brazil. The government's last study of the region dates back to 1983.
NASA Marks 10th Anniversary of Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster

NASA on 1 February 2013 marks 10th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia that
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Knowledge Capsules
Banking Glossary
Call Option: The right to buy the underlying securities at a specified exercise price on or before a specified expiration date. Callable Bonds: Bonds that give the issuer the right to redeem the bonds before their stated maturity. Capital Gain: The amount by which the proceeds from the sale of a capital asset exceed its original purchase price. Capital Markets: The market in which long-term securities such as stocks and bonds are bought and sold. Certificate of Deposits (CDs): Savings instrument in which funds must remain on deposit for a specified period and premature withdrawals incur interest penalties. Certificate of Deposit: Certificate of Deposits are negotiable receipts in bearer form which can be freely traded among investors. This is also a money market instrument,issued for a period ranging from 7 days to f one year .The minimum deposit amount is Rs. 1 lakh and they are transferable by endorsement and delivery. Cheque: Cheque is a bill of exchange drawn on a specified banker ordering the banker to pay a certain sum of money to the drawer of cheque or another person. Money is generally withdrawn by clients by cheques. Cheque is always payable on demand. Cheque Truncation: Cheque truncation truncates or stops the flow of cheques through the banking system. Generally truncation takes place at the collecting branch, which sends the electronic image of the cheques to the paying branch through the clearing house and stores the paper cheques with it. Collateral: A specific asset pledged against possible default on a bond. Mortgage bonds are backed by claims on property. Collateral trusts bonds are backed by claims on other securities. Equipment obligation bonds are backed by claims on equipment. Commercial Paper: Short-term and unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations with very high credit standings. Common Stock: Equity investment representing ownership in a corporation; each share represents a fractional ownership interest in the firm. Compound Interest: Interest paid not only on the initial deposit but also on any interest accumulated from one period to the next. Contract Note: A note which must accompany every security transaction which contains information such as the dealers name and the date of contract. Controlling Shareholder: Any person who is, or group of persons who together are, entitled to exercise or control the exercise of a certain amount of shares in a company at a level (which differs by jurisdiction) that triggers a mandatory general offer, or more of the voting power at general meetings of the issuer, or who is or are in a position to control the composition of a majority of the board of directors of the issuer. Corporate Bond: Long-term debt issued by private corporations. Coupon: The feature on a bond that defines the amount of annual interest income. Coupon Frequency: The number of coupon payments per year. Coupon Rate: The annual rate of interest on the bonds face value that a bonds issuer promises to pay the bondholder. It is the bonds interest payment per dollar of par value. Covered Warrants: Derivative call warrants on shares which have been separately deposited by the issuer so that they are available for delivery upon exercise. Credit Rating: An assessment of the likelihood of an individual or business being able to meet its financial obligations. Credit ratings are provided by credit agencies or rating agencies to verify the financial strength of the issuer for investors. Collecting Banker: Also called receiving banker, who collects on instruments like a cheque, draft or bill of exchange, lodged with himself for the credit of his customer's account. Co-operative Bank : An association of persons who collectively own and operate a bank for the benefit of consumers / customers, like Saraswat Co-operative Bank or Abhyudaya Co-operative Bank and other such banks. Co-operative Society : When an association of persons collectively own and operate a unit for the benefit of those using its services like Apna Bazar Cooperative Society or Sahakar Bhandar or a Cooperative Housing Society. Core Banking Solutions (CBS): Core Banking Solutions is a buzz word in Indian banking at present, where branches of the bank are connected to a central host and the customers of connected branches can do banking at any breach with core banking facility. Creditworthiness: It is the capacity of a borrower to repay the loan / advance in time along with interest as per agreed terms. Crossing of Cheques: Crossing refers to drawing two parallel lines across the face of the cheque. A crossed cheque cannot be paid in cash across the counter, and is to be paid through a bank either by transfer, collection or clearing. A general crossing means that cheque can be paid through any bank and a special crossing, where the name of a bank is indicated on the cheque, can be paid only through the named bank. Customer: A person who maintains any type of account

with a bank is a bank customer. Consumer Protection Act has a wider definition for consumer as the one who purchases any service for a fee like purchasing a demand draft or a pay order. The term customer is defined differently by Laws, softwares and countries. Current Account: Current account with a bank can be opened generally for business purpose. There are no restrictions on withdrawals in this type of account. No interest is paid in this type of account. Currency Board: A monetary system in which the monetary base is fully backed by foreign reserves. Any changes in the size of the monetary base have to be fully matched by corresponding changes in the foreign reserves. Current Yield: A return measure that indicates the amount of current income a bond provides relative to its market price. It is shown as: Coupon Rate divided by Price multiplied by 100%. Custody of Securities: Registration of securities in the name of the person to whom a bank is accountable, or in the name of the banks nominee; plus deposition of securities in a designated account with the banks bankers or with any other institution providing custodial services. Debit Card: A plastic card issued by banks to customers to withdraw money electronically from their accounts. When you purchase things on the basis of Debit Card the amount due is debited immediately to the account. Many banks issue Debit-Cum-ATM Cards. Debtor: A person who takes some money on loan from another person. Demand Deposits: Deposits which are withdrawn on demand by customers. E.g. savings bank and current account deposits. Demat Account: Demat Account concept has revolutionized the capital market of India. When a depository company takes paper shares from an investor and converts them in electronic form through the concerned company, it is called Dematerialization of Shares. These converted Share Certificates in Electronic form are kept in a Demat Account by the Depository Company, like a bank keeps money in a deposit account. Investor can withdraw the shares or purchase more shares through this demat Account. Derivative Call (Put) Warrants: Warrants issued by a third party which grant the holder the right to buy (sell) the shares of a listed company at a specified price. Derivative Instrument: Financial instrument whose value depends on the value of another asset. Discount Bond: A bond selling below par, as interest in-lieu to the bondholders. Dishonour of Cheque: Non-payment of a cheque by the paying banker with a return memo giving reasons for the non-payment. Default Risk: The possibility that a bond issuer will default ie, fail to repay principal and interest in a timely manner. Diversification: The inclusion of a number of different investment vehicles in a portfolio in order to increase returns or be exposed to less risk. Duration: A measure of bond price volatility, it captures both price and reinvestment risks to indicate how a bond will react to different interest rate environments.
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Earnings: The total profits of a company after taxation and interest. Earnings per Share (EPS): The amount of annual earnings available to common stockholders as stated on a per share basis. Earnings Yield: The ratio of earnings to price (E/P). The reciprocal is price earnings ratio (P/E). E-Banking : E-Banking or electronic banking is a form of banking where funds are transferred through exchange of electronic signals between banks and financial institution and customers ATMs, Credit Cards, Debit Cards, International Cards, Internet Banking and new fund transfer devices like SWIFT, RTGS belong to this category. EFT - (Electronic Fund Transfer): EFT is a device to facilitate automatic transmission and processing of messages as well as funds from one bank branch to another bank branch and even from one branch of a bank to a branch of another bank. EFT allows transfer of funds electronically with debit and credit to relative accounts. Either or Survivor: Refers to operation of the account opened in two names with a bank. It means that any one of the account holders have powers to withdraw money from the account, issue cheques, give stop payment instructions etc. In the event of death of one of the account holder, the surviving account holder gets all the powers of operation. Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce): E-Commerce is the paperless commerce where the exchange of business takes place by Electronic means. Endorsement: When a Negotiable Instrument contains, on the back of the instrument an endorsement, signed by the holder or payee of an order instrument, transferring the title to the other person, it is called endorsement. Bouncing of a cheque: Where the name of the endorsee or transferee is not mentioned on the instrument. Endorsement in Full: Where the name of the endorsee or transferee appears on the instrument while making endorsement. Equity: Ownership of the company in the form of shares of common stock. Equity Call Warrants: Warrants issued by a company which give the holder the right to acquire new shares in that company at a specified price and for a specified period of time. Ex-dividend (XD): A security which no longer carries the right to the most recently declared dividend or the period of time between the announcement of the dividend and the payment (usually two days before the record date). For transactions during the exdividend period, the seller will receive the dividend, not the buyer. Ex-dividend status is usually indicated in newspapers with an (x) next to the stocks or unit trusts name. Execution of Documents: Execution of documents is done by putting signature of the person, or affixing his thumb impression or putting signature with stamp or affixing common seal of the company on the documents with or without signatures of directors as per articles of association of the company.
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Current MCQ Capsules

1. 2. Who among the following is appointed as the chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India? (1) Justice G.S. Singhvi (2) Justice D K Jain (3) Justice P. Sathasivam (4) Justice Aftab Alam Who among the following Indian is all set to join the prestigious international Satellite Hall of Fame? (1) S Veeraraghavan (2) U.R. Rao (3) Nageshwara Rao (4) Madhavan Nair Which among the following is the first state in India to establish India's first and unique cow sanctuary? (1) Karnataka (2) Uttar Pradesh (3) Bihar (4) Madhya Pradesh Which among the following State governments confer annual "Bhim Awards" on outstanding sports persons of the state? (1) Punjab (2) Haryana (3) Gujarat (4) Rajasthan Who among the following is the winner of the Tipperary International Peace Prize for 2012? (1) Aung San Suu Kyi (2) Hillary Clinton (3) Malala Yousafzai (4) Sonia Gandhi The 100th edition of the Indian Science Congress Association was held at? (1) Chandigarh (2) Chennai (3) Bhuwaneshwar (4) Kolkata Who among the following is the chairman of the 14th Finance Commission? (1) Shankar Acharya (2) Y. V. Reddy (3) Bimal Jalan (4) S.S. Tarapore 8. 9. 10. Maha Kumbh Mela, which is often described as the greatest show on earth globally is recently began at ? (1) Nashik (2) Prayag (3) Ujjain (4) Haridwar Which among the following countries has signed a bill to avert fiscal cliff in the country? (1) France (2) Germany (3) United States (4) Britain Which among the following cities is the host for the 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)? (1) Ahmedabad (2) Chandigarh (3) Kochi (4) Panaji Which among the following has won the Best Picture and Best Director Awards at the Golden Globe Awards 2013? (1) Lincoln (2) Argo (3) Zero Dark Thirty (4) Les Miserables Rajkeswur Purryag, Chief Guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2013, is the President of the? (1) Trinidad and Tobago (2) Mauritius (3) Fiji islands (4) East Timor Former President of which of the following countries has been sentenced for 50 years in Jail in case related to 'Blood Diamond'. (1) Sierra Leone (2) Liberia (3) Niger (4) Somalia The direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme, which started in 20 districts on ----------- on a pilot basis. (1) 1st January 2013 (2) 2nd January 2013 (3) 3rd December 2012 (4) 30th December 2012 15. Which among the following country will host the sixth World Future Energy Summit (WFES)? (1) Japan (2) United Arab Emirates (3) Kuwait (4) Denmark 16. The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) opened the countrys first Technology Innovation Research Centre in? (1) Surat (2) Mumbai (3) Gurgaon (4) Kolkata 17. Recently, in which among the following countries, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit is concluded with Sakhir Declaration? (1) Oman (2) Bahrain (3) Qatar (4) Kuwait 18. Who among the following was conferred the Lokmanya Tilak Rashtriya Patrakarita award instituted by the KesariMaharatta trust? (1) Vasant Kumar (2) Chandrashekar (3) Vinod Mehta (4) Rajiv Mishra 19. Which among the following committee is related with the issues and concerns in the Non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) sector? (1) Raghu Ram Committee (2) Usha Thorat Committee (3) Shome Committee (4) Tarapore Committee 20. Which among the following western countries military has intervened in the ongoing Mali conflict by sending it's troops to Mali? (1) Britain (2) France (3) United States (4) Germany 21. Comprehensive Annual and Total Checkup for Healthy (CATCH) is the scheme of? (1) Sikkim (2) Assam (3) Odisha (4) Gujarat
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22. Who among the following Indian-origin politician would become the first woman Speaker of Singapores Parliament? (1) Rajvindar Kaur (2) Shirley Hodges (3) Halimah Yacob (4) Sara Ege 23. Who among the following is the winner of the CEAT international cricketer of the year 2011-12 award? (1) Michael Clarke (2) Kumar Sangakkara (3) Virat Kohli (4) Hashim Amla 24. India on 18 September 2012 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in New Delhi, to establish an institutional framework for their ongoing cooperation in the field of election management and administration. What is the name of this country? (1)Egypt (2)South Africa (3)Turkey (4)Afghanistan 25. Who among the following is honoured with the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice for 2012? (1) Sreekumar (2) Arvind Kejriwal (3) Sanjiv Bhatt (4) Teesta Setalvad 26. Chief Justice of India (CJI) Inaugurated First Fast-Track Court for dealing with the crimes against females on 2 January 2013 in which of the following place ? (1) Delhi (2) Hyderabad (3) Mumbai (4) Chennai 27. Which among the following states is host of International Flower Show 2013, India's largest event on Flowers Exhibition? (1) Uttarakhand (2) Sikkim (3) Arunachal Pradesh (4) Himachal Pradesh 28. National Development Council (NDC) has approved the 12th Plan Document after scaling down the average annual growth target to how much percent for the five-year period? (1) 7.6 % (2) 7.8 % (3) 8 % (4) 8.2 % Which company has bagged the second phase of the MCA21, the e-governance initiative of the Corporate Affairs Ministry? (1) Cognizant (2) Infosys (3) Tata Consultancy Services (4) Wipro Which among the following is producing the P-8I Poseidon, a long-range maritime reconnaissance and antisubmarine warfare aircraft for Indian Navy? (1) Boeing (2) EADS (3) Lockheed Martin (4) Dassault In which among the following countries, the Bishwa Ijtema, the second largest congregation of the Muslims after the Hajj has concluded? (1) Indonesia (2) Bangladesh (3) Saudi Arab (4) Pakistan World's largest Coral reef is situated near? (1) Australia (2) Mexico (3) Indonesia (4) Canada World's longest high-speed rail line is located in? (1) United States of America (2) Russia (3) China (4) Australia The first airport in the country to use solar power for running its utility grid system is? (1) Cochin International Airport (2) Mumbai International Airport (3) Hyderabad International Airport (4) Bangalore International Airport Which among the following States has entered the Guinness World Record of the Largest Electric Guitar Ensemble surpassing England's record? (1) Assam (2) Nagaland (3) Bihar (4) Mizoram
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36. The 10th Knowledge Millennium Summit was inaugurated by President of India in? (1) New Delhi (2) Bangalore (3) Mumbai (4) Chennai 37. Bombay Jayashri, who is recently in news is a? (1) Environmentalist (2) Social activist (3) Carnatic vocalist (4) Journalist 38. Which state government has announced its plan of launching a Kanyadan Scheme for Bride participants of Mass Marriages ? (1) Haryana (2) Andhra Pradesh (3) Gujarat (4) Tamilnadu 39. Which among the following NGO prepares the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER)? (1) Vani Foundation (2) Smile Foundation (3) Asha Foundation (4) Pratham 40. Recently, which among the following panel has submitted a report on the design of future contracts for exploration and production of oil and gas in India? (1) Vijay Kelkar panel (2) Rangarajan panel (3) Patel panel (4) Mohan Kumar panel 41. Who among the following Indian-American is renominated by the US President Barack Obama as one of the federal judges? (1) Subrah Iyar (2) Preeta Bansal (3) Neal Katyal (4) Srikanth Srinivasan 42. Recently, who among the following has been appointed a deputy governor at the Reserve Bank of India, succeeding Subir Gokarn? (1) Urjit Patel (2) D.K. Mittal (3) Deepak Singhal (4) Vijay Chugh 43. According to data released by Ministry of Statistics and Plan
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Implementation, which state showed highest economic growth in the country. (1) Gujarat (2) Himachal Pradesh (3) Bihar (4) Maharashtra Third Arab Economic Summit 2013 was held in? (1) Dubai (2) Riyadh (3) Muscat (4) Kuwait City Who among the following is the first sportsperson to be awarded the honorary rank of Group Captain by the Indian Air Force? (1) Sachin Tendulkar (2) Mahendra Singh Dhoni (3) Kapil Dev (4) Sunil Gavaskar Recently, who among the following became the first Arab poet to win Tagore Peace Prize? (1) Salman Masalha (2) Khalil Mutran (3) Shihab Ganem (4) Ibn Juzayy The National Electric Mobility Mission Plan wants to realise the huge potential that exists for a full range of efficient and environment-friendly electric vehicle (including hybrid) technologies by? (1) 2015 (2) 2017 (3) 2020 (4) 2022 Recently, the President of India conferred the honorary rank of Suprabal Jana Sewa Shree of the Indian Army on Chief of the Army Staff of ? (1) Nepal (2) Bhutan (3) Sri Lanka (4) Bangladesh The Vice President of India visited one of the South East Asian countries on the occasion of celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Identify the country from the given options? (1) Thailand (2) Indonesia (3) Vietnam (4) Cambodia The Kachin ethnic rebels, who are recently in news are found in? (1) Bangladesh (2) Myanmar (3) Malaysia (4) Thailand Who among the following is the new chairman of the Tata Group? (1) B Muthuraman (2) Cyrus Mistry (3) Noel Tata (4) Ravi Kant Which among the following State government will launch Annaprasana an innovative programme devised to promote early initiation of breast feeding and providing complementary feeding to the infant after six months? (1) Odisha (2) Andhra Pradesh (3) Karnataka (4) Tamil nadu Who among the following is the head of the committee, which is recently set up to suggest measures for costcutting and optimal utilisation of assets of Air India? (1) Suresh Malhotra (2) Ravindra H. Dholakia (3) Nagendra Kumar (4) None of these Which among the following countries will launch the Mission Insight 2015 to find out whether organic compounds are present on Mars or not? (1) Japan (2) China (3) Russia (4) United States NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has completed first-time use of a brush (particular, the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer and the Mars Hand Lens Imager) it carries to sweep dust off Martian rocks. What is the name of chosen target is on a rock in the "Yellowknife Bay" area of mars Gale Crater? (1) Ekwir_0 (2) Ekwir_1 (3) Ekwir_2 (4) Ekwir_3 The Asias First Bio-Safety Level-IV Laboratory is established in? (1) Ahmedabad (2) Pune (3) Mysore (4) Kolkata
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57. The Advanced National Facility for Unstable and Rare Ion Beam (ANURIB) will come up in? (1) Mumbai (2) Chennai (3) Kolkata (4) Bangalore 58. India reached an understanding with ___to jointly work on infrastructure and housing projects in third countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Indonesia? (1) China (2) Malaysia (3) United States (4) Brazil 59. Who has received the "Tipperary International Peace Award 2012" ? (1) Binayak Sen (2) Dr Sima Samar (3) Hillary Clinton (4) Malala Yousafzai 60. The Web Ratna awards are constituted by ? (1) Infosys Technologies Limited (2) Yahoo! India (3) Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, India (4) Microsoft India 61. The Mahabrinda Natyam, a performance by 5,794 artistes, from 3- year-olds to the 65year-olds, bagged a coveted place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest ____dance? (1) Bharatanatyam (2) Kathakali (3) Kuchipudi (4) Odissi 62. The venue of Second International Buddhist Conclave? (1) Dharmasala (2) Madhrai (3) Varanasi (4) Amaravati 63. Which among the following month is observed as cervical cancer awareness month? (1) January (2) February (3) March (4) April 64. Recently, who among the following has won the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for a fourth year running? (1) Ronald Dinho (2) Andres Iniesta
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(3) Cristiano Ronaldo (4) Lionel Messi Which among the following State governments has launched the 'Atal Jyoti Abhiyan'? (1) Uttar Pradesh (2) Madhya Pradesh (3) Bihar (4) Rajasthan Which among the following countries does not have the technology to launch a missile carrying a nuclear warhead from under the water? (1) Germany (2) Russia (3) India (4) France Who among the following is the winner of the prestigious Aryabhatta award for 2011? (1) P. Kunhikrishnan (2) G. Satheesh Reddy (3) A.E. Muthunayagam (4) V.K. Saraswat Current chairman of the expert committee on HR Policy for eGovernance is? (1) Nandan Nilekani (2) Sam Pitroda (3) Anuj Kumar (4) S. Gopala Krishnan The Mahatma Gandhi Grameen Basti Yojna is a scheme of which stste government? (1) Punjab (2) Haryana (3) Bihar (4) Uttar Pradesh Which among the following countries has launched construction of world's first fourth generation nuclear reactor? (1) United States (2) Australia (3) France (4) China In which country, The United Nations ended its peacekeeping mission on 31 December 2012 and leaving the country without any direct security assistance for the first time. (1)East Timor (2)Netherland and New Guinea (3)Bosnia and Herzegovina (4)Croatia 72. As per the Economic Freedom of the States of India 2012 report, which among the following has topped the list of 20 large states in terms of economic freedom, governance and inclusive growth? (1) Bihar (2) Gujarat (3) Maharashtra (4) Tamil Nadu 73. Recently, the government has increased the ceiling for foreign direct investment (FDI) in asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) to which per cent? (1) 30 % (2) 49 % (3) 51 % (4) 74 % 74. Which among the following States has been selected for the Krishi Karman Award for its best performance in the increase in foodgrain production during 2010-11? (1) West Bengal (2) Arunachal Pradesh (3) Odisha (4) Bihar 75. Which among the following countries has became first country in Asia to order chemical castration of child rapist? (1) China (2) South Korea (3) Indonesia (4) Japan 76. 'Mukhyamantri Yuva Swarojgar Yojna' to motivate the youth to go for selfemployment, is a scheme of? (1) Uttar Pradesh (2) Madhya Pradesh (3) Bihar (4) Rajasthan 77. MS Gopalakrishnan, who recently passed away was a renowned? (1) Tabla Maestro (2) Violin Maestro (3) Sitar Maestro (4) Flute Maestro 78. According to the recently released Census Data on Female Headed House holds, what fraction of total households in the country, are headed by women?
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(1) 8 % (2) 11 % (3) 15 % (4) 19 % Which among the following is the largest, oldest and most stable sub-glacial lake yet discovered on Earth? (1) Lake Ellsworth (2) Lake Vostok (3) Lake Hodgson (4) Lake Untersee The 10th meeting of the IndiaKazakhstan Inter-Govern mental Commission (IGC) on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological, Industrial and Cultural was held during 8-9 January 2013 in New Delhi. How many sectors have been took place in this discussion? (1) 18 (2) 19 (3) 20 (4) 21 Recently, which among the following countries has honoured Malala Yousafzai with Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Womens' Freedom? (1) Spain (2) Brazil (3) France (4) Bolivia The International CES (Consumer Electronics Show), which is a world's largest electronics trade show held each January in? (1) Japan (2) United States (3) United Arab Emirates (4) Germany As per the Census 2011, what is the number of urban agglomerations in India with a population of 1 million or more? (1) 38 (2) 53 (3) 72 (4) 76 Recently, which among the following State Assembly has celebrated the 125th year of the state legislature? (1) Uttar Pradesh (2) Gujarat (3) West Bengal (4) Tamil Nadu For cooperation in which of the following fields, India and Egypt has signed an MoU recently? (1) Coastal Zone Security and Management (2) Electoral Management and administration
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(3) Border Area Defence and Management. (4) Disaster Management and Relief Which among the following States has emerged as the fastest growing state in the country with GDP figure of 10.9 per cent between 2006 and 2010? (1) Gujarat (2) Bihar (3) Uttar Pradesh (4) Maharashtra World's highest altitude swimming race recently kicked off in? (1) India (2) China (3) Sweden (4) Nepal Which among the following countries has the largest recoverable resources of Shale gas? (1) China (2) United States (3) Argentina (3) Mexico "Jeevandan Project," an organ transplantation programme is a project of? (1) Karnataka (2) Andhra Pradesh (3) Tamil Nadu (4) Odisha Who among the following was popularly known as the Bronze Woman of India? (1) Saroja Mehta (2) Deepika Kumari (3) Saraswati (4) Jasu Shilpi Pandit Ram Sanehi Shukla, who recently passed away was a well-known? (1) Painter (2) Freedom fighter (3) Journalist (4) Historian Recently, which among the following has released the report titled 'Greening Rural Development in India'? (1) Ministry of Rural Development, India (2) Ministry of Environment & Forests, India (3) United Nations Environment Programme (4) Centre for Environment Education Which among the following states is introducing a rural administrative service with 30 per cent of the jobs so created will be reserved for rural based candidates? (1) Bihar (2) Odisha (3) Assam (4) Gujarat Who among the following is the winner of the prestigious Jnanpith Award for the year 2011? (1) Surendra Mohanty (2) Kanhu Charan Mohanty (3) Pratibha Ray (4) Gopinath Mohanty The world's oldest under ground passenger railway, which celebrated it's 150th anniversary recently is located in? (1) Germany (2) United States (3) Britain (4) France Which among the following States would be the first in the country to pay unemployment allowance under the MGNREGS? (1) Bihar (2) Andhra Pradesh (3) Tamil Nadu (4) West Bengal Consider the following statements?
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1. BRICS countries represent about 43% of the world's population. 2. In India reduction in annual new HIV infections by around 57% over the last decade. Correct statement is/are? (1) Only 1 (2) Only 2 (3) Both 1 and 2 (4) None of the above 98. Which among the following cities has recently hosted the 4th World Telugu Conference ? (1) Hyderabad (2) Vijayawada (3) Visakhapatnam (4) Tirupati 99. INS Tarkash, a stealth frigate that recently joined the Western fleet is built with the help of? (1) United States (2) France (3) Israel (4) Russia 100. Which among the following State governments in India has decided to observe the year 2013 as Information Technology Empowerment Year? (1) Tamil Nadu (2) Uttar Pradesh (3) Madhya Pradesh (4) Gujarat
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1. 2 6. 4 11. 2 16. 3 21. 1 26. 1 31. 2 36. 1 41. 4 46. 3 51. 2 56. 2 61. 3 66. 1 71. 1 76. 2 81. 3 86. 2 91. 2 96. 2 2. 2 7. 2 12. 2 17. 2 22. 3 27. 2 32. 1 37. 3 42. 1 47. 3 52. 1 57. 3 62. 3 67. 4 72. 2 77. 2 82. 2 87. 2 92. 1 97. 3 3. 4 8. 2 13. 2 18. 3 23. 3 28. 3 33. 3 38. 1 43. 3 48. 1 53. 2 58. 2 63. 1 68. 1 73. 4 78. 2 83. 2 88. 1 93. 3 98. 4 4. 2 5. 3 9. 3 10. 3 14. 1 15. 2 19. 2 20. 2 24. 1 25. 3 29. 2 30. 1 34. 1 35. 2 39. 4 40. 2 44. 2 45. 1 49. 3 50. 2 54. 4 55. 2 59. 4 60. 3 64. 4 65. 2 69. 2 70. 1 74. 2 75. 2 79. 2 80. 3 84. 1 85. 2 89. 2 90. 4 94. 3 95. 3 99. 4 100. 3
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CONTENTS

Current News & Events

Honours & Awards

China confers top science award on C N R Rao

Current News & Events

Taiwanese Business Magnate Launches Asias NobelType Prizes

21. 22. 23. 24.

Nayudamma award for Lalji Singh

National Communal Harmony Award 2012

L.N. Tallur wins Skoda Art Prize 2012

Current News & Events

Allan Border Medal 2013

70th annual Golden Globe Awards 2013

Indian-American scientist honoured by Obama

U.R. Rao to join Satellite Hall of Fame

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Anupam Kher Awarded With City Proclamation Award in Los Angeles

Padma Awards 2013

Surender Mohan Conferred With the CEO with HR Orientation Award

About the TED Prize:

Vishwaroop, CEO of NSPCL Conferred With the Exemplary Leader Award

About Sugata Mitra:

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R.K. Dubey is Canara Bank CMD

Rajnath Singh is new BJP President

Justice Y Bhaskar Rao sworn in as new Lokayukta of Karnataka

P.R. Vasudeva Rao Appointed As the Director of the IGCAR

Halimah Yacob Became First Woman Speaker of the Singapore Parliament

Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty Appointed As the Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi

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Urvashi Dholakia wins Bigg Boss 6

Ratan Tata elected to National Academy of Engineering

Afzal Guru hanged, buried in Tihar jail

Barack Obama Nominated Sally Jewell as the U.S. Interior Secretary

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Usha Mehra Commission:

Justice Verma Committee report on reform in antirape laws

Mukul Mudgal Committee

JBY & AABY has merged

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Worlds first complete bionic man named Rex

Japan launches 2 intelligence satellites

Indian Institute of Astrophysics to Develop Worlds Largest Solar Telescope

First-ever Original Song Written and Recorded in Space

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Russia plans unmanned moon mission in 2015

India successfully testfires underwater missile

Spaceplane Successfully Completed Flight Test

Aero India-2013 begins in Bengaluru

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India and China hold Third Annual Defence Dialogue

ALH Mk-IV Rudra handed over to Army

N.A.K. Browne inaugurated a Medium Lift Helicopter Complex at Phalodi

Commissioning of Indian Coast Guard Ship Rajratan

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Sixth World Cup triumph for Australia

Sachin Tendulkar equaled Sunil Gavaskars record of 81 Centuries

Centuries of Sachin in first class cricket:

Bryans win record 13th Grand Slam doubles title

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ISRO's PSLV-C20 Rocket Successfully Launched

About Indira Awaas Yojana:

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