May 2013 Current Affairs

MAY 2013 CURRENT AFFAIRS {Part I}
murugesansenthil.blogspot.com
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CONTENTS
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01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
Topic
Awards / Honours.
Committee/Education/Surveys
Persons in News/Defence
Science & Technology
Economics / Business.
India (States scan/Cabinet/Court)
World
Bilateral issues
Sports.
SAARC meet on child labour
Page No
005-012
013-018
019-026
027-038
039-047
050-094
095-111
112-128
129-138
139
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Important Days in the month of May:May 01
May 03
May 04
May 08
May 09
May 11
May 12
May 15
May 17
May 21
May 24
May 25
May 29
May 31
May First Sunday
May First Tuesday
May Second Sunday
International Labourers Day

World Press Freedom Day
Coal Miners Day
World Red Cross Day
World Thalassaemia Day
National Technology Day
World Hypertension Day
International Nurses Day
International Day of the Family
World Telecommunication Day
Anti-terrorism Day
Commonwealth Day
World Thyroid Day
International Mount Everest Day (designated by Nepal)
Anti-Tobacco Day
World Laughter Day
World Asthma Day
Mothers Day
WHO SAID WHAT?

I have been apolitical all my life and do not see why I should change into a
political person
- Mr. Vinod Rai (former CAG)
Sri Lankan issue was at worst an internal strife, while the J&K situation was
external aggression sponsored by Pakistan and the two were completely
different
- Mr. Yashwant Sinha (BJP Leader)
Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh is a victim of dual-power centre in
Congress
- Mr. Arun Jaitely
(Leader of Opposition, RS)
The Union governments style of handling the issue of Chinese incursion into
Ladakh has pictured India as a weak nation
- Mr. Arun Jaitely
(Leader of Opposition, RS)
OBCs are foos and Brahmins are intelligent
- Mr. Beni Prasad Verma
(Union Steel Minister)
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Books and Authors:

Book
Bitter Wormwood
Difficult Pleasures
Indias Borderland Disputes China,
Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal
My Journey Memories
Em and the Big Hoom
Ravan and Eddie
Author
Easterine Kire
Anjum Hasan
Amma Orton
V. Shanta
Jerry Pinto
Kiran Nagarkar
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MAY 2013 CURRENT AFFAIRS

SECTION I
Man Booker International Prize 2013
Green Oscar Award
National Technology Award 2013
Cannes Film Festival 2013
AWARDS / HONOURS
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Man Booker International Prize 2013
American writer Lydia Davis won the prestigious Man Booker
International Prize 2013. The New York based writer-translator bagged the
60, 000 prize for her innovative and influential writing which includes work
such as The End of the Story and Varieties of Disturbances
Indias connection in 2013 prize:- Well known Kannada author U. R.
Ananthamurthy, was the only Indian to be shortlisted for the Man Booker
International Prize 2013.
Nominees: U R Ananthamurthy (India)
Aharon Appelfeld (Israel)
Lydia Davis (USA)
Intizar Husain (Pakistan)
Yan Lianke (China)
Marie NDiaye (France)
Josip Novakovich (Canada)
Marilynne Robinson (USA)
Vladimir Sorokin (Russia)
Peter Stamm (Switzerland)
Marilynne Robinson was the only writer out of the ten nominees who has
been nominated for the prize before.
About Man Booker International Prize:The Man Booker International Prize is a biennial international literary
award given to a living author of any nationality for a body of work published
in English or generally available in English translation. The introduction of
the International Prize was announced in June 2004. The award, which is
sponsored by the Man Group, complements the Man Booker Prize and
rewards one author's continued creativity, development and overall
contribution to fiction on the world stage. Therefore the award is a recognition
of the writer's body of work, rather than any one title. The judges for the year
compile their own lists of authors and submissions are not invited.
While the Man Booker Prize is only open to writers from the
Commonwealth, Ireland and Zimbabwe, the International Prize is open to
all nationalities. The award is worth 60,000 and an author can only win
once. The Man Booker International prize also allows for a separate award for
translation. The winning author can choose a translator of their work into
English to receive a prize sum of 15,000. A similar prize to the Man Booker
International Prize is the Neustadt International Prize for Literature which is
like the Man Booker International Prize awarded biennially. In contrast, the
Nobel Prize in Literature, the International Dublin Literary Award, and the
Franz Kafka Prize are each awarded annually.
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Winners so far:Year
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
Winner
Ismail Kadare
Chinua Achebe
Alice Munro
Philip Roth
Lydia Davis
Country
Albania
Nigeria
Canada
USA
USA
Language
Albanian
English
English
English
English
Green Oscar Award

India's hornbill conservator Aparajita Datta has won a 'Green Oscar':
the Whitley award. Princess Royal Anne, daughter of the UK's Queen
Elizabeth, presented the Whitley award, an international nature conservation
prize, to Datta at a ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society in London in
honour of the latter's work to protect threatened hornbills in the forests of
Arunachal Pradesh.
Nagaur Fort shortlisted for Aga Khan Award
Soon after six hill forts in Rajasthan were nominated for UNESCOs
World Heritage List, the architectural heritage of the State received yet
another recognition as the 12th century Ahhichatragarh Fort of Nagaur was
shortlisted for the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
The rehabilitation project of the 12th century monument was among
the 20 architectural projects, spread across 16 countries, shortlisted from 800
entries for this years edition of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture
(AKAA), announced at the Palacio das Necessidades (the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs) in Lisbon, Portugal.
The shortlist features a wide range of architectural projects from a
modern high-rise apartment block to the revival of traditional building
techniques located in Afghanistan, Austria, China, India, Indonesia, Iran,
Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan,
Syria, Thailand and Yemen. The US$ 1 million award selects projects not only
for their architectural excellence but also for their potential to improve the
overall quality of life.
According to the AKAA website, the rehabilitation of the
Ahhichatragarh fort, built by Muslim rulers in the 12th century, has adhered
to the principles of minimum intervention. Materials and construction
methods of an earlier era were rediscovered, paintings and architectural
features conserved, and the historic pattern of access through seven successive
gates re-created, notes the website. It particularly recognises the finding and
restoration of the intricate water system within the fort, observing how 90
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fountains are now running in the gardens and buildings, where none were
functional at the projects outset. From housing several government offices
and a Border Security Force base, the fort has come a long way to its present
restored phase.
About the award:The award was established by Aga Khan IV, an international business
magnate and the 49th Imam of Nizari Ismailism, in 1977 to identify and
encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and
aspirations of communities in which Muslims have a significant presence.
The Award recognises examples of architectural excellence in the fields of
contemporary design, social housing, community improvement and
development, historic preservation, reuse and area conservation, as well as
landscape design and improvement of the environment.
National Technology Award-2013
President, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee presented the National Technology
Award for 2013 to
Messrs Biovet Private Limited, a firm based in Kolar, Karnataka,
for the successful commercialisation of vaccines for two
important diseases that afflict animals. The technology was
provided by the Indian Veterinary Research Institute at
Izzatnagar, Uttar Pradesh.
The National Award for best technology commercialisation by a
small scale unit went to Pyrodynamics of Bangalore. The second
award in the category went to Messrs Accurate Gauging and
Instruments Private Limited of Pune.
In addition, the President presented awards to Kongu Engineering
College, Perundurai in Tamil Nadu, K.M. Shankar of Karnataka Veterinary,
Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, Bidar, R.K. Vijh and his team from
the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources Karnal, and Samir Kumar
of West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences for their
contribution in the development and commercialisation of various innovative
biotechnology products.
Manjima Chatterjee
The Hindu MetroPlus Playwright Award 2013 goes to Manjima
Chatterjee for her The Mountain of Bones. Instituted by The Hindu in 2008, the
annual award carries a prize of Rs. 1 lakh for the best unpublished and
unperformed play script in English. The Mountain of Bones was selected from
around 50 entries received from all over the country.
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Ms. Chatterjee, who teaches theatre at the Shiv Nadar School at
NOIDA near Delhi, has written a number of plays that have been shortlisted
and commended in playwriting competitions. In 2010, her play Limbo was
shortlisted for The Hindu MetroPlus Playwright Award. The jury of the BBC
International Radio Playwriting Competition commended her play The Baby
Shower in 2011 and shortlisted another (Two Men on a Tree) last year.
Earlier, a panel of three distinguished judges had longlisted nine plays,
of which three were shortlisted. The other two shortlisted entries were
Deepika Arwinds Nobody Sleeps Alone and Akash Mohimens Under the
Chestnut Tree.
Indian-American wins National Geographic Bee
Indian-American Sathwik Karnik (12) has won the prestigious National
Geographic Bee contest after getting all five questions right as the children of
community members continue to dominate the geography bee and the spelling
bee competitions in the U.S. To clinch the title, Karnik correctly named
Chimborazo as the mountain in Ecuador that represents the farthest point
from the Earths centre.
Karnik, whose parents emigrated to the U.S. as software professionals
from Karnataka, got all five questions right in his one-on-one contest with
Conrad Oberhaus (13), the runner-up. Karnik, a native of Norfolk, south of
Boston, is a 7th grader at King Philip Regional Middle School.
The national competition this time round turned out to be dominated
by the Indian-Americans even as in the finals held in Washington, eight of the
10 finalists, who competed among the four million participants for the
competition, were Indian-Americans.
RedInk Lifetime Achievement Award 2013
Former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu Mr. N. Ram and veteran authorjournalist-activist Kuldip Nayar were honoured with the prestigious RedInk
Lifetime Achievement Award for 2013 for a career dedicated to good
journalism by the Press Club of Mumbai.
Later, in a panel debate, Keeping the media free and fair, moderated
by television anchor Arnab Goswami, Mr. Ram said the media in India faced
a daily threat from a judiciary seeking to encroach on them through laws such
as criminal defamation and contempt of court. Mr. Ram also expressed his
doubts on the fairness of the media not only in a developing country like India
but also in developed western countries like the U.K. and the United States.
He said the phenomenon of paid news, coupled with hypercommercialisation and the control that proprietors exerted over content,
detracted from a healthy state of affairs within the media. Editorialising in the
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guise of news has become a vice not only in the Indian press but also in the
press abroad, and the reporter in the field [is] compelled to editorialise. In the
process, the standards of journalism have been affected.
Cannes Film Festival 2013; Lesbian love story wins best film
An audacious lesbian love story, Blue is the Warmest Colour by FrenchTunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche, won the top prize at the Cannes Film
Festival in a watershed year for gay rights. An all-star jury at cinemas top
showcase led this year by Hollywood director Steven Spielberg crowned the
graphically erotic coming-of-age story set in France. The award came on the
day of a major demonstration in Paris against a new law making France the
14th country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage.
The 66th annual Cannes Film Festival took place in Cannes, France,
from 15 to 26 May 2013.
Steven Spielberg was the head of the jury for the main
competition.
The New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of
the jury for the Cinfondation and Short Film sections.
The French actress Audrey Tautou hosted the opening and
closing ceremonies.
The festival opened with The Great Gatsby, directed by Baz Luhrmann
and closed with Zulu, directed by Jrme Salle. The French film Blue Is the
Warmest Colour won the Palme d'Or. In an unprecedented move, the Jury
decided to take "the exceptional step" of awarding the film's two main
actresses with the Palme d'Or along with the director.
Awards:Award Name
-------
Grandd Prix
Production
Countries
Blue is the warmest France
colour
Inside Llewyn Davis
USA
Best Director
Best Screenplay
Best Actor (M)
Best Actor (F)
Jury Prize
Heli
A touch of Sin
Nebraska
The Past
Like Father, Like Son
------Jia Zhangke
Bruce Dern
Berenice Bejo
--------
Palme dOr
Film (titles in English)
Mexico
China
USA
France
Japan
Winner
------
Directed by
Abdellatif
Kechiche
Ethan Coen, Joel
Coen
Amat Escalante
Jia Zhangke
Alexander Payne
Asghar Farhadi
Kore-eda
Hirokazu
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PM presents Padma Shri to Japanese Scholar

In a rare gesture, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented Padma
Shri to eminent Japanese Tamil language scholar Noboru Karashima for his
outstanding contribution in
the field of literature and
education. The 80-year-old
Mr. Karashima could not be
present for the Padma
awards ceremony in New
Delhi on April 5, 2013 due to
health reasons. The awards
were given by President
Pranab
Mukherjee
at
Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Mr.
Karashima,
presently Professor Emeritus
at the University of Tokyo,
had spent several years in
India as a research scholar
on South Indian history and epigraphy at the University of Madras. Besides
amazing people with the ease with which he speaks Tamil, Mr. Karashima is
also an acknowledged authority on medieval South Indian inscriptions.
The citation read that Mr. Karashima joined the University of Tokyo
faculty in 1964 and occupied the prestigious Chair of South Asian History at
the university in 1974, which he held for 20 years. The scholar received a
standing ovation as he received the award from the Prime Minister.
Aryabhatta Award 2011, 2012

DRDO Director General V.K. Saraswat and space propulsion veteran
A.E. Muthunayagam was conferred the Aryabhatta lifetime awards for 2011
and 2010.
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SECTION II
Arvind Mayaram Committee
Raghuram Rajan Panel
COMMITTEE / EDUCATION /
SURVEYS
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Committee to define FDI and FII
The Government has constituted a four-member committee headed by
Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram for giving clear definitions to
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Foreign Institutional Investment (FII),
with an aim to remove ambiguity over the two types of foreign investments.
The DIPP Secretary, an RBI Deputy Governor and a SEBI Whole-time
Member are the other members of the high power committee. It will take
about two-and-a-half months to come out with the report.
Mr. Mayaram told that, there is a lot of confusion in the mind of
foreign investors because there is no distinction between FDI and FII The
committee has been constituted pursuant to the budget announcements by the
Finance Minister. It will simplify definition as to what constitutes FII and
what constitutes FDI. He, however, clarified that the panel would look at the
definition of FDI and FII and not the foreign investment caps in different
sectors.
At present, if an investor has a stake of 10 per cent or less in a
company, the investment is treated as foreign institutional investment. If an
investor has a stake of more than 10 per cent, it is treated as foreign direct
investment.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram, in his Budget speech, had proposed
to follow the international practice with regard to defining FDI and FII. The
committee would be constituted to examine the application of the principle
and to work out the details expeditiously.
Panel to decide on backwardness of states
Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram said that a high level subcommittee would be formed soon to revisit the criteria for deciding
backwardness. The sub-committee to be headed by Prime Minister's
Economic Advisor Raghuram Rajan would be told to submit the report in a
month's time to decide which state qualifies, Chidambaram told reporters.
Asked about the chance of Bihar being on the list, the Union minister
said, "Bihar will certainly qualify (on the new criteria of backwardness)."
Chidambaram, who in his Budget speech had favoured changing criteria for
deciding backwardness of a state for the purpose of giving special status, said
things are well on the move.
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Panel probing Walmart lobbying submits report
A committee looking into U.S. giant Walmarts lobbying activities to
enter India submitted its report to Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot.
Former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Mukul Mudgal, who
headed the panel set up to look into lobbying activities in contravention of any
Indian law and any other matter relevant to this issue by Walmart, submitted
the report to Mr. Pilot. No details of the report were immediately available.
There was political uproar following reports about Walmarts lobbying
among the U.S. lawmakers since 2008 for facilitating its entry into the Indian
market. The government in December, 2012, had assured Parliament to get
the matter probed by a retired judge.
Gender sensitivity may soon be mandatory for univ jobs
Soon, knowledge of gender sensitive issues may be mandatory for a job
in a university. A 10-member Task Force set up by the University Grants
Commission (UGC) to recommend measures to ensure the safety of women
on campuses in the country will explore varied aspects including evolving new
additional eligibility criteria for teaching and non-teaching job aspirants.
The Task Force headed by UGC Member Meenakshi Gopinath will
among other things suggest how awareness of gender sensitive issues be
made an essential eligibility criteria in the future recruitment of university staff
both teaching as well as non-teaching. The Task Force will additional suggest
how gender education and sensitisation can be made an integral part of the
university curriculum in all subject domains.
In an official order issued recently, UGC deputy director R C Kandera
said the Task Force will also analyse and assess the extent to which the
existing arrangements for safety of women, both students and staff, and youth
in general, are adequate on the campuses.
The experts will also identify shortcomings in the existing system and
suggest measures to put in place strong safeguards. They will also evaluate
grievance redressal mechanism for gender specific concerns and suggest
measures to strengthen them. Besides, they would suggest academic measures
and action programmes to bring about changes in practices and attitudes
within society for recognising the fundamental right.
Indian, Chinese varsities sign agreement
The Beijing Institute of Technology, a government-run research
university known for its work on Chinas space programme, signed a first of its
kind Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Karnataka-based Manipal
University paving the way for closer collaboration on joint research projects.
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The MoU says both universities will take forward exchanges of students
and faculty, and issue dual degrees. They will also undertake cooperative
research and development activities.
Manipal University, also sign an MoU with BITs sister university, the
Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in southern Jiangsu
province. Both universities have ties to Chinas space programme, and also
run research and development programmes related to defence projects.
BIT has a research budget in the range of $500 million, and is among
the top five Chinese universities in terms of allocations it receives. Unlike
other universities, it is run by the Ministry of Industry and Information
Technology, and not the Education Ministry.
Fulbright fellowships tripled after India started funding
The number of Fulbright fellowships offered to applicants from India
and scholars from the U.S. coming to the country tripled after the Union
government started funding the programme, Adam J. Grotsky the Executive
Director of the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) said.
In 2008, the government of India became a full partner of the
programme as a part of a new agreement between the two countries and the
Fulbright-Nehru fellowships were introduced. The very next year saw a
doubling in the size of the programme and later the figures tripled, Mr.
Grotsky said on the sidelines of an orientation programme organised for
Fulbright scholars who will be travelling to the U.S. in the coming academic
year.
In the 2008-09 academic year the last year that the programme was
completely funded by the U.S. authorities 46 applicants from the U.S.
travelled to India and 41 Indian scholars had gone there. In the coming
academic session, fellowships were offered to 150 scholars in the U.S. and 131
Indians, he added.
FULBRIGHT SLOTS UP
American
Scholars Indian Scholars going to U.S.
coming to India
2008-09
46
41
2009-10
90
71
2010-11
131
119
2011-12
156
138
2012-13
173
150
2013-14
150
131
47% of grantees in 2013-14 are women
14% are form Environmental Studies and Sciences and 7% are from
Public Health this year
While the bulk of Fulbright grantees were from humanities and social
sciences till 2008, 27% of Fulbright-Nehru Fellows, 2013-14, are from ST
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According to the USIEF data, 27 percent of the Fulbright-Nehru
Fellows this year were from Science and Technology, 14 percent from
Environmental studies and sciences and seven percent from Public Health.
Mr. Grotsky said the organisation was trying to address the issue and started
an outreach programme to create awareness about the scholarships in the tierII and tier-III cities in India. USIEF made a big push in the north-east as
well as other towns. Of the 131 Fulbright-Nehru fellows from India, five were
from the north-eastern States.
Assam kids spend just over 2 hours at primary school
Students in government schools in Assam study only for two-and-a-half
hours every day at the primary level compared to five-and-a-half to six-and-ahalf hours in the rest of the country. Similarly, the total number of working
days in primary schools each year is 180 in Nagaland and Manipur and a
maximum of 253 in Bihar and Jharkhand with lower than average literacy
rates.
But in most other States and Union Territories (UT), the working days
are between 201 and 220, a study conducted by the National Council of
Educational Research and Training has revealed. The figures do not change
substantially at the upper primary and secondary level.
The national study reviewed the implementation of the 10-year school
curriculum, looking into the school system of different States and UT
focussing on the structure of different school stages, agencies for curriculum
construction, nomenclature of different subjects, approaches of teaching them,
periods allotted, time given for annual examination, and mechanism for
evaluation of curriculum.
States/UT
Madhya Pradesh
Andaman & Nicobar
Uttarakhand
Goa
Tripura
Himachal Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Weekly Teaching periods

19
48
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State/UT
Arunachal Pradesh
Goa
Maharashtra
Nagaland
West Bengal
Andhra Pradesh
Bihar
Kerala
Puducherry
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Jharkhand
Jammu & Kashmir
Punjab
Duration of a class
35 minutes
45 minutes
Research studies need

to be conducted to see the
effectiveness of variations in
terms of number of working
days, weekly periods, duration
of periods, number of recess
periods on learning outcomes
and a research study needs to
be undertaken to know the
status of co-scholastic areas in
actual practice, the study
recommends.
The nomenclature of
science is general science in
five States/ UTs
and
environmental studies in the
remaining 23 States/UTs.
3
The integrated approach is
followed in the teaching of
environmental studies in 29
States/UTs. Periods allotted
per week for teaching the
mother tongue in Class V
is a minimum of three in
Nagaland and a maximum
of 13 in Maharashtra.
English has been introduced in all States/UTs in Class I with weekly
periods in Class V being a maximum of eight in Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, Assam, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and Himachal
Pradesh and a minimum of three in Uttar Pradesh. The study suggests it
should be ascertained, based on research, in which class English language
should be introduced for optimal gains.
Weekly periods for teaching mathematics in Class V is the highest at 12
in Andhra Pradesh and lowest (5) in Kerala, Meghalaya, Mizoram and
Nagaland. Moral science is taught as a separate subject in all States.
State/UT
Lakshadweep
Tamil Nadu
Sikkim
Andhra Pradesh
Gujarat
Kerala
Maharashtra
Dadra & Nagra Haveli
Mizoram
Chhattisgarh
Madhya Pradesh
Daman & Diu
No of recess period
2
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SECTION III
Ruth Praveer Jhabvala
Mukesh Ambani
Shashi Kant Shrama
Srikanth Sriniasan
T. M. Soundarajan
PERSONS IN NEWS / DEFENCE
Thanjavur air base

Brahmos
Spy school
ISRO Navigation Centre (INC)
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RaviKumar Ponoth
For the first time in its 47-year history, the Border Security Force (BSF)
has appointed a non-IPS officer as its commander for the eastern theatre
which guards the Indo-Bangladesh border. The 1975-batch BSF cadre officer,
Ravi Kumar Ponoth, has been promoted and appointed as the new Additional
Director General (ADG) for the forces' eastern theatre which is tasked to
guard the 4,096-km Indo-Bangladesh border.
The post of ADG is usually occupied by an IPS officer and the cadre
officers of the paramilitary rarely get an opportunity to head this top post. The
incumbent of this post, IPS officer B D Sharma, has been transferred to the
BSF headquarters. Ponoth, till now served as Inspector General (IG) of the
BSF South Bengal frontier.
Ruth Praveer Jhabvala
German-born screenwriter and novelist Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, the only
author to win both an Oscar and a Booker prize and lived in Delhi for 25
years, died. Ruth(85), married to an Indian Parsi architect, Cyrus H Jhabvala,
had a long association with Merchant Ivory Productions which yielded her
two Academy Awards for her work on the films 'A Room with a View' and
'Howards End', both adapted from Edwardian-era novels by E.M Forster.
Born into a Jewish family in Cologne, she breathed her last at her home
in Manhattan after a long illness.
India was the inspiration for many of her stories, including her eighth
novel 'Heat and Dust', which won her the Booker in 1975. Merchant Ivory's
1983 film based on the novel, which starred Shashi Kapoor, marked their
breakthrough from art-house exclusivity to popular success. Ruth wrote 19
novels and short-story collections that reflected the cultures she absorbed on
three continents during her half-century career.
The family fled Adolf Hitler in 1939, when Ruth was 12 and she
became a British citizen in 1948. She married Jhabvala in 1951 and moved
with him to Delhi.
Mukesh Ambani Z plus security cover
Amid reports of threat to Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman Mukesh
Ambani from banned terrorist organisation, Indian Mujahideen (IM), the
Centre has decided to give the business tycoon Z security cover.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently approved the second
highest security cover for Mr. Ambani. He will be guarded by the Central
Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandos and escorted by pilot and follow-on
vehicles. This is probably the first time that a private person will be given
security cover akin to prominent political leaders. In the recent past, Mr.
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Ambani has reportedly received threats from IM for his proximity to Gujarat
Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
Under the Z security cover, Mr. Ambani will be surrounded by over
20 commandos and personnel armed with sophisticated weapons. Apart from
the Mumbai police that had recently done a review of Mr. Ambanis security
after his office received the threat letter, Central intelligence agencies also
made an evaluation before deciding to deploy CRPF to guard him.
Shashi Kant Sharma
Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma was named as the new
Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). The 1976 Bihar cadre
officer will succeed Vinod Rai, who superannuates after five and a half years
of eventful tenure as the head of the
Constitutional financial watchdog.
The Finance Ministry said in a statement
that, the President of India has appointed Shashi
Kant Sharma, IAS, as the Comptroller and
Auditor General of India, in terms of Article 148
(1) of the Constitution of India. Mr. Sharma,
who holds a masters degree in political science
from the University of York, will be taking over
charge of the CAG from May 23, 2013. He was administered the oath of office
by President Pranab Mukherjee. Like Mr. Rai, Mr. Sharma too has served as
Secretary in the Department of Financial Services.
The CAG is appointed for a term of six years or till the incumbent
attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. CAG audit reports on 2G
spectrum and coal block allocations during Rais tenure triggered a number of
controversies and raised the hackles of the government, besides bringing in the
concept of presumptive loss in audit.
Tashi and Nancy Malik
Two 21-year-old Indian sisters have made history, becoming the first
twins ever to conquer Mount Everest. Tashi and Nancy Malik from Dehra
Dun brought off the feat by successfully reaching the worlds highest peak at
8,848 metres, an official of Nepals Ministry of Tourism and Culture said. The
duo was among the other record-makers, including the first women from
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan who climbed the mountain.
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Angelina Jolie double mastectomy
Angelina Jolie did not start a
trend in the United States; probably,
she is the most prominent person to
have asked for a double breast
removal after doctors found an
abnormal BRCA1 gene in her.
Women in that country have done it
before her.
In India, however, struggling to
cope with spreading awareness of
detecting cancer early, it is quite likely
that the Hollywood star has actually
brought the concept of preventive
mastectomies into the consciousness
of substantive members of the public.
Dr. V. Shanta, chairperson, Adyar
Cancer Institute said that, BRCA 1
and BRCA 2 testing itself is not
common in the country. Naturally, it
follows that very, very few people
actually demand protective breast
removal on detection of the mutant
gene.
BRCA 1 testing could be part
of a genetic counselling package for
those who have a history of cancer in
the family. According to Selvi
Radhakrishnan,
consultant
oncoplastic breast surgeon, Chennai
Breast Centre, easily, testing for
BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 is done neither
widely nor systematically, in India.
Apart from the Adyar Cancer
Institute, Tata Memorial Hospital in
Mumbai does a lot of work on the
BRCA 1/2 play in breast cancer, says
Dr. Selvi.
The
absence
of
any
epidemiological data on BRCA
- 22 -

positives means there is no data yet for the country, unlike in the U.S. and the
U.K., where certain populations have been identified as high risk. Genetic
testing is done rather routinely for them.
If living in the U.S. or U.K., it is done routinely as part of the package
and is covered under insurance. In India, a single test costs upward of Rs.
50,000, and very few have any awareness of the possibility. The only
protective bilateral breast removals Dr. Selvi has done involved patients who
already had cancer in one breast, and they were pretty young. The other
option to removing the breast, after an abnormal BRCA gene is found, is
periodic counselling to pick up the disease early and treat it initially.
A general mastectomy, even a double one, poses no risk to life itself,
says Dr. Shanta, unless there is any other complication. A skilled surgeon
could complete it in about 1.5 hours. Again, only a small per cent of the
population which undergoes mastectomies prefers to go for breast
reconstruction. The silicone implant Jolie has talked about turns out to be
pretty expensive.
Raha Moharrak
Adventurer Raha Moharrak (25), the first Saudi woman and youngest
Arab to conquer Everest, has urged women in the conservative Muslim
kingdom of the Gulf to challenge themselves as she arrived back in the
region. Her group of four, including a Qatari royal, a Palestinian and an
Iranian, was greeted with cheers on arrival from Nepal. She reached the peak
of Everest on May 19, in a first for Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world
where women are not allowed to drive and where their sporting activities are
severely restricted. She said she had now achieved her ambition of climbing
nine mountains, including in Europe, Tanzania, the South Pole and
Argentina. Ms. Moharrak is also the youngest Arab to reach the peak of
Everest.
Arunima Sinha
Arunima Sinha, a former national volleyball player who lost one of her
legs having been thrown off a moving train in 2011, created history by
becoming the first Indian amputee to conquer Mount Everest.
T. M. Soundarajan
T.M. Soundararajan, the quintessential Tamil playback singer, who was
the voice of the two mega stars M.G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan
of the Tamil film world, died. TMS, as he was known in the Tamil
- 23 -

speaking world, had been unwell for quite some time and was in and out of
hospital. He was 91. His robust and full-throated singing perfectly suited
MGR and Sivaji, who had their roots in Tamil theatre. A versatile singer, he
modulated his voice to suit the two stars perfectly. A listener could identify the
star in the movie through TMS songs, even without watching the film. He
also acted and sang in a few films. He had a voice that could catch the
nuances and majesty of the Tamil language, but could not replicate his success
in other languages.
Born in a Saurashtra community in Madurai in 1923, Thoguluva
Meenakshi Iyengar Soundararajan languished in poverty and could not afford
a formal training in classical music. He left Madurai in search of a career and
joined the Royal Talkies in Coimbatore for a monthly salary of Rs. 50. Only in
1950 did opportunity knock at his door. He rendered his first song in the film
Krishna Vijayam. The song was Radhey nee yennai vittu pogathadi and the
music director, S.V. Subbaiah Naidu. TMS devotional songs Karpagavalli
nin porpagangal pidithen on Karpagambal, the deity of Kapaleeswarar
Temple in Mylapore, Mannaanaalum Tiruchenduril mannaven and Ullam
uruguthayya on Lord Muruga remain popular even today.
Srikanth Srinivasan
Indian-American Srikanth Srinivasan scripted history after he was
confirmed as the first South Asian judge to Americas second highest court.
Described as trailblazer by US President Barack Obama, Chandigarh-born
Srinivasans nomination to the US Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit was unanimously approved by the Senate with 97 voting in
favour. With Senate confirmation, 46-year-old Mr. Srinivasan has become the
first Indian-American to be appointed to the top American court.
He was first nominated by Mr. Obama on June 11, 2012. On January 2,
2013, his nomination was returned to the President, due to the sine die
adjournment of the Senate. On January 3, 2013, Obama re-nominated him for
the same office. Mr.Srinivasan was born in Chandigarh, and grew up in
Lawrence, Kansas.
He received his BA with honours and distinction in 1989 from Stanford
University and his JD (Juris Doctor) with distinction in 1995 from Stanford
Law School, where he was elected to Order of the Coif and served as an editor
of the Stanford Law Review. He also holds an MBA from the Stanford
Graduate School of Business, which he received along with his JD in 1995.
Mr. Srinivasan began his legal career by serving as a law clerk for Judge J
Harvie Wilkinson on the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from
1995 to 1996. For his work, he received the Attorney Generals Award for
Excellence in Furthering US National Security in 2003 and the Office of the
Secretary of Defence Award for Excellence in 2005.
- 24 -

Rituparo Gosh
Noted filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh died of cardiac arrest at his south
Kolkata residence. He was 49. He is a winner of 12 national and some
international awards. Ghosh shot to fame with a childrens film directed by
him Hirer Angti in 1994. His film Unishe April won the national award in
1995. His other widely acclaimed films include Dahan, Asukh, Chokher
Bali, Raincoat, Bariwali, Antarmahal and Noukadubi.
Many film actors and actresses thronged his residence to pay their last
respects.
Thanjavur airbase to have Sukhoi squadron
Defence Minister A.K. Antony inaugurated an airbase in Thanjavur,
Tamil Nadu. It will ultimately become home to a Sukhoi squadron in a few
years time. Indias lethal air dominance fighter Sukhoi will get its first base in
South India with a view to keeping a strategic vigil over the Indian Ocean.
Western and Eastern front with Pakistan and China respectively already
boast Sukhoi-30 MKI squadrons. It would take a few years before required
infrastructure such as avionic bays, hangars, fuel dumps and other such
facilities come up at Thanjavur to make the Sukhoi squadron of 16 to 18
fighter jets fully operational.
However, the IAF will keep on flying regular fighter and transport
aircraft to Thanjavur, as the runway and other facilities have been spruced up
there. When fully operational, the airbase will help the country gain
dominance over the Bay of Bengal.
Brahmos tested successfully
India successfully test-fired the 290 km range BrahMos supersonic
cruise missile from the Navys latest guided missile frigate INS Tarkash off the
coast of Goa. The missile performed the high-level C manoeuvre in the predetermined flight path and successfully hit the target. The missile was
launched from the Russian-built warship. BrahMos Aerospace chief A
Sivathanu Pillai said that, the launch was carried out by the Navy as part of
Acceptance Test Firing (ATF) of the ship. INS Tarkash, which is an advanced
Talwar Class frigate, was commissioned on November 9, last year. The
warship, along with two other frigates of the class - INS Teg and INS Trikand,
have been built as part of an over 8,000 crore contract signed between India
and Russia in July 2006.
INS Teg was commissioned on April 27, 2012 and the commissioning
of INS Trikand is expected soon. The weapons suite of INS Tarkash includes
- 25 -

surface-to-air and surface-tos-urface missile systems, 100 mm medium-range
gun, close-in weapon system, torpedo tubes and anti-submarine rockets.
All the three ships will be equipped with 8 vertical launched BrahMos
missile systems as the prime strike weapon. The new missile frigates are
designed to accomplish a wide range of maritime missions, primarily hunting
down and destroying large surface ships and submarines.
Spy school coming up at Ghaziabad
In the wake of tough internal security challenges, the Ministry of Home
Affairs (MHA) has fast-tracked the setting up of a Central Detective Training
School (CDTS) that will help sharpen the intelligence gathering capabilities of
Central and State agencies. The school was formally opened last year under
the aegis of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) and has
been operating from the CBI headquarters. The MHA has sanctioned over
Rs.65 crore for setting up the CDTS, while 9 acres of land had been acquired
at a cost of over Rs. 2 crore in Ghaziabad. Ghaziabad was chosen due to its
proximity to Delhi where all major intelligence and Central security agencies
are based. It will also help in better coordination with Central departments
and State governments.
A one-of-its-kind institution in South Asia, the school would impart
training in latest investigation techniques, lay special focus on equipping
trainees with skills on collecting digital evidence and improving their
proficiency in forensics.
ISRO unveils hub for its navigation
ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said that, the brand new ISRO
Navigation Centre (INC) at the Indian Deep Space Network will be the nerve
centre of the countrys forthcoming navigational satellite constellation.
Located at ISROs saucer-like Byalalu sprawl near Bangalore, the centre was
ceremonially launched by Union Minister of State in the Prime Ministers
Office V. Narayanasamy
Six more navigational spacecraft (named R1B, R1C and so on) will
follow in the next three years to form the IRNSS constellation, which is
termed Indias own regional GPS. These satellites will give data on the
position, navigation and time of persons or objects to a range of users.
INC houses a high stability atomic clock to keep precise time and
reference, pool and synthesise navigational messages and coordinate 21
ground stations across the country. The navigation fleet in space will give
positional accuracy of within 10 metres. Its users will be from aerospace,
military, all transport systems, geo information of the Survey of India and to
an extent for personal mobility.
- 26 -

SECTION IV
BBG Submarine Cable System
Public cord blood banking
EL Nino Modoki
SARATHI
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
- 27 -

BBG submarine cable system
Telecom carriers Vodafone Group of the U.K., Telekom Malaysia from
Malaysia, Omantel from Oman, Etisalat from the UAE, Reliance Jio
Infocomm and Dialog Axiata
from Sri Lanka have formed a
consortium to set up an 8,000km-long Bay of Bengal Gateway
(BBG) submarine cable system
to link Malaysia and Singapore
to the Middle East, with
connections reaching out to
India (Mumbai and Chennai)
and Sri Lanka.
The construction and
maintenance agreement (C&MA) and the supply contract for BBG were
signed in Kuala Lumpur. The cost of the BBG cable line has not been
disclosed. The cable system is designed to provide upgradable and
transmission facilities by having 100 Gbps capability. This cable system is
expected to carry commercial traffic by the end of 2014.
According to analysts, this new cable system could help end the
monopoly of some existing players operating in this region and bring down
infrastructure cost for the consortium members. Tata Communications
formerly VSNL submarine cable system almost passes through the same route.
Reliance Jio Infocomm, is believed to have played a key role in this
move as it gears up to launch 4G services by the end of this year. The
construction of BBG is planned not only to provide connectivity between
Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East, but also to Europe, Africa
and to Far East Asia through inter-connections with other existing and newlybuilt cable systems landing in India, the Middle East and Far East Asia.
BBG will also serve as an extraordinary opportunity for business growth
as it will help support current and future high capacity requirements from the
surrounding areas of the region and next generation Internet applications.
Facebook, Twitter come under police scanner
For the first time, the Chennai police have formed a core team to
exclusively monitor activity in the social media, particularly Facebook and
Twitter. The team headed by a Joint Commissioner of Police will work in
coordination with Central/State intelligence agencies.
Police will have a Facebook account to interact with users on various
issues. Besides monitoring openly available content, it would use the medium
- 28 -

to disseminate information relevant to the public, including tips on crimeprevention and traffic conditions.
The idea is to have a feel of public perception on Chennai police. The
dedicated team will monitor the social media and intervene whenever any
suspicious activity comes to notice. There should be no room in the public
domain for any objectionable material that can disrupt peace or trigger tension
in society.
Commissioner of Police S. George convened a meeting of senior police
officials to discuss the issue. It was decided that the core team would also
work on developing and launching a website for the Chennai Police.
Monitoring the social media does not mean that the police will intrude into
anybodys account or access details. The objective is mainly to keep tabs on
anti-social elements and prevent the spread of hate campaign or messages that
can hurt the sentiments of people.
Inspector-General of Police (Internal Security) Abash Kumar said the
social media could be a potential source of information which intelligence
agencies were closely monitoring. There were instances when police warned
users to delete offensive contents.
Public cord blood banking
The state government
announced a grant of Rs 9
crore to Chennai's public
cord blood bank. The fund
will be issued over three
years to Jeevan Blood Bank
and Research Centre to help
the bank host a collection of
3,000 cord blood donations
from the state, Jeevan cofounder Dr P Srinivasan said
in a statement.
At present, the bank
has an inventory of 700 cord
blood units. Public stem cell
banks store stem cells drawn
from cord blood donated by
women during child birth,
and sell them to patients for
a price. The Tamil Nadu
government has recognised
cord blood banking in the State, arguably the first State to do so.
- 29 -

Stem cell transplant is the only hope for patients with blood disorders,
cancers and thalassemia. But, only two of the more than 1,000 patients who
requested for stem cells from the public bank have got treatment in the past
four years.
In order to get a transplant, the human leucocyte antigen (HLA) of the
donor and the recipient should match. However, the chances of an Indian
finding a match is less than 10 per cent as the country lacks an inventory. Even
if a match is found, the patient has to pay around Rs 20 lakh to import the
blood type.
According to Dr. Srinivasan, but with the help of the grant, Jeevan stem
cells will be available for free to patients from the state. This is a long awaited
major boost to public cord blood banking in India. He said that, he is hopeful
that other states will find some funding in the 12th plan allocation for health
care and promote cord blood banking in their states. This grant is expected to
encourage other states to join in creating a large national inventory, which will
help more Indians find a match and a hope for cure.
The public cord blood bank was set up in 2008 by Jeevan Blood Bank
and Research Centre. Jeevan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)
with IIT Madras in March for research and development in stem cell biology.
El Nino Modoki
It is a well known climatological fact that during pre-monsoon and postmonsoon seasons in the North Indian Ocean, more cyclones form in the Bay
of Bengal compared with the Arabian Sea. Scientists have now discovered
why in some years more cyclones form in the Arabian Sea than usual. This
is due to a newly discovered Phenomenon (2007) El Nino Modoki which
causes warm moist conditions in the Central Pacific and dry cold conditions in
Eastern and western pacific. A more familiar phenomenon, El Nino, was
found to suppress cyclone formation in the Arabian Sea.
The reason why El Nino Modoki brings only less number of cyclones in
the Bay of Bengal is because one of the two descending limbs of the Walker
Cell is over the western Pacific and Bay of Bengal. The descending limb
causes dry conditions not conducive for cyclone formation. The ascending
limb of the Walker Cell, on the other hand, brings rain. Also, an El Nino
Modoki creates stronger divergence over the western Pacific and Bay of
Bengal compared to El Nino. Divergence (opposite of convergence) means
surface winds move away from each other and result in low relative vorticity
(rotational flow of winds). These conditions are not conducive for cyclones.
This explains why Bay of Bengal region (close to western Pacific) has fewer
cyclones during an El Nino Modoki.
On the other hand, there is large convergence over the Arabian Sea
during an El Nino Modoki explaining the large number of cyclones in that
- 30 -

region. A statistical analysis of the El Nino and El Nino Modoki years
between 1979-2004 was conducted. It was found that there were four El Nino
years and seven El Nino Modoki years during this period.
The number of cyclones per year show significant differences indicating
that El Nino Modoki years are conducive for cyclone formation over Arabian
Sea while El Nino is conducive for cyclones over the Bay of Bengal.
Only post-monsoon and pre-monsoon periods were chosen for the
study. Cyclones usually do not form during monsoon season. There are a few
reasons for this. Atmospheric parameters low-level relative vorticity, midtropospheric relative humidity, vertical wind shear are not at values
conducive for cyclone formation during monsoon. Second, during monsoon
there is strong zonal (latitudinal) wind in the form of a jet at lower levels and
this is not conducive for cyclone formation as the vertical shear between lower
and upper troposphere will not be minimum. Finally, the sea surface
temperatures are too low for cyclogenesis.
CareLink
Imagine a device that could talk to your heart and your doctor. Ms. Joy
has one such device that does just that: captures data from the pacemaker
implanted in her and sends it to her doctor. When Joy was discharged from
hospital, she was given an odd-shaped laptop device with a router. Thanks to
this device, all she has to do is to sit comfortably at home, within five metres
of the device.
The device picks up data from her pacemaker and transmits it to her
doctor, senior consultant electrophysiologist, at Madras Medical Mission,
Ulhas Pandurangi. Remote monitoring is probably the most innovative and
cost-effective modality of heart failure therapy so far, Dr. Pandurangi says. It
obviates the need for a physical examination the consequent travel and time
taken for it. Persons who have
undergone surgery might not be
up to all this effort. The mini
computer given to a patient is
capable
of
transmitting
information about the heart,
and picking up abnormalities
even before the patient begins to
feel the effects.
The
device
communicates via a SIM card
which picks up the mobile
service available in the area,
secures data and sends it to a
server in the Netherlands. This is then sent to Dr. Pandurangis office in
- 31 -

Chennai in any form he wishes to receive mail, text message, alerts via a
mobile application or voice mail. To ensure that this does not make his work
even more complex than it is, he has a team of personnel working on it. Red
alerts, triggered in a crisis, are sent to him for immediate attention.
Patients feel a lot more secure all the time, Dr. Pandurangi adds. The
patient can travel and still be connected to the doctor, if he just carries his
device around. A representative of the manufacturer of the device (CareLink),
Medtronic, informs that there are about 10 patients in the country with
assistive gadget to help read and send data from their implantable device. The
technology itself is about 10 years old, but has only just come into the country.
It costs between Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 1.5 lakh, depending on the implant
the patient has. The mobile service charges are free for the patient. At the
moment, the constraint is that this gadget can be used only along with
Medtronics implants. But we hope more manufacturers will come in and the
scene becomes competitive, so that the patient benefits.
Ajit Mullasri, director, Cardiology, MMM, says from the point of view
of scientific research, data from these devices might also indicate the factors
that might precipitate problems in patients with heart failure.
Google recognises Palestine
Google has de facto recognised the state of Palestine by changing its
online designation from Palestinian territories to Palestine. The web search
giant introduced the change on May 1 on its main Palestinian portal
Google.ps, which now has the tagline Palestine rather than the previous
Palestinian territories. The move followed the decision in November by the
United Nations to give Palestine the status of a non-member observer state, a
move bitterly opposed by Israel and the United States.
By next elections, Facebook users in India = Congress 2009 vote
When the general elections are held in mid-2014, the number of Indian
users of social media networks, largely Facebook, could touch 120 million
equal to the Congress popular vote in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. Facebooks
Q1 2013 shows that its user numbers are already on a par with the BJPs 2009
popular vote of 78 million.
This data which politicians are now unwilling to ignore
contributes to a growing debate on whether Internet and social networking
platforms, such as Facebook, will have a significant role in Indias next
general elections. Many politicians agree that, despite significantly large
numbers, the voting pattern of Internet or social media users is bound to be as
unpredictable and diverse as those of the readers of a newspaper or the viewers
- 32 -

of any TV news channel. The question of who can harness these platforms
best is now top-of-mind for most political parties.
Facebooks February 2013 filing
made to a U.S. regulatory agency puts its
December 2012 active users in India at 71
million, up 54% from Q4 last year. Based
on its 2013 Q1 figure of 78 million the
figure should have touched 80 million
today. Statista a globally renowned
online statistics portal has projected 75
million social network users in December
2012, 106 million by December 2013 and
129.3 million by December 2014. So far, its
projections have been spot on. Considering
Twitters estimated 12 million current
Indian users, in spite of an overlap with
Facebook, points to roughly 115-120
million social network users, just ahead of
the next general elections in April 2014.
All estimates point to an online
population of roughly 200 million by April
May, 2014. At the end of June, 2012, India
had 137 million Internet users. According
to Rajesh Chharia, president of Internet
Service Providers Association of India, this
figure is now at 160 million.
Politicians are clued in to these
trends. Speaking at a debate on Will
Internet and social media be a game
changer for the next general elections, I&B
Minister Manish Tewari said, Content
agnostic new media platforms are definitely
not something that any politician or
political party can ignore. However,
elections are a complex exercise where
voting preferences depend more on
local/regional variations. Therefore, one
variable may not be a game changer.
Admitting that in the BJP, Narendra
Modi was ahead of the party, to foster
dialogue through social media, Ravi
Shankar Prasad said the power of social
media cannot be denied and political
- 33 -

leaders will be forced to take the demands of young India into consideration.
Jay Panda of the BJD, who represents a largely rural constituency in
Odisha, and uses social media extensively, believes that, The number of
social media users are significantly serious, already forcing accountability and
personal engagement, which will result in deepening democracy. However, in
terms of impact on elections, we are one election away from that.
Haploidentical transplantation
When a 10-year-old has cancer, the boys family and doctors obviously
have to do everything under the sun to find a cure for him. That is what
parents and doctors of Vikram (name changed) of Madurai did. The hunt was
on to find a 100 per cent matching donor, and when that failed, they found
one that was a half match. Vikram got a bone marrow transplant with a 50 per
cent match from his mother. He survives to tell the tale today, speaking over a
surgical mask. According to his doctors, he is the first ever recipient of the
first ever Haploidentical transplant in the country. The most challenging
aspect of bone marrow transplants, believe it or not, is finding matching
donors.
A 100 per cent match is ideal, but at least 80 per cent is needed before
the doctors take a risk transplanting the stem cells. Without robust donor
registries within the Indian subcontinent and genetic pool, the chances of
finding a donor are rather slim.
The chances of rejection, naturally, are much higher. This is why we
need to take care of the patient extremely well post procedure. The body is
being tweaked not to reject the donor stem cells by suppressing the natural
immune system. So while he waits for the donor cells to grow in him, we have
to be careful that he does not pick up infections, explains Prithvi Mohandas,
MIOT Hospitals. Post procedure, the patient is given a special combination of
immuno suppressant drugs so that his body does not reject the organ, Joydeep
Chakrabartty, also with the MIOT Institute of Haematology.
Dr. Prithvi added that the procedure can be performed for between Rs.
10-15 lakh at MIOT. It makes a bone marrow transplant accessible to a large
number of people who otherwise could not afford it. More importantly, a 50
per cent donor match, usually possible with parents, opens up possibilities for
patients with a number of blood-related disorders.
The Institute was launched formally by British Prime Ministers Trade
Envoy Kenneth Clarke. The occasion also served to facilitate the signing of a
memorandum of understanding between MIOT and Whittington Hospital,
London, on an ante natal screening programme for Thalassemia.
- 34 -

Spend more on R&D to spur innovation: Pranab
India needs to step up expenditure on research to pursue innovation in
a big way, said President Pranab Mukherjee, while expressing concern that the
countrys innovation bottom line was not very encouraging. He urged the
private sector to increase their share of spending to the levels prevailing in
countries such as South Korea, Japan and USA.
The President, who was speaking on the occasion of National
Technology Day celebrations (May 11), drew attention to the patent
applications filed annually in countries like United States of America and
China, saying the number was nearly 12 times more than that of India.
He said, India spends only 0.9 per cent of GDP on research and
development, which is much below that of China, UK and Israel. We should
step up our expenditure on research to pursue innovation in a big way. The
private sector, which contributes one-fourth of our countrys expenditure on
research and development, should also increase their share of spending to
levels prevalent in countries such as Japan, US and South Korea.
The President said, Globalisation, had rewritten the rules of business
and only the most competitive and resilient companies could expect to survive
in the fiercely global market. He said, if our systems are strong and robust, the
world will respect us and be willing to work with us.
The President emphasised that in a globally competitive world India
had to unleash its innovation potential to increase capacity, productivity,
efficiency, and inclusive growth. The spirit of innovation has to permeate all
sectors of economy from universities, business and government to people at all
levels.
Future prosperity of India in the new knowledge economy, he said,
would increasingly depend on its ability to generate new ideas, processes and
solutions, and added that the process of innovation would convert knowledge
into social good and economic wealth.
The needs and requirements of our democratic polity were different
from other nations, Mr. Mukherjee said. The nations priorities for innovation,
according to him, should be conditioned by our socio-economic realities. The
Indian innovation strategy, therefore, has to be different. It should focus on
generating ideas that promote inclusive growth and benefit people at the
bottom of the socio-economic pyramid, he said.
Now, send SMS to book rail ticket
Very soon, short code 5676714 will become an integral step to kick-start
your travel programme. One has to SMS his or her travel details and
SARATHI will book the ticket and deliver it in a flash, through SMS. The first
step to book a mobile ticket is to register oneself with Indian Railway Catering
- 35 -

and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) in a system aimed at easing the
pressure on the Internet, whose link gets choked in peak hours, especially
while tatkal tickets are being booked.
One has to send in details to the short code, which has been approved
by all mobile service operators, for authentication by SARATHI. SARATHI
will respond by sending a pre-composed message, seeking journey details. It
will also send details of ticket availability and other information.
The Railways intend to introduce the concept of M-wallet as a payment
option, besides the Interbank Bank Mobile Payment Service (IMPS) that
requires registration with a bank. M-wallet, a pre-paid instrument, will be
available at all mobile retail outlets where customers can recharge it as they
recharge prepaid mobile connections. Even post-paid mobile customers can
make use of this platform. Once the fare is deducted from the bank account,
the ticket will be delivered through an SMS. All mobile operators have been
roped in, officials say, and their 1.5 lakh retail outlets will sell M-wallet.
This system will come in handy for booking tickets even from any
remote corner of the country, where Internet connections are still scarce. The
Railways also plan to extend the scope of mobile booking with add-on
facilities. It wants to make available cars and hotel rooms on rent. About
5,000 hotels have been tied up.
iGate sacks its CEO on sexual harassment case
iGATE Corporation, announced the sacking of its President and CEO
Phaneesh Murthy for violating company policy by
failing to report a relationship he had with a fellow
employee. A statement issued by the companys board
from its headquarters at Fremont, California, said the
employee had also filed a complaint alleging sexual
harassment by Mr. Murthy, who faced a similar
charge a decade ago while at Infosys. However,
iGATE said an investigation by an external legal counsel, did not uncover(ed)
any violation of iGATEs harassment policy.
The company said its ongoing investigation into the facts and
circumstances of the relationship he had with Araceli Roiz, Head of Investor
Relations at iGATE Corporation, revealed that Mr. Murthy violated
iGATEs policy as well as Mr. Murthys contract. iGATE, which earned
revenues of $1.2 billion in 2012, announced that Gerhard Watzinger would
assume Mr. Murthys responsibilities as CEO on an interim basis. Sunil
Wadhwani, Co-founder and Co-chairman, iGATE, said the board recognised
Mr. Murthys significant contributions to the company. However, as a
result of this violation of iGATE policy, we asked Mr. Murthy to step down,
Mr. Wadhwani said.
- 36 -

India gets observer status in Arctic Council
Indias bid for observer status in the Arctic Council was successful
along with that of five
other countries China,
Italy, Japan, South Korea
and Singapore at a
meeting
in
Kiruna,
Sweden. Ministry of
External Affairs, New
Delhi, welcomed Indias
admission. An MEA
spokesperson said India
would
contribute
its
scientific
expertise,
particularly
its
polar
research capabilities, to
the work of the Arctic
Council to support its
objectives.
However, at the
level of realpolitik, India
will be looking at the
opportunities
for
hydrocarbon exploration
offered in the Arctic circle
by joining hands with one
of the five countries
gearing up for the
purpose the U.S.,
Canada, Norway, Russia
and Denmark. From the
point
of
view
of
geographical
distance,
Russia will be the most
attractive partner.
But for that to
happen, India will have
to take a firm political
stand on the Lomonosov
Ridge and the Mendeleev
Ridge
which
Russia
claims are an extension of
- 37 -

its continental shelf. By supporting Moscows position, India could get access
to the rich deposits and also utilise the North Sea Route.
Officially, India maintained that its approach will be solely scientific.
Unlike China and South Korea which are going for commercial benefit, our
interest is purely scientific. Look at the number of scientists India has sent and
the number of articles they have published and we will get an idea about
Indias main interest area.
The rapid melting of Arctic sea ice that reached new lows last
September has caused nations to show intense interest in the region in terms of
navigation and exploration of its rich natural resources. At the first Arctic
Summit in Oslo in March organised by The Economist, though India was not
represented, scientists, indigenous communities and environmentalists
sounded a note of caution on exploring the regions undiscovered natural
resources. Though India has had a research station there since 2008, China
has forged much ahead in navigating the area with a three-month sea voyage
in an ice breaker, the first Asian ship to undertake that journey.
China is now eyeing new and shorter sea routes, its Polar Research
Institute having already made projections on container traffic and trade. There
were concerns that the Arctic Council not being united in its views on
exploring natural resources, it may not be able to manage the environment.
For the roughly 4.5 million inhabitants of the region, climate change is
a reality and the thinning ice is making transportation and hunting difficult.
The 60,000 Inuits, represented by Aqqaluk Lynge, chair of the Inuit
Circumpolar Council had appealed to countries like India to be more
circumspect in their desire to drill for oil or minerals and demanded that the
fate of the indigenous people not be jeopardised. Already Greenland had given
out over 100 mining leases which was a cause of concern for local people.
- 38 -

SECTION V
Banks in India should be merged - FM
Shale gas exports to India from US
S&P warns rating downgrade for India
RBI revises lending rates
ECONOMICS / BUSINESS
- 39 -

Jindal Steel power plant in Jharkhand
President Pranab Mukherjee laid the foundation for Jindal Steel and
Powers (JSPL) 1,320-MW thermal power plant at Godda district in
Jharkhand. The captive power plant, with an estimated cost of Rs.8,500 crore,
will use coal from the Jitpur coal block and water from the Sunder Dam,
Gumani and Jalhara river. It will be the first mega power project in Santhal
Pargana region in the states eastern region, and is expected to provide direct
and indirect employment to 20,000 people.
JSPL said that, this power plant, which will be constructed over the
next 3.5 years, will generate more electricity for everyone farmers, students
and entrepreneurs.
Poverty amid progress in Asia worries: ADB
With Asia still facing many developmental challenges despite
remarkable growth in the past few decades, Asian Development Bank (ADB)
president Takehiko Nakao lamented that the region was still home to over 800
million people steeped in poverty. He said that, it is disheartening that in a
region of such rapid progress, Asia still has a population of more than 800
million people living in absolute poverty. This, along with growing inequality,
remains an overarching challenge. Mr. Nakao said in this at a press conference
at the 46th annual meeting of the ADB Board being held at the Indian Expo
Mart at Greater Noida.
At a time when multilateral lending agencies such as the ADB were
expected to not only extend greater assistance to lift the 800 million out of
abject poverty but also help many Asian middle income countries find ways
of overcoming the middle income trap, the challenge was all the more great
for Mr. Nakao, who took over as president of the Manila-based institution late
last month, said. He indicated that the banks lending programme may have to
be lowered, simply because its investments were not fetching adequate returns.
RBI revises lending rates
The RBI disappointed borrowers and businesses by opting for a 0.25
percentage point reduction in the repo rate. CRR is unchanged. The RBI
reduced the indicative policy rate (repo rate) from 7.50 per cent to 7.25 per
cent. However, it kept the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), the portion of total
deposits banks are mandated to keep with the central bank, unchanged at 4 per
cent. The RBI had cut the CRR in the last nearly one-and-half years by 200
basis points.
Including the latest one, the RBI has cut the repo rate by 125 basis
points (one basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point) in the last one
- 40 -

year. The hefty 50 basis points cut in April 2012 was followed by 25 basis
point cuts each in January and March this year. Repo rate is the rate at which
banks borrow funds from the central bank.
The market was disappointed with the policy announcement of the RBI
as it was expecting a cut in CRR along with a cut in the repo rate. The RBI
Governor said that the decision to further cut the repo rate carried forward the
measures put in place since January last year towards supporting growth in the
face of gradual moderation of headline inflation. But he said that it alone
cannot revive growth . It needs to be supplemented by efforts towards easing
the supply bottlenecks, improving governance and stepping up public
investment, alongside continuing commitment to fiscal consolidation.
ADB to provide $6 billion to India

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it will provide about $6
billion loan to India over the next three years, even as the multilateral lender
stated it is facing the challenge of raising resources. ADB President Takehiko
Nakao said that, the idea of ADB will maintain its lending level to India,
approximately $2 billion over next three years. ADB is now working on the
country partnership strategy and is planning to maintain the level of lending to
India.
India is the biggest borrower of ADB:- The Manila-based multilateral lender
had extended $2.4 billion loan to India in 2012 across sectors like transport,
energy, commerce, industry, trade and finance. Asked about whether ADB
has identified projects, Mr. Nakao said it is too premature to talk about any
specific ones but ADB team is looking at various concrete projects. He also
- 41 -

said that the bank will continue to lend $10 billion a year across the membernations despite generating lower return from investments.
Stating that ADB is facing a resource challenge, he said this issue will
require urgent and careful attention. Actively investing in different kinds of
assets can be one of the options for larger revenue, he said, adding that
financial safety and return is the key objective while making investment.
ADBs capital was tripled in 2009. The fund enhancement came after a gap of
15 years.
Indians on top
Indians are making to the top positions in best of the companies worldwide.
#
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Name
Ivan Menezes
Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan
Anshu Jain
Indira Nooyi
AjayBanga
Rakesh Kapoor
Shantanu Narayen
Arun Sarain*
Sanjay Jha*
Vikram Pandit*
Company
Diageo
AngloGold Ashanti
Deutsche Bank
Pepsico
Mastercard
Reckitt
Adobe
Vodafone
Motorola
Citigroup
* Former CEOs
8 Public Sector banks inks MoU with IL&FS
IL&FS Infra Asset Management Limited (IAML), an asset
management company (AMC) promoted by IL&FS Financial Services
Limited to manage the IL&FS Infrastructure Debt Fund (IIDF), inked a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with eight public sector banks (PSBs)
for developing take-out finance to facilitate the countrys infrastructure
development. The PSBs which have joined hands with IL&FS for the purpose
are: Allahabad Bank, Bank of India, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India,
Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and UCO
Bank.
Alongside, India Ratings (Ind-Ra), the Indian arm of the global agency
Fitch, has assigned the first series of the Infrastructure Debt Fund (IDF) with a
triple A stable rating under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
- 42 -

guidelines to help instil confidence among global investors, and provide a
thrust to the infrastructure sector.
Releasing the IND AAAidf-mf rating assigned by Ind-Ra to the initial
three MF schemes of IL&FS IDF aggregating Rs 15 billion at a function
organised at North Block for the MoU signing ceremony, DEA (Department
of Economic Affairs) Secretary Arvind Mayaram said the new product from
India Ratings for rating IDFs is very important because this will give
confidence to investors, especially from overseas Sovereign Wealth Fund and
pension funds and others, for them to be able to assess whether their
investments in a particular IDF or another IDF would be able to give the kind
of return they expect.
The IL&FS group-sponsored IDF launched with an initial corpus of $1
billion would go up to $5 billion in the medium-term, and its first three
schemes of Rs.500 crore each with IND AAA idf-mf rating denotes the
highest strength of credit protection factors embedded in a fund's investment
policies and the quality of the sponsors and investment managers.
Mittu Chandilya is India CEO of Air Asia
AirAsia, named Chennai-born Mittu Chandilya
as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of its Indian
operations. AirAsia India (Private) Ltd., a joint venture
between Air Asia, Tata Sons and Telstra, will start a low
cost airline in India by the year-end with Chennai as its
hub. Mr. Chandilya will assume office effective June 1,
2013.
Mr. Chandilya previously worked at Singaporebased consultancy firm Egon Zehnder. He was heading
the travel and hospitality segment, where his primary
focus was airlines and aviation.
China state grid buy stake in Australia network
Chinas State Grid Corp. is buying a stake in an Australian electricity
network company for about $800 million. SP AusNet, which operates the
electricity network in Australias Victoria state and a gas network, said that
State Grid is buying the 19.9 per cent stake from Singapore Power Ltd.
State Grid is the worlds largest utility company with annual revenue of
$300 billion. It has a growing international business with investments in
Brazil, Portugal, Australia and the Philippines. Singapore Power will continue
to be the largest shareholder in SP AusNet after the sale is completed with a
31.1 per cent stake.
- 43 -

The 824 million Australian dollars ($802 million) deal requires
regulatory approval in China and Australia and must also be cleared by the
top finance official in Australias government.
S&P warns of rating downgrade
At a time when green shoots of the economy are signalling a
turnaround and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram is scouting for
infrastructure development funds abroad on the strength of Indias fascinating
growth story, Standard & Poors (S&P) handed down a shocker, threatening
to downgrade the countrys sovereign rating to junk status if the government
failed to keep pace with the global rating agencys expectation on reforms and
containment of the twin
deficits.
More shocking was the
fact that even as the
government was looking
forward to an upgrade
following
S&P
representatives discussions
with
Finance
Ministry
officials last month, the rating
agency not only reaffirmed
Indias sovereign rating at the
lowest
investment
grade
BBB- with a negative
outlook but also warned of at
least a one-in-three likelihood
of a downgrade within the
next 12 months.
Significantly,
a
downgrade
from
BBB-
would mean a scale-down to
speculative grade or junk
status which renders all
overseas
borrowings
by
corporates and other entities costlier. In a statement, S&P not only appeared
to set the pace for Indias economic reforms but also went on to provide the
reasons for its rating action. At the same time, while pointing to the high fiscal
deficits and a heavy government debt burden which remain the most
significant constraints on our sovereign ratings on India, S&P credit analyst
Takahira Ogawa also acknowledged the fact that the government has
- 44 -

regained control of public finances and embarked on fresh structural reforms
since September 2012.
Not surprising, therefore, that while expressing disappointment over the
rating agencys action and warning, the government seemed undaunted and
sought to rebut S&Ps reasoning while pointing to the numerous economic
parameters that had not been taken into account. In a statement, Chief
Economic Advisor Raghuram G. Rajan said: It is disappointing that S&P has
not seen it fit to improve its outlook for India, especially given that it
acknowledges the important steps taken by the Government in recent
months.
Feeder fund for IDFs under study: Chidambaram
Finance Minister, Mr. P. Chidambaram said that, India is exploring the
possibility of setting up a London-listed feeder fund for Infrastructure Debt
Funds (IDFs), and is looking to work with the U.K. on increasing institutional
investments in the sector.
Mr. Chidambaram said in a joint statement issued with his British
counterpart, George Osborne said that, both countries agreed to pursue joint
work on the common aim of exploring ways to encourage increased
institutional investment in infrastructure. This will include exploring the
possibility of establishment of a London-listed feeder fund for Indian
Infrastructure Debt Funds (IDFs).
A feeder fund makes most of its investments through a master fund. It
can obtain better trading and operating costs through the master-feeder
structure because of economies of scale. Besides infrastructure, Mr.
Chidambarams meeting with Mr. Osborne focussed on a range of issues,
including financial sector reforms, the importance of increasing foreign direct
investment (FDI) in Indian insurance sector, and support for small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) with plans to work together to promote trade
and investment between the SME sectors of the two countries.
Banks in India should be merged - Chidambaram
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, spoke in favour of mergers in the
banking industry so that the country could have two or three global-sized
banks. He said that, there are other sectors that may well need restructuring...
For example, some banks, including some public sector banks among 26
public sector banks that we have, may be better off merging. The need for two
or three world sized banks in an economy that is poised to become one among
the five largest in the world is rather obvious. Mr. Chidambaram further said
that while restructuring may be needed in some sectors, mergers may reduce
- 45 -

competition in certain segments or geographies substantially and may alter
competition between banks and nonbanks. In the annual monetary policy,
the Reserve Bank of India had said it would release a discussion paper on the
banking structure in India by June 2013.
The discussion paper, among other things, would cover issues such as
consolidation of large-sized banks with a view to having a few global-sized
banks. Talking about the widening current account deficit (CAD), Mr.
Chidambaram also indicated that the government could take more steps to
check gold imports. Gold imports have jumped by 138 per cent to $7.5
billion last month, the highest so far this year, pushing up the trade deficit to
$17.7 billion.
Rating warning:- Talking about the recent Standard & Poors warning, Mr.
Chidambaram said that India deserves a rating upgrade in view of
improvement in macro-economic situation. He said, S&P may not have been
convinced about that but our case is that we deserve an upgrade both on the
outlook and the rating.
NTPC set to ink pact for Sampur project in Sri Lanka
With differences over the operation and maintenance (O&M) charges
and the gross heat rate issues in the power purchase agreement (PPA) sorted
out, NTPC is all set to ink agreement for the execution of the proposed 2X250
MW Sampur power project in Trincomale, Sri Lanka, by early next month.
A series of meetings between the officials Ministry of Power, Sri
Lankan Government, senior officials of NTPC and with assistance of the High
Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Ashok Kantha, has finally led to
resolution of the outstanding issues and the project is all set to take off with
the formal signing of the PPA by next month. NTPC is all set to take up the
project in right earnest.
Global retailers can open warehouses in States opposing FDI
Global retailers such as Walmart and Tesco can set up warehouses and
cold storages as well as source products from small and medium enterprises
(SMEs) in States which have not permitted FDI in the multi-brand retail
sector. Foreign players can set up warehouses and also source products from
SMEs from those States which are against FDI in multi-brand retail. No State
will stop any foreign player to procure goods or do business with SMEs.
U.S.-based Walmart and U.K.-based Tesco have sought clarifications
from the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) on whether
they could set up warehouses in States which are against the Centres retail
FDI policy. There would also be no restriction on the foreign retailers from
sourcing products from SMEs in those States.
- 46 -

The official also said that 50 per cent of the first tranche of the
mandatory minimum $100 million FDI would only have to be invested in
back-end infrastructure and not in buying land, existing building or rent.
Gamesa inks pact with China Light
Gamesa has signed two agreements for the supply of wind turbine
generators with a total capacity of 130 MW to China Light & Power India and
100 MW to Greenko Wind Project. Gamesa will install 50 G97-2 MW WTGs
(100 MW in total) at two 50 MW wind farms located in Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh. Under another contract with CLP India, Gamesa will
supply, install and commission wind turbine generators with a total capacity
of 130 MW at the Jath wind farm being developed by Gamesa in the Sangli
district, Maharashtra.
U.S. clears shale gas export to India
Opening up the prospects of export of shale gas to energy-starved India,
the U.S. has granted conditional authorisation to export domesticallyproduced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a free
trade agreement (FTA) with it. In a decision, which has major implications for
India, the Department of Energy, announced that it had conditionally
authorised Freeport LNG Expansion, LP and FLNG Liquefaction, LLC
(Freeport) to export domestically-produced LNG to non-FTA countries from
the Freeport Terminal on Quintana Island in Texas.
Given that the companies from countries such as China, Japan and
Britain have already an overwhelming stake in this Texas company, India is
unlikely to benefit immediately from this grant of licence. But the decision
paves the way for India, which does not have a free trade agreement with the
U.S., to get its companies seek similar licences for import of the much-needed
gas from the U.S. in large quantities from other terminals. The existing federal
law generally requires approval of natural gas exports to countries that have an
FTA with the U.S.
For countries that do not have an FTA with the U.S., the Natural Gas
Act directs the Department of Energy to grant export authorisations unless the
Department finds that the proposed exports will not be consistent with the
public interest.
GAIL (India) has executed an LNG off-take agreement with Sabine
Pass Liquefaction LLC, for import of 3.5 million metric tonnes (mmtpa) per
annum LNG from the U.S.A on FoB basis. Besides, other Indian companies,
including Reliance Industries in the private sector, had bought stakes in oil
and gas exploration and production companies, a trend which would receive a
huge boost if export of natural gas was permitted to India.
- 47 -

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE PART I (May Month)
(01) While appointing members to which of the following
bodies, the President need not consult any panel?
(a) National Human Rights Commission
(b) Finance Commission
(c) Central Vigilance Commission
(d) All the above
(02) Solifluction a special form of creep is
related to which of the following biomes?
(a) Mediterranean
(b) Savanna
(c) Boreal Forest
(d) Tundra
(03) Which of the following fighter jet is codenamed
Frog foot?
(a) Sukhoi Su-30 Mk1
(b) Mikoyan MiG-29
(c) Sukhoi Su-25
(d) Mikoyan MiG-25
(04) The East India Company was divested of its
political functions by
(a) Pitts India Act of 1784
(b) Charter Act of 1833
(c) Government of India Act 1853
(d) Charter Act of 1858
(05) Which of the following types of offspring will be
produced in case of a marriage between a man of normal
Vision and a colour-blind woman?
(a) Normal sons and carrier daughters
(b) Colour-blind sons and carrier daughters
(c) Colour-blind sons and 50% carrier daughters
(d) 50% colour-blind sons
=====================================================
For
answers
(if
needed)
mail
to
senthilkumar.murugesan.klk@gmail.com before 15.06.2013
(June 15, 2013)
======================================================
- 48 -
NEWS IN BITS & PIECES

Veteran journalist and former editor of two leading Assamese dailies
Dainik Asam and Dainik Janambhumi and the editor of Uddipon, a
monthly Assamese magazine for elderly people, Profulla Chandra
Borua passed away at a private hospital. He was 76.
Mayon volcano erupted in the Philippines
The Indian women team won the first Asian basketball 3*3
championship in Doha, Qatar by beating Mongolia. It was the third
title for the Indian womens team, following the ones in South Asian
Beach Games in Sri Lanka and the Asian Beach Games in China.
Indias Geethu Anna Jose was adjudged as the best player of the
tournament.
National Youth Athletic Meet (under-18) for boys and girls at Guntur,
Andhra Pradesh. 600 athletes from all over the country will compete to
be on the Indian contingent that leaves for the forthcoming Asian and
world youth athletic championships.
Asia-Pacific under-21 beach volleyball championship held at Chennai
(Men: won by Indonesia; women: won by Australia)
Yuichiro Miura (Japan), oldest man (80 year) to climb Mt. Everest
Network marketing firm Amway Indias Chairman and CEO William S
Pinckney and Directors Sanjay Malhotra and Anshu Budhraja were
arrested in three cases of financial irregularities.
Illegal asylum-seekers will be sent back: Australia
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University becomes the first University in any
state agricultural university to offer an integrated Ph.D., programme in
agriculture.
TCS bagged a six-year contract from the Department of Posts worth
over Rs. 1000 crore
Six students to represent India at International Math Olympiad:
At the end of a gruelling month-long training camp, six students have
been selected to represent India at the high-profile International Mathematical
Olympiad being held at Santa Marta, Columbia, between July 18 and 28. In
all, 59 students participated in the training camp. They themselves were
selected through a special test (Indian National Mathematical Olympiad
Examination) held at different centres across the country in February. The
mathematical olympiad was started in 1959 in Romania. India started
participating in it in 1989. The Indian participation is sponsored by the
National Board for Higher Education under the Department of Atomic
Energy and the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Students from
more than 100 countries participate in the competition, which is held
annually.
- 49 -

May 2013 Current Affairs - I

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MAY 2013 CURRENT AFFAIRS {Part I}