Sbi Po Exam 2014 General Awareness Current

1 SBI PO Exam 2014 : General Awareness (Current)


Preface

Jagranjosh’s SBI PO Exam 2014: General Awareness (Current) eBook is a right platform for aspirants preparing to score high in SBI PO Written Examination 2014. This eBook is a perfect blend of current topics of banking and economics. SBI PO Exam 2014: General Awareness (Current) eBook is prepared by a team of experts at Jagranjosh. These banking experts have put their best to come up with this complete preparation package for General Awareness (Current) section of SBI PO Exam. This eBook is a perfect amalgamation of all the current topics taken from last six months in a chapter-wise format. Our SBI PO Exam 2014: General Awareness (Current) eBook will allow aspirants to prepare for the section within the time limit set officially by the examination board. The SBI PO Exam 2014: General Awareness (Current) eBook includes:

Comprehensive Coverage on all Exam oriented Current Topics

Special Focus on Economy & Banking News

Important Dates & Abbreviation Terms

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Contents

PREFACE ................................................................................................................................................... 2

ECONOMY AND BUSINESS ................................................................................................................. 18 RBI tightened acquisition & merger rules for Non-Banking Financial Companies .................................................. 18 Foreign Exchange Reserves increased by 15.5 billion US dollar in 2014: RBI ......................................................... 18 Singapore became the top source of FDI into India replacing Mauritius: DIPP ...................................................... 18 RBI directed all banks to install disabled friendly new ATMs ................................................................................. 19 Bharatiya Mahila Bank included in Second Schedule of RBI Act, 1934 ................................................................... 19 Plastic currency notes to be launched in 2015: Raghuram Ranjan ......................................................................... 19 India to become the third largest oil consumer by 2025: US EIA ........................................................................... 20 RBI allowed bank branches abroad to sell structured products ............................................................................. 20 RBI allowed the minors of age above 10 years to open Savings bank accounts..................................................... 20 Deadline ended for non-CTS cheques ..................................................................................................................... 20 DGCA allowed Portable Electronic Device including cellphones during Flights ...................................................... 21 RBI issued uniform accounting norms for Asset Reconstruction Companies ......................................................... 21 RBI will decide NPA guidelines rules: Gujarat High Court ....................................................................................... 21 IFFCO got permission from Quebec Provincial Government to set up Urea plant ................................................. 21 Union Government decided to continue export subsidy of 3300 rupees per tonne on raw sugar export ............ 22 SEBI issued detailed Corporate Governance Norms ............................................................................................... 22 CAG empowered to audit private telecom companies: SC ..................................................................................... 22 Securities of 7 firms to be moved from restricted to normal trading category: SEBI ............................................. 22 World Trade to grow by 4.7 percent in 2014: WTO ................................................................................................ 23 WB projected economic growth rate of 5.7% for India in 2014-15 fiscal ............................................................... 23 India ranked 102 out of 132 countries on Social Progress Index ............................................................................ 23 Reserve Bank of India adopted CPI as new measure of Inflation ........................................................................... 23 Asian Development Outlook 2014 released ........................................................................................................... 24 RBI capped WMA limit for central government at 35000 crore rupees for 2015 first half .................................... 24 Repo Rate kept unchanged by RBI in First Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement 2014-15 ................................ 24 Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs notified rules for ten more chapters in the new Company Act .................... 24 India GDP rises to 5.5 percent in 2014-15: Asian Development Outlook 2014 ...................................................... 25 President cleared the re-promulgation of SEBI Ordinance 2013 ............................................................................ 25 BHEL signed contract of 125crore rupees of hydro power in Uttarakhand ............................................................ 25 RBI extended the timeline for full implementation of Basel III norms by 2019 ..................................................... 25 SEBI to release FATCA compliance norms in the fiscal year 2014-15 ..................................................................... 26 EPFO announced to provide Universal Account Number from October 2014 ....................................................... 26 Bank of India launched Instant Money Transfer Scheme ....................................................................................... 26 Government of India divested its 9 percent stake in Axis Bank.............................................................................. 26 FDI inflow grew in January 2014 by 1.5 percent: DIPP ........................................................................................... 27 RBI hiked trade related remittance from 2 to 5 lakh rupees per transaction......................................................... 27 IOC sold 10% government stake to OIL and ONGC ................................................................................................. 27 Union Finance Ministry and SEBI finalized the norms for setting up CPSE-ETF ...................................................... 27 India’s exports contracted 3.67 percent to 25.7 billion dollar in February 2014 ................................................... 27 Union Government announced to build 200 low cost airports .............................................................................. 28 Current Account Deficit declined to 0.9 percent of GDP in Quarter 3 of 2013-14 ................................................. 28 Interest rate on Post Office Fixed deposits hiked by 0.2% ..................................................................................... 28 Workdays for tribals under MNREGA raised from 100 to 150 ................................................................................ 28


RBI issued guidelines to deal with distressed assets .............................................................................................. 29 NABARD formed Joint Liability Group to finance Small Farmers ............................................................................ 29 Union Cabinet approved Coal Regulatory Authority .............................................................................................. 29 IMF projected 5.4 percent economic growth for India in 2014-15 ......................................................................... 29 Second AE put Foodgrain production at 263.2 MT in 2013-14 ............................................................................... 30 SEBI approved the new Corporate Governance norms .......................................................................................... 30 India’s Economy to grow by 4.9 percent in 2013-14: CSO ...................................................................................... 30 NABARD under RIDF has sanctioned loans worth over 19100 crore rupees .......................................................... 31 RBI released draft Report on Enabling PKI in Payment System Applications ......................................................... 31 Economic growth for 2012-13 lowered to 4.5 percent from 5 percent estimated earlier ..................................... 31 EGoM approved SUC of 5 percent of annual Gross Revenue on all new airwaves ................................................ 31 RBI raised Repo Rate by 25 basis points to 8 percent............................................................................................. 32 RBI issued new guidelines for loan restructuring in NBFCs .................................................................................... 32 Finance Ministry nod for 1000 rupees minimum monthly pension plan................................................................ 32 Currency notes issued before 2005 to be withdrawn: RBI ..................................................................................... 32 Indian economy to grow by 6 percent: CRISIL ........................................................................................................ 33 RBI appointed a Committee to Review Governance of Boards of Banks in India ................................................... 33 Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs Signed MoUs with FICCI ................................................................................ 33 Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Union Minister Shashi Tharoor found dead in a Delhi hotel ......................................... 33 IIFCL signed MoU with EXIM Bank of Korea ............................................................................................................ 33 EGoM approved the sale of 10% stake in IOC to ONGC and OIL ............................................................................ 34 RBI included Hong Kong and Macau in the sensitive list ........................................................................................ 34 Wholesale Inflation declined to five-month low of 6.16 percent in December 2013 ............................................ 34 Coal India Ltd declared dividend of 290 percent for 2013-14 ................................................................................ 34 Sudan offered two oil and gas blocks to ONGC at Petrotech 2014 ........................................................................ 34 Consumer Retail Inflation declined to 9.87 percent in December 2013................................................................. 35 NABARD reduced refinance rate for banks ............................................................................................................. 35 Indian Economy GDP growth rate to be revised for 2011- ..................................................................................... 35 Bank of Japan and RBI concluded an agreement to raise BSA to 50 billion dollar ................................................. 35 SEBI notified stricter Settlement System for serious offences ............................................................................... 35 SEBI Barred Cash Transactions In Collective Investment Schemes To Check Laundering ...................................... 36 India's trade deficit narrowed to 10.1 billion dollar in December 2013 ................................................................. 36 Government notified new natural Gas Pricing Formula ......................................................................................... 36 RBI relaxed Gold loan norms to lend up to 75 percent loan ................................................................................... 36 China to be become a partner in the proposed NIMZ in Andhra Pradesh ............................................................. 37 Reserve Bank of India selected CCIL as Legal Entity Identifier ................................................................................ 37 Mergers & Acquisitions declined by 11.5 percent in 2013 ..................................................................................... 37 Price of the Non-subsidized LPG hiked by 220 rupees per cylinder ....................................................................... 37

BANKING, MONEY & FINANCE ......................................................................................................... 38 DGCA for the first time issued Standards of Services Document ........................................................................... 38 UK based Marks & Spencer announced to open 100 stores in India ...................................................................... 38 Competition Appellate Tribunal upheld 630 crore rupees penalty on DLF ............................................................ 38 Sistema Shyam Teleservices launched messaging app MBuddy for feature phones ............................................. 38 Amul to set up five lakh litres per day capacity dairy plant in Varanasi ................................................................. 38 Apple and Google settled Smartphone patent war ................................................................................................ 39 Sundaram BNP Paribas received ISAE recognition ................................................................................................. 39 MTS announced to provide free Wi-Fi in Gurgaon Rapid Metro Rail ..................................................................... 39 Cipla announced to invest in Chase Pharmaceuticals to develop Alzheimer's drug ............................................... 39 SEBI exempted Etihad from making open offer in Jet deal .................................................................................... 39


India’s Punj Llyond won Expressway project in Yemen .......................................................................................... 40 Kuwait renewed crude supply contracts with BPCL ............................................................................................... 40 Air India will join Star Alliance in July 2014 ............................................................................................................. 40 Microsoft acquired Nokia handset business ........................................................................................................... 40 Vic Gundotra head of Google+ resigned ................................................................................................................. 40 IRCON signed MoU with Transparency International India .................................................................................... 41 Cognizant acquired itaas, a US-based Digital Video Solutions Company ................................................................ 41 Cadbury India changed its name to Mondelez India Foods Limited ....................................................................... 41 GSK announced to slash the price of Crocin Advance by 50 percent ..................................................................... 41 TCS joined top 10 global IT services companies club: HfS Research Survey ........................................................... 41 Hero MotoCorp formed JV with Nitol Nilloy of Bangladesh ................................................................................... 43 BMB signed an agreement with Trends to promote Women Entreprenuership ................................................... 43 HDFC Bank set World Record for Blood collection in a single day .......................................................................... 43 Piramal Enterprises Ltd decided to acquire 20 percent stake in Shriram Capital ................................................... 43 Union Cabinet approved the appointment of Narendra Kothari as Chairman of NMDC ....................................... 44 Google bought Drone maker Titan Aerospace to deliver internet across the globe .............................................. 44 SBI launched financing scheme for women fashion boutique owners ................................................................... 44 SBI launched financing scheme for women fashion boutique owners ................................................................... 44 LIC reduced its stake in Infosys ............................................................................................................................... 45 SBI launched Twitter handle account ..................................................................................................................... 45 USFDA approved Lupin to sell Pioglitazone tablets in America .............................................................................. 45 Piramal sold its 11 percent stake in Vodafone India for 8900 crore rupees ........................................................... 45 Sun Pharma announced to acquire Ranbaxy Laboratories for 3.2 billion dollars ................................................... 45 USFDA banned imports from Indian plant of Apotex Pharma Co ........................................................................... 46 Qatar based Doha Bank announced it’s First branch in Mumbai ........................................................................... 46 Amazon launched set-top box named Fire TV ........................................................................................................ 46 Union Ministry of Civil Aviation approved the Tata and Singapore airlines JV ....................................................... 46 CCI imposed a fine of 1 crore rupees on Google .................................................................................................... 46 Tata Teleservices launched Wi-Fi business in Chennai ........................................................................................... 46 Facebook to acquire virtual reality technology firm Oculus VR .............................................................................. 47 IBM unveiled SMAC solutions for telecom operators ............................................................................................. 47 GE Healthcare and CTSI announced to set up 25 cancer detection and treatment centres in India...................... 47 CEO of Marico Saugata Gupta promoted as Managing Director ............................................................................ 47 TCPSL launched white Label Automated Teller Machines ...................................................................................... 47 e-Commerce firm ibiboGroup acquired Bangalore-based bus tracking service YourBus ....................................... 48 NTPC approved 14366-crore rupees investment for Jharkhand plant ................................................................... 48 US lifted contract ban on BP ................................................................................................................................... 48 Spice jet and Boeing signed a deal worth 4.4 billion dollar .................................................................................... 48 SBI Life to appeal against the order of IRDA to refund 275 crore rupees ............................................................... 48 Local assembly of S-Class started by Mercedes in India ......................................................................................... 49 Tech Mahindra and Alstom Transport announced to set up a global development centre ................................... 49 Airbus launched subsidiary Airbus India ................................................................................................................. 49 Tata Motors to set up assembly units in Southeast Asia and Africa ....................................................................... 50 New India Assurance announced Asha Kiran a health insurance cover for girl child ............................................. 50 Tom Albanese appointed as CEO of Vedanta Resources ........................................................................................ 51 Mahindra entered Bhutan with the launch of electric car e2o .............................................................................. 51 Venom GT, world’s fastest car recorded 435 kilometer per hour .......................................................................... 52 LinkedIn announced to launch Chinese version ..................................................................................................... 52 Mahila Bank signed three health insurance Pacts with New India ......................................................................... 53 Facebook acquired WhatsApp for 19 billion dollar................................................................................................. 54


Production of Maruti 800 stopped by Maruti Suzuki India..................................................................................... 54 Google agreed to negotiate with EU over Anti-trust case ...................................................................................... 55 Six PSUs signed MoU to set up World’s largest Solar Power Project ...................................................................... 55 Google purchased DeepMind Technologies of UK ................................................................................................. 56 Samsung and Google signed Global Patent Agreement ......................................................................................... 57 SBI launch Youtube channel ................................................................................................................................... 57 AirAsia aimed to start India operations by April ..................................................................................................... 57 Google acquired cyber security firm Impermium for 9 million dollar .................................................................... 58 Etihad Airways demonstrated flight with Biofuel mix ............................................................................................ 58 RBI allowed Foreign Investors to invest in South Indian Bank ................................................................................ 59 Facebook acquired Little Eye Labs for 90 crore rupees .......................................................................................... 60 TCS to set up world's largest corporate learning centre in Thiruvananthapuram .................................................. 60

NATIONAL .............................................................................................................................................. 62 Union Cabinet constituted SIT on Black Money to comply with SC Judgement ..................................................... 62 Narendra Modi took oath as 15th Prime Minister of India .................................................................................... 62 Dhubri Constituency in Assam registered highest Voter Turnout in General Election 2014 .................................. 68 16th Lok Sabha Elections 2014 results declared ..................................................................................................... 68 15th Lok Sabha dissolved by the President of India ............................................................................................... 70 Union Government extended Ban on LTTE for five years ....................................................................................... 71 President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to Whistleblowers Protection Bill 2011 .......................................... 72 DGCA issued Guidelines to Operators for Real Time Tracking of Aircrafts ............................................................. 72 SC banned Jallikattu and bullock cart races ............................................................................................................ 72 SC upheld validity of Right to Education Act ........................................................................................................... 73 Election Queue Management System introduced in India ..................................................................................... 73 IIT Guwahati ranked at 87th spot among world's top 100 varsities ....................................................................... 73 Michael Hudson McHugh, the ex-Australian judge appointed as arbitrator by SC ................................................ 74 Lalit Gupta committee on DIAL submitted its report to DGCA ............................................................................... 75 SC lifted 19 month old ban on mining in Goa ......................................................................................................... 75 GOI extended Tourist Visa-on-Arrival Scheme to the citizens of the South Korea ................................................. 75 ECI launched Election Visitors Programme 2014 .................................................................................................... 75 SC recognized Transgenders as third category of sex ............................................................................................. 76 SSB to induct Women as Combat Officers .............................................................................................................. 76 Supreme Court ordered sacking of incumbent BCCI chief N Srinivasan ................................................................. 77 SC uphold the age of juvenile to 18 years ............................................................................................................... 77 Supreme Court directed all States and UTs to implement Manual Scavengers Act ............................................... 77 WHO certified India as Polio Free country .............................................................................................................. 77 Supreme Court directed Centre not to make Aadhaar mandatory for citizens ...................................................... 78 2.3% of tested drugs found to be of sub-standard nature: DGCI ........................................................................... 78 DoT issued new guidelines to tackle the threats of Cyber attack ........................................................................... 79 Nagaland and Assam first states to get Plastic Photo Identity Card ....................................................................... 79 Election Commission set up multi agency grid to curb Black Money ..................................................................... 80 Medical Visa not required in cases of Surrogacy for OCIs & PIOs ........................................................................... 80 Lok Sabha elections to held from 7 April 2014 in 9-phases .................................................................................... 81 K.T.Thomas refused to head Lokpal Committee Search Panel ............................................................................... 81 Union Cabinet approved a new rail coach manufacturing unit in Kolar ................................................................. 81 Union Ministry of H & FW inaugurated AIIMS Bhubaneswar ................................................................................. 81 Largest Solar Power Plant of India launched in Madhya Pradesh .......................................................................... 82 AERA abolished User Development Fee at Hyderabad Airport .............................................................................. 82 Union Government inaugurated the National Centre for Good Governance ........................................................ 83


Whistleblower Protection Bill passed by Union Legislature ................................................................................... 83 Bezbaruah Committee Constituted for the protection of rights of North Eastern people ..................................... 84 Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched three indigenous kits ...................................................... 84 CCEA approved National Mission for Green India .................................................................................................. 85 Telengana Bill passed in Lok Sabha ......................................................................................................................... 86 Parliament passed Street Vendors Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending Bill ...................... 86 Death sentence of 3 convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case commuted to life imprisonment ...................... 86 Quadricycle to run from 1 Oct 2014 across the country......................................................................................... 87 Union Government approved two plant to manufacture Semiconductor chips .................................................... 87 CCSD approved revision of VSHSE Scheme in 12th FYP .......................................................................................... 87 Assam became the First State to legally ban smokeless tobacco ........................................................................... 88 ADB and Government of India signed for a 275 million dollar loan under RCIP ..................................................... 88 Union Government made it mandatory to install GPS devices in public transport ................................................ 89 Sikkim became first state to achieve 100 percent sanitation coverage ................................................................. 89 Cabinet approved Amendment to Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill 2014 .................................................... 90 Implement recommendations of Majithia Wage Board: SC ................................................................................... 90 CCEA approved 5 Port projects worth 17630 crore Rupees ................................................................................... 91 India’s Visa-on-arrival facility extended for tourists of 180 nations, except eight ................................................. 92 CCEA approved implementation of National Mission Agricultural Extension and Technology .............................. 93 Mother and Child Tracking Facilitation Centre Inaugurated .................................................................................. 93 Union Ministry of Culture launched National Mission on Libraries ........................................................................ 93 India’s first Mono rail inaugurated ......................................................................................................................... 94 India Post to install 3000 ATM & 1.35 lakh micro-ATM by September 2015 ......................................................... 94 Union Civil Aviation Ministry removed restrictions on Airbus A-380 in India ........................................................ 95 Union Government launched National Waterway-4 project in Tamil Nadu ........................................................... 96 NALSA launched free legal service clinics across the country ................................................................................ 97 Viscera test must in death due to poisoning: SC .................................................................................................... 97 Union Government of India extended the implementation of NFSA to Karnataka and Chhattisgarh ................... 98 Union Cabinet approved to set up Rail Tariff Authority ......................................................................................... 98 Union Cabinet granted minority status to Jain community across India ................................................................ 99 National Urban Health Mission launched ............................................................................................................... 99 India registered an increase of five years in life expectancy rate ......................................................................... 100 Forest STs to get additional 50 days wage employment under MGNREGA ......................................................... 101 Government gave nod to Guidelines for transparent TV ratings ......................................................................... 101 Delhi High Court ruled CAG can audit telecom companies .................................................................................. 101 Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved MSP for Jute ........................................................................ 102 Supercomputer, PARAM Yuva-II ranked 1 in India ............................................................................................... 102 Centre sanctioned over 1000 buses for 13 cities under JNNURM ........................................................................ 103 India scraped 3600 crore rupees VVIP Chopper Deal with AgustaWestland ........................................................ 103 Government issued food safety guidelines for Integrated Child Development Services scheme ........................ 104

INTERNATIONAL............................................................................................................................... 106 Mauritius decided to provide automatic tax information exchange to India ....................................................... 106 PM of India Narendra Modi held talks with PM of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif ........................................................... 106 Royal Thai Army announced military coup in Thailand ........................................................................................ 106 Dalia Grybauskaite won the Presidential election of Lithuania ............................................................................ 107 Russia and China vetoed UN resolution against Syria .......................................................................................... 107 Russia and China signed 30 Year Deal on Natural Gas worth of 400 Billion Dollars ............................................. 107 PEMRA suspended three Geo TV Channels for leveling allegations against ISI .................................................... 107 China Set up 1.6 Billion Dollars Fund to Support Maritime Silk Road Development ............................................ 108


Thailand Army Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha Declared to Impose Martial Law ............................................ 108 Qatar decided to abolish Sponsorship System for foreign workers ..................................................................... 108 Moldova & Georgia to sign EU Association Agreement on 27 June 2014 ............................................................ 108 Google Must Amend Search Results on Request: European Court ...................................................................... 109 Imperial War Museum of UK launched online database of World War-I ............................................................. 109 South Sudan Government and Rebel army signed a peace deal .......................................................................... 109 Five Nuclear Powers signed a protocol on Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone Treaty ............................ 110 Pakistan test-fired Hataf-III Ghaznavi missile ....................................................................................................... 110 US to induct Chinese railroad workers into Hall of Honour .................................................................................. 111 World’s highest tunnel for high-speed train opened in China .............................................................................. 111 India-made EVMs to be used in Namibia’s Presidential polls ............................................................................... 111 Petition Filed in Court of Pakistan to Prove Bhagat Singh's Innocence ................................................................ 112 Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana scheme launched in UAE .................................................................. 112 George Clooney stepped down from UN role ...................................................................................................... 112 The US and Japan issued a Joint Statement emphasizing robust trilateral relation with India ............................ 112 India launched educational outreach programme for unemployed South African youth .................................... 113 Asia-Pacific navies of 22 countries including India signed Maritime Communication Agreement ....................... 113 India and Bhutan signed agreement on development of hydropower projects .................................................. 113 Russia, Ukraine and West signed Deal to ease Ukrainian crisis ............................................................................ 114 Abdelaziz Bouteflika won fourth time as the President of Algeria ....................................................................... 114 PGCIL & PGCB to conduct joint feasibility study to export 100 MW power to Bangladesh ................................. 114 UK legalised sale of self-testing kits for HIV .......................................................................................................... 114 China dug the 7 km deep borehole over Tibetan Plateau .................................................................................... 114 South Korea developed ballistic Missile to counter North Korea ......................................................................... 115 Bangladesh to provide transit facility for Indian power transmission line ........................................................... 115 NASA suspended ties with Russia except on International Space Station ............................................................ 115 World Bank to double lending to India, China, Brazil, Mexico and Indonesia ...................................................... 115 India increased the scholarships for Omani Students .......................................................................................... 116 Japan announced 15000 crore loan for 5 Indian Projects .................................................................................... 117 IMF agreed to provide 18 billion dollar loan to Ukraine ....................................................................................... 117 UN passed non-binding resolution de-recognising Russian annexation of Crimea .............................................. 118 Deny access to websites infringing copyright: EU court to ISPs ........................................................................... 118 UNHRC passed a changed draft resolution on Sri Lanka ...................................................................................... 118 Third Nuclear Security Summit 2014 held in The Hague ...................................................................................... 118 Five Indian languages reinstated as official subjects in South African schools ..................................................... 119 Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation sued 16 world largest banks .................................................................. 119 European Parliament passed a law to introduce a Universal Mobile Device Charger .......................................... 120 Russian President signed decree, recognised Crimea as Sovereign State ............................................................ 120 India and United States Energy Dialogue held in New Delhi ................................................................................ 120 Michelle Bachelet sworn-in as President of Chile for second term ...................................................................... 121 India pledged to provide 4500 crore rupees Assistance Package to Bhutan ........................................................ 121 India emerged as the largest non oil trading partner for Dubai in 2013-14 ......................................................... 121 Saudi Arabia declared Muslim Brotherhood a Terrorist Organisation ................................................................. 121 China announced biggest hike of 12.2 percent in defence budget ...................................................................... 122 National Security Advisor-level meet on Maritime Security Cooperation held in New Delhi .............................. 122 India decided to block the US investigations over trade policies and patents laws of India ................................ 122 India and Saudi Arabia signed MoU on defence cooperation .............................................................................. 122 India signed Public and Homeland security agreement with Israel ...................................................................... 123 FNCII and CII agreed to organise Nepal-India Economic Summit annually ........................................................... 123 British Army unmanned aircraft The Watchkeeper to start flying over Wiltshire ................................................ 123


India and Canada signed three MoUs ................................................................................................................... 124 G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meet ................................................................................. 124 Radioactive water leaked at Fukushima Plant ...................................................................................................... 124 India called for comprehensive institutional & structural reforms in SAARC: Salman Khurshid .......................... 125 India and Bahrain signed Agreements to expand Cooperation in Key Areas ....................................................... 126 India and Kyrgyz Republic signed two agreements .............................................................................................. 126 Hillary R Clinton launched a new global review of data on women empowerment ............................................ 127 Belgium became second country to allow Mercy Killing for Children .................................................................. 127 Canada announced to open Consulate General in Bangalore .............................................................................. 127 Domestic Content requirement of India’s Solar Mission challenged by US ......................................................... 128 US Navy ANM66 bomb, the largest ever WWII bomb was successfully dismantled ............................................ 128 India and Germany signed 2 pacts for financial and tech co-operation ............................................................... 129 Nepal and India amended bilateral transit treaty ................................................................................................. 129 Indian Rupee to be a legal tender in Zimbabwe ................................................................................................... 129 India and Japan inked MoUs to strengthen cooperation in tourism and power generation ............................... 130 Russia and China to conduct war games in the Mediterranean Sea .................................................................... 130 USA allowed Sikh military men to wear turban .................................................................................................... 130 Cumbria University of UK became the first public university to accept fees in Bitcoin ........................................ 131 GDP of China decelerated to 7.7 Percent in 2013-14 ........................................................................................... 131 India and UAE agreed to Promote Cooperation in Renewable Energy ................................................................. 131 Obama established Af-Pak strategic partnership office ....................................................................................... 131 Peshawar, largest reservoir of polio in world: WHO ............................................................................................ 132 Hery Rajaonarimampianina declared as the President of Madagascar ................................................................ 132 India & UK Signed MOU to Enhance the Collaboration within the framework of UKIERI .................................... 132 India and South Korea inked pacts in different areas including trade and commerce ......................................... 133 British PM ordered enquiry into Thatcher’s role in Operation Bluestar ............................................................... 133 India-Japan conducted joint maritime exercise along Kochi Coast ...................................................................... 133 Malaysian Government to introduce high-tech ID cards ...................................................................................... 134 India and Canada signed Letter of Intent for co-operation in Iron and Steel Sector ............................................ 134 Sheikh Hasina sworn-in as Bangladesh Prime Minister ........................................................................................ 134 Malaysia invited IITs to open its centre ................................................................................................................ 134 Al-Qaida linked forces declared Fallujah as new State ......................................................................................... 135 National Archives of India collaborated with Archives of Turkey and Oman ....................................................... 135 Polio vaccination for Pakistan travellers to be implemented from 14 February .................................................. 135 Pakistan has planned 7 Nuclear Plants for 8900 MW of electricity by 2030 ........................................................ 135 India & Saudi Arabia signed pact to protect interests of Indian domestic sector workers................................... 136 Latvia became the 18th member of Euro Zone .................................................................................................... 136 Japan's population dipped to record low in 2013................................................................................................. 136

ENVIRONMENT ECOLOGY .............................................................................................................. 137 Revised NCR norms restrict tourism in Green zones ............................................................................................ 137 Chances of El Nino would exceed 65 percent this year: US Climate Prediction Center ....................................... 137 New dancing frog species found in Western Ghats .............................................................................................. 137 New species of snake Himalayanus discovered in Himalayas .............................................................................. 138 Climate Change effecting nutrient content of staple crops: Study ....................................................................... 138 The only Gorilla of India, Polo died in Mysore Zoo ............................................................................................... 138 Neighbourhood Trees Campaign launched on International Mother Earth Day .................................................. 139 Cherrapunji regained the World record for highest rainfall in 48 hours .............................................................. 139 Air pollution over Asian countries strengthened Pacific storms: PNAS Study ...................................................... 140 Union MoEF cleared expansion of coal mine project in Odisha ........................................................................... 140


45-day long fishing ban imposed in East Coast ..................................................................................................... 140 The Asiatic Wild dog spotted in West Bengal for the first time ............................................................................ 140 ICJ ordered the Japanese Government to stop its Whaling Programme Jarpa II ................................................. 141 IPCC released Fifth Assessment Report on climate impacts on human and natural systems .............................. 141 GEAC revalidated 10-GM crops for field trails ...................................................................................................... 141 Panasonic announced pollution compensation for China workers ...................................................................... 142 Union MoEF accepted the Kerala Governments recommendations on ESA ........................................................ 142 100 tons of radioactive water leaked at Fukushima Power Plant ........................................................................ 142 Study found that Fertilization destabilizes Global Grassland Ecosystems ............................................................ 143 Country’s first wild dog breeding centre to be created IGZP in Vizag .................................................................. 143 Japan snowstorm left 19 dead and injured more than 1600 people .................................................................... 144 US snowstorm that has left 7 lakh homes powerless has been termed as Snowmaggedon ................................ 144 Volcano Mount Kelud of Indonesia erupted ......................................................................................................... 144 Scientists discovered new River Dolphin Species in Amazon; this is first discovery in 100 years ........................ 144 Ban on burning tyres in Public Places: National Green Tribunal........................................................................... 145 Oldest tigress Machli found in Ranthambore National Park ................................................................................ 145 First online Global Freshwater Biodiversity Atlas launched ................................................................................. 145 World’s oldest flamingo died at Adelaide Zoo of Australia .................................................................................. 146 Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction Project for Asian Vultures ....................................................................... 146 India ranked 155th in global Environment Performance Index ............................................................................ 146 2013 is fourth warmest year on record for the planet: Reports........................................................................... 147 Chilika lagoon named Destination Flyways by UNWTO ........................................................................................ 147 Beijing got severe new law to control hazardous Smog and Air Pollution ........................................................... 147 First Climate Change theatre opened in India ...................................................................................................... 148 Air pollution of Beijing 25 times above WHO safe mark....................................................................................... 148 Level of greenhouse gases rising rapidly: Leaked UN report ................................................................................ 148 Parliament of European Union approved CO2 emission restrictions for commercial vans.................................. 149 Dinosaurs footprints spotted in Jaisalmer: Scientists ........................................................................................... 149 Exceptionally Rare Conjoined Whales discovered ................................................................................................ 149 Indian Pittas, endemic bird spotted in Delhi ......................................................................................................... 149

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ............................................................................................................... 151 CSIR and IMD signed an agreement to develop drishti system ............................................................................ 151 NASA developed high-tech cages to carry rodents to ISS ..................................................................................... 151 Palaeontologists discovered the fossil of world’s largest dinosaur in Patagonia, Argentina ............................... 152 Report on Health for the world’s adolescents released by WHO ......................................................................... 152 New Element 117 named Ununseptium set to join the periodic table ................................................................ 153 Kepler-186f, the first Earth-size Planet discovered in the Habitable Zone ........................................................... 153 3D model of malaria parasite genome created for the first time ......................................................................... 154 Bluefin 21- a robotic submarine - deployed to solve mystery of lost Malaysian plane MH370 ........................... 155 Foldscope: A low cost microscope invented ......................................................................................................... 155 Artificial blood made by UK Scientist set for first human trial by 2016 ................................................................ 156 Solar Plane SOLAR IMPULSE 2 unveiled in Switzerland ........................................................................................ 157 Heartbleed: A new security threat ........................................................................................................................ 158 Google launched the 360 degree online view of Angkor Wat in Cambodia ......................................................... 158 ISRO successfully launched IRNSS 1B from Sriharikota ........................................................................................ 159 ISRO decommissioned Communication Satellite INSAT-3E .................................................................................. 159 Ebola Virus detected in Guinea ............................................................................................................................. 160 TERI developed cloud based open-source Web-GSI tool ...................................................................................... 160 Indian-American Scientist Anil Jain developed First 3D model of human fingerprint called Pha ......................... 161


Researchers at CAPRISA discovered potent antibodies to neutralize HIV ............................................................ 162 Indian origin boy Shubham Banerjee developed low cost Braille Printer ............................................................ 162 ASI & Google jointly launched the 360 degree online view of Indian heritage sites ............................................ 163 Union Government launched HIV Salvage Therapy .............................................................................................. 163 Mars Orbiter Spacecraft, Mangalyaan, completed 100 days................................................................................ 164 Australian astronomers discovered oldest known star in universe ...................................................................... 165 NIT Odisha developed technology to turn Plastic into fuel .................................................................................. 165 NASA rover Opportunity found Mars had life friendly fresh water ...................................................................... 166 Smart contact lens unveiled by Google to measure glucose levels in tears ......................................................... 167 India completed three years without any polio case ............................................................................................ 167 Anu Vidyut Pariyojana launched in Fatehabad, Haryana ...................................................................................... 168 Scientists designed Moclic software to predict weather ...................................................................................... 169 India’s Supercomputer, PARAM Yuva-II ranked 1 in India .................................................................................... 169

SPORTS ................................................................................................................................................. 171 China won Uber Cup 2014 of badminton ............................................................................................................. 171 Japan won the Thomas Cup 2014 of badminton .................................................................................................. 171 Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid 4-1 to win 10th UEFA Champions League Football title ......................... 171 Japan won AFC Women’s Asian Football Cup 2014 .............................................................................................. 171 Snooker Champion Chitra nominated for Arjuna Awards 2014 ........................................................................... 172 Novak Djokovic won the Men's Italian Tennis Open 2014 for the third time ....................................................... 172 Serena Williams won the Women's Italian Tennis Open 2014 for the third time ................................................ 172 Sir Jack Brabham, three-time F-1 champion died in Australia .............................................................................. 173 Pankaj Advani won CCI Biliards title ..................................................................................................................... 173 Hockey India honoured heroes of 1975 World Cup team .................................................................................... 173 Grant Flower named as Pakistan batting coach ................................................................................................... 174 Manipur won Senior National Women's Football Champions title ...................................................................... 174 Maria Sharapova defeated Simona Halep to win Madrid Open title .................................................................... 174 Rafael Nadal won Madrid Open Title .................................................................................................................... 175 O’Sullivan named as Snooker’s Player of the Year ............................................................................................... 175 Waqar Younis appointed as head coach of Pakistan cricket team ....................................................................... 175 Virat Kohli ranked no 1 in ICC One Day International rankings ............................................................................ 176 Mark Selby won World Snooker Championship 2014 .......................................................................................... 177 Sania Mirza and Cara Black won WTA Portugal Open 2014 ................................................................................. 177 India ranked no 1 in Twenty20 International Team ranking ................................................................................. 177 Adhiban won silver at Asian Continental Chess Championship ............................................................................ 178 Indian Squash Player Saurav Ghosal won Dato Alex Lee Award 2013 .................................................................. 178 Real Madrid won the Copa del Ray Football tournament of Spain ...................................................................... 178 Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, the US boxer died ......................................................................................................... 179 Joshna Chinappa won inaugural Richmond Open of Squash ................................................................................ 179 Stanislas Wawrinka won Monte Carlo Masters Tennis title by defeating Roger Federer .................................... 179 CBI established Sport Integrity Unit to investigate sports fraud cases ................................................................. 179 Eight franchisees of Indian Super League of AIFF announced .............................................................................. 180 Wilson Kipsang won London Marathon ................................................................................................................ 180 Santoso won OUE Singapore Open 2014 .............................................................................................................. 180 Shikhar Dhawan named among Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year ................................................................. 180 Sachin became 1st Indian cricketer on cover page of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack ........................................... 181 India's Heena Sidhu clinched World's No. 1 spot in 10 mts air pistol event ......................................................... 181 Dhoni named captain of ICC World T20 team ...................................................................................................... 181 Lee Chong Wei & Shixian Wang won India Super Series Badminton titles ........................................................... 182


Australian cricket team won Women's T20 World Cup 2014 ............................................................................... 182 Punjab won Junior National Hockey Title 2014 .................................................................................................... 182 Sri Lanka won its maiden ICC Twenty20 World Cup title ...................................................................................... 183 FIFA imposed transfer ban on Barcelona .............................................................................................................. 183 India ranked as No. 1 cricket team in ICC T20 rankings ........................................................................................ 183 Viswanathan Anand raises to No. 3 in FIDE world chess rankings ........................................................................ 184 Djokovic defeated Nadal to win fourth Miami Masters crown ............................................................................ 184 Lewis Hamilton Won Malaysian Grand Prix .......................................................................................................... 184 Simon Santoso, Indonesian Shuttler won Malaysia Grand Prix gold .................................................................... 185 West Zone won cricket's Deodhar Trophy 2014 ................................................................................................... 185 Rusi Dinshaw, Pakistan’s only Parsi cricketer died ............................................................................................... 185 RSPB won senior women hockey National Title ................................................................................................... 186 Stuart Oliver won 1st-ever Indian truck-racing championship ............................................................................. 186 Sachin Tendulkar voted Cricketer of the Generation ........................................................................................... 186 Asian Grand Prix Archery Championship: Indian archers won 2 gold & silver in team events ............................. 187 IPL 2014 to be held in UAE, Bangladesh and India ............................................................................................... 187 Heena Sidhu and Chain Singh won Gold at 7th Asian Air Gun Championship ...................................................... 187 Mizoram won 68th Santosh Trophy of football by defeating Railways ................................................................ 188 Australia replaced India in second position in ICC Test Team rankings ................................................................ 188 Tamil Nadu and Railways won Federation Cup 2014............................................................................................ 188 64th National Basketball Championship concluded ............................................................................................. 188 Sourav Kothari won the National Billiard Championship title .............................................................................. 189 Somdev Devvarman won ATP men's singles tennis title ...................................................................................... 189 Delhi Waveriders won the 2nd edition of Hockey India League cup 2014 ........................................................... 189 Cheteshwar Pujara named as brand ambassador of Gujarat Election Commission ............................................. 190 P V Sindhu ranked 9th in BWF women’s Singles ranking ...................................................................................... 191 Renaud Lavillenie broke 21-year pole vault record of Sergey Bubka ................................................................... 192 New Zealand won two-Cricket Test series against India 1-0 ................................................................................ 192 Peng Shuai of China ranked World No. 1 in WTA Doubles Ranking...................................................................... 193 Li Na of China ranked World No. 2 in WTA Singles Ranking ................................................................................. 193 Cancer awareness programme launched by Yuvraj Singh .................................................................................... 194 Justice Mudgal committee submitted its report on IPL spot fixing scandal ......................................................... 194 Yulia Lipnitskaya is the youngest Russian to win gold medal in Winter Olympics ................................................ 195 Bindra became 1st person to win three gold medals in Tri-series shooting ......................................................... 195 Srinivasan elected as the new Chairman of ICC from July 2014 onwards ............................................................ 195 Sangakkara became second cricketer to hit triple century and a century in same match ................................... 196 Abhinav Bindra won second gold medal in Inter Shoot Tri series Shooting ......................................................... 196 Karnataka defeated Maharashtra to win the Ranji Trophy 2014 ......................................................................... 197 India suffered 4-0 loss in 5 match ODI series against New Zealand ..................................................................... 197 Sumit Malik stripped off gold medal for anti-doping violation............................................................................. 198 ICC approved introduction of International Women’s Championship ................................................................. 198 Saina won Syed Modi International India Grand Prix title .................................................................................... 198 MS Dhoni became first captain to play in four tied ODIs...................................................................................... 199 India Women Cricket team won one day series against Sri Lanka 3-0 ................................................................. 200 OCA recognized Russian martial art Sambo and is now a part of Asian Games ................................................... 200 Mahesh Bhupathi launched IPTL in Melbourne .................................................................................................... 201 Anju Bobby George declared winner of World Athletics Final, 2005 ................................................................... 201 Nikhat Zareen won gold medal at the third Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament ............................... 202 75th National Table Tennis Championship ........................................................................................................... 202 ONGC Men & Chhattisgarh Women won Federation Cup National Basketball Championship ............................ 202


Under-19 Asia Cup: India defeated Pakistan by 40 runs. ...................................................................................... 202 Aditya Joshi became world no. 1 junior shuttler .................................................................................................. 203 Serena Williams won the Brisbane International Title 2014 ................................................................................ 203 Ronaldinho got South American footballer of the year award ............................................................................. 203

ART & CULTURE ................................................................................................................................ 205 Spain suspended the 12th bull fight festival after matadors got injured by bulls ................................................ 205 Brazil honoured 100 years of Indian cinema by releasing two postage stamps ................................................... 205 Largest diamond of World and Mughal necklace to be auctioned in Geneva ...................................................... 206 Union Ministry of Culture launched Logo of Festival of India in China ................................................................. 206 'Gulabi Gang' documentary to be screened at New York India film festival ........................................................ 206 Bhaag Milkha Bhaag screened at seventh Asian Film Festival 2014 in Saudi Arabia ............................................ 207 India nominated Rani-ki-Vav and GHNP for UNESCO’s World Heritage Site Status ............................................. 207 Film Black was screened at Fakel Theatre in Moscow .......................................................................................... 208 Surajkund International crafts Mela began in Haryana ........................................................................................ 208

AWARDS | HONOURS ....................................................................................................................... 210 Edinburgh University awarded honorary degree to Former President APJ Abdul Kalam ..................................... 210 Ravi Dhariwal, CEO of BCCL, awarded with Silver Shovel Award of INMA ........................................................... 210 President conferred National Florence Nightingale Awards on 35 nursing personnel ........................................ 210 Vikaram Sunderam won Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic of James Beard Awards 2014 ......................................... 211 Caparo Group won International Business of the Year award 2014 ..................................................................... 211 Two Indian-Americans Manjusha P. Kulkarni and Ranjana P. selected for Champions of Change ....................... 211 Indian-American Mitul Kadakia won 2014 Gregory Bradeb Memorial Fellow of the Year Award ....................... 212 IAA received International Arch of Europe Award ................................................................................................ 212 India honoured New Frontiers Award 2014 ......................................................................................................... 212 Project Mobile Seva under DeitY won the 2014 United Nations Public Service Award ....................................... 213 The 15th International Indian Film Academy Awards 2014 .................................................................................. 213 John Travolta honoured the Most Popular All Time International Star in India at IIFA awards ........................... 214 Time Magazine released The 100 Most Influential People in the World list ........................................................ 215 Mathangi Sathyamurthy to receive M S Subbulakshmi Award 2014 ................................................................... 215 61st National Film Awards: Ship of Theseus won Best Feature Film .................................................................... 216 India born poet Vijay Seshadri won 2014 Pulitzer Prize in poetry category ......................................................... 217 President conferred Sangeet Natak Akademi fellowships 2013 ........................................................................... 218 Ratan Tata received Knight Grand Cross award by UK Government .................................................................... 220 Legendary Poet Gulzar selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2013 ............................................................. 220 Stuart Parkin won Millennium Technology Prize 2014 ......................................................................................... 220 Jhumpa Lahiri's "Lowland" shortlisted for 2014 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction ............................................. 221 The list of 100 Most Influential Asian People of 2014 released ........................................................................... 221 Koyal Rana won the Miss India 2014 title ............................................................................................................. 222 MS Dhoni won United Kingdom’s 2014 Asian award for outstanding achievement in sports ............................. 223 HAL received the Most Efficient Navratna Award 2013 ....................................................................................... 223 Zubin Mehta won special jury award of Times Now NRI Awards 2014 ................................................................ 224 Indian-Origin student Gopal Rao won UK Twitter Prize........................................................................................ 225 Govind Mishra, the Hindi writer selected for Saraswati Samman 2013 ............................................................... 225 President conferred Gallantry and Distinguished Service Awards ....................................................................... 226 Physicist Rajesh Gopakumar selected for G D Birla Award 2013 .......................................................................... 226 Indian Journalist Shubranshu Choudhary won digital Activism Award 2014........................................................ 227 President presented the Standard and Colours Award ........................................................................................ 227


Indian acid attack victim, Laxmi won International Women of Courage Award .................................................. 228 Chandi Prasad Bhatt won Gandhi Peace Prize for 2013 ....................................................................................... 228 Madan Babu won Protein Science Young Investigator Award for 2014 ............................................................... 229 Killa, a Marathi film bagged Crystal Bear award at 64th Berlin International Film Festival ................................. 231 President Pranab Mukherjee conferred Award of Honour of Rotary International ............................................. 231 Krishi Karman Awards for 2012-13 ....................................................................................................................... 232 Sachin Tendulkar and CNR Rao conferred with Bharat Ratna .............................................................................. 232 Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station awarded a Gold Shield ................................................................................. 233 Anand Kumar, the founder of Super30 got Ramanujan Mathematics award 2014 ............................................. 233 56th annual Grammy Awards for 2014 announced .............................................................................................. 234 Cyrus Mistry won the DSC prize 2014 ................................................................................................................... 235 Yushi, Taiwanese poet awarded Thiruvalluvar award .......................................................................................... 236 Deepika and Farhan won best actors at Screen Awards ....................................................................................... 236 President presented Sunil Gangopadhyay Award 2012 & 2013 ........................................................................... 237 Andhra Pradesh bagged Oil and Gas Conservation Award, 2013 ......................................................................... 238 71st Golden Globe Awards 2014 announced ....................................................................................................... 238 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards conferred by the President .......................................................................... 239

PERSON IN NEWS .............................................................................................................................. 240 Sushma Swaraj became the first woman External Affairs Minister of India ......................................................... 240 Indian-American student Akhil Rekulapelli won National Geographic Bee Championship .................................. 240 EC confirmed Amir Khan as its National Icon for Lok Sabha election 2014 .......................................................... 240 Mexico celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of late Nobel Laureate Octavio Paz ........................................... 240 India based American Dr. Sumit Chugh chosen for Prestigious Simon Dack Award ............................................. 241 Sheila Dikshit took oath as Kerala Governor ......................................................................................................... 241 Spicejet appointed R. Neelakantan new CFO ....................................................................................................... 241 Dr. Tej Vir Singh won the UNWTO Ulysses Prize ................................................................................................... 241 Anand Sinha, the Deputy Governor of RBI retired ................................................................................................ 242 Qamar Ahmed, third cricket journalist, to cover 400 Test Matches ..................................................................... 242 MS Dhir elected as Speaker of Delhi Assembly ..................................................................................................... 242

PERSON APPOINTED ....................................................................................................................... 243 Ahmed Maitiq sworn-in as the new Prime Minister of Libya ............................................................................... 243 Former IB chief Rajiv Mathur became new CIC .................................................................................................... 243 Anandiben sworn-in as first woman Chief Minister of Gujarat ............................................................................ 243 International Day for Biological Diversity 2014 observed across the world ......................................................... 244 President appointed Narendra Modi as Prime Minister, Oath on May 26 ........................................................... 244 Naveen Patnaik sworn-in as Chief Minister of Odisha for fourth consecutive term ............................................ 244 Pawan Chamling sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Sikkim for record 5th term .................................................. 245 Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Resigned ................................................ 245 Jitan Ram Manjhi took oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar .................................................................................. 246 Nabam Tuki sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh ...................................................................... 246 A.B. Pandya appointed as the Chairman of Central Water Commission .............................................................. 246 Kristin Lund of Norway became first-ever woman to head a UN Peacekeeping Force ........................................ 246 Suresh Kumar Reddy appointed as the First ambassador to ASEAN .................................................................... 247 Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram designated as new Finance Secretary ........................................... 247 Justice G Rohini appointed as the first women Chief Justice of Delhi High Court ................................................ 247 Justice R.M.Lodha appointed as Next Chief Justice of India ................................................................................. 248 Ratan Tata appointed member of China-backed Board of Boao Forum for Asia ................................................. 248


SAP appointed Ravi Chauhan as MD for India ...................................................................................................... 248 Marie-Lousie Coleiro Preca sworn-in as President of Malta ................................................................................. 249 R Gandhi appointed as Deputy Governor of RBI................................................................................................... 249 D K Pathak appointed as the new Director General of BSF .................................................................................. 249 French President Hollande names Valls as new PM ............................................................................................. 249 Sunil Gavaskar appointed as Interim President of BCCI ....................................................................................... 250 Jens Stoltenberg appointed as Secretary General of NATO ................................................................................. 250 Soma Mondal appointed first Women director of NALCO ................................................................................... 250 Rakesh Sethi appointed as CMD of Allahabad Bank ............................................................................................. 251 FPSB appointed former SC Judge Srikrishna as its Chairman ................................................................................ 251 Avaya appointed Priyadarshi Mohapatra as Managing Director for India and SAARC ......................................... 251 Sheila Dikshit appointed as the new Governor of Kerala ..................................................................................... 252 Dinesh Sarraf appointed next ONGC chief ............................................................................................................ 252 Ibrahim Mahlab sworn in as Prime Minister of Egypt .......................................................................................... 252 Matteo Renzi sworn-in as PM of Italy ................................................................................................................... 253 Abdul Basit appointed high commissioner of Pakistan to India ........................................................................... 253 Justice Mukul Mudgal appointed as Chief of BCCC............................................................................................... 253 Jatinder Bir Singh appointed CMD of Punjab and Sind Bank ................................................................................ 254 R.K.Tiwari appointed new Chairman of CBDT ....................................................................................................... 254 N Ramachandran elected President of IOA .......................................................................................................... 254 Marco Lambertini appointed Director-General of WWF International ................................................................ 255 Satya Nadella appointed as CEO of Microsoft ...................................................................................................... 255 Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur appointed to head 7th Central Pay Commission ................................................... 256 Poonam Khetrapal Singh took charge as Regional Director of SEARO ................................................................. 257 Manoj Vaish took charge as MD & CEO of MCX ................................................................................................... 257 Harish Rawat appointed 8th Chief Minister of Uttrakhand .................................................................................. 258 Michel Rogers nominated as Director of NSA ....................................................................................................... 258 Professor Rakesh Khurana of Indian origin appointed as Dean of Harvard College ............................................. 259 Aruna Bahuguna first woman to be appointed chief of National Police Academy............................................... 259 Jamila Bayaz, first women to be appointed police chief of Kabul province.......................................................... 259 Sirajuddin Qureshi elected as the President of IICC ............................................................................................. 260 Uninor appointed Morten Sorby as new CEO ....................................................................................................... 260 US Senate confirmed Janet Yellen as next Chairperson of Federal Reserve......................................................... 261 Chandrashekhar appointed the President of NASSCOM ...................................................................................... 261 Srinivas and Pravin Rao appointed Infosys Presidents ......................................................................................... 262

PERSON DIED ..................................................................................................................................... 263 N Srinivasan, the veteran nuclear scientist died ................................................................................................... 263 Russi Mody, the former Tata Steels Chairman died ............................................................................................. 263 Founder of Leela Group Hotels Krishnan Nair died .............................................................................................. 263 British actor Bob Hoskins died at 71 ..................................................................................................................... 264 Arturo Licata, the World's oldest man died in Italy at age 111 ............................................................................ 264 Canadian Author Alistair Macleod died ................................................................................................................ 265 Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez died at 87 .............................................................................................. 265 Khushwant Singh, the renowned author and journalist died ............................................................................... 265 Former Sierra Leone President, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah died ................................................................................. 266 Eminent painter Prokash Karmakar died .............................................................................................................. 267 Hindi writer and Jnanpith Award winner Amar Kant died .................................................................................... 267 Famous Bengali Actress Suchitra Sen died ........................................................................................................... 267 Famous Marathi writer Namdeo Dhasal died ....................................................................................................... 268


Israel’s Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon died ................................................................................................. 268

REPORT | SURVEY ............................................................................................................................ 270 World Gold Council Gold Demand Trends Report released ................................................................................. 270 Forbes 11th annual Global 2000 list released ....................................................................................................... 270 WHO declared outbreak of Polio as World Health Emergency ............................................................................ 270 Improve the Business Environment in India report released ............................................................................... 271 Internet to have 3 billion users by end of 2014: ITU report ................................................................................. 272 India dropped to 78 in latest Freedom of the press 2014 .................................................................................... 272 WEF released Global Information Technology Report 2014 ................................................................................ 272 Amnesty International report on death penalty worldwide released .................................................................. 273 Wipro and Tata Power among world's most ethical firms.................................................................................... 274 India ranked 4th in spam e-mails export: Microsoft Report ................................................................................. 275 India is the world’s largest arms importer: SIPRI .................................................................................................. 275 World Economic Forum released Young Global Leaders 2014 list ....................................................................... 276 Indian migrants among top Migrant Entrepreneurs in UK: Report ...................................................................... 278 Bimal Jalan Committee on New Bank Licences submitted its report to RBI ......................................................... 279 MGI released the report From Poverty to Empowerment ................................................................................... 280 India ranked 8th in demand for digital governance.............................................................................................. 280 UNESCO released 11th EFA Global Monitoring Report 2013-14 .......................................................................... 280 Pakistan only polio-endemic nation with more cases .......................................................................................... 281

SUMMIT AND CONFERENCES ........................................................................................................ 282 3rd Nuclear Security Summit 2014 ....................................................................................................................... 282 Wharton India Economic Forum to be held in Pennsylvania ................................................................................ 282 G-4 Director Generals for UN Affairs met in New Delhi ....................................................................................... 283 Third World Congress on Agro-Forestry ............................................................................................................... 283 ASSOCHAM organized Seventh Global Insurance Summit at Hyderabad ............................................................. 284

IMPORTANT DATES ......................................................................................................................... 286 International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers observed across the world .................................................. 286 Anti-Terrorism Day Observed across India on 21 May ......................................................................................... 286 World Turtle Day observed across the world on 23 May ..................................................................................... 286 International Day for Biological Diversity 2014 observed across the world ......................................................... 287 International Museum Day 2014 celebrated across the world ............................................................................ 287 World Migratory Bird Day observed across the world ......................................................................................... 287 World Malaria Day Observed across the world .................................................................................................... 288 International Mother Earth Day observed across the world on 22 April 2014 ..................................................... 288 World Health Day 2014 observed across the world ............................................................................................. 288 World Autism Awareness Day celebrated across the world ................................................................................. 289 Earth Hour observed across the world ................................................................................................................. 289 World Water Day observed across the World ...................................................................................................... 289 World Poetry Day observed across the world ...................................................................................................... 289 UN observed International Day of Forest ............................................................................................................. 290 World Sparrow Day observed across the world ................................................................................................... 290 World Kidney Day observed across the World ..................................................................................................... 290 International Women Day observed across the world ......................................................................................... 290 World Dentist Day observed across the World ..................................................................................................... 291


National Science Day observed across India on 28 February ............................................................................... 291 International Mother Language Day observed across the world on 21 February 2014 ....................................... 291 National Women's Day of India observed on 13 February ................................................................................... 292 World Radio celebrated across the globe ............................................................................................................. 292 World Cancer Day 2014 observed across the world on 4 February ..................................................................... 292 World Wetland Day celebrated across the globe ................................................................................................. 293 The Election Commission of India celebrated the 4th National voters Day: 25 January ...................................... 293 National Girl Child Day observed on 24 January ................................................................................................... 293

MISCELLANEOUS ............................................................................................................................... 294 Malavath Poorna of Andhra became youngest woman to climb Mount Everest ................................................ 294 Travel planning Portal Tripigator.com launched in Partnership with Incredible India ......................................... 294 Arch to be built over Chernobyl to safeguard citizens from radioactive dust ...................................................... 294 Two former Popes John XXIII and John Paul II declared as Saints by Pope Francis .............................................. 294 US President Barack Obama nominated three Indian-Americans to AAPI ........................................................... 295 A new robot, Borewell Robot, developed to rescue kids who fall into borewells ................................................ 295 Comic book icon Archie to die in July's final issue ................................................................................................ 295 Portal ‘RAILSAVER’ launched to Improve Energy Efficiency in Indian Railways .................................................... 295 Ernesto Gainza set a new Guinness record of skydiving using smallest parachute .............................................. 296 Three statues belonged to Napatan civilisation were stolen from Northern Sudan ............................................ 296 University of Chicago opened an academic centre in Connaught Place, Delhi .................................................... 296 Nirbheek, a lightweight revolver for protection of women launched .................................................................. 296 UK decided to honour the Indian heroes of World War I ..................................................................................... 296 National Campaign titled U & Me Against Dengue launched ............................................................................... 297 World Longest aircraft Airlander unveiled in Britain ............................................................................................ 297 Election Commission of India organized Election Awakening for Women and Youth campaign ......................... 297 Music album, Raunaq written by Sibal and composed by AR Rahman launched ................................................. 297 Indira Paryavaran Bhawan inaugurated by Prime Minister .................................................................................. 297 IRCTC launched E-wallet Scheme to make payment process fast ........................................................................ 298 First Braille-signage coach in India to be attached with Purushottam Express .................................................... 298 South Africa launched commemorative silver stamp of Nelson Mandela ........................................................... 298 Garuda Vasudha Advanced Light Helicopter of Geological Survey of India launched .......................................... 298 Lewis Clarke youngest person to reach South Pole .............................................................................................. 298 RBI issued 5 rupees and 10 rupees coins bearing Goddess Vaishno Devi ............................................................ 299 151st Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda celebrated worldwide ............................................................... 299

ABBREVIATIONS | TERMS .............................................................................................................. 300 Indian and Singapore Navy conducted SIMBEX 2014 ........................................................................................... 300 READ Alliance initiative launched to Strengthen Children’s Reading Skills .......................................................... 300 IRV 2020 to protect Vulnerable Rhinos................................................................................................................. 301 Hongkonger added into Oxford English Dictionary .............................................................................................. 302 PEACE-Promoting Energy Access through Clean Energy ...................................................................................... 303

FEEDBACK ........................................................................................................................................... 304


Economy and Business

RBI TIGHTENED ACQUISITION & MERGER RULES FOR NON-BANKING FINANCIAL COMPANIES

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI,) tightened merger rules for non-bank finance companies (NBFCs) to ensure fit and proper character of the management of NBFC.

The RBI on 26 May 2014 notified the Non-Banking Financial Companies (Approval of Acquisition or Transfer of Control) Directions, 2014. The directions will come into force with immediate effect. Canceled

FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES INCREASED BY 15.5 BILLION US DOLLAR IN 2014: RBI

Foreign exchange reserves increased by USD 15.5 billion in the financial year ended March 2014. This was revealed by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data on the sources of variation in foreign exchange reserves during 2013-14 released on 26 May 2014.

SINGAPORE BECAME THE TOP SOURCE OF FDI INTO INDIA REPLACING MAURITIUS: DIPP

Singapore became the top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India. Singapore replaced Mauritius to become the number one source of FDI. This was revealed by the FDI data for March 2014 of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under the Union Ministry of Commerce Industry and Textiles.

Top ten countries investing in India

1. Singapore

2. Mauritius

3. United Kingdom

4. Netherlands

5. Japan

6. Germany

7. U.S.A


8. Cyprus

9. Switzerland

10. France

RBI DIRECTED ALL BANKS TO INSTALL DISABLED FRIENDLY NEW ATMS

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 21 May 2014 directed all banks to install disabled friendly new Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). All the new ATMs that are to be installed after 1 July 2014 needs to provide audible instructions and Braille keypads to customers.

BHARATIYA MAHILA BANK INCLUDED IN SECOND SCHEDULE OF RBI ACT, 1934

Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) was included in the second schedule of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934. The inclusion of the BMB in the second schedule was announced by RBI in a notification issued in Mumbai on 21 May 2014.

With the inclusion of BMB, total number of scheduled commercial banks in India now stands at 90. As on 2 May 2014, there were 89 Scheduled commercial banks in India. The inclusion of BMB in the second schedule of the RBI Act, 1934 means that now it will be eligible for loans from RBI on bank rate and also acquired membership of clearing houses.

Chairman and Managing Director - Usha Ananthasubramanian

PLASTIC CURRENCY NOTES TO BE LAUNCHED IN 2015: RAGHURAM RANJAN

Raghuram Rajan, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 15 May 2014 announced that plastic currency notes will be launched in 2015 after field trials. He said it after the Central Board of Directors of the RBI Meet in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.

Earlier in February 2013, Union Government had informed Parliament that it will introduce one billion plastic currency notes in five cities in later half of 2014 on a pilot basis. The five selected cities for pilot testing are Shimla, Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, and Bhubaneswar.


INDIA TO BECOME THE THIRD LARGEST OIL CONSUMER BY 2025: US EIA

India will become the world’s third largest oil consumer by 2025 according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its annual Energy Outlook on 7 May 2014.

Indian companies are not permitted to raise External Commercial Borrowings: RBI

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 9 May 2014 barred Indian companies from raising the External

Commercial Borrowings (ECB) from overseas branches and subsidiaries of Indian banks for

refinance or repayment of the Rupee loans raised from domestic banking system. The

notification of the central bank for changes in the ECB policy comes into force with immediate

effect.

RBI ALLOWED BANK BRANCHES ABROAD TO SELL STRUCTURED PRODUCTS

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 12 May 2014 notified that foreign branches or subsidiaries of Indian banks are allowed to offer structured financial and derivative products that are not specifically permitted by it in the domestic market.

These activities are permitted only at the established financial centers outside India like New York, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Dubai and others.

RBI ALLOWED THE MINORS OF AGE ABOVE 10 YEARS TO OPEN SAVINGS BANK ACCOUNTS

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 6 May 2014 issued the guidelines to allow the minors of age above 10 years to independently open and operate savings bank accounts and use other facilities like ATM and cheque books.

DEADLINE ENDED FOR NON-CTS CHEQUES

The deadline for switching to new format bank cheques under the Cheque Truncation System (CTS) ended on 30 April 2014. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) started the process of migration to CTS cheques in New Delhi and Chennai from 24 September 2011.


DGCA ALLOWED PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING CELLPHONES DURING FLIGHTS

The Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) on 23 April 2014 decided to allow the use of Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) including cellphones during flights. DGCA amended CAR Section 5 Series X Part I relating to air safety.

PEDs can now be used freely on flight mode, allowing passengers to play games, watch movies or even catch up with work on their smart phones in all phases of a flight.

RBI ISSUED UNIFORM ACCOUNTING NORMS FOR ASSET RECONSTRUCTION COMPANIES

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 23 April 2014 issued uniform accounting standards for Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs). The norms were issued with regard to acquiring non-performing loans, recognising revenue and management fees to ensure common treatment for firms. RBI issued guidelines on uniform accounting standard for ARCs are as under

RBI WILL DECIDE NPA GUIDELINES RULES: GUJARAT HIGH COURT

The High Court of Gujarat on 2 April 2014 restored the power of the Reserve Bank of India to decide the period after which the bad loan can be called as a non-performing asset (NPA). The bench of the High Court of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattachrya and Justice J B Pardiwala said that the Section 2(1)(o) of Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act is held unconstitutional.

IFFCO GOT PERMISSION FROM QUEBEC PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT TO SET UP UREA PLANT

Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative Ltd (IFFCO), India's leading fertiliser cooperative, got

permission from the Quebec Provincial Government to set up a 1.6 billion US dollar Urea plant.

Quebec province, Canada's largest, is located in the east-central region of the country.

A decision in this regard was taken on 26 March 2014 by the cabinet of the Quebec Provincial

Government and was notified in the official gazette of Quebec on 19 April 2014.


UNION GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO CONTINUE EXPORT SUBSIDY OF 3300 RUPEES PER TONNE ON RAW SUGAR EXPORT

Union Government of India on 20 April 2014 decided to continue the export subsidy of 3300

rupees per tonne on raw sugar shipments for April - May 2014 period.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in February 2014 had approved an

incentive for export of four million tonnes of raw sugar for two years. The incentive would help

the cash starved industry to pay arrears to sugarcane farmers.

SEBI ISSUED DETAILED CORPORATE GOVERNANCE NORMS

Capital market regulator of India, the Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 17 April 2014 issued detailed corporate governance norms for listed companies. The norms have been launched for stricter disclosures and protection of investor rights, including equitable treatment for minority and foreign shareholders.

SEBI has amended clauses 35B and 49 of the listing agreement and the new rules will be effective from 1 October 2014.

CAG EMPOWERED TO AUDIT PRIVATE TELECOM COMPANIES: SC

Supreme Court (SC) of India on 17 April 2014 said that the national auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) is empowered to audit the revenues of private telecom companies. The judgement was given by the SC bench of Justice K S Radhakrishnan and Justice Vikramjit Sen. The bench upheld the January 2014 decision of the Delhi High Court which ruled that CAG within the meaning of the law is empowered to conduct revenue audits of private telecom firms.

SECURITIES OF 7 FIRMS TO BE MOVED FROM RESTRICTED TO NORMAL TRADING CATEGORY: SEBI

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the market watchdog on 15 April 2014 said that stock exchange may consider shifting securities of seven companies to normal trading category from restricted segment.

The seven companies that could be shifted includes


Panorama Capital Market

Noble Polymers

Adarsh Mercantile

Panafic Industrials

Classic Global Finance and Capital

Appu Marketing and Manufacturing

Jackson Investments

WORLD TRADE TO GROW BY 4.7 PERCENT IN 2014: WTO

World Trade Organisation (WTO) on 14 April 2014 projected that the world trade will grow by 4.7 percent in 2014. It also projected that the growth in 2015 will slightly be faster at 5.3 percent, which is 20 year average growth rate.

WB PROJECTED ECONOMIC GROWTH RATE OF 5.7% FOR INDIA IN 2014-15 FISCAL

The World Bank on 9 April 2014 projected that the economic growth rate of India for the fiscal year 2014-2015 will be 5.7 percent. In its forecast the World Bank said that the growth would be backed on the more competitive exchange rate and many large investments going forward.

INDIA RANKED 102 OUT OF 132 COUNTRIES ON SOCIAL PROGRESS INDEX

India was ranked 102 out of 132 countries on the Social Progress Index (SPI) published by the US-based non-profit organisation Social Progress Imperative on 3 April 2014. This is the second publication of the SPI. The first SPI was published in 2013 taking into account the social progress in 50 countries.

RESERVE BANK OF INDIA ADOPTED CPI AS NEW MEASURE OF INFLATION

The Reserve Bank of India on 1 April 2014 adopted the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as the key measure of Inflation. It was adopted in the first bi-monthly monetary policy statement for 2014-15.

It was adopted on the basis of recommendations of Urjit R Patel Committee report on Revising and Strengthening the Monetary Policy Framework.


RBI approved banking licences to IDFC Ltd and Bandhan financial services

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 2 April 2014 granted in-principle approvals to IDFC Ltd and Bandhan Financial Services Pvt. Ltd to start new banks in India. These approvals have been granted under the guidelines on licensing of new banks in the private sector. The two have been granted the permission to set-up banks from a field of 25 aspirants.

ASIAN DEVELOPMENT OUTLOOK 2014 RELEASED

Asian Development Outlook 2014 was released on 1 April 2014 by the Asian Development Bank. According to the ADB Outlook 2014, developing Asia is expected to extend its steady growth from 6.1 percent in 2013 to 6.2 percent in 2014 and 6.4 percent in 2015.

RBI CAPPED WMA LIMIT FOR CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AT 35000 CRORE RUPEES FOR 2015 FIRST HALF

RBI in consultation with Union Government on 1 April 2014 capped the Ways and Means Advances (WMA) limits for the first half of the new financial year 2014-15 (April 2014-Sep 2014) at 35000 crore rupees.

This notification of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is aimed at triggering fresh flotation of market loans when the government utilises 75 percent of the WMA limit. The second half of the limit would be fixed in September 2014.

REPO RATE KEPT UNCHANGED BY RBI IN FIRST BI-MONTHLY MONETARY POLICY STATEMENT 2014-15

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its first Bi-monthly Monetary Policy statement 2014-15 announced on 1 April 2014, has kept the policy repo rate unchanged at 8.0%.

UNION MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS NOTIFIED RULES FOR TEN MORE CHAPTERS IN THE NEW COMPANY ACT

Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs notified rules for ten more chapters in the new Companies Act, 2013. The new Companies Act, 2013 that was passed by the Parliament in August 2013 came into effect on 1 April 2014. The new companies act includes 29 chapters, 7 Schedules and 470 Sections.


INDIA GDP RISES TO 5.5 PERCENT IN 2014-15: ASIAN DEVELOPMENT OUTLOOK 2014

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of India was forecasted to rise to 5.5 percent in 2014-15. This was revealed by the Asian Development Outlook 2014. The report was released on 1 April 2-014 by the Asian Development Bank.

PRESIDENT CLEARED THE RE-PROMULGATION OF SEBI ORDINANCE 2013

President Pranab Mukherjee on 30 March 2014 cleared the re-promulgation of the SEBI

Ordinance Securities Laws (Amendment) Bill 2013. The ordinance aims to give powers to

Securities and Exchanges Board of India (SEBI) to act against Ponzi scheme.

The Ordinance empowers the SEBI to order search and seizure and crack down on Ponzi

schemes and to demand information such as phone calls data records for aiding its securities

transactions investigations

BHEL SIGNED CONTRACT OF 125CRORE RUPEES OF HYDRO POWER IN UTTARAKHAND

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) signed a contract of 125 crore rupees from Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited on 31 March 2014. The contract is for setting up a 120 MW Hydro Electric Project in Uttarakhand on 31 March 2014.

BHEL has increased its manufacturing capacity to 20000 MW per annum. The hydro power project, Vyasi Project is a run-of-the-river scheme on the Yamuna.

RBI EXTENDED THE TIMELINE FOR FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF BASEL III NORMS BY 2019

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the timeline for full implementation of the Basel III capital regulations by a year. Now the banks are required to comply with the Basel III norms by 31 March 2019 instead of 31 March 2018.


SEBI TO RELEASE FATCA COMPLIANCE NORMS IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2014-15

SEBI announced on 25 March 2014 to release the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) compliance norms in the fiscal year 2014-15. The FATCA compliance norms will help combat possible tax evasion by Americans through Indian entities.

FATCA is a law that aims to check and impose withholding tax on illicit activities of some wealthy individuals who use offshore accounts to evade millions of dollars in taxes.

EPFO ANNOUNCED TO PROVIDE UNIVERSAL ACCOUNT NUMBER FROM OCTOBER 2014

Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on 24 March 2014 announced to provide Universal Account Number (UAN) to its five crore subscribers from 1 October 2014.

Permanent or Universal Account Number (UAN) will facilitate subscribers to avoid filing Provident Fund (PF) account transfer claims on changing jobs. After getting UAN, a subscriber would not be issued new PF account number on joining new employer.

BANK OF INDIA LAUNCHED INSTANT MONEY TRANSFER SCHEME

Bank of India (BoI) on 24 March 2014 launched Instant Money Transfer (IMT) scheme in Mumbai. IMT scheme allows customers to withdraw cash without using either debt card or credit card at BoI's IMT-enabled ATMs. This is the first-of-its-kind initiative launched by a public sector bank.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DIVESTED ITS 9 PERCENT STAKE IN AXIS BANK

The Government of India divested its 9 percent stake in Axis Bank on 21 March 2014. The divestment resulted into generation of 5500 crore rupees.

Through a trust fund called Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India (SUUTI), Government of India disposed 42.26 million shares or 9 percent of Axis Bank’s share capital.


FDI INFLOW GREW IN JANUARY 2014 BY 1.5 PERCENT: DIPP

The foreign direct investment (FDI) grew in January 2014 by 1.5 per cent to 2.18 billion US dollar compared to 2.15 billion US dollar in January 2013. This was revealed by the data on FDI released by department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) on 20 March 2014.

However, during April 2013 to January 2014 FDI inflow declined by 2 per cent to 18.74 billion US dollar from 19.10 billion US dollar.

RBI HIKED TRADE RELATED REMITTANCE FROM 2 TO 5 LAKH RUPEES PER TRANSACTION

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 13 March 2014 hiked the trade related remittance limit from 2 lakh rupees to 5 lakh rupees per transaction with immediate effect. It also increased the number of transaction handled by exchange houses.

IOC SOLD 10% GOVERNMENT STAKE TO OIL AND ONGC

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) sold 10 percent of government stake (for 5340 crore rupees) to the Oil India Limited (OIL) and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on 14 March 2014. Earlier, government shareholding in IOC was 78.92% which has now reduced to 68.92 percent.

UNION FINANCE MINISTRY AND SEBI FINALIZED THE NORMS FOR SETTING UP CPSE-ETF

Union Finance Ministry and Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 11 March 2014 jointly finalized the norms of investment for setting up Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) - Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) headed by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had approved floating the CPSE ETF.

INDIA’S EXPORTS CONTRACTED 3.67 PERCENT TO 25.7 BILLION DOLLAR IN FEBRUARY 2014

India’s exports have contracted by 3.67 percent in February 2014 to 25.7 billion dollars (159858.16 crore rupees). This contraction is the first in past eight months. Imports of the country also have fell by 17.09 percent to 33.8 billion dollars (210451.11 crore rupees) during the month. This fall in imports and exports has resulted in narrowing the trade deficit to a dive-month low of 8.1 billion dollars.


UNION GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED TO BUILD 200 LOW COST AIRPORTS

Union Government on 10 March 2014 announced to build 200 low cost airports in the next 20 years. The move is aimed at expanding connectivity to Tier-II and Tier-III cities. The development of low-frills airports will significantly reduce the cost of operations. The announcement is expected to trigger a sharp increase in the aircraft fleet and the MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) business. India is expected to add 370 aircraft worth 27 billion US dollar by 2017.

CURRENT ACCOUNT DEFICIT DECLINED TO 0.9 PERCENT OF GDP IN QUARTER 3 OF 2013-14

Current Account Deficit (CAD) declined to 0.9 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Quarter 3 (October - December) of 2013-14.

This was revealed by the Report on Developments in India’s Balance of Payments released by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 5 March 2014. Also, as per the report CAD reached to its lowest in the past eight years.

INTEREST RATE ON POST OFFICE FIXED DEPOSITS HIKED BY 0.2%

Government of India on 4 March 2014 hiked the interest rates on fixed deposit scheme that is offered by post offices by up to 0.2 percent. The new interest rates on the small savings schemes will come into effect from 1 April 2014.

WORKDAYS FOR TRIBALS UNDER MNREGA RAISED FROM 100 TO 150

Union Government of India on 28 February 2014 raised the number of workdays under

MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005) from 100 days to

150 days. This hike in the workdays will benefit 14 lakh families in India and the decision Union

Cabinet will come into effect from April 2014.


RBI ISSUED GUIDELINES TO DEAL WITH DISTRESSED ASSETS

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued guidelines for revitalising distressed assets on 26 February 2014. The guidelines suggested the forming of Joint Lenders Forum (JLF) and adoption of Corrective Action Plan (CAP) for operationalising the framework.

NABARD FORMED JOINT LIABILITY GROUP TO FINANCE SMALL FARMERS

Rural development agency National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) announced to form a new concept called Joint Liability Group (JLG) on 24 February 2014. JLG aimed to provide institutional credit to small farmers like share croppers, oral lessees and agricultural labourers.

JLG scheme will be highly beneficial for states like Punjab and Haryana where average land holdings are shrinking and strength of such farmers is large in these states.

Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of NABARD is H K Bhanwala.

UNION CABINET APPROVED COAL REGULATORY AUTHORITY

The Union Cabinet approved the setting up of Coal Regulatory Authority (CRA) on 20 February 2014. The proposal for setting up CRA was made by the Union Coal Ministry.

The regulator is a non-statutory entity. Its orders will be advisory and not mandatory in nature. It will be empowered to specify the principles and methodology to determine the price of raw and washed coal and any other by-product generated during washing.

IMF PROJECTED 5.4 PERCENT ECONOMIC GROWTH FOR INDIA IN 2014-15

International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 20 February 2014 released its annual report on the state of the Indian economy and projected that India’s economic growth for 2014-15 will be 5.4 percent. In its release it said that India has restored macroeconomic and financial stability but structural impediments to growth and persistently high inflation is the major areas of concern. It has also suggested India to strengthen its inflation management policies and do away with supply bottlenecks for better GDP.


India Economic Growth projected to be 4.5 percent by IMF

India’s Economy to grow by 4.9 percent in 2013-14: CSO

India ranked lowest in International Intellectual Property Index

Economic growth for 2012-13 lowered to 4.5 percent from 5 percent estimated earlier

SECOND AE PUT FOODGRAIN PRODUCTION AT 263.2 MT IN 2013-14

Union Agriculture Ministry released the Second advance estimates of Crop Production on 14 February 2014. As per the estimate, Foodgrain production is likely to touch a record of 263.2 million tonnes in 2013-14, as against the benchmark high of 259 million tonnes achieved in 2011-12. This would be the highest foodgrain production ever achieved in the country. The estimated foodgrain production of 263.2 for 2013-14 million tonnes is higher than the foodgrain production of 257.13 million tonnes in 2012-13. This is 6 million tonnes higher than the production in 2012-13.

SEBI APPROVED THE NEW CORPORATE GOVERNANCE NORMS

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) board approved the new corporate governance norms in a meeting held in New Delhi on 13 February 2014. The new corporate governance norms would become applicable for all listed companies with effect from 1 October 2014.

The new corporate governance norms issued are in line with the global practices and in accordance with the Companies Act, 2013.

INDIA’S ECONOMY TO GROW BY 4.9 PERCENT IN 2013-14: CSO

Central Statistics Office (CSO) in its release on 8 February 2014 estimated that India's economic growth in the current (2013-14) fiscal will be 4.9 percent as compared to the growth rate of 4.5 percent in 2012-13. In its release, CSO said that the growth rate in the manufacturing and mining sectors will continue to remain a cause of concern.

http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/india-economic-growth-projected-to-be-45-percent-by-imf-1390396924-1

http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/indias-economy-to-grow-by-49-percent-in-201314-cso-1392016189-1

http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/india-ranked-lowest-in-international-intellectual-property-index-1391002431-1

http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/economic-growth-for-201213-lowered-to-45-percent-from-5-percent-estimated-earlier-1391234058-1


NABARD UNDER RIDF HAS SANCTIONED LOANS WORTH OVER 19100 CRORE RUPEES

Chairman of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), H K Bhanwala on 9 February 2014 said that the organisation has sanctioned loans worth over 19100 crore rupees under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to states for agriculture and allied activities. The loans were sanctioned till last week, which was a part of 20000 crore rupees allocated to it for 2013-14 in the Budget.

RBI RELEASED DRAFT REPORT ON ENABLING PKI IN PAYMENT SYSTEM APPLICATIONS

A draft technical report on making payment system effective was released by Reserve Bank of India on 7 February 2014. RBI in its report of the Technical Committee on Enabling Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) in Payment System Applications said that the objective of an effective payment system is to ensure a safe, secure, efficient, robust and sound payment system in the country.

ECONOMIC GROWTH FOR 2012-13 LOWERED TO 4.5 PERCENT FROM 5 PERCENT ESTIMATED EARLIER

The Union Government of India on 31 January 2014 announced that economy might have expanded by 4.5 percent in fiscal year 2012-13 when compared to the previous estimate of 5 percent in account of subdued performance in agriculture, mining and manufacturing. However, as per the estimates of National Income, Consumption Expenditure, Saving and Capital Formation, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in 2011-12 has been revised upwards to 6.7 percent from 6.2 percent. Growth in 2012-13 is the lowest of the decade with previous low of 4 percent that was recorded in 2002-03.

EGOM APPROVED SUC OF 5 PERCENT OF ANNUAL GROSS REVENUE ON ALL NEW AIRWAVES

The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on 27 January 2014 approved a Spectrum Usage Charge (SUC) of 5 percent of the annual gross revenue on all new airwaves acquired in auction.


RBI RAISED REPO RATE BY 25 BASIS POINTS TO 8 PERCENT

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised the Repo rate under Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 7.75 percent to 8 percent. Besides, it kept the cash reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks unchanged at 4 percent of net demand and time liability (NDTL). The decision to raise the repo rate and keep the CRR unchanged was announced by the RBI in its Third Quarter Monetary Policy Review on 28 January 2014.

RBI ISSUED NEW GUIDELINES FOR LOAN RESTRUCTURING IN NBFCS

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued guidelines for loans restructured by non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) on 23 January 2014. The new guidelines are intended to create a level-playing field between NBFCs and other commercial banks.

The guidelines issued on loan restructuring for NBFCs were based upon the recommendations of Mahapatra Committee. Mahapatra Committee headed by B Mahapatra, Executive Director at RBI, was appointed by the RBI in October 2013.

FINANCE MINISTRY NOD FOR 1000 RUPEES MINIMUM MONTHLY PENSION PLAN

Union Finance Ministry on 23 January 2014 approved a proposal to provide minimum monthly pension of 1000 rupees to workers of organised sector, under the Employees Pension Scheme 1995 (EPS-95). The proposal will be in effect from 1 April 2014 and will benefit around 27 lakh pensioners. The government will provide an additional contribution of over 1200 crore rupees to ensure minimum monthly pension.

CURRENCY NOTES ISSUED BEFORE 2005 TO BE WITHDRAWN: RBI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to withdraw all currency notes issued prior to 2005 from circulation on 21 January 2014.

From 1 April 2014, Banks will provide exchange facility to the general public for exchanging the pre-2005 issued bank notes. The notes issued before 2005 do not have the year of printing on the reverse side.


INDIAN ECONOMY TO GROW BY 6 PERCENT: CRISIL

Ratings and Research firm CRISIL released its Indian Economic Forecast for 2014-15 on 21 January 2014.

The CRISIL projected that Indian economy will grow at 6 percent in 2014-15, which is significantly higher than the 4.8 percent CRISIL has forecast for financial year 2013-14.

RBI APPOINTED A COMMITTEE TO REVIEW GOVERNANCE OF BOARDS OF BANKS IN INDIA

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

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS SIGNED MOUS WITH FICCI

The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) signed MoUs with FICCI on 17 January 2014.

MoUs were signed to collaborate in the areas of Corporate Social Responsibility Competition

Law, Corporate Laws, Corporate Governance, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development of

the industry and the economy.

SUNANDA PUSHKAR, WIFE OF UNION MINISTER SHASHI THAROOR FOUND DEAD IN A DELHI HOTEL

Sunanda Pushkar, the wife of the Union Minister Sashi Tharoor on 17 January 2014 was found

dead in a luxury Leela Palace hotel room in Delhi. Her body was found by Tharoor after his

return from the AICC meet.

IIFCL SIGNED MOU WITH EXIM BANK OF KOREA

India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) on 17 January 2014 signed an agreement with

the Export-Import Bank of Korea (K-EXIM) for infrastructure finance. As per the IIFC’s statement

the signed MoU covers cooperation in project and investment financing related to

infrastructure as well as other finance areas of mutual interest.


EGOM APPROVED THE SALE OF 10% STAKE IN IOC TO ONGC AND OIL

Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) headed by Union Minister of Finance P Chidambram approved on 16 January 2014, the sale of 10 percent government stake in Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India Limited (OIL).

RBI INCLUDED HONG KONG AND MACAU IN THE SENSITIVE LIST

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) included Hong Kong and Macau in the sensitive list of countries along with Pakistan and China on 15 January 2014. Macau and Hong Kong are two Special Administrative Regions controlled by China.

WHOLESALE INFLATION DECLINED TO FIVE-MONTH LOW OF 6.16 PERCENT IN DECEMBER 2013

The Wholesale inflation declined to a five-month low of 6.16 percent in the month of December 2013. This was revealed by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) data released by the Office of Economic Adviser, Union Ministry of Commerce, on 14 January 2014.

COAL INDIA LTD DECLARED DIVIDEND OF 290 PERCENT FOR 2013-14

Coal India Ltd (CIL) board declared a dividend of 290 percent to its shareholders for the financial year 2013-14 on 14 January 2014. The declared dividend of 290 percent effectively translates into a payout of 18317 crore rupees at 29 rupees per share.

SUDAN OFFERED TWO OIL AND GAS BLOCKS TO ONGC AT PETROTECH 2014

Oil-rich Sudan offered two oil and gas blocks to ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) on the sidelines of Petrotech 2014 on 14 January 2014. The offer by Sudan will help India strengthen its energy ties with the African nations.


CONSUMER RETAIL INFLATION DECLINED TO 9.87 PERCENT IN DECEMBER 2013

Consumer Retail Inflation came down in December 2013 to 9.87percent as against 11.16 percent in November 2013.The data related to consumer inflation was released by the Central Statistics Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on13 January 2014.

NABARD REDUCED REFINANCE RATE FOR BANKS

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on 11 January 2014 reduced the refinance rates for the banks and other lending agencies by 0.20 percent. This has been done with an aim to promote rural credit and rural infrastructure. The new rates will be in effect from 7 January 2014.

The revised rate of interest on refinance will be for a period of five years for commercial, state cooperative, regional rural and primary urban cooperative banks will be 9.70 percent, which has been decreased from 9.90 percent.

INDIAN ECONOMY GDP GROWTH RATE TO BE REVISED FOR 2011-

The GDP growth rate of Indian economy for 2011-12 will be revised from 6.2 to about 7 percent. This was done to correct a miscalculation due to faulty data produced earlier. Earlier data underestimated industrial output by about 7 percentage points.

BANK OF JAPAN AND RBI CONCLUDED AN AGREEMENT TO RAISE BSA TO 50 BILLION DOLLAR

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 11 January 2014 agreed to expand the maximum amount of the Bilateral Swap Agreement (BSA) to 50 billion dollars between the two countries. The agreement was signed by Raghuram Rajan, the Governor of RBI and Haruhiko Kurodo, the Governor of BOJ. The agreement came into force from the day of the signing of the agreement.

SEBI NOTIFIED STRICTER SETTLEMENT SYSTEM FOR SERIOUS OFFENCES

SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) on 9 January 2014 launched (Settlement of Administrative and Civil Proceedings) Regulations, 2014 that provides guiding factors for


dealing with settlement processes. As per the new notifications the serious offences such as illegal money pooling, insider trading and fraudulent trades are excluded from the scope of settlement.

SEBI BARRED CASH TRANSACTIONS IN COLLECTIVE INVESTMENT SCHEMES TO CHECK LAUNDERING

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 9 January 2014 made it compulsory for all investments into Collective Investment Scheme (CIS) funds to be made through banking channels and not in cash. SEBI has raised the step to prevent money laundering activities through such scheme. The norms came into effect from 9 January 2014.

INDIA'S TRADE DEFICIT NARROWED TO 10.1 BILLION DOLLAR IN DECEMBER 2013

The export of India has grown 3.49 percent to 26.3 billion dollars and the imports dipped 15.25 percent to 36.4 billion dollar in December 2013. SR Rao, the Commerce Secretary informed that the export growth slowed because of the drop in petroleum exports.

GOVERNMENT NOTIFIED NEW NATURAL GAS PRICING FORMULA

The Government of India on 10 January 2014 notified the new natural gas pricing formulae, which will be in effect from 1 April 2014. As per the newly issued notification, the rate of all domestically produced fuel will be almost doubled to 8.2 to 8.4 dollar per unit

RBI RELAXED GOLD LOAN NORMS TO LEND UP TO 75 PERCENT LOAN

The Reserve Bank of India on 8 January 2014 allowed the Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) to lend up to 75 percent of the value of gold. With this order of the central bank, the people seeking loan against gold can now borrow more. Earlier, the limitation of loan on gold was 60 percent.


CHINA TO BE BECOME A PARTNER IN THE PROPOSED NIMZ IN ANDHRA PRADESH

China decided to be one of the partners in the proposed National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZ) in Andhra Pradesh on 6 January 2014. Chittor, Medak and Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh will be the centre of the NIMZ.

RESERVE BANK OF INDIA SELECTED CCIL AS LEGAL ENTITY IDENTIFIER

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) selected the Clearing Corporation of India Ltd (CCIL) for issuing globally compatible legal entity identifiers (LEIs) on 6 January 2014. CCIL will act as a local operating unit for issuing globally compatible legal entity identifiers (LEIs )in India.

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS DECLINED BY 11.5 PERCENT IN 2013

Merger & Acquisitions (M & A) in the India economy declined by 11.5% in the year 2013. This was revealed by the data compiled by Thomson Reuters on 3 January 2014.

PRICE OF THE NON-SUBSIDIZED LPG HIKED BY 220 RUPEES PER CYLINDER

The price of non-subsidized LPG was hiked on 1 January 2014 by 220 rupees per cylinder. The LPG cylinder of 14.2 kg that a consumer buys beyond entitled nine cylinders at subsidized rates will have to pay 1241 rupees per cylinder now in Delhi. A subsidized, 14.2-kg cylinder of LPG costs Rs 414 in Delhi.


Banking, Money & Finance

DGCA FOR THE FIRST TIME ISSUED STANDARDS OF SERVICES DOCUMENT

Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) on 22 May 2014 for the first time issued the Standards of Services Document. The document enlists services and transactions offered by it to the public, operators and others.

UK BASED MARKS & SPENCER ANNOUNCED TO OPEN 100 STORES IN INDIA

UK based Marks & Spencer on 20 May 2014 announced that the company will open 100 stores in India by 2016. Earlier it had planned to open 86 stores in India.

At present, Marks & Spencer (clothing retailer) operates 40 stores in India and it same-store-sales grew 13 percent in the fiscal year 2013-14.

COMPETITION APPELLATE TRIBUNAL UPHELD 630 CRORE RUPEES PENALTY ON DLF

The Competition Appellate Tribunal (Compat) on 19 May 2014 upheld a penalty of 630 crore rupees imposed on real estate firm DLF by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). DLF, as a result, will have to pay the penalty of 630 crore rupees levied by the CCI along with 9 per cent interest.

SISTEMA SHYAM TELESERVICES LAUNCHED MESSAGING APP MBUDDY FOR FEATURE PHONES

Sistema Shyam Teleservices in the second week of May 2014 launched a messaging app for low-end CDMA devices called MBuddy. The company will charge 15 rupees per month for the service for MBuddy that is capable of sending unlimited messages. MBUddy also can be used for sharing pictures and audio files.

AMUL TO SET UP FIVE LAKH LITRES PER DAY CAPACITY DAIRY PLANT IN VARANASI

Asia's biggest milk brand Amul on 14 May 2014 announced to set up a dairy processing plant in Varanasi. The plant will initially process five lakh litres per day with the capacity to double the


production. Palanpur based Banas Dairy will set up the plant with the investment of 200 crore rupees.

APPLE AND GOOGLE SETTLED SMARTPHONE PATENT WAR

Mobile phone industry giants Apple and Google on 16 May 2014 agreed to settle Smartphone Patent war. Both the companies have agreed to work together in some areas of patent reform.

SUNDARAM BNP PARIBAS RECEIVED ISAE RECOGNITION

Sundaram BNP Paribas Fund Services in third week of May 2014 was awarded with International Standards for Assurance Engagements (ISAE) Type II certification for maintaining high quality operating model and having effective control systems.

With this Sundaram BNP Paribas became the only RTA (Registrar and Transfer Agent) of the country to be awarded with the ISAE Type II certification.

Its assessment for ISAE Type I certificate was completed in 2013.

MTS ANNOUNCED TO PROVIDE FREE WI-FI IN GURGAON RAPID METRO RAIL

MTS announced on 14 May 2014 that it will provide free Wi-Fi in Gurgaon Rapid Metro Rail for six months. The service will be experienced by 30000 daily commuters.

CIPLA ANNOUNCED TO INVEST IN CHASE PHARMACEUTICALS TO DEVELOP ALZHEIMER'S DRUG

Indian Pharma major Cipla Limited on 11 May 2014 announced to invest in US based Chase Pharmaceuticals to develop Alzheimer's drug.

The investment of 21 million US dollar will be made through Cipla (EU) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cipla. Cipla will acquire 14.6 percent stake in Chase Pharmaceuticals.

SEBI EXEMPTED ETIHAD FROM MAKING OPEN OFFER IN JET DEAL

The market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 8 May 2014 exempted

Abu Dhabi based Etihad Airways from making an open offer in the Jet deal. In its decision, the


market regulator termed that purchase of 24% stake of Jet Airways by Etihad Airways doesn’t

amount to a change in ownership in Jet Airways.

INDIA’S PUNJ LLYOND WON EXPRESSWAY PROJECT IN YEMEN

Indian construction major, Punj Llyod won a 211 million US dollar expressway project in Yemen on 6 May 2014. The Ministry of Public Works and Highways of Yemen confirmed the construction of a 42 km, 2*3 lane dual carriageway projects between Doraigh and Noubat Dokaim. The project is funded by Saudi Development Fund.

KUWAIT RENEWED CRUDE SUPPLY CONTRACTS WITH BPCL

Kuwait on 7 May 2014 renewed the crude supply contracts with India’s Bharat Petroleum

Corporation Ltd (BPCL) worth up to 3.7 billion dollars a year.

In the process or renewal of the contract the State-owned Kuwait Petroleum Company (KPC)

has signed one contract with the BPCL and another with its subsidiary Bharat Oman Refineries

Ltd (BORL).

AIR INDIA WILL JOIN STAR ALLIANCE IN JULY 2014

Air India announced on 1 May 2014 to join largest global airlines network Star Alliance in July 2014. Air India became the first airline from India to be part of a global chain of carriers.

MICROSOFT ACQUIRED NOKIA HANDSET BUSINESS

Microsoft, the US software giant on 25 April 2014 completed acquisition of Nokia’s mobile

handset business, excluding the Nokia’s Chennai factory from the over 7.2 billion US dollar deal

due to tax issues.

VIC GUNDOTRA HEAD OF GOOGLE+ RESIGNED

Vic Gundotra on 24 April 2014 resigned from the Internet Company Google. He was working as a head of Google+. He was serving the company from 2007. Google Plus is a social network site that was launched in 2011.


IRCON SIGNED MOU WITH TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL INDIA

Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) Ircon International Limited (IRCON) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Transparency International India (TII) on 22 April 2014. It signed the MoU for implementing Integrity Pact.

COGNIZANT ACQUIRED ITAAS, A US-BASED DIGITAL VIDEO SOLUTIONS COMPANY

Cognizant, the IT services firm on 22 April 2014 announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with itaas to acquire it. Itaas is a US-based digital video solutions firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

CADBURY INDIA CHANGED ITS NAME TO MONDELEZ INDIA FOODS LIMITED

Cadbury India Limited on 22 April 2014 announced to change its name to Mondelez India Foods Limited. Cadbury India Limited is a subsidiary of Mondelez International Inc.

GSK ANNOUNCED TO SLASH THE PRICE OF CROCIN ADVANCE BY 50 PERCENT

Drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) on 21 April 2014 announced to slash the price of the widely-used fever and pain-relief pill Crocin Advance by 50%.

The announcement was made after the National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority (NPPA) rejected the application of GSK seeking an exemption from price control. NPAA is the drug pricing regulator of the country.

TCS JOINED TOP 10 GLOBAL IT SERVICES COMPANIES CLUB: HFS RESEARCH SURVEY

The largest IT services provider of India, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), on 21 April 2014 joined the league of top 10 global IT services companies. TCS moved from the 13th position in 2012 to the 10th spot in 2013. This was revealed by the HfS Research Survey on competitive landscape for IT Services in 2013.


According to the Survey, IBM leads the list and is followed by Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Accenture and NTT.

India-based companies Cognizant, Infosys, Wipro and HCL are at the 15th, 18th, 20th and 25th positions, respectively, all of them rising by one to three spots compared to 2012.

2013 Rank Services Provider Marked Share (%)

1 IBM 8.6

2 Fujitsu 5.1

3 HP 4.6

4 Accenture 4.0

5 NTT 2.6

6 SAP 2.4

7 Oracle 2.1

8 Capgemini 2.1

9 CSC 2.0

10 TCS 1.7

15 Cognizant 1.2

18 Infosys 0.9

20 Wipro 0.7

25 HCL 0.6


HERO MOTOCORP FORMED JV WITH NITOL NILLOY OF BANGLADESH

Hero MotoCorp on 21 April 2014 announced that it has entered Bangladesh in two wheeler

segment. Hero MotoCorp will enter the market of Bangladesh through a joint venture of 55:45

with Bangladesh’s Nitol Niloy and will invest 40 million US dollar in the country in next five

years.

BMB SIGNED AN AGREEMENT WITH TRENDS TO PROMOTE WOMEN ENTREPRENUERSHIP

Trends in Vogue on 19 April 2014 entered into an agreement with Bhartiya Mahila Bank (BMB)

to promote women entrepreneurship. Trends in Vogue is a CavinKare initiative that manages

hair saloons under Green Trends.

Under the agreement, Green Trends plans to have 500 salons nationally set up by women

entrepreneurs by the end of 2014-15. Green Trends has also introduced mobile and online

check- in service for customers

HDFC BANK SET WORLD RECORD FOR BLOOD COLLECTION IN A SINGLE DAY

Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) Bank set World record for Blood collection in a single day. The blood donation camp organised by HDFC Bank on 6 December 2013 was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.

The camp involved 61902 participants with 1115 blood donation camps held across 709 locations in the country. The camp has found a place in Guinness Book of Records as the largest such drive on a single day.

PIRAMAL ENTERPRISES LTD DECIDED TO ACQUIRE 20 PERCENT STAKE IN SHRIRAM CAPITAL

Piramal Enterprises Ltd decided on 17 April 2014 to acquire 20 percent stake in Shriram Capital Ltd for 20.14 billion rupees. The new acquisition will make Piramal presence in financial services sector and will create a long-term shareholder value-creation of partnership with Shriram Capital.


UNION CABINET APPROVED THE APPOINTMENT OF NARENDRA KOTHARI AS CHAIRMAN OF NMDC

Union Cabinet on 16 April 2014 approved the appointment of Narendra Kothari as full time Chairman of the state-run miner National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the appointment.

GOOGLE BOUGHT DRONE MAKER TITAN AEROSPACE TO DELIVER INTERNET ACROSS THE GLOBE

Google on 14 April 2014 bought Titan Aerospace, a maker of high-altitude solar-powered drones. It has acquired the drone making company to bring internet access to the remotest parts of the world and also to solve problems related to it.

Some of the important Mergers and acquisition by Google in 2014

Green Throttle a Gadgets company on 12 March 2014

Spider.io an Anti ad-fraud firm on 21 February 2014

SlickLogin and internet Security Company on 16 February 2014

DeepMind Technologies an Artificial Intelligence company on 26 January 2014

Impermium an Internet security company on 15 January 2014

SBI LAUNCHED FINANCING SCHEME FOR WOMEN FASHION BOUTIQUE OWNERS

State Bank of India (SBI) on 15 April 2014 launched a financing scheme for women fashion boutique owners. SBI is the largest lender of India. The scheme is known as Boutique Financing.

SBI LAUNCHED FINANCING SCHEME FOR WOMEN FASHION BOUTIQUE OWNERS

State Bank of India (SBI) on 15 April 2014 launched a financing scheme for women fashion boutique owners. SBI is the largest lender of India. The scheme is known as Boutique Financing.


LIC REDUCED ITS STAKE IN INFOSYS

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) reduced its stake in Infosys by 3.25% by selling its shares worth 850 crore rupees. During the October-December quarter 2013, it held 3.71% stake in Infosys. Domestic institutional investors also trimmed their exposure in Infosys from 15.35 percent to 13.66 percent in January-March, 2014. However, foreign institutional investors (FII) increased their stake in Infosys to 42.10 per cent from 40.65 percent.

SBI LAUNCHED TWITTER HANDLE ACCOUNT

State Bank of India (SBI) on 11 April 2014 launched its Twitter handle account. SBI aims to strengthen its social media presence with this launch.

USFDA APPROVED LUPIN TO SELL PIOGLITAZONE TABLETS IN AMERICA

US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) on 10 April 2014 approved Lupin to sell generic diabetes management drug Pioglitazone tablets in the American market. USFDA’s approval has been granted for the tablets in strengths of 15 mg, 30 mg and 45 mg. The company will shortly commence marketing the product in US.

PIRAMAL SOLD ITS 11 PERCENT STAKE IN VODAFONE INDIA FOR 8900 CRORE RUPEES

Piramal Enterprises announced on 10 April 2014 to sold its equity stake to Vodafone India for 8900 crore rupees. The deal values Vodafone India at Rs 1960 per share.

Equity stake comprised of 45425328 shares i.e. around 11%.

SUN PHARMA ANNOUNCED TO ACQUIRE RANBAXY LABORATORIES FOR 3.2 BILLION DOLLARS

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd on 7 April 2014 announced to acquire troubled Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. Sun Pharma will acquire 100 percent of Ranbaxy in an all stock deal for 3.2 billion dollars.


USFDA BANNED IMPORTS FROM INDIAN PLANT OF APOTEX PHARMA CO

The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) on 2 April 2014 banned imports from Apotex Inc’s manufacturing plant in India because of not meeting the quality standards.

QATAR BASED DOHA BANK ANNOUNCED IT’S FIRST BRANCH IN MUMBAI

Qatar based Doha Bank announced on 3 April 2014 that it will be opening its first branch at Nariman Point in Mumbai in India. The branch in Mumbai will be opened as a full-fledged bank in May 2014.

AMAZON LAUNCHED SET-TOP BOX NAMED FIRE TV

Amazon launched an internet-connected TV set-top box or video streaming device called Fire TV on 2 April 2014. It costs 99 dollars and it is used for gaming.

UNION MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION APPROVED THE TATA AND SINGAPORE AIRLINES JV

Union Ministry of Civil Aviation on 2 April 2014 approved the Tata and Singapore Airlines (SIA) joint venture. The Aviation Ministry also issued no-objection certificate (NOC) to the new airline JV called Tata SIA Airlines Ltd.

CCI IMPOSED A FINE OF 1 CRORE RUPEES ON GOOGLE

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on 27 March 2014 imposed a fine of 1 crore rupees

on Google under Section 43 for its non cooperation.

It also directed Google to give its full cooperation during the pending investigation. Google had

refused to supply information and documents demanded by the Director General.

TATA TELESERVICES LAUNCHED WI-FI BUSINESS IN CHENNAI

Tata Teleservices limited (TTL) on 27 March 2014 launched new Wi-Fi business in Chennai. The company plans to connect everything from India Inc’s employee buses to educational institutions. Apart from the usual sectors like airport, hospitality and malls, the company plans roping in sectors such as education and transit busses.


FACEBOOK TO ACQUIRE VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNOLOGY FIRM OCULUS VR

Facebook on 26 March 2014 decided to acquire two year old virtual reality technology firm Oculus VR for 2 billion dollar. As per the analyst, virtual reality technology could be a new way for people to communicate, learn or be entertained.

IBM UNVEILED SMAC SOLUTIONS FOR TELECOM OPERATORS

IBM on 26 March 2014 unveiled Social, Mobile, Cloud and Analytics (SMAC) solutions for telecom operators in India. SMAC solutions will enable telecom operators in India derive more value from enhanced customer engagement.

GE HEALTHCARE AND CTSI ANNOUNCED TO SET UP 25 CANCER DETECTION AND TREATMENT CENTRES IN INDIA

GE Healthcare and US-based Cancer Treatment Services International (CTSI) announced on 25 March 2014 to set up a chain of 25 cancer detection and treatment centres in India. The two companies will be jointly investing 720 crore rupees over the next five years.

The partnership was a part of GE’s 1 billion dollar commitment to Research and Development to diagnose cancer. The main focus was to make detection and treatment of cancer timely, affordable and easy to get treated anywhere in the world.

CEO OF MARICO SAUGATA GUPTA PROMOTED AS MANAGING DIRECTOR

Saugata Gupta chief executive officer (CEO) of Marico on 25 March 2014 was promoted as Managing Director (MD). Harsh Mariwala will step down from the post of MD and will remain Chairman of the company.

TCPSL LAUNCHED WHITE LABEL AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINES

Tata Communications Payment Solutions Ltd. (TCPSL) launched the white label Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) network on 20 March 2014 under the brand name of Indicash. The first Indicash ATM was inaugurated at Chandrapada in Thane district.


E-COMMERCE FIRM IBIBOGROUP ACQUIRED BANGALORE-BASED BUS TRACKING SERVICE YOURBUS

e-Commerce firm & online travel company ibiboGroup on 20 March 2014 announced to acquire Bangalore-based startup YourBus.in to strengthen the offers in the bus travel space. The companies did not disclose the value of the deal.

NTPC APPROVED 14366-CRORE RUPEES INVESTMENT FOR JHARKHAND PLANT

NTPC on 15 March 2014 approved an investment of 14366.58 crore rupees for its Karanpura thermal power project in Jharkhand. This investment has been planned after the company in 2013 was reallocated coal blocks in the state.

US LIFTED CONTRACT BAN ON BP

United States on 13 March 2014 lifted the ban on oil giant BP that prevented it from winning new government contracts. This ban has been lifted following a commitment of the firm that it will implement a set of safety and operations, ethics and compliance and corporate governance requirements.

SPICE JET AND BOEING SIGNED A DEAL WORTH 4.4 BILLION DOLLAR

Spice Jet and Boeing Company signed a deal worth 4.4 billion dollar (26000 crore rupees) on 12 March 2014. The deal was signed at the inauguration of India Aviation 2014 in Hyderabad.

SBI LIFE TO APPEAL AGAINST THE ORDER OF IRDA TO REFUND 275 CRORE RUPEES

SBI Life Insurance Company on 12 March 2014 announced that it will appeal against the order of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) to refund 275.29 crore rupees to the policy holders of Dhanaraksha Plus Limited Premium Paying Term (LPPT).

IRDA on 12 March 2014 charged SBI Life of violation of various norms by mis-selling the policy and payment of higher commission to agents. SBI Life has been asked to refund the amount within six months (i.e. September 2014).


LOCAL ASSEMBLY OF S-CLASS STARTED BY MERCEDES IN INDIA

Mercedes Benz, the luxury car maker of Germany on 13 March 2014 announced that it had commenced assembling the S-Class sedan in India at Chakan near Pune. This action has helped the company to slash the price of the car by 18 lakh rupees and this reduction has been done to enhance the position of the company in India.

The company will roll out locally produced top-end model S 500 from its Pune manufacturing facility. Car rolled out from the Pune facility will be priced 1.39 crore rupees (ex-showroom, Delhi)

TECH MAHINDRA AND ALSTOM TRANSPORT ANNOUNCED TO SET UP A GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

Tech Mahindra in partnership with Alstom Transport announced a new global development centre located in Bangalore on 12 March 2014.

The two companies signed a three-year partnership contract for the development of centre. The global development centre will cover primarily engineering activities focused on concept to prototype build.

The centre will also focus on the growing need for efficient vertical integration capabilities from engineering to manufacturing on rising stock interior field. It also enables both companies to accelerate joint development of integrated engineering solutions that deliver unique value to our customers.

The partnership will further increase the flexibility and competitiveness and also a further step of our engineering ramp-up in India.

AIRBUS LAUNCHED SUBSIDIARY AIRBUS INDIA

The French company Airbus launched its wholly owned subsidiary in India called Airbus India on 11 March 2014. The move is aimed at restructuring the Airbus operations in India and consolidate it to tap the growing Indian aviation market.

Recognising India as a strategic hub Airbus appointed Srinivasan Dwarakanath as Airbus India CEO and Charles Champion as Chairman. Charles Champion is member of the Airbus Executive Committee.


Airbus India will manage all the Airbus activities in India spread across several Indian cities. With this view it will also set up customer centres in Delhi and Mumbai.

The Indian entity of Airbus will include strategy, customer services and procurement teams under one organisation. Airbus also planned to set up a Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) capability.

Airbus India is the fifth country subsidiary outside Europe for the Airbus. The Indian subsidiary will build upon the success of the Airbus Engineering Centre India (AECI) in Bangalore.

TATA MOTORS TO SET UP ASSEMBLY UNITS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND AFRICA

Tata Motors on 10 March 2014 announced its plan to set up assembly units and sales offices in Southeast Asia and Africa.

As per the plan, the company will sell commercial as well as passenger vehicles through its recently formed subsidiary in Indonesia. The subsidiary will also help the company export to other countries in Southeast Asia.

In Africa, the Tata Motors plan to set up assembly units in Nigeria and Kenya for its commercial vehicles.

The company already has a subsidiary in South Africa that had expanded its range in 2013. It plans to increase the sale of passenger and light commercial vehicles nearly four-fold by 2018. The company's announcement is seen by analyst as a move to overcome cyclicality in the Indian subcontinent. Also its decision to expand comes at a time when the commercial vehicle sector is in the grip of a prolonged slump. Total sales of commercial vehicles declined 25.53 per cent to 46757 units in 2013 from 62786 units in 2012.

NEW INDIA ASSURANCE ANNOUNCED ASHA KIRAN A HEALTH INSURANCE COVER FOR GIRL CHILD

Public sector general insurer New India Assurance announced an exclusive health insurance cover New India Asha Kiran for girl child on 7 March 2014. New India Assurance cut health insurance rate for 50 per cent for the girl child.

The discount is restricted to the families with only girl child.


Besides being cheaper, the girl child policy also provides a personal accident cover for parents. On occurrence of any accident to parent, the sum insured would be placed as a fixed deposit in the names of the girl child.

The ASHA KIRAN policy has daily cash benefit on hospitalization, critical care benefit up to 10 per cent sum insured and emergency ambulance charges.

New India also announced health policies with added benefits for the women customer of bank. General Insurance had its tie up with Bhartiya Mahila Bank.

TOM ALBANESE APPOINTED AS CEO OF VEDANTA RESOURCES

Tom Albanese is appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vedanta Resources on 6 March 2014. Tom will take over as the charges of CEO and join the Vedanta board with effect from 1 April 2014.

He will also be appointed as CEO of Sesa Sterlite, main operating entity of Vedanta from 1 April 2014.

Tom will replace Mahendra Singh Mehta, the CEO for both Vedanta Resources and Sesa Sterlite who is retiring on 31 March 2014.

Tom joined the Vedanta Group in September 2013 as Chairman of Vendanta Resources Holding Ltd, the holding company of Sesa Sterlite and Konkola Copper Mines.

Earlier Tom served as head of an Anglo-Australian company, Rio Tinto for six years and resigned in January 2013.

Tom holds a Bachelor's degree in Mineral Economics and a Master's degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Alaska.

MAHINDRA ENTERED BHUTAN WITH THE LAUNCH OF ELECTRIC CAR E2O

Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd on 27 February 2014 launched electric car e2o in Thimphu, Bhutan. The company has also signed an MoU with the Government of Bhutan for a strategic partnership to promote the usage of electric vehicles in the Kingdom of Bhutan.

The e2o has is the future ready all electric zero emission urban mobility solution and its launch in the country is a part of the commitment of the company with Bhutan to partner with its vision to create a sustainable, clean and green society.


As per the signed MoU, Mahindra will establish infrastructure including set-up of a service stations for swappable batteries for the customers of the car.

The e2o Mahindra will be available in three variants

Base model it will be priced for at 6.99 Ngultrum ex-showrooms Bhutan

7.99 Ngultrum (ex-showroom Bhutan) for the premium variant

8.39 Ngultrum (ex-showroom Bhutan) for the premium variant with Quick2Charge

VENOM GT, WORLD’S FASTEST CAR RECORDED 435 KILOMETER PER HOUR

Engineers of US firm Hennessey have developed the world’s fastest car Venom GT with a top speed of a speed of 435 kilometers per hour. The firm set a new record for the fastest car in the world during a test run at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on 25 February 2014 by beating the previous best record of 431 kilometer per hour set by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.

Venom GT has been stretched of

Lotus Exige with 7 liter

927 kW twin-turbo V8 that is wedged between its axles

During the test run, the driver Brain Smith broke the record and stopped on 5.1 kilometer stretch of tarmac rather than using a high-speed oval to give the car a running start.

Although, Venom GT has broken the record of fastest car of Bugatti but the place in the Guinness book of records will be retained by Bugatti only. The record of Venom will not be entered into the record book because Hennessey has verified the speed independently and the car can only be driven on the NASA landing strip.

To replace the record of Bugatti the book requires cars that run in two directions to account for variables including gradients and wind direction.

LINKEDIN ANNOUNCED TO LAUNCH CHINESE VERSION

LinkedIn announced to launch of Chinese version of its site on 25 February 2014. The Chinese language website will be a beta or test version of the site.

China will give a license to the company but the company will have to locate its servers in China and allow the local government to control content in the manner it does with Chinese social media sites.


LinkedIn seeing a potential market of 140 professionals for its Chinese language version accepted China’s condition on censoring content.

LinkedIn already has more than 4 million users in China who use its English language website, but the company has signaled that it is interested in making a broader expansion in the country.

China has the world's largest online community with more than 618 million users. However, Great Firewall of China Government blocks any online forums or content deemed to be sensitive. For instance, China had barred access to Facebook and Twitter for several years.

Even China's Supreme Court ruled in October 2013 that Internet users could face three years in jail if slanderous information spread online was viewed more than 5000 times or forwarded more than 500 times.

MAHILA BANK SIGNED THREE HEALTH INSURANCE PACTS WITH NEW INDIA

Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) signed Pact with New India Assurance Company on 21 February 2014. The pact aims to deliver three unique innovative health insurance policies for women account holders of the bank. The policies named as BMB-Sakhee, BMB-Nirbhaya and BMB-Parivar Suraksha.

The policies will provide customised health insurance package for women. This was the first launch of women centric insurance policies.

The policies are:

The BMB-Sakhee aimed at rural women and those in the unorganised sector. It will offer a cover up to 50000 rupees a year.

The Nirbhaya scheme aimed particularly for working women. It offer cover limit up to 5 lakh rupees. It will include insurance for accidental situations unique to women.

The BMB-Parivar Suraksha aimed to cover the family of the woman account holder of the bank.

All the three policies cover all women whether in the unorganised sector with no maternity benefits, or working and even their families.

All the three products would be available soon on the portals of the branches of the bank and mobile applications as part of the women empowerment process.


FACEBOOK ACQUIRED WHATSAPP FOR 19 BILLION DOLLAR

Social media giant Facebook Inc acquired WhatsApp for 19 billion dollars in a cash and stock deal on 19 February 2014. Whatsapp is a mobile messaging company.

Under the Agreement

WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum will join Facebook Board of Directors.

Also, the acquisition will not impact the WhatsApp's brand, which will be maintained and the company's headquarters will remain in California's Mountain View.

WhatsApp's core messaging product and Facebook's existing messenger app will continue to operate as standalone applications.

The acquisition price included 4 billion dollars in cash, about 12 billion dollars worth of Facebook shares and 3 billion dollars in restricted stock units to be granted to WhatsApp's founders and employees.

The deal would give WhatsApp the flexibility to grow and expand and noted that users of the service will not experience any change in usage.

About WhatsApp

WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS.

Jan Koum co-founded WhatsApp with Brian Acton in 2009, both former Yahoo executives.

PRODUCTION OF MARUTI 800 STOPPED BY MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA

Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) on 7 February 2014 announced that it has stopped the production of the iconic car brand Maruti 800 that had been carrier for millions of middle class Indian families. The company in its announcement claimed the production was the car was stopped in 18 January 2014.

Executive Director of MSIL, CV Raman in the announcement said that the spare parts of the car will be available in the market for next 8 to 10 years as per the rules, even after the production was stopped.


The sale of the car was stopped in 13-cities in April 2010 including Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kanpur and Pune. It was launched in India in early 1980s and the time of its launch it was priced 50000 rupees only and at the time of closure of production it was priced at 2.35 lakh rupees.

GOOGLE AGREED TO NEGOTIATE WITH EU OVER ANTI-TRUST CASE

Google Inc agreed to negotiate with European Union (EU) over Anti-trust case on 5 February 2014. The agreement was announced by the Federal Trade commission of the US.

Under a tentative deal with European Commission regulators, Google agreed to tweak the way it presents search results in Europe. The deal reached will help address concerns in EU that Google is abusing its dominance in online search to favour its own services at the expense of rivals. However, Google would not pay a fine under the agreement.

Google used a strategy of accommodation to resolve a potential anti-trust lawsuit in the U.S. Google agreed to bring small changes to its search practices to avoid formal charges by the Federal Trade Commission in 2013.

Google faced the allegation that when users search for products, Google features results from Google Shopping and relegates products featured on rival sites lower, where they may not be seen.

Under the deal, Google agreed to reserve space near the top of its European search pages for competitors to serve specialized search results for things like hotel rooms alongside Google services that do the same thing.

SIX PSUS SIGNED MOU TO SET UP WORLD’S LARGEST SOLAR POWER PROJECT

Six Public Sector Units (PSUs) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 29 January 2014 to set up the World’s largest 4000 MW ultra solar power project in Rajasthan.


The joint venture company will develop the project with equity participation of

Name of PSU Percent of participation

BHEL 26

SECI (Solar Energy Corporation of India)

23

SSL (Sambhar Salt Ltd) 16

Power Grid 16

SJVNL (Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam) 16

REIL (Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Ltd)

3

The project will be the largest single location solar plant spread across 19000 acres at Sambhar in Rajasthan. The project will be developed in two phases in 7 to 8 years.

In the first phase of the project 1000 MW will be made operational within three years and the remaining 3000 MW will be covered in the next subsequent phases. The First phase will require an investment of 7500 crore rupees. The department of heavy industry will set up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the investment.

The equipment will be supplied by BHEL

Power evacuation infrastructure will be put up by PGICL

Sale of electricity will be done by SECI

Operation and maintenance by REIL and

Project management by SJVNL

The solar photo-voltaic power plant will use PV modules based on crystalline silicon technology.

The plant life is estimated to be 25 years and is expected to supply 6400 million units of energy per year. The plant will help to reduce CO2 emissions by over 4 million tonnes per year.

GOOGLE PURCHASED DEEPMIND TECHNOLOGIES OF UK

Google purchased the British start-up DeepMind Technologies – an artificial intelligence company – on 27 January 2014. The American tech giant Google confirmed the deal in its London office. This deal represents Google’s biggest ever single acquisition in Europe.

The acquisition of DeepMind would prove to be helpful for Google in further developing its most recent Hummingbird search update. The Hummingbird search update was created to make Google more human and searches which can now understand context like a human brain.


SAMSUNG AND GOOGLE SIGNED GLOBAL PATENT AGREEMENT

Google Inc and Samsung Electronics Co signed an agreement to cross-licence their global patents. This agreement was signed to reduce the risk of costly legal disputes over intellectual property on 26 January 2014. This agreement would also foster greater collaboration between the two technique giants.

As per Samsung, the Seoul-based company the deal between the two giants also covers the patents to be filed over the next 10 years as well as existing patents. The deal does not cover every patents held by both the companies. Samsung and Google work closely as Google’s Android mobile operating system is used by Samsung.

SBI LAUNCH YOUTUBE CHANNEL

State Bank of India launched its channel on Youtube on 24 January 2014. SBI aim to strengthened its social media presence with this launch.

YouTube is a popular video sharing website. YouTube is a platform that will enable SBI to connect with their customers.

The YouTube channel will initially have information about the bank's products and services and its legacy to begin with and will gradually include philanthropic initiatives. The You Tube channel will help the bank to connect with the young and technologically savvy customers. Soon SBI will be launching its micro blogging site on Twitter.

About State Bank of India (SBI)

SBI is one of the oldest financial institutions in the country with an over 200 years of history. It is the largest lender bank of India. SBI controls around a fourth of the deposits in the country. It has over 15,000 branches and over 43,000 ATMs.

Its current Chairman is Arundhatti Bhattacharya. She is the first woman to head the 206 year old State Bank of India.

AIRASIA AIMED TO START INDIA OPERATIONS BY APRIL

Tony Fernandes, the chief of the Malaysian carrier AirAsia on 22 January 2014 announced that its India operations will start from April 2014. The decision came during Fernandes India visit to attend the World Economic Forums (WEFs) annual meeting.


AirAsia has set up a joint venture with Tata and Mittu Chandilya is the CEO of the Indian venture of AirAsia. The stakeholders also include Telstra Tradeplace.

Earleir, AirAsia India got a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Civil Aviation Ministry on 20 September 2013 to start its airline operations in the country. The permission was given after AirAsia applied to the aviation regulator for a permit. As per the decision, it has planned to operate fleet of Airbus A320-200 aircraft to start with 4 to 5 planes, which will be expanded to ten within 12 months.

GOOGLE ACQUIRED CYBER SECURITY FIRM IMPERMIUM FOR 9 MILLION DOLLAR

Google acquired Bengaluru based Impermium for 9 million dollar on 20 January 2014. The acquisition will help Google improve its abuse monitoring efforts and make internet a safer place.

Bengaluru based Impermium is a three year old startup. The startup focused on building security products for websites.

Impermium was founded by two Indians, Vish Ramarao and Naveen Jamal and American Mark Risher. Mark Risher is the CEO of the company.

Prior to Impermium, all three co-founders were in Yahoo Mail, where they dealt with problems of spam, web security and fraudulent account creation.

Impermium has 300000 clients, including Tumblr, Pinterest, CNN, ESPN, Typepad and Washington Post.

The company had built a number of services that worked as a risk-determination system, which could help identify when an account had been compromised.

Earlier, Facebook had acquired Bangalore based Little eye Labs. Acquisitions of India-based startups by the likes of Google and Facebook are expected to provide a big boost to the startup ecosystem.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS DEMONSTRATED FLIGHT WITH BIOFUEL MIX

Ethihad Airways on 19 January 2014 flew a Boeing 777 plane on a 45-minutes demonstration flight that was powered in part by biofuel. The biofuel was developed in collaboration with a French firm Total. With this exercise, UAE has turned among the countries that have produced


and flown on their own aviation biofuel. The biofuel driven flights emits about 50 percent less carbon dioxide that the fossil fuel over its lifecycle.

The initiative to support a sustainable aviation biofuled industry in United Arab Emirates, the Abu-Dhabi based carrier teamed up with Total, US-manufacturer Boeing local refiner Takreer and Masdar research institute.

The biofuel amounted to 10 percent of the fuel in the demonstration flight was also used in the past in similar flight during the Paris airshow. Total partially converted the biofuel from plants which was refined into a jet fuel by government-owned Takreer (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.).

At present, a sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium is being hosted by Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi, of which Boeing and Etihad Airways are among the founding partners. The team is researching and developing salt-tolerant plants that will act as the raw material for refining processes, which will be used in production of renewable fuel for the flights of Etihad Airways. The initiative focuses on research and development as well as investments in feedstock production and refining capability in UAE and across the world.

RBI ALLOWED FOREIGN INVESTORS TO INVEST IN SOUTH INDIAN BANK

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed the foreign investors to buy the shares of South

Indian Bank. The permission has been given as the foreign shareholding in the bank has gone

below the prescribed limit that is stipulated under the extant FDI policy.

RBI said that the FIIs (Foreign Institutional Investors), PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin) and NRIs

(Non-Resident Indians) have been allowed to make investments in the primary as well as

secondary markets in India through the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS). It also said that the

South Indian Bank’s equity can also be purchased through primary market and stock

exchanges.

The ceilings on FII, NRI and PIO investments are monitored by RBI in Indian companies on a

daily basis. The foreign investment ceiling limits that has fixed by RBI for effective monitoring is

two percent points lower than the actual ceilings.

About South Indian Bank

South Indian Bank is one of the earliest launched banks of South India. It came into being during

the Swadeshi Movement that happened in 1905 and continued till 1911. It was created with

the aim for service oriented repository of savings of the community on one hand and to free


the business community from the clutches of money lenders on the other by providing need

based credit at reasonable rates of interest.

South Indian Bank is among the private banks in Kerala to become a scheduled bank in

1946 under the RBI Act

It is the first bank in the private sector in India to open a Currency Chest on behalf of the

RBI in April 1992

It is the first private sector bank to open a NRI branch in November 1992

It is the first bank in the private sector to start an Industrial Finance Branch in March

1993

FACEBOOK ACQUIRED LITTLE EYE LABS FOR 90 CRORE RUPEES

Facebook acquired Bengaluru-based Little Eye Labs for 90 crore rupees on 7 January 2014. It has become the first Indian and the third Asian company to be acquired by Facebook. Facebook is the world's largest social networking site.

Little Eye Labs was founded in May 2012 by Giridhar Murthy, Kumar Rangarajan, Satyam Kandula, and Lakshman Kakkirala.

Kumar Rangarajan is the current CEO of Little Eye Labs.

Little Eye Labs, a company that develops a tool to helps Android app developers to measure, analyse and optimise Facebook apps.

TCS TO SET UP WORLD'S LARGEST CORPORATE LEARNING CENTRE IN THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Country's largest software services firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) decided to set up the world's largest corporate learning and development centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The corporate learning centre will have a total capacity to train 50,000 professionals every year. The foundation stone for the corporate learning centre was laid by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 4 January 2014. The learning facility will be built over area of 6.1 million square feet and will have the capacity to train 15,000 professionals at one time and 50,000 professionals annually. The learning centre is located on a 97-acre property in the Technopark area of the city. The campus will also have residential accommodation for professionals and faculty at the centre. The project will provide direct employment to over 2000 skilled and unskilled local people for a period of 4 years. An integral part of the project will be the skill development programmes run by TCS to upgrade the skills of local youth and facilitate opportunities to work


in the construction project, through contractors. If you have any Question/Point on the above information, please ask/discuss it in the Current Affairs Group.


National

UNION CABINET CONSTITUTED SIT ON BLACK MONEY TO COMPLY WITH SC JUDGEMENT The Union Cabinet headed by PM Narendra Modi on 27 May 2014 constituted Special Investigating Team (SIT) on Black Money. The decision was taken to comply with the Supreme Court Judgement on Black Money.

Former judge of Supreme Court Justice MB Shah will head the SIT as its Chairman and Justice Arijit Pasayat will be its Vice Chairman. The other members of the SIT will be

Secretary, Department of Revenue

Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India,

Director (IB)

Director, Enforcement

Director, CBI

Chairman, CBDT,

Director General, Narcotics Control Bureau

Director General, Revenue Intelligence

Director, Financial Intelligence Unit

Director, Research and Analysis Wing and

Joint Secretary (FT&IR-1), CBDT

NARENDRA MODI TOOK OATH AS 15TH PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA

Narendra Damodardas Modi was sworn-in as the 15th Prime Minister of India on 26 May 2014. Along with him, 45-member Council of Ministers that includes 23 Ministers with Cabinet rank, 10 Ministers of State with independent charges and 12 Ministers of State also took oath of their offices. Oath to the office and secrecy was administered by the President Pranab Mukherjee in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan. The Prime Minister and his Council of Ministers were appointed in term of Article 75 of the Constitution of India.

With this swearing-in, 63-year-old Modi became the first Prime Minister of India who was born in independent India i.e. post 15 August 1947. Of the 45 ministers 43 are also those who were born in independent India except two. The oldest is Najma Heptulla (74) and the youngest is Smriti Irani (38). This is the first time in three-decades that any party has emerged as the winner in elections with absolute majority.


Besides, this is the first time that, 25% of the Cabinet post has been allocated to women. Out of 23 Cabinet post, 6 has been allocated to women. These 6 women are: Sushma Swaraj (first woman to be External Affairs Minister); Uma Bharti; Dr. Najma A Heptullah; Maneka Gandhi; Smriti Zubin Irani; and Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

The sworn-in ceremony of Modi and his cabinet was attended by a strong gathering of 3000 people that included the heads of SAARC nations, cinema and religion, industry and politics. The representative from SAARC nations included

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala of Nepal

Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam of Mauritius

Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay of Bhutan

President Abdulla Yameen of Maldives

President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan

President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka

Speaker of the Bangladesh National Parliament, Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury

Prime Minister Portfolio held

Narendra Damodardas Modi

Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Department of Atomic Energy Department of Space All important policy issues and all other portfolios not allocated to any Minister

The 23 Cabinet Ministers to take oath were

Name of Ministers Ministries Allotted

Rajnath Singh Home Minster

Sushma Swaraj External Affairs & Overseas Indian Affairs

Arun Jaitley Finance Corporate Affairs & Defence


M. Venkaiah Naidu Urban Development Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation & Parliamentary Affairs

Nitin Jairam Gadkari Road Transport and Highways Shipping

D.V. Sadananda Gowda Railways

Uma Bharati Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

Dr. Najma A. Heptulla Minority Affairs

Gopinathrao Munde Rural Development, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water and Sanitation

Ramvilas Paswan (of LJP) Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

Kalraj Mishra Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

Maneka Gandhi Women and Child Development

Ananthkumar Chemicals and Fertilizers

Ravi Shankar Prasad Communications and Information Technology & Law and Justice

Ashok Gajapathi Raju (of TDP) Civil Aviation

Anant Geete (of Shiv Sena) Heavy Industries and Public


Enterprises

Harsimrat Kaur Badal (of Akali Dal)

Food Processing Industries

Narendra Singh Tomar Mines & Steel Labour and Employment

Jual Oram Tribal Affairs

Radha Mohan Singh Agriculture

Thaawar Chand Gehlot Social Justice and Empowerment

Smriti Zubin Irani Human Resource Development

Dr. Harsh Vardhan Health and Family Welfare

Ten people who were inducted into the ministry as Ministers of State with Independent Charge


General (Retd.) V K Singh Development of North Eastern Region (Independent Charge) & External Affairs Overseas Indian Affairs

Santosh Kumar Gangwar Textiles (Independent Charge), Parliamentary Affairs Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

Sripad Yesso Naik Culture (Independent Charge) & Tourism (Independent Charge)


Inderjit Singh Rao Planning (Independent Charge), Statistics and Programme Implementation (Independent Charge) & Defence

Dharmendra Pradhan Petroleum and Natural Gas (Independent Charge)

Sarvanand Sonwal Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge)

Prakash Javadekar Information and Broadcasting (Independent Charge), Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Independent Charge) & Parliamentary Affairs

Piyush Goel Power (Independent Charge), Coal (Independent Charge) & New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge)

Dr. Jitendra Singh Science and Technology (Independent Charge), Earth Sciences (Independent Charge), Prime Minister Office Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions Department of Atomic Energy Department of Space

Nirmala Sitharaman Commerce and Industry (Independent Charge), Finance Corporate Affairs


The twelve Ministers of State to take oath are


G M Sidheswara Civil Aviation

Raosaheb Danve Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

Vishnu Deo Sai Mines, Steel & Labour and Employment

Manoj Sinha Railways

Upendra Kushwaha Rural Development, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water and Sanitation

Radhakrishan P Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

Kiren Rijiju Home Affairs

Krishna Pal Road Transport and Highways Shipping

Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Baliyan Agriculture & Food Processing Industries

Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava Tribal Affairs


Sudarshan Bhagat Social Justice and Empowerment

Nihal Chand Chemicals and Fertilizers

DHUBRI CONSTITUENCY IN ASSAM REGISTERED HIGHEST VOTER TURNOUT IN GENERAL ELECTION 2014

Dhubri Parliamentary constituency in Assam registered the highest voter turnout in the General Election 2014 while Srinagar in Jammu & Kashmir saw the lowest voter turnout in the Election 2014.

This was revealed by the Election Commission Statistics on voter's turnout in Parliamentary Constituencies in the third week of May 2014.

Dhubri constituency registered a voter turnout of 88.22 percent whereas Srinagar registered a voter turnout of 25.86 percent.

16TH LOK SABHA ELECTIONS 2014 RESULTS DECLARED

16th Lok Sabha Election 2014 results were declared on 16 May 2014. The elections were

conducted in 543 constituencies across India.

In the Elections 2014, the main opposition party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the elections

by securing 282 seats. On the other hand, the incumbent party the Indian National Congress

(INC) lost the elections by securing only 44 seats.

National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by BJP was successful at securing 334 seats, whereas,

UPA led by INC was successful at securing only 60 seats.

**Results of some important parties with largest share in the election are

Parties Seats won

Bharatiya Janata Party 282

Indian National Congress 44

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 37

All India Trinamool Congress 34

Biju Janata Dal 20


Shivsena 18

Communist Party of India (Marxist) 9

Nationalist Congress Party 6

Samajwadi Party 5

Aam Aadmi Party 4

Others 84

The BJP for the first time has won the elections with majority since independence and it is only

the second time that a non-congress party has succeeded at securing this feat.

Percentage of votes garnered by some important parties

BJP - 31.1%

INC - 19.3%

BSP - 4.2%,

AITC - 3.8%

SP - 3.4%,

ADMK - 3.3%

CPM - 3.3%

IND - 3.0%

TDP - 2.5%

YSRCP - 2.4%

The 16th Lok Sabha elections were held from 7 April 2014 to 12 May 2014 in nine different

phases as the five year term of the 15th Lok Sabha was due to expire on 31 May 2014.

Apart from the Lok Sabha elections, the Assembly elections were also held in 4 states namely

Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

Voter Turnout in General Election 2014

General Election 2014 saw the total voter turnout of 66.48 percent. Out of this the male

voters turnout was 67.17 percent and female voters turnout was 65.71 percent.

Among the States and Union Territories, the highest voter turnout was for Nagaland

State at 87.82 percent followed by Lakshadweep (86.61 percent) and Tripura (84.72

percent).


Among the States and Union Territories, the lowest voter turnout was for Jammu &

Kashmir State at 49.65 percent followed by Bihar (56.28 percent) and Uttar Pradesh

(58.39 percent).

In general, the voter turnout in General Election 2014 was higher than the voter turnout

in General Election 2009. In the General Election 2009, the total voter turnout was 58.21

percent.

Some Important Facts about General Election 2014

In the General Election 2014, Photo Electoral Rolls were distributed in all the States and

Union Territories. Photo Electoral Rolls for the first time were distributed in 2009 across

India except the State of Assam, Jammu & Kashmir and Nagaland. Also, Elector Photo

Identity Cards (EPICs) were not distributed to electors in Assam and Nagaland.

The total electorate in the country for the General Elections 2014 was approximately 814.5 million compared to 713 million in 2009. This marks an increase of more than 100 million electors.

Over 23 million electors were in the age group of 18 – 19 years. Electors in this age group constituted 2.88% of total electors, against 0.75% in 2009.

For the first time, transgender persons were also able to exercise their vote in the General Election 2014 since the Commission allowed enrollment of transgender persons with gender written as "Others" in the electoral rolls since 2012.

15TH LOK SABHA DISSOLVED BY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA

President of India, Pranab Mukherjee on 18 May 2014 dissolved the 15th Lok Sabha. He dissolved the Lok Sabha on the advice of the outgoing Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who resigned on 17 May 2014.

**Dissolution of the Lok Sabha


President of India has the power to dissolve the Lok Sabha in accordance with the Article 85 (2)(b) of the Constitution of India. In this matter, the President acts on the advice of the outgoing Union Cabinet.

Article 85 of the Constitution relates to the Sessions of Parliament, prorogation and dissolution. It states that:

(1) The President shall from time to time summon each House of Parliament to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit, but six months shall not intervene between its last sitting in one session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next session.

(2) The President may from time to time-

(a) Prorogue the House or either House

(b) Dissolve the House of the People

UNION GOVERNMENT EXTENDED BAN ON LTTE FOR FIVE YEARS

The Union Home Ministry on 14 May 2014 extended the ban imposed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in India for five more years. The five year ban extension came into effect from the day of notification. Earlier the ban was imposed on LTTE in May 2012.

India banned the terror outfit, LTTE after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India in 1991. It declared LTTE an unlawful association under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The terror outfit LTTE was banned because India fears that the objective of LTTE for a separate homeland (Tamil Eelam) for all Tamils threatened the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India as it has supporters and sympathizers in India also.

**About Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was a separatist militant organisation based in northern part of Sri Lanka and was founded in 1976 by Velupillai Prabhakaran. LTTE was formed with an aim to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil People. Later in 1983, the LTTE campaign evolved as the Sri Lankan Civil war and lasted till 2009. The Eelam War IV came to an end after killing of its chief Prabhakaran by Sri Lankan military on 18 May 2009.

Apart from Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991, LTTE also carried the assassination of Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993.


PRESIDENT PRANAB MUKHERJEE GAVE HIS ASSENT TO WHISTLEBLOWERS PROTECTION BILL 2011

Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India on 12 May 2014 gave his assent to the Whistleblowers Protection Bill 2011. With this assent, the Whistleblowers Bill, 2011 became Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2011. The Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on 11 December 2011 and by Rajya Sabha on 21 February 2014.

The Bill carries provisions for setting up regular mechanism to encourage persons to disclose information on corruption or willful misuse of power by public servants, which includes Ministers. The Bill also demands adequate protection to persons who reports corruption or willful misuse of discretion, which bring in a demonstrable loss to the government.

The Bill was introduced in 2004 by the Union Government to empower the Central Vigilance Commission for protecting whistle-blowers.

DGCA ISSUED GUIDELINES TO OPERATORS FOR REAL TIME TRACKING OF AIRCRAFTS

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on 7 May 2014 issued guidelines to operators for Real Time Tracking of Aircrafts.

The new rule is applicable for both the passenger and cargo aircraft. DGCA has made it mandatory for all its planes to be tracked from departure to arrival.

Guidelines were released to set standards in view of the difficulties faced in search and rescue operations after an aircraft goes missing or meets with an accident.

SC BANNED JALLIKATTU AND BULLOCK CART RACES

Supreme Court of India on 7 May 2014 banned use of bulls for Jallikattu (bull-fighting) events or bullock-cart races across the country.

The court in its verdict said that even bulls have rights against torture and hoped that the parliament would elevate the rights of animals to that of constitutional rights. In its observation the bench said that an animal also has honour and dignity and cannot be arbitrarily deprived of its rights.

**Jallikattu bull fights

Jallikattu bull fights are a centuries-old annual sport of Tamil Nadu played as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day. The sport is participated by thousands of men, who chase the bulls to grab prizes tied to their horns.


SC UPHELD VALIDITY OF RIGHT TO EDUCATION ACT

The Constitution Bench of Supreme Court of India on 6 May 2014 upheld the Constitutional validity of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. In its decision, the apex court said that the Act is not applied to unaided minority institutions.

The five-judge Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court in its decision also upheld the provisions of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010.

ELECTION QUEUE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM INTRODUCED IN INDIA

The Election Queue Management System, a first of its kind initiative was introduced in India. It was introduced by the District Election Authority in Burdwan district, West Bengal during Lok Sabha election held on 30 April 2014.

The Election queue management system helped voters to find out the level of crowd in the polling booths in Burdwan district.

This system will help the voter in receiving information about the crowd in the queue by sending an SMS with the Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number to 9230085005.

The information was also available on the website Burdwan.nic.in and PS Queue Info.

It received 22800 SMS queries, 1800 mobile queries, 44000 web request from the voters to know the information about the number of people in queue at polling booth of Burdwan-Durgapur and Burdwan Purba.

IIT GUWAHATI RANKED AT 87TH SPOT AMONG WORLD'S TOP 100 VARSITIES

Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati was ranked at the 87th position among the top 100 world universities – under 50 years of age – published by London-based Times Higher Eductaion (THE) magazine on 30 April 2014.

With this entry into the list, the IIT-Guwahati has taken India in the list of top 100 under 50 University rankings. It is the first and only Indian entry in the list and it shares the 87th rank with Portugal's New University of Lisbon and Australia's University of Western Sydney.


The list was topped by Korea's Pohang University of Science and Technology for the third consecutive year in the annual evaluation of the world's top 100 universities less than 50 years of age.

Second position - retained by Switzerland's Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne

Third position - South Korean institute named Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Fourth position - Hong Kong University of Science and Technology of Hong Kong

Fifth position – Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University

Apart from India, Brazil also has single entry in the list. Mainland China and Russia have failed to secure any place.

MICHAEL HUDSON MCHUGH, THE EX-AUSTRALIAN JUDGE APPOINTED AS ARBITRATOR BY SC

The Supreme Court of India on 29 April 2014 appointed former judge of the High Court of Australia, Michael Hudson McHugh as the third arbitrator to resolve the dispute between the Central government and Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on KG basin.

McHugh was named as the Chairman of the Arbitral Tribunal after the apex Court on 2 April 2014 withdrawn the appointment of James Spigelman, ex-Chief Justice and LG of New South Wales, Australia. His name was withdrawn after the Court was informed by the Centre that his name was mentioned in the list of names proposed by the Reliance group for appointment as an independent arbitrator.

On the issue of appointment of the independent arbitrator as the Chairman of the Arbitral Tribunal was passed by Justice Nijjar on 31 March 2014. The other two members of the tribunal are former Chief Justices of India, SP Bharucha and VN Khare.

Former Justice Bharucha was nominated by Reliance as its arbitrator

Former Justice Khare nomination was chosen by Centre as its arbitrator

The decision of appointment of an international arbitrator as the Chairman was taken by the Supreme Court for adjudication of dispute that exist between Reliance and the government on the issue of recovery of cost for developing the country's key natural gas field in KG basin.


LALIT GUPTA COMMITTEE ON DIAL SUBMITTED ITS REPORT TO DGCA

Lalit Gupta Committee on Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) submitted its report to DGCA on 24 April 2014. The committee was set up by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in January 2014.

It has recommended that airports near Delhi like Jaipur, Lucknow and Amritsar should be upgraded to Category-IIIB level of Instrument Landing System, which has a runway visibility range of 150 feet or almost near-zero visibility condition. CAT IIIB is operational at the India Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).

SC LIFTED 19 MONTH OLD BAN ON MINING IN GOA

The Supreme Court (SC) on 21 April 2014 lifted a 19 month old ban on mining in Goa. The ban was imposed in September 2012 as part of a drive to curb illegal mining in Goa.

The ban was lifted on the recommendation of a panel appointed by the Supreme Court under Justice M.B.Shah to look into the mining industry.

GOI EXTENDED TOURIST VISA-ON-ARRIVAL SCHEME TO THE CITIZENS OF THE SOUTH KOREA

Government of India (GOI) extended the Tourist Visa-on-Arrival Scheme to the citizens of the South Korea (ROK) with effect from 15 April 2014.

The PM of India Manmohan Singh had conveyed this assurance to South Korean President Madame Park Geun-hye during her State Visit to India in January 2014.

The Visa-on-Arrival Scheme holds validity for maximum of 30 days with single entry facility. The facility will be offered at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi airport. Fee charged will be 60 US dollar or equivalent amount in Indian Rupees.

ECI LAUNCHED ELECTION VISITORS PROGRAMME 2014

Election Commission of India (ECI) on 15 April 2014 launched the Election Visitors Programme (EVP) 2014. The EVP 2014 was launched as a part of South-South Cooperation initiative of the ECI in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).


On the day of launch, seven senior officials from Namibia began their participation in the EVP 2014 and left for the Karnataka State where the elections are scheduled to be held on 17 April 2014.

As part of the EVP 2014, 50 foreign delegates from Election Management Bodies of 20 countries will visit India to have a first-hand experience of Lok Sabha Elections 2014.

The delegates have been divided into four groups depending on their arrival schedule. These four groups will be briefed by the ECI on India's electoral system and the Lok Sabha Elections 2014. The briefing will be followed by filed visits to the identified election locations and an interaction with the ECI.

The EVP 2014 has recognised 4 election locations in the country for the field visits to give a first-hand experience to the foreign delegates. These are Karnataka (17th April), Uttar Pradesh (24th April), West Bengal (30th April) and Himachal Pradesh (7th May).

This is the first time that ECI is facilitating election visits from other countries on such a scale and under a structured programme.

The 20 countries which will be visiting India as part of EVP 2014 are Namibia, Nigeria, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Uganda, Kenya, Bhutan and some member-countries of League of Arab States (Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco, Somalia, Palestine, Iraq and Oman).

SC RECOGNIZED TRANSGENDERS AS THIRD CATEGORY OF SEX

Supreme Court of India in its landmark judgment on 15 April 2014 recognised transgender as the third category of sex. In its judgment the Apex Court claimed transgender as socially and economically backward.

A bench of Supreme Court comprising Justice KS Radhakrishnan and AK Sikri in its decision had directed the center and state governments to take essential steps for bringing the community into the mainstream by providing adequate healthcare, education and employment.

SSB TO INDUCT WOMEN AS COMBAT OFFICERS

The Union Home Ministry on 13 April 2014 for the first time approved the recruitment of young women as combat officers in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). SSB is the second largest border guarding force.


Young women under and up to the age of 25 years will be recruited as direct entry officers in the rank of assistant commandants (ACs). The women officers will have an opportunity to serve in far-flung border of Indian Territory like Nepal and Bhutan.

SUPREME COURT ORDERED SACKING OF INCUMBENT BCCI CHIEF N SRINIVASAN

The Suporeme Court ordered the sacking of incumbent Chairman of Board of Cricket of India (BCCI) while delivering a series of judgments on 28 March 2014 to overhaul the BCCI. The order was given against the backdrop of Mudgal Committee Report on IPL spot fixing during IPL 2013.

SC UPHOLD THE AGE OF JUVENILE TO 18 YEARS

The Supreme Court on 30 March 2014 uphold the age of juvenile to 18 years. SC cited that the legislature has fixed the age which is constitutionally permissible.

Two petitions were filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy challenging the constitutional validity of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000.

The petitioners had sought fresh interpretation of the term ‘juvenile’ in the statute and leaving it to the criminal court, instead of Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), to determine the juvenility of an offender in heinous crimes.

SUPREME COURT DIRECTED ALL STATES AND UTS TO IMPLEMENT MANUAL SCAVENGERS ACT

Supreme Court on 27 March 2014 directed all the States and Union Territories to implement Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

The three-judge Bench comprised of Chief Justice P Sathasivam, Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice N V Ramana ordered a series of directions to abolish the practice of manual scavenging and to prevent future generations from this inhuman practice. The Apex court also deprecated the practice of manually removing night soil with bare hands, brooms or metal scrappers.

WHO CERTIFIED INDIA AS POLIO FREE COUNTRY

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on 27 March 2014 certified India as a Polio Free country. This action of WHO made India one of the 11 countries of South-East Region to be free from polio virus.


The official certificate was received by Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Union Health Minister in New Delhi. The polio was eradicated from the country with the help of technological innovations like indigenous bivalent polio vaccines, close monitoring of polio programme and adequate domestic financial resources.

India’s victory over polio disease paved the way for polio-free certification for the South East Asia region of the WHO. The achievement has also made the South-East Asian Region, fourth WHO Region for being certified as polio-free. This certification was given by an independent commission under the WHO certification process. This region is a home for about a quarter of world’s population. The WHO South East Asia Region has 11 Member States namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.

Last time in 2002, the European Region was certified as the third WHO Region to be certified as polio-free.

Other regions to be certified as the WHO Polio Free Region are

Region of the Americas – certified as WHO Region in 1994

Western Pacific Region – certified as WHO Region in 2000

With, this certification to the South-East Asian Region, now about 80 percent of world’s population lives in the polio-free certified regions.

SUPREME COURT DIRECTED CENTRE NOT TO MAKE AADHAAR MANDATORY FOR CITIZENS

The Supreme Court directed the Centre on 24 March 2014 to withdraw the instruction issued by centre for making Aadhaar card mandatory for citizens to benefit government services.

A Bench of Justices B S Chauhan and J Chelameswar directed that if there are any instructions that Aadhaar is mandatory, it should be withdrawn immediately. The judgement was given in light of Supreme Court receiving lot of letters which say that Aadhaar card is mandatory in spite of court orders.

2.3% OF TESTED DRUGS FOUND TO BE OF SUB-STANDARD NATURE: DGCI

Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) found that 2.3% of all the drugs tested by it were of sub-standard nature. This was revealed by the surveillance which DGCI carried out since December 2012. The results of the surveillance were released by the DGCI on 19 March 2014.


During the surveillance, DGCI collected as many as 1123 samples were collected and tested. Samples were drawn from government hospitals, retailers and wholesalers between April and December 2013 by joint teams of central and state drug controller officials.

The test revealed that of 1123 samples tested, 26 drug samples failed to qualify the test. Moreover, the highest concentration of sub-standard drugs was found in Jammu & Kashmir followed by Himachal Pradesh.

The drugs which have been identified by DGCI as sub-standard are: (i) Cefden-O (Cefixime & Ofloxacin Tab); (ii) Fixin IR-200 DT (cefixime Tab); (iii) Rabed; (iv) Kindac-P (Aceclofenac & Paracetamol Tab); (v) Biodox Bolus; (vi) Ranodom (Omeprazole Magnesium & Domperidone Tab); (vii) Orymox-250 DT Tab; (vii) Diclogold-M (Paracetamol, Diclofenac Sodium & Mag. Trisilicate Tab); (viii) Coldgard (Paracetamol, Phenylephrine HCl, Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Caffeine Tab); and (ix) Pre-MR (Diclofenacv Pot., Paracetamol & Chlorzoxazone Tab)

DOT ISSUED NEW GUIDELINES TO TACKLE THE THREATS OF CYBER ATTACK

Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Union Ministry of Communications and Information Technology on 17 March 2014 released guidelines to tackle the threats of cyber attacks and hacking of websites.

DoT issued guidelines to all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to adopt new security measures to advise customers to take necessary precautions to protect modems from malware attacks and hacking attempts. Modem is an instrument that connects a computer to the Internet.

DoT had written to all ISPs to assist customers to change the password of ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) modem to avoid unauthorised access to modem. The password was normally installed by broadband service providers. The ADSL modems are presently supplied by vendors with default set up of user ID and password as admin.

NAGALAND AND ASSAM FIRST STATES TO GET PLASTIC PHOTO IDENTITY CARD

Nagaland and Assam became the first two states to be issued with Plastic Photo Identity Card for elections in India. It was announced by the Deputy Election commissioner Sudhir Tripathi in Kohima on 12 March 2014.

The voters of Nagaland and Assam will be using the cards for the first time in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The Election commission decided to provide plastic Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) instead of laminated paper card to voters in India to avoid duplication and forgery.


The Plastic Photo Identity Card will be issued through the Common Service Centre of the central government's Information Technology department.

It has also declared Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and Tamil Nadu as the most expenditure sensitive states in the country. A committee has been constituted for the monitoring of election expenditure.

Also, Election Commission has set-up flying squad, static surveillance team and election expenditure monitoring committees to curb the use of money power during elections.

ELECTION COMMISSION SET UP MULTI AGENCY GRID TO CURB BLACK MONEY

The Election Commission on 11 March 2014 created a multi-agency grid of revenue and security intelligence agencies. The aim is to curb the use of black money in Lok Sabha and assembly polls. The intelligence agency will regularly update Election Commission about suspected financial movements.

Election Commission in the first of its kind initiative had created a board of senior officials drawn from ten financial and security intelligence departments.

The intelligence agencies include the officials from income tax intelligence and investigations, Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Economic Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau and the security forces of SSB, BSF, CISF and the Railway Protection Force.

The board will meet twice a week at Nirvachan Sadan to generate common leads and flag suspect money instances.

MEDICAL VISA NOT REQUIRED IN CASES OF SURROGACY FOR OCIS & PIOS

Union Home Ministry issued an order on 6 March 2014 saying that an Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) can visit India without a medical visa for commissioning surrogacy. This facility will be applicable for those couples who are married for at least two years and will only require permission only from the Foreigners’ Regional Registration Office (FRRO) or the Foreigners’ Registration Office (FRO).


LOK SABHA ELECTIONS TO HELD FROM 7 APRIL 2014 IN 9-PHASES

The 16th Lok Sabha Elections in India was held from 7 April 2014 to 12 May 2014 and the counting took place on 16 May 2014. The Lok Sabha elections spread over nine phases. The Lok Sabha elections held as the five year term of the 15th Lok Sabha was due to expire on 31 May 2014.

K.T.THOMAS REFUSED TO HEAD LOKPAL COMMITTEE SEARCH PANEL

Retired Supreme Court judge K.T.Thomas refused to head the Lokpal Committee Search panel on 3 March 2014. He was unanimously chosen to head the Search Panel by the Lokpal Selection Committee on 21 February 2014.

Thomas refused on the ground that Lokpal Search panel will not be able to conduct an independent eminent Lawyer Fali Nariman had also refused to become the part of the Lokpal Search Panel.

UNION CABINET APPROVED A NEW RAIL COACH MANUFACTURING UNIT IN KOLAR

The Union Cabinet on 28 February 2014 approved setting up of a new rail coach manufacturing

unit at Kolar, Karnataka. The unit will manufacture 500 coaches per annum at an estimated cost

of 1460.92 crore rupees with active participation of State Government.

The Ministry of Railways will finance 50 percent of the cost. The government of Karnataka will

provide the remaining 50 percent of the project cost with escalation and required land to the

extent of about 1118.38 acres, free of cost.

The proposed plant shall help Indian Railways in ensuring timely availability of passenger

coaches to meet the increasing demands of passenger transportation.

UNION MINISTRY OF H & FW INAUGURATED AIIMS BHUBANESWAR

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Gulam Nabi Azad inaugurated the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar on 26 February 2014. During inauguration an e-Card


system was also introduced. e-Card system (also known as health card) will help the patients to know about the disease, doctor assigned and treatment.

After the allocation of land by the state government, a satellite Centre of the AIIMS, Bhubaneswar will be established at Balasore.

Under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Sahayata Yojana (PMSSY), the Union Government has already approved establishing of four medical colleges at Balasore, Balangir, Koraput and Baripada in Odisha. Further, two medical collages, at Berhampur and Burla will be upgraded.

Including aforementioned and some other projects Union government has planned an investment of 1250 crore rupees for the health sector of Odisha.

LARGEST SOLAR POWER PLANT OF INDIA LAUNCHED IN MADHYA PRADESH

The largest 130-MW Solar Power Plant of India Welspun Solar MP Project was launched at Bhagwanpur in Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh on 26 February 2014. It is also the Asia's Largest Solar Power Plant.

The Welspun Solar MP project was constructed at a cost of 1100 crore rupees on 305 hectares of land. It will supply power at 8.05 rupees a kWh.

This Project will raise Indian solar capacity by 7 percent.

AERA ABOLISHED USER DEVELOPMENT FEE AT HYDERABAD AIRPORT

The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) abolished the user development fee at the

Hyderabad airport on 25 February 2014.

AERA concluded the decision after considering various aspects of the airport’s operations,

including the investments made by the airport operator, land allocation, traffic trends and

earnings.


UNION GOVERNMENT INAUGURATED THE NATIONAL CENTRE FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE

Union Government inaugurated the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) on 24 February 2014. NCGS is an apex think tank of the country in guiding and implementing good Governance reforms.

National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) has been set up by upgrading the National Institute of Administrative Research (NIAR), Mussorrie.

The focus of the NCGG will be action oriented research in good Governance. The Centre will function as a national repository on information on best practices, initiatives and methodologies that promote good Governance, e-Governance initiatives, change management and capacity building within the Government.

The NCGG would work towards resolution of key issues in Governance, analyse policy and programme implementation, develop action plans, support governance reforms and help in developing synergy across various sectors and Ministries or Departments.

WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION BILL PASSED BY UNION LEGISLATURE

Whistleblower Protection Bill was passed by Union Legislature on 21 February 2014.

The bill aims to provide a regular mechanism to encourage persons to disclose information on corruption or willful misuse of power by public servants and ministers.

The Whistleblower Bill will provide an adequate protection to persons reporting corruption or wilful misuse of discretion which causes demonstrable loss to the government or commission of a criminal offence by a public servant.

The bill seeks the procedure to inquire into the disclosures and provides adequate safeguards against victimisation of the whistleblower. It will also seek to provide punishment for false or frivolous complaints.

The bill was passed by Lok Sabha in 2011 and was taken up by the Rajya Sabha in 2012 for consideration.

Rajya Sabha made two new proposals in the bill.


BEZBARUAH COMMITTEE CONSTITUTED FOR THE PROTECTION OF RIGHTS OF NORTH EASTERN PEOPLE

A committee was constituted under the chairmanship of M.P. Bezbaruah on 21 February 2014. The committee was constituted to look into the various kinds of concerns of the persons hailing from the North Eastern States.

The committee was constituted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. M.P.Bezbaruah is a Member of North Eastern Council.

The Committee will look upon the issues as follows:-

To examine the various kinds of concerns, including the concerns regarding security, of the persons hailing from the North Eastern States.

To examine the causes behind the attacks/violence and discrimination against the people from the North-Eastern States.

To suggest measures to be taken by the Government to address these concerns.

To suggest legal remedies to address all the concerns.

The committee will interact with the students/professionals, NGOs, students’ organizations and other persons from the North Eastern States living in Delhi to seek their suggestions.

UNION MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE LAUNCHED THREE INDIGENOUS KITS

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad launched three indigenous kits in Hyderabad on 20 February 2014. These were developed by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) of Indian Council Medical Research (ICMR).

The technologies include three different kits for

PCR-based Pathogen Detection Kit for detection of food borne pathogens

ELISA-based Serum Ferritin Estimation Kit for diagnosing iron deficiency anaemia

Dried Blood Spot (DBS) Collection Kit for diagnosing Vitamin-A deficiency

PCR-based Pathogen Detection Kit

Detects deadly bacteria in food and water

Rapid, sensitive, specific and cost-effective

Saves time, money and labour considerably


ELISA-based Serum Ferritin Estimation Kit

Useful in screening iron status in the population and its bio-availability in fortified foods and other pharmaceuticals or nutraceuticals

A major breakthrough for monitoring iron deficiency anaemia control programmes

Accurate, cost-effective and convenient as compared to other commercial kits available

Beneficial for patients who require repeated blood transfusion

Dried Blood Spot (DBS) Collection Kit

Field-friendly method fir blood sample collection and transportation

Helpful in screening population in remote areas for sub-clinical vitamin-A deficiency

Reduces the inconvenience to children

Proven method for prevention of blindness and several other conditions

These three kits are accurate, cost-effective and user-friendly. These will enable the early detection of nutritional deficiencies and timely intervention.

CCEA APPROVED NATIONAL MISSION FOR GREEN INDIA

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved a National Mission for a Green India on 20 February 2014. The Green India Mission (GIM) aims to improve and increase India’s diminishing forest cover.

The GIM scheme envisages a total cost of 46000 crore rupees over the next 10 years. The GIM is one of eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).

The mission has following objectives:

To increase forest cover on 5 million hectares (ha) of forest/non-forest land.

To improve the quality of forest cover on another 5 million hectare.

To enhance annual CO2 sequestration.

To improve the livelihoods of about 3 million households living in and around forest areas.

To respond to climate change by a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures.

To improve entire ecosystem and increase forest-based livelihood income for 30 lakh forest dependent households.

The GIM will be converged with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), and National Afforestation Programme.


TELENGANA BILL PASSED IN LOK SABHA

The Telengana bill dividing Andhra Pradesh was passed in the Lok Sabha on 18 February 2014. The Lok Sabha passed the Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Bill 2014 that aims to create the 29th State of India.

The Bill saw the light of the day in the Lok Sabha due to support from the main opposition party in the Lok Sabha Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).

Moving the bill for consideration and passage, the Centre announced that the Union Government will give special financial package to Seemandhra, residual part of Andhra Pradesh, to address the grievances of the people of Seemandhra region.

PARLIAMENT PASSED STREET VENDORS PROTECTION OF LIVELIHOOD AND REGULATION OF STREET VENDING BILL

Parliament on 19 February 2014 passed the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) bill-2014. The Bill provides protection of livelihoods rights, social security of street vendors, regulation of urban street vending in the country and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The Rajya Sabha adopted the bill by a voice vote and without discussion and earlier it was adopted by Lok Sabha on 6 September 2013.

The Street Vendors Bill aims at protect the rights of the urban street vendors and regulating street vending activities. It also aims towards creation of a conducive atmosphere where street vendors will be eligible to carry out their business in a fair and transparent manner, without fear of eviction and harassment.

DEATH SENTENCE OF 3 CONVICTS IN RAJIV GANDHI ASSASSINATION CASE COMMUTED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT

The Supreme Court of India on 18 February 2014 commuted the death sentence of three convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case to life imprisonment. The decision was made by the apex court following the delay of 11 years in deciding their mercy plea by the central government.

The decision was made by the three-judge bench of Supreme Court that was headed by the Chief Justice of India, P Sathasivam and included Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice SK Singh.


QUADRICYCLE TO RUN FROM 1 OCT 2014 ACROSS THE COUNTRY

A new category of four-wheelers - Quadricycle - will be allowed to run in cities across the country from 1 October 2014. The objective is to largely replace the auto-rickshaws. The emission norms of these vehicles will be better than auto-rickshaws.

The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will issue the gazette notification with respect to this shortly as the proposal has been vetted by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice. Quadricycle is more efficient on security and safety concerns as it had introduced the provision of seatbelts and braking system like that of cars, which falls under M1 category of vehicles. As a safety measure, it will be mandatory for such vehicles to have seatbelts for both the occupants in the front and two in the rear seat.

UNION GOVERNMENT APPROVED TWO PLANT TO MANUFACTURE SEMICONDUCTOR CHIPS

The Union Government approved the setting up of two plants to manufacture semiconductor chips in India on 14 February 2014. The plants will be set up by two business consortia, including Israel's Tower Jazz-IBM and STMicroelectronics at a cost of around 63412 crore Rupees.

One of the business consortiums consists of India's Jaiprakash Associates, IBM and Tower Jazz. It plans to set up a plant at a cost of 34399 crore Rupees near the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh.

The other, which consists of France-based STMicroelectronics, HSMC Technologies (Hindustan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation) and Malaysia's Silterra, will set up a plant in Prantij in Gujarat at a cost of 29013 crore Rupees.

CCSD APPROVED REVISION OF VSHSE SCHEME IN 12TH FYP

The Cabinet Committee on Skill Development (CCSD) approved for continuation and revision of Vocationalisation of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (VSHSE) Scheme in the 12th Five Year Plan (FYP) on 12 February 2014.

The objectives of the scheme are


To enhance the employability of youth through competency based modular vocational courses.

To maintain their competitiveness through provisions of multi-entry multi-exit learning opportunities and vertical mobility.

To fill the gap between the educated and the employable.

To decrease pressure on academic higher education.

Further, skills and employability of the youth will be enhanced through industry and demand driven vocational courses.

ASSAM BECAME THE FIRST STATE TO LEGALLY BAN SMOKELESS TOBACCO

Assam became the first state to legally ban the consumption of all forms of smokeless tobacco including pan masala containing tobacco and nicotine within the State on 13 February 2014.

Taking note of the fact that smokeless tobacco accounts for 90% of oral cancers, the Act also bans the manufacture, advertisement, trade, storage, distribution and sale of the substances.

Assam’s Governor Janaki Ballav Patnaik gave his assent to the Assam Health (Prohibition of manufacturing, advertisement, trade, storage, distribution, sale and consumption of zarda, gutkha, pan masala, etc, containing tobacco and nicotine) Bill 2013 on 11 February 2014. As a result, the Bill became an Act with effect from 13 February 2014.

ADB AND GOVERNMENT OF INDIA SIGNED FOR A 275 MILLION DOLLAR LOAN UNDER RCIP

Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Government of India signed for a 275 million dollar loan for improving rural road connectivity in five states on 12 February 2014. The states include Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.

A Joint secretary of Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance and Country Director of ADB signed the pact.

The loan is the second tranche of 800 million dollar under the Rural Connectivity Investment Programme (RCIP). The second tranche of loan will help construct 3693 km of all-weather rural roads in these five States benefiting nearly 1800 rural habitations. It is expected to be completed in June 2017.

This loan will invest in physical infrastructure, improve road design, road safety and asset management.


**About Rural Connectivity Investment Programme

Rural Connectivity Investment Programme (RCIP) is a multi-tranche financing facility (MTFF) started by Asian Development Bank (ADB).

UNION GOVERNMENT MADE IT MANDATORY TO INSTALL GPS DEVICES IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT

The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways made it mandatory for public transport vehicles running in major cities to install GPS. The announcement was made on 9 February 2014. As per the directions of Union Ministry, All the owners of public transport are required to install Global Positioning System (GPS) by 20 February 2014.

The project is a part of Nirbhaya Fund. The project involves setting up of closed circuit television (CCTV) and using global positioning system (GPS) to ensure safety and security of women and girls in distress.

In the first phase, the vehicles running in cities which had a population of more than 10 Lakh should install GPS facility.

The road ministry had earlier asked passenger vehicle owners to install these devices by September 30, 2013.

SIKKIM BECAME FIRST STATE TO ACHIEVE 100 PERCENT SANITATION COVERAGE

Sikkim became the first State in India to achieve 100 percent sanitation coverage under the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan Scheme on 9 February 2014. Sikkim achieved 100 per cent sanitation in rural and urban households, schools, sanitary complexes and Aanganwadi centres. As per the latest progress report card released by the Union Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation, all 610577 inhabitants in Sikkim have latrines with high sanitation and hygiene


CABINET APPROVED AMENDMENT TO RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES BILL 2014

Union Cabinet on 7 February 2014 approved the proposal of the Department of Disability Affairs to incorporate amendments in the proposed Rights of the Persons with Disabilities Bill 2014. The proposed amendments to the Bill are

Definition of person with disability in terms of interaction with barriers

High support needs person enabled to take independent and inform decision also;

Definition of low vision will be notified by the Government

The appropriate Government to take necessary steps to ensure reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities

No person with disability will be discriminated on grounds of disability

Appropriate Governments to ensure that the persons with disabilities enjoy legal capacity on an equal basis with others, in all aspects of life to have equal rights as any other person before law

Recognizing legal capacity of person with disability, limited guardianship would be the norm, to enable the person with disability to take joint decision with legal guardian

Person with disability would also have the right to appeal against the decision of appointment of legal guardian

Disability Certificate to be valid across the country

Educational institutions funded and recognized will have to provide inclusive education for children with disability

The appropriate Governments to constitute to expert committee with representation of persons with disabilities for identification of posts for Government employment for persons with disabilities

Review period shortened from 5 years to 3 years in case of identified posts;

5 percent vacancies reserved for persons with disabilities will be computed against the total number of vacancies in the cadre strength

National Commission and State Commission will have power to exempt any post in an establishment from the purview of reservation for persons with disabilities

For greater coverage and employability in Government sector, the appropriate Governments to prescribe relaxation for upper age limit for employment of PWDs

National Commission shall formulate and enforce regulations

IMPLEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS OF MAJITHIA WAGE BOARD: SC

The Supreme Court of India on 7 February 2014 ordered to implement the recommendations of the Majithia Wage Board for journalists and non-journalists in newspapers and news agencies.


Supreme Court in its decision upheld the recommendations of Majithia Wage Board on the pay structure and has directed for revised salaried to be granted to the employees.

As per the decision, the revised wages have been made payable from 11 November 2011 the day the centre in its notification notified the recommendations. The Court in its decision ruled that all the arrears will be paid in four installments within a year and the recommendations should be implemented from April 2014.

The Apex court ordered this after dismissing the petitions of various newspapers that challenged the recommendations of the wage board and its constitution.

The Supreme Court bench that passed the decision was headed by P Sathasivam, the Chief Justice of India. In its decision the bench of the apex court said that the wage Board followed proper procedures in giving the recommendations and the allegations leveled against it and its constitution are not right.

About Majithia Wage Board

The 6th Majithia Wage Board was constituted in 2007 by the Labour Ministry, which announced an adhoc interim relief of 30 percent of basic pay with effect from January 2008. On 31 December 2010 the Board submitted its final recommendations, which were notified by the Union Government on 11 November 2011. Justice G. R. Majithia was the Chairman of the National Wage Boards for Working Journalists and other Newspaper Employees.

The Board in its recommendation mentioned that monthly emoluments for the lowest category of employee in the lowest class of establishment would work out to be 9000 rupees for the basic pay at floor level minimum wage of 5000 rupees. The revised basic pay would however range from 9000 rupees to 17500 rupees for non-journalists and from 13000 rupees to 25000 rupees for working journalists in the top establishment having gross revenues of more than 1000 crores rupees.

CCEA APPROVED 5 PORT PROJECTS WORTH 17630 CRORE RUPEES

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved 5 Port projects worth 17630 crore rupees on 5 February 2014. The projects are aimed at augmenting the capacity of major ports by about 151 million tonnes per annum (MTPA).

Out of 5 Port projects approved, four are container terminals and one is a multi-purpose cargo berth project in Mumbai port.

The four container terminals proposed to be built at the major ports are Kandla Port in Gujarat, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, Kolkata Port in West Bengal and Ennore Port in Tamil Nadu.


India has 12 major ports: Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (Navi Mumbai), Kolkata, Chennai, Visakhapatanam, Cochin, Paradip, New Mangalore, Mormugao (Goa), Ennore, Tuticorin and Kandla.

INDIA’S VISA-ON-ARRIVAL FACILITY EXTENDED FOR TOURISTS OF 180 NATIONS, EXCEPT EIGHT

India on 5 February 2014 extended the facility of visa-on-arrival for the tourists of 180 nations

after barring tourists of eight nations. The decision has extended the facility to 180 countries

from 11 nation tourists available at present including Finland, the Philippines, Singapore and

Japan. The decision was made in order to boost tourism activity in the country.

This decision was disclosed by Rajeev Shukla, the Minister for State for Planning in New Delhi

on 5 February 2014 after a high-level meeting with representatives from various ministries. In

the communication, Rajeev Shukla said that the facility will be implemented from next tourist

season that will begin in October 2014.

The electronic Visa offered to the tourists would be valid for a period of 30 days from the date

of their visit to India. To receive the electronic version of the Visa, the tourists will have to apply

in the designated website along the required fees, which would be granted within three days.

The countries, who have been barred from the facility includes

Pakistan

Sudan

Afghanistan

Iran

Iraq

Nigeria

Sri Lanka

Somalia

The decision of the high-level meeting to offer visa on arrival can be treated as ironing on the

objections raised by the Union Home Ministry for extension of the facility to nationals of 40

more countries that included US, UK and Germany. Home Ministry nod was a prerequisite for

extending the facility.


CCEA APPROVED IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL MISSION AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND TECHNOLOGY

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved on 4 February 2014 the implementation of the National Mission on Agricultural Extension and Technology (NMAET) during the 12th Plan period.

The extension of NMAET and its components will be expanded and up-scaled appropriately and implemented in a more coordinated and convergent manner.

The Mission will have a total outlay of 13073.08 crore rupees with Government of India’s share of Rs. 11390.68 crore and State share of 1682.40 crore rupees.

NMAET consists of 4 Sub Missions

Sub Mission on Agricultural Extension (SMAE)

Sub-Mission on Seed and Planting Material (SMSP)

Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)

Sub Mission on Plant Protection and Plant Quarantine (SMPP)

MOTHER AND CHILD TRACKING FACILITATION CENTRE INAUGURATED

Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare inaugurated the Mother and Child Tracking

Facilitation Centre at the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare in New Delhi on 31

January 2014.

Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS) initiative was launched under National Rural Health

Mission (NRHM) in December 2009.

UNION MINISTRY OF CULTURE LAUNCHED NATIONAL MISSION ON LIBRARIES

President of India Pranab Mukherjee launched the National Mission on Libraries (NML) on 3 February 2014. The mission was launched by Union Ministry of Culture.

National Mission on Libraries has following features:

Creation of National Virtual Library of India

Setting up of NML model Libraries

Quantitative and Qualitative survey of Libraries


Capacity Building

The creation of a National Virtual Library of India (NVLI) is one of the major component schemes of the National Mission on Libraries.

INDIA’S FIRST MONO RAIL INAUGURATED

India’s first monorail service was inaugurated by the Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on 1 February 2014 in Mumbai.

The First phase of Mumbai Monorail is comprised of 8.9 km long Wadala-Chembur section. The first phase was constructed at the cost of 1900 crore rupees which have seven stations.

It will operate between 7 am and 3 pm at an interval of 15 minutes initially. The fully air-conditioned monorail’s minimum fare will be five rupees while maximum fare will be twenty rupees.

The monorail service will have four coaches, which will ferry about 2500 passengers .The traveling time between Wadala and Chembur will be reduced from 40 minutes to nearly 21 minutes at present.

Mumbai Mono rail will display itself in three colours green, pink and sky blue. Monorail will have a smart card facility available like Delhi Metro.

About Mumbai Mono rail

The Mumbai Mono rail project has been implemented in two phases. The first phase comprise the Wadala- Chembur where as the second phase will be extended to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk in South Mumbai.

The Project is implemented by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority with an association of Larsen and Toubro and a Malaysian infrastructure firm Scomi Engineering.

INDIA POST TO INSTALL 3000 ATM & 1.35 LAKH MICRO-ATM BY SEPTEMBER 2015

India Post announced to install as many as 3000 Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and 1.35 lakh micro-ATMs by September 2015 on 27 January 2014. The facility will be available for savings account holders of post offices across the country.

Initially, three ATMs were to be installed in New Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore by 5 February 2014. After six months of launch of the service, India Post might get interoperability permission from


Reserve Bank of India (RBI). After that India Post will join the National Financial Switch, which will benefit India Post account holders to transact at the banks' ATMs and vice versa. The ATMs can be used only by 26 crore savings account-holders who save with the postal department. India Post is working with software major Infosys on this project.

The micro ATMs will be handheld devices to be operated at the post office level while the ATM will be similar to the one operated by any commercial bank.

Postal savings are worth around 6.05 trillion rupees, which is half the savings in the largest lender SBI and more than double that of the largest private sector lender ICICI Bank. The postal department, which has 1.55 lakh post offices over 90% of which are in villages, offers the savings account to people across the country and pays an interest of 4% per annum for such deposits. The account offers cheque facility at present.

UNION CIVIL AVIATION MINISTRY REMOVED RESTRICTIONS ON AIRBUS A-380 IN INDIA

Civil Aviation Ministry decided to remove restrictions on flights of Airbus A-380 to India on 27 January 2014. Now, flights of A-380 to India will be allowed to airports which are equipped to handle them.

The decision was taken after due consultations with the Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA), Air India and Airports Authority of India.

**About Airbus A-380

The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by Airbus of France. It is the world's largest passenger airliner, and provides seating for 525 people in a typical three-class configuration or up to 853 people in an all-economy class configuration. The A380 made its first flight on 27 April 2005 and entered commercial service in October 2007 with Singapore Airlines.

Airbus headquartered in Toulouse designed the aircraft to challenge Boeing's monopoly in the large-aircraft market.


UNION GOVERNMENT LAUNCHED NATIONAL WATERWAY-4 PROJECT IN TAMIL NADU

Union Government launched the project for the development of the stretch of 37 Kilometer of the National Waterway-four (NW-4) between Sholinganallur to Kalpakkam in South Buckingham Canal in Tamil Nadu. The project was launched on 24 January 2014.

NW-4 covers a total length of 1078 Km consisting of Kakinada-Puducherry canal systems integrated with Godavari and Krishna Rivers.

Main components of the project include dredging and excavation to develop navigational channel, construction of three terminals and navigational locks, replacement of one existing bridge at Kelambakkam, and installation of navigational aids.

The project is expected to be completed in two years with 123 crore rupees.

National Waterway

National Waterway 1: will starts from Allahabad to Haldia with a distance of 1620 km. The NW 1 runs through the Ganges, Bhagirathi and Hooghly river system. It will be the longest National Waterway in India.

National Waterway 2: a stretch on Brahmaputra River from Sadiya to Dhubri in Assam state.

National Waterway 3: run from Kollam to Kottapuram. The 205 km long West Coast Canal is India’s first waterway with all time navigation facility.

National Waterway 4: connect Kakinada to Pondicherry through Canals, Tank and River Godavari along with Krishna River.

National Waterway 5: connects Orissa to West Bengal using the stretch on Brahmani River, East Coast Canal, Matai River and Mahanadi River Delta.

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


NALSA LAUNCHED FREE LEGAL SERVICE CLINICS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) launched the 2648 village legal service clinics across the country on 24 January 2014. The move aims to bring legal services to the doorsteps of the weakest section of the country.

Chief Justice of India P.Sathasivam open free legal clinics in New Delhi. As per the regulation, NALSA will set up village legal services clinics in one village in each Taluk of the country.

On the lines of health centres in villages, these legal services will provide legal care to villagers who are not aware about laws and their rights.

With the help of Para-legal volunteers and empanelled lawyers, clinics will also assist villagers in getting BPL card, Election ID, Aadhaar Card, gas connection and other government welfare schemes. **About NALSA

The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has been constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 to provide free Legal Services to the weaker sections of the society and to organize Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes.

VISCERA TEST MUST IN DEATH DUE TO POISONING: SC

Supreme Court made it mandatory for the investigating agency to seek viscera test in death due to poisoning on 21 January 2014.

A bench of Justices Ranjana P Desai and J Chelameswar ruled that in all the cases where poisoning is suspected, immediately after the post-mortem, the viscera should be sent to the forensic science laboratories (FSL).

**About Viscera test

In the Viscera test the internal organs of the body, specifically those within the chest (as the heart or lungs) or abdomen (as the liver, pancreas or intestines) are tested thoroughly.

The Forensic Science Laboratories provide scientific assistance in crime investigation by way of examination of blood, semen, stains thereof and other.


UNION GOVERNMENT OF INDIA EXTENDED THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NFSA TO KARNATAKA AND CHHATTISGARH

Union Government of India extended the implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 to the States of Karnataka and Chhattisgarh on 18 January 2014. With this the implementation of National Food Security Act has taken off now in seven States/ Union Territories. These are Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh. Uttrakhand and Chandigarh are also expected to join NFSA soon.

Accordingly, the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution allocated foodgrains to these seven States/UTs. The allocation of foodgrains was made as per requirements projected by these States/UTs to implement the Act.

**National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013

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

UNION CABINET APPROVED TO SET UP RAIL TARIFF AUTHORITY

The Union Cabinet approved to set up Rail Tariff Authority on 20 January 2014. Rail Tariff Authority will be an advisory body which will advise the Railway Ministry on fares. RTA will comprise of a chairperson and four members at the apex level.

At present railway fare and freight rates are set by the Railway Board in accordance with the Railway Act, 1989.

The Rail Tariff Authority functions include

It will recommend fare revision from time to time taking into account input cost and market condition.

It will aim to develop an integrated, transparent and dynamic pricing mechanism for the passenger and freight segments of the Indian Railway’s business.

It will help the government to generate requisite surpluses for growth in the future.


RTA will be the first external pricing regulatory body for the country’s rail sector. The RTA will be given mandatory powers only after the amendment of the Railway Act, 1989 by the Parliament.

The RTA will make recommendations to the Railway Ministry which usually will have to accept it. If in case Railway Ministry disagrees, the ministry will send the recommendations back to the RTA to review its decision.

UNION CABINET GRANTED MINORITY STATUS TO JAIN COMMUNITY ACROSS INDIA

Jain community has been granted the minority status by Union Cabinet on 20 January 2014. This nod has enabled the community to avail the benefits in government schemes and programmes. With this nod of the Union Community, Jain community became the sixth community to attain minority status. Other five communities that has been granted the status of minority are

Muslims

Christians

Sikhs

Buddhists

Parsis

NATIONAL URBAN HEALTH MISSION LAUNCHED

National Urban Health Mission was launched by the Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad

on 20 January 2014 in Bangalore.

NUHM aims to

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

disadvantaged sections.

Strengthen public health care system.

Involve the community and urban local bodies in healthcare delivery.

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

Special Focus on

Urban Poor Population living in listed and unlisted slums.

All other vulnerable populations such as homeless, rag-pickers, street children, rickshaw

pullers, construction site workers, sex workers and any other temporary migrants.


Highlights

30- 100 bedded Urban Community Health Centres for cities above 5 lakh population.

Urban Primary Health Centres for every 50000 population located within or near slums

like settlements.

Strengthening existing First Referral Units (FRUs), Urban Health Centres & Dispensaries

in terms of human resources, equipment, medicines & consumables.

Special outreach sessions for the most vulnerable sections of the urban population.

One ANM is for every 10000-12000 population.

One ASHA is for every 200-500 slums & urban poor households.

Empowerment of communities through Mahila Arogya Samiti for every 50-100 slums &

urban poor households.

Coverage

State Capital, District Headquarters and all cities, towns with population above 50000. Estimated 22.13 crore urban populations, including around 7.75 crore poor and

vulnerable population.

INDIA REGISTERED AN INCREASE OF FIVE YEARS IN LIFE EXPECTANCY RATE

India registered an increase of five years in the average life expectancy rate. The average life expectancy rate increased from 63.9 years in 2004 to 69.6 years in 2014. The increase in the life expectancy was the result of consistent investments in public health sector by the government.

Life expectancy is defined as the average number of years a person born in a given country would live if mortality rates at each age were to remain constant in the future.

As per the census of 2011, the life expectancy in India was 65.48 years as compared to the global average life expectancy of 67.88 years. Japan, Switzerland, San Marino are the countries with highest average life expectancy of 83 years. On the other hand, poor countries of Africa like Somalia, Lesotho have an average life expectancy of 50 years with Sierra Leone having the least life expectancy at 47 years.


FOREST STS TO GET ADDITIONAL 50 DAYS WAGE EMPLOYMENT UNDER MGNREGA

The Union Ministry of Rural Development on 14 January 2014 decided to provide an additional wage employment of 50 days beyond the stipulated 100 days under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, MGNREGA for Scheduled Tribe (ST) households in forest areas. This means that the ST households in forest areas will receive the wages of 150 days.

As per Jairam Ramesh, the Rural Development Minister those tribals who have received the land rights under the Forest Rights Act 2006 will be eligible for the additional benefit. The additional man-day payment through MGNREGA also allows the households to undertake work on their land.

Under the Forest Rights Act 2006, about 14 lakh individuals and community titles were distributed and of them about 8 lakh titles as individuals were given in Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattishgarh and Andhra Pradesh. The Forest Rights Act has been included under the Indira Awaas Yojana for assistance.

GOVERNMENT GAVE NOD TO GUIDELINES FOR TRANSPARENT TV RATINGS

Union Cabinet on 9 January 2014 approved a comprehensive regulatory framework in the form of guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in India. The guidelines have been launched with an aim to make television ratings transparent, credible and accountable. This was a long-awaited proposal for bringing out a comprehensive regulatory framework which has been done to streamline the way TV channels are rated in the country. The framework will cover a detailed procedure for registration of rating agencies, eligibility norms, terms and conditions of registration, methodology for audience measurement, cross-holdings, complaint redressal mechanism, audit, disclosure, sale and use of ratings, reporting requirements and action on non-compliance of guidelines.

DELHI HIGH COURT RULED CAG CAN AUDIT TELECOM COMPANIES

The Delhi High Court ruled that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) can audit the books of accounts of private sector telecom companies on 6 January 2014.

The court has ruled that the CAG has powers and jurisdiction to audit telecom companies accounts. Companies that are operating in power, telecom sectors provide that services to the


common man. License fee is paid for spectrum and the profit generated by companies is a public resource. The people have right to know whether the income goes into public exchequer is proper or not.

CABINET COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AFFAIRS APPROVED MSP FOR JUTE

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved on 2 January 2014 the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Jute for 2014-15.

The government announced Jute MSP of TD-5 variety at 2400 rupees per quintal with an increase of 100 rupees from previous year.

The increase in the MSP of raw jute is expected to encourage farmers to step up investment in jute cultivation and thereby production and productivity of jute in the country.

The premium for TD-3 and TD-4 varieties of raw jute will be maintained at 20 percent and 8 percent respectively in relation to the price of TD-5 to encourage farmers for the production of higher grades.

SUPERCOMPUTER, PARAM YUVA-II RANKED 1 IN INDIA

PARAM Yuva-II supercomputer rated 1st in India, 9th in the Asia Pacific Region and 44th in the world among the most power efficient computer systems as per the Green500 List. It was announced at the Super computer Conference (SC 2013) in Denver, Colorado, US. PARAM Yuva-II was developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). C-DAC is the second organization worldwide to have carried out the Level 3 measurement of Power versus Performance for the Green500 List

PARAM Yuva – II uses hybrid technology, processor, co-processor and hardware accelerators. PARAM uses hybrid technology to provide the peak compute power of 520.4 Teraflop/s using 210 kilowatt power.

The interconnect network comprises of homegrown PARAMNet-III and Infiniband FDR System Area Network.

This system is designed to solve large and complex computational problems. The system has 200 Terabytes of high performance storage, and requisite system software and utilities for parallel applications development.


CENTRE SANCTIONED OVER 1000 BUSES FOR 13 CITIES UNDER JNNURM

The Centre has sanctioned 1080 buses to thirteen cities of seven states under its Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme on 1 January 2014.

These states are Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim and Tripura. An official release said that these cities have also been sanctioned projects relating to ancillary infrastructure like depots and workshops for urban transport.

Under the JNNURM phase-II, the Centre had sanctioned 1021 buses to Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), out of which 737 are for four mission cities Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati. The Corporation got 1540 buses to the mission cities under phase-I in 2009.

The low floor buses facilitate easy boarding by women, old aged and differently-abled persons without having to take to two or three steps as in the conventional buses.

INDIA SCRAPED 3600 CRORE RUPEES VVIP CHOPPER DEAL WITH AGUSTAWESTLAND

India scrapped the 3600 crore rupees deal of supplying 12 VVIP helicopter with the Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland on 1 January 2014. It was scrapped following the alleged payment of kickbacks to the tune of 360 crore rupees paid in the deal. It has been done nearly a year after the scam that surfaced creating a political storm in India.

The deal was scrapped on the grounds of the breach of the pre-contract Integrity Pact and the agreement with the firm. The bribes were paid to win the contract by two executives of AugustaWestland, a unit of Italian defence contractor Finmeccanica to supply a dozen AW101 helicopters, which will be used by Indian Air Force for carrying the VVIPs and ministers.

**List of some defence scandals of India

Jeeps Scandal in 1948: It was alleged that irregularities happened in the acquisition of the jeeps from England, which was used as army jeeps. The deal was signed by VK Menon, the Indian High Commissioner in Britain at that time. He bypassed a protocol to sign a deal of 80 lakh rupees. The case was closed in 1955 as t5he judicial inquiry ignored the suggestion of the Inquiry Committee led by Ananthsayanam Ayyangar. It was first major corruption of Independent India.

Bofors Scandal in 1987: It is alleged that the Swedish arms maker, Bofors bribed to get the deal of the 155 mm Howitzers. Rajiv Gandi, the then Prime Minister of India was involved in the scandal, which was closed after 21 years of probe in 2011. It was signed between India and


Swedish metals and armaments major to replace the old field guns and artillery available with Indian army. The government of India decided the induction of the Calibre 155 mm howitzers. AB bofors of Sweden manufactured the FH-77 gun, which was owned by Alfred Nobel one. Scorpene Submarine Scandal of 2005: It alleges bribery of 500 crore rupees by Thales, a defence company of France to purchase the submarine of Scorpene for Indian Navy. No evidence was found by CBI in its preliminary enquiry. Pranab Mukherjee the then Union Defence Minister approved a deal worth 19000 crore rupees in October 2005. These submarines are being in India at present under a technology transfer agreement. The technology transfer agreement was a part of the agreement signed.

Barack Missiles Scandal in 2000: RK Jain, the treasurer of Samata Party was arrested and former Defence Minister of India George Fernandes was named for the allegations of bribery for acquisition of Barack missile by Israel. In 2006 a case was lodged by CBI and the case was closed in 2011.

Tatra Trucks Scandal of 2012: The former chief of Army General VK Singh alleged that he was offered a bribe to clear the purchase of these trucks. Questions were raised on the quality of the heavy duty trucks made by Tatra.

GOVERNMENT ISSUED FOOD SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES SCHEME

The Government of India on 31 December 2013 issued food safety and hygiene guidelines to prevent contamination of supplementary nutrition provided to pregnant women and children. The guidelines were issued under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme. The guidelines were issued by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development.

The issued guidelines have barred the anganwadi workers and helpers from wearing nail polish, and artificial nails. The anganwadi workers and helpers have been asked to trim their nails and should keep them clean while washing the hands. It has also banned them from wearing wrist watches and rings and bangles or any type of jewellery item, while cooking and serving food. These have been banned as these jewellery items may carry foreign bodied and compromise with the hygiene standard.

The Operational Guidelines for Food Safety and Hygiene of ICDS has also mentions that the workers and helpers should tie their hairs neatly and it should be covered. It also mentions that any type of glass should not be allowed in the cooking areas.

As per the issued guidelines, an adequate precaution for cleanliness has been issued for the staffs to prevent the food from getting contaminated during cleaning of rooms, utensils or any other equipment. It has also mentioned that before using any equipment, while cooking food should be washed with water.


It has also mentioned that toilets should be cleaned all the times to make safe disposal of stool and wastes. It has said that the activity rooms, should be well ventilated and also be spacious, which should be cleaned every day before the start of the functions in the morning.


International

MAURITIUS DECIDED TO PROVIDE AUTOMATIC TAX INFORMATION EXCHANGE TO INDIA

Mauritius on 27 May 2014 decided to provide automatic tax information exchange to India. The decision was announced by the Prime Minister of Mauritius Navin Ramgoolam after his meeting with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.

Navin Ramgoolam was in India to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi as 15th PM of India.

The decision was taken by Mauritius because during last few months the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows from Mauritius have started drying up on the fears of the impact of General Anti Avoidance Rules (GAAR) and possible re-negotiation of the tax avoidance treaty.

**Automatic Tax Information Exchange

Automatic exchange of information involves the systematic and periodic transmission of bulk taxpayer information by the source country to the residence country concerning various categories of income. The categories of income include dividends, interest, royalties, salaries, pensions, etc.

PM OF INDIA NARENDRA MODI HELD TALKS WITH PM OF PAKISTAN NAWAZ SHARIF

Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi held talks with Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif in New Delhi on 27 May 2014.

Nawaz Sharif visited India as part of swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of India along with other SAARC leaders.

During the meeting of the two leaders following issues were discussed

• Mutual concern over the terrorism and commitment to fight terrorism

• Mumbai terror attack in 2008 and expediting the legal process on 26/11 trial

ROYAL THAI ARMY ANNOUNCED MILITARY COUP IN THAILAND

The Royal Thai Army led by Commander-in-Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha in fourth week of May 2014 announced military coup in Thailand. Earlier on 20 May 2014, the army declared imposition of martial law in Thailand.


This is the second military coup in Thailand after the 2006 military coup in which the then Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinatwara was toppled on account of corruption charges.

DALIA GRYBAUSKAITE WON THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF LITHUANIA

Dalia Grybauskaite, the Iron Lady of Lithuania, on 25 May 2014 won the Presidential elections of Lithuania. As a result she became the first person to serve as the President of Lithuania for consecutive second term. She served the first term as President from 2009 to 2014 as the term of President of Lithuania is five years.

RUSSIA AND CHINA VETOED UN RESOLUTION AGAINST SYRIA

Russia and China on 22 May 2014 exercised their veto power against a draft resolution which was intended to refer the Syrian civil war to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The resolution was double vetoed by the Russia and China for the fourth time.

The draft resolution was proposed by the France which at the 15-nation UN body. It received 13 votes in favour and 2 against.

RUSSIA AND CHINA SIGNED 30 YEAR DEAL ON NATURAL GAS WORTH OF 400 BILLION DOLLARS

China on 21 May 2014 signed a 30-year deal to buy Russian natural gas worth 400 billion US dollars in a financial year. The deal was signed during the Russian President Vladimir Putin visit to China.

Gasport firm of Russia and China National Petroleum Corp signed the agreement. As per the agreement, Gasport will supply 38 billion cubic metres of gas annually to China National Petroleum Corp. The contract is worth a total of 400 billion US dollars.

PEMRA SUSPENDED THREE GEO TV CHANNELS FOR LEVELING ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ISI

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on 20 May 2014 suspended three television channels of Geo TV network. Geo TV network is the country's largest and most influential.

These were suspended for leveling allegations against the Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) and showing blasphemous morning show on its entertainment channel.


The three channels that have been suspended by the five-member Pakistani electronic media watchdog are Geo News, Geo Entertainment and Geo Tez.

CHINA SET UP 1.6 BILLION DOLLARS FUND TO SUPPORT MARITIME SILK ROAD DEVELOPMENT

China on 19 May 2014 set up a 1.6 billion dollars (10 billion Yuan) fund that will support projects related to maritime Silk Road development of China.

The agreement to set up the fund was signed by the city government of Fuzhou, capital of Fujian Province of China with the China Africa Development Fund (CAD Fund) and the Fujian branch of the China Development Bank.

The agreement was signed at the ongoing 16th Cross-Straits Fair for Economy and Trade in Fuzhou.

THAILAND ARMY CHIEF GENERAL PRAYUTH CHAN-OCHA DECLARED TO IMPOSE MARTIAL LAW

Commander-in-Chief of Royal Thai Army, General Prayuth Chan-ocha declared to impose martial law in Thailand on 20 May 2014.

The decision to impose martial law was taken after caretaker government headed by Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan refused to step down.

The Army chief signed the military statement imposing the martial law in accordance with the 1914 law that allowed military to intervene during crisis time.

QATAR DECIDED TO ABOLISH SPONSORSHIP SYSTEM FOR FOREIGN WORKERS

Qatar on 14 May 2014 announced about its decision to abolish it controversial sponsorship system for foreign workers. The sponsorship system (Kafala system) will be replaced with a system based on employment contracts as part of a package of labour reforms.

MOLDOVA & GEORGIA TO SIGN EU ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT ON 27 JUNE 2014

Moldova and Georgia on 13 May 2014 agreed to sign European Union (EU) Association Agreement on 27 June 2014. The President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy revealed this in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.


The signing of the Association Agreement will help strengthen the trade and political ties between the EU and the two countries.

Besides, it will also help expedite the process of full membership for Moldova and Georgia to the 28-EU bloc which is the original foreign policy objective of both the countries.

GOOGLE MUST AMEND SEARCH RESULTS ON REQUEST: EUROPEAN COURT

The European Court on 13 May 2014 ruled that Google must amend some of its search results at the request of ordinary people when they show links to outdated, irrelevant information.

The court decision will allow individuals the right to ask internet search engines to remove links to information about them that they do not want to be known. This is because such availability of irrelevant and outdated information would be an attack on free speech and right to privacy.

The Court said that Google and other search engines do have control of private information of individual, given that they sometimes compile and present links to it in a systematic way.

IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM OF UK LAUNCHED ONLINE DATABASE OF WORLD WAR-I

Imperial War Museum of the United Kingdom (UK) on 11 May 2014 launched an ambitious online database of the World War-I (WW-I). The website was launched to mark the 100th anniversary of WW-I. The online database will help remember the lives of the millions of men and women who served in WW-I.

The online database titled Lives of the First World War so far features records for 4.5 million people who served with Britain's army overseas. The records have been pulled together from existing archives and family collections.

The museum aims to add millions more records over the next months to include people who served with forces from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India, as well as conscientious objectors and home front workers.

SOUTH SUDAN GOVERNMENT AND REBEL ARMY SIGNED A PEACE DEAL

The South Sudan President Salva Kiir and rebel army leader Riek Machar on 9 May 2014 signed a peace deal in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.


The deal calls for immediate peace and end of the ongoing conflict in Jonglei state between the two parties. The deal also calls for the formation of a transitional government ahead of the drafting of a new constitution and new elections.

The general principles agreed by the parties were that will be in line with the constitution of South Sudan includes

• Creation of joint military technical committee,

• Establishment of Greater Pibor administrative areas

• Funds for Greater Pibor areas

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn hosted the talks and he also signed the deal. Bishop Paride Taban is the chief mediator of the peace process between the government and rebels.

FIVE NUCLEAR POWERS SIGNED A PROTOCOL ON CENTRAL ASIAN NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE-ZONE TREATY

The Five Nuclear Powers and UN Security Council members (United States, Russia, China, Britain and France) on 6 May 2014 signed a new protocol on existing Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (CANWFZ) Treaty in New York. The agenda of singing the protocol was creation of a nuclear free zone in five central Asian countries namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

**Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (CANWFZ) Treaty

The CANWFZ treaty is a legally binding commitment of Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) that demands not to manufacture, acquire, test, or possess nuclear weapons.

The treaty was signed on 8 September 2006 at Semipalatinsk (a major Soviet nuclear site), Kazakhstan. Hence it is also known as Treaty of Semipalatinsk, Treaty of Semei or Treaty of Semey.

PAKISTAN TEST-FIRED HATAF-III GHAZNAVI MISSILE

Pakistan on 8 May 2014 successfully test-fired Hataf-III Ghaznavi missile during war exercises of Army’s Strategic Force Command. Hataf-III Ghaznavi missile is a short range surface-to-surface Ballistic Missile and is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional weapons up to 290 kilometers.


The field training exercise was performed with an aim to test the operational readiness of a Strategic Missile Group besides up gradation of various capabilities of Weapon Systems.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of Pakistan is General Raheel Sharif.

US TO INDUCT CHINESE RAILROAD WORKERS INTO HALL OF HONOUR

US on 7 May 2014 announced that it will induct about 12000 Chinese workers into Hall of Honour. The honour came in the wake of building trans-pacific railroad between 1865 and 1869. This will be the first time for the Asian-Americans to receive such a tribute since the Hall was established in 1988.

US President Barack Obama designated May 2014 as Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. May was choosen as the month because the Trans-continental Railroad was completed on 10 May 1869.

The national theme of AAPI Heritage Month 2014 is I Am Beyond.

WORLD’S HIGHEST TUNNEL FOR HIGH-SPEED TRAIN OPENED IN CHINA

The world’s highest tunnel for high-speed train in northwest China at an altitude of 3607.4 metres became operational on 1 May 2014. The 16.3 km long tunnel links Gansu province and Xinjiang provinces. The tunnel passes through the Qilian Mountains with two sections and bridge.

INDIA-MADE EVMS TO BE USED IN NAMIBIA’S PRESIDENTIAL POLLS

Namibian government on 30 April 2014 purchased 3400 India-made Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for use in the countries Presidential Election, scheduled in November 2014. With this Namibia became the first African country that will use such machines in any of its Polls.

The 3400 EVMs were purchased by Namibia at a cost of Namibian 10 million dollar (Dh3.4 million/approx $948,000) from a public sector unit, Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL) based in Bangaluru.


PETITION FILED IN COURT OF PAKISTAN TO PROVE BHAGAT SINGH'S INNOCENCE

Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi, the chairman of the Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation in April 2014 registered a FIR in Pakistan to prove innocence of the legendary freedom fighter, Bhagat Singh in the murder case of the Lahore SSP, John P Saunders in 1928.

Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi has filed the petition seeking attested copy of the FIR registered against Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru for allegedly killing the then SSP.

MAHATMA GANDHI PRAVASI SURAKSHA YOJANA SCHEME LAUNCHED IN UAE

Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana (MGPSY) was launched in the UAE in the fourth week of April 2014. A leading Indian financial and health care service player has tied up with the UAE Exchange to offer Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana Scheme in the Gulf country.

**About Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana (MGPSY)

Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana (MGPSY) Scheme is a pension and life insurance scheme and is recognised by the Indian government. It is a special social security scheme for overseas Indian workers on temporary work permit in 17 Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries.

GEORGE CLOONEY STEPPED DOWN FROM UN ROLE

George Clooney on 29 April 2014 stepped down from his role as UN’s Messenger of Peace amid the reports of his engagement with the human rights lawyer, Amal Alamuddin (36-year-old). He has served UN as Messenger of Peace since January 2008.

George Clooney’s role as the messenger of peace ended after six years and he was a vocal activist for the UN work in Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

George Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter and was born on 6 May 1961.

THE US AND JAPAN ISSUED A JOINT STATEMENT EMPHASIZING ROBUST TRILATERAL RELATION WITH INDIA

US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued a Joint Statement in Tokyo, Japan on 25 April 2014. The US President Barack Obama is currently on a four-nation trip to Asia, his fifth as the US President.


INDIA LAUNCHED EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMME FOR UNEMPLOYED SOUTH AFRICAN YOUTH

India on 25 April 2014 launched an educational outreach programme in Pretoria, South Africa under which unemployed South African youths can benefit themselves from internships in India. The new academic programme was launched by the Indian High Commissioner Virendra Gupta.

It has established a new academic bridge between the two countries. It has been launched under a partnership between Siva Sivani Institute of Management of Hyderabad and Ubuntu Institute of South Africa.

ASIA-PACIFIC NAVIES OF 22 COUNTRIES INCLUDING INDIA SIGNED MARITIME COMMUNICATION AGREEMENT

Asia-Pacific navies of 22 countries including India signed Maritime Communication Agreement on 22 April 2014. The agreement was reached by the Naval Chiefs of these countries at the biennial conference of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS). The symposium is being held from 21 - 25 April 2014 in Quingdao, the Eastern port city of China.

The agreement was aimed at ensuring that miscommunication between naval vessels does not develop into conflict in the Pacific Ocean.

**About Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS)

The origins of the WPNS lie in the 1987 International Seapower Symposium. The WPNS aims to increase cooperation and the ability to operate together, as well as to build trust and confidence between Navies by providing a framework to enable the discussion of maritime issues of mutual interest, the exchange of information, the practice and demonstration of capabilities, and the exchange of personnel.

21 member states of WPNS are: Australia; Brunei;Cambodia; Canada; Chile; China; France; Indonesia; Japan; Malaysia; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; The Philippines; Republic of Korea; Russia; Singapore; Thailand; Tonga; The US; and Vietnam.

INDIA AND BHUTAN SIGNED AGREEMENT ON DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROPOWER PROJECTS

India and Bhutan signed an agreement for the development of hydropower projects in Thimphu, Bhutan on 22 April 2014. The inter-governmental agreement provides framework for implementing four hydro-electric projects (HEP) totaling 2120 MW on a joint venture model between public sector undertakings (PSU) of India and Bhutan.


RUSSIA, UKRAINE AND WEST SIGNED DEAL TO EASE UKRAINIAN CRISIS

Russia, Ukraine and West (US and European Union) signed a surprise deal to ease Ukrainian Crisis. The deal was signed in Geneva on 17 April 2014.

The deal among the four parties agreed to restore security for all citizens. Besides to disarm illegal armed groups who seized buildings in Ukraine and return the buildings to their rightful owners.

ABDELAZIZ BOUTEFLIKA WON FOURTH TIME AS THE PRESIDENT OF ALGERIA

Abdelaziz Bouteflika won the Presidency for the fourth time consecutively in Algeria on 18 April 2014. He belongs to National Liberation Front party.

He won the presidential election with a huge 81 percent of the vote. In 2008, he won the elections with 90 percent of the vote.

PGCIL & PGCB TO CONDUCT JOINT FEASIBILITY STUDY TO EXPORT 100 MW POWER TO BANGLADESH

Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (PCIL) and Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) on 16 April 2014 decided to conduct a joint feasibility study for exporting 100 MW power to Bangladesh from gas-fired Palatana power plant in Tripura.

UK LEGALISED SALE OF SELF-TESTING KITS FOR HIV

A new law legalizing sale of self-testing kits for HIV came into force in United Kingdom (UK) on 6 April 2014. The new law allows individuals to buy the self-testing kits available on shops and self-diagnose for HIV at home itself. The new law was approved by the UK Government in September 2013.

Testing could involve taking a small drop of blood from a finger, or a swab from the inside of the mouth which can be easily read by people with no medical knowledge or training.

CHINA DUG THE 7 KM DEEP BOREHOLE OVER TIBETAN PLATEAU

Chinese exploration teams on 7 April 2014 drilled a seven-kilometre-deep borehole in the resource-rich Himalayan region of Tibet. The drilling aimed to tap the oil and natural gas resources of the region.


China’s energy giants Sinopec and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) carried out exploration projects on the Tibetan plateau.

SOUTH KOREA DEVELOPED BALLISTIC MISSILE TO COUNTER NORTH KOREA

South Korea on 4 April 2014 developed a ballistic missile capable of striking most of North Korea. The missile was launched from a test site in Taean, a coastal town southwest of Seoul.

The test came a day after North Korea raised tensions by test-firing 30 short-range rockets off its east coast on 22 March 2014.

The new missile with a range of 310 miles (500 Km) is able to carry a warhead of up to one-tonnes.

BANGLADESH TO PROVIDE TRANSIT FACILITY FOR INDIAN POWER TRANSMISSION LINE

Bangladesh agreed to provide transit facility for a 6000 megawatt Indian power transmission line. This decision was taken in a joint steering committee meeting on India-Bangladesh power sector cooperation held on 3 April 2014.

In October 2013, the two countries simultaneously launched a joint transmission line to export 250 Megawatt power to Bangladesh under separate arrangements.

NASA SUSPENDED TIES WITH RUSSIA EXCEPT ON INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

US Space agency, NASA on 2 April 2014 announced that it had suspended majority of its ongoing engagement and ties with Russia, except the cooperation aboard the International Space Station. The suspension of the ties has happened due to the crisis in Ukraine that has been caused due to the violation of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

WORLD BANK TO DOUBLE LENDING TO INDIA, CHINA, BRAZIL, MEXICO AND INDONESIA

Jim Yong Kim, the President of World Bank on 1 March 2014 announced that the bank would nearly double its lending capacity to boost support for middle countries like India, Brazil, China, Mexico and Indonesia. The announcement was made at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington because the bank thinks that these countries would provide an insight to poorer countries in solving their problems like poverty.

http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/south-korea-developed-ballistic-missile-to-counter-north-korea-1396704042-1

http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/south-korea-developed-ballistic-missile-to-counter-north-korea-1396704042-1


**About World Bank Group and its work

The World Bank is a financial and technical assistance institution for developing counties around the world. The World Bank was established in 1944 and at present have more than 120 offices worldwide. World Bank is headquartered in Washington DC. Jim Yong Kim became the 12th president of the World Bank Group on 1 July 2012.

It has set two goals to achieve by 2030 and they are:

End extreme poverty by decreasing the percentage of people living on less than $1.25 a day to no more than 3 percent

Promote shared prosperity by fostering the income growth of the bottom 40% for every country. It has five institutions that are managed by their member countries and as a whole it forms the World Bank Group.

The five institutions are

IBRD: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) that lends to governments of middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries.

IDA: The International Development Association (IDA) that provides interest-free loans—called credits— and grants to governments of the poorest countries.

IFC: The International Finance Corporation (IFC), is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector.

MIGA: The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) was created in 1988 as a member of the World Bank Group to promote foreign direct investment into developing countries to support economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve people’s lives. MIGA fulfills this mandate by offering political risk insurance (guarantees) to investors and lenders.

ICSID: The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) provides international facilities for conciliation and arbitration of investment disputes.

INDIA INCREASED THE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR OMANI STUDENTS

India increased the scholarships for Omani student from 125 to 150 on 1 April 2014. The scholarships were increased under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme. Since the first issuance of 50 scholarships to Omani students in 2011-12 to 150, the increase has been of 200 percent.


JAPAN ANNOUNCED 15000 CRORE LOAN FOR 5 INDIAN PROJECTS

Japan announced Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan for more than 15000 crore rupees for 5 Indian Projects on 31 March 2014. This is the largest amount in the history of the ODA loans ever signed in the single occasion.

The loan agreement was signed by Rajesh Khullar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs in the Union Finance Ministry and Takeshi Yagi, ambassador of Japan to India.

Indian Projects covered under loan are:

New and Renewable energy development Project

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Energy Saving Project

Haryana Distribution System Upgradation Project

Delhi Mass Rapid Transport System Project

IMF AGREED TO PROVIDE 18 BILLION DOLLAR LOAN TO UKRAINE

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed on 27 March 2014 to provide loan to Ukraine worth 18 billion dollars for next two years.

Under the IMF deal Ukraine will have to cut the budget deficit, raise taxes, shift to a flexible exchange rate and increase retail energy tariffs toward their full cost.

The Ukrainian Parliament needs to pass a set of reforms to accept the package of IMF. Then IMF board will revive the deal in April 2014. It may also provide an opportunity to receive the loans from United States and the European Union which brings in total 27 billion dollars for two years.

Due to financial crisis in Ukraine, the IMF package will have significant impact on the Ukrainian economy. For instance, inflation will increase up to 14 percent on account of rise in the household gas prices by 50 percent to meet the full cost recovery condition from May 2014 announced by the Ukraine government. Besides, Income tax rates would rise from 15 to17 percent. The government estimated that it needs about 35 billion over two years to recover from this economic crisis.


UN PASSED NON-BINDING RESOLUTION DE-RECOGNISING RUSSIAN ANNEXATION OF CRIMEA

The UN General Assembly on 27 March 2014 passed the non-binding resolution that refuses recognition of annexation of Crimean peninsula by Russia from Ukraine. This resolution was supported by 110 countries, opposed by 11 and abstained by 58 (including India) in the 193-nation assembly.

DENY ACCESS TO WEBSITES INFRINGING COPYRIGHT: EU COURT TO ISPS

European Union Court on 27 March 2014 ruled that Internet Service Providers (ISP) can legally deny access to websites that infringe copyright to their customers. The ruling is aimed at limiting online piracy.

In its directive the Court also said that ISPs must ensure that this blocking activity of the websites may not deprive users from the possibility of lawfully access to the information available.

UNHRC PASSED A CHANGED DRAFT RESOLUTION ON SRI LANKA

United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) passed a changed draft resolution on Sri Lanka during the 25th session held in Geneva on 27 March 2014. The resolution seeks to authorize UNHRC to set up an independent international inquiry in Sri Lanka to probe into human rights violations during Sri Lankan civil war against LTTE in 2009.

THIRD NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT 2014 HELD IN THE HAGUE

The Third Nuclear Security Summit was held in The Hague, Switzerland from 24 to 25 March 2014. The summit was attended by 58 World leaders. At the summit, the leaders reached an agreement to prevent terrorists getting their hands on nuclear material that could be used to make a nuclear weapon. This will further reduce the threat of a nuclear attack.

Japan signed an agreement to hand over nuclear material to the US

Japan and the United States on 24 March 2014 signed an agreement for removal of 315 kilograms of weapon-grade Plutonium and Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) to United States. As per the deal, the fissile material would be transported from Fast Critical Assembly (FCA) at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to a secure facility in the United States.

This deal was reached between the two nations during the 2014 International Nuclear security summit in The Hague, Netherlands.


FIVE INDIAN LANGUAGES REINSTATED AS OFFICIAL SUBJECTS IN SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS

Five Indian languages were reinstated as official subjects that will be taught in South African state schools. The five Indian languages which have been reinstated are Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, Telugu and Urdu. These languages were offered as official subjects in schools of South Africa until 1994.

These languages first will be offered as an optional third language for learners only in KwaZulu-Natal province where about 70 percent of the Indian-origin population inhabit.

Further these five Indian languages along with Arabic language will be offered as official subjects up to matric level (final year of schooling) in South Africa.

UNSC extended mandate of UNAMA till March 2015

The UN Security Council on 17 March 2014 extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another year until 17 March 2015. The mandate is focused on local ownership and leadership regarding security, governance and development in Afghanistan.

Russia suspended from G-8 Countries Club over its incursion into Crimea

G-8 nations (Group of the eight Countries) on 18 March 2014 suspended Russia from elite club of world powers. It has been suspended amid heightened tensions over its incursion in Crimea of Ukraine. This announcement of suspension of Russia was made by Laurent Fabius, the Foreign Minister of France.

**G-8 Countries are: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, USA and Russia (now suspended).

FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION SUED 16 WORLD LARGEST BANKS

The US regulator, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on 14 March 2014 filed a law-suit on 16 of the world’s largest banks. The regulator accused the banks for allegedly manipulating the Libor interest rate.

The Banks that has been sued includes Barclays Plc, HSBC, Citigroup and Royal Bank of Scotland, UBS and British Bankers Association (BBA) and others.


EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PASSED A LAW TO INTRODUCE A UNIVERSAL MOBILE DEVICE CHARGER

European Parliament on 17 March 2014 passed a law to develop a common charger for all mobile phones sold in the continent of Europe. European Parliament had amended its radio equipment laws to develop a common charger for all mobile phones.

The law was approved by 550 votes to 12, with 8 abstentions.

The introduction of a common charger will serve the interests of both consumers and the environment. It will help to put an end to charger clutter and would reduce 51000 tonnes of electronic waste annually.

It was expected that the universal charging configuration would come into force by 2017. As per the Expert estimation there are some 30 different types of charger currently in the market. Phone makers such as Apple, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and ALCATEL have all signed an agreement to make their phones compatible with a single, USB style charger.

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT SIGNED DECREE, RECOGNISED CRIMEA AS SOVEREIGN STATE

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia on 17 March 2014 signed a decree that recognises Crimea as a sovereign state. This signing of the decree has paved a way for absorption of Crimea into Russia.

The signed decree said that Russia has taken into account the referendum of 16 March 2014 of Crimea in which about 97 percent of the voters backed breaking away from Ukraine. Crimean residents voted in support of seceding, seeking to join Russia.

INDIA AND UNITED STATES ENERGY DIALOGUE HELD IN NEW DELHI

India and United States Energy dialogue was held in New Delhi from 5 March 2014 to 11 March 2014. The Dialogue was co-chaired by Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, and Dr. Ernest Moniz, Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy.

At the India-US Energy Dialogue India and United States agreed to promote scientific cooperation, research & development for greater technological innovation and for deployment of environmentally friendly technologies and products.


During the Dialogue, U S-India Joint Clean Energy Research and development Centre had also brought up issues relating to progress on solar energy, advanced bio-fuels and energy efficiency of buildings under PACE-R.

MICHELLE BACHELET SWORN-IN AS PRESIDENT OF CHILE FOR SECOND TERM

Michelle Bachelet was sworn-in as the President of Chile in Valparaiso. The 62-year old Michelle, the socialist leader took the oath of the office on 11 March 2014. She succeeded the conservative President Sebastian Pinera.

INDIA PLEDGED TO PROVIDE 4500 CRORE RUPEES ASSISTANCE PACKAGE TO BHUTAN

Government of India (GOI) announced to provide 4500 crore rupees Assistance Package to Bhutan for its 11th Five Year Plan. The 11th Five Year Plan will cover the period 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2018. The package will help the landlocked country to implement major projects over the 11th Five Year Plan that will improve the livelihood of its people.

INDIA EMERGED AS THE LARGEST NON OIL TRADING PARTNER FOR DUBAI IN 2013-14

Report released by Dubai Department of Economic Development on 10 March 2014 marked India as the largest non oil trading partner of Dubai in 2013-14. The bilateral trade between the two countries in 2013-14 crossed 37 billion US dollar, which is 10 percent of the overall trade.

The report also says that the exports and re-exports from India have also marked a significant rise in the period.

SAUDI ARABIA DECLARED MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD A TERRORIST ORGANISATION

Saudi Arabia on 7 March 2014 declared Muslim Brotherhood, al-Nusra Front, Hezbollah and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) jihadist group as Terrorist Groups.

The move is expected to curb the activities of terror outfits and prevent the people from taking part in the conflict directly. The ban was described as a sign of the kingdom’s resolve to fight terrorism and to avoid direct consequence in Saudi Arabia.


CHINA ANNOUNCED BIGGEST HIKE OF 12.2 PERCENT IN DEFENCE BUDGET

China announced a biggest hike of 12.2 percent in defence budget on 5 March 2014. The hike of 12.2 percent will make the Chinese government spend 808.2 billion Yuan or 130 billion US dollar in 2014-15 on defence. This is the biggest increase in three years.

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR-LEVEL MEET ON MARITIME SECURITY COOPERATION HELD IN NEW DELHI

India, Sri Lanka and Maldives on 6 March 2014 held national security advisor-level meet on maritime security cooperation in New Delhi. During the meet, the three sides reviewed and expressed satisfaction over the progress in the implementation of various activities in the identified areas.

Other major new areas discussed for cooperation in the meet included

Hydrography

Training in search and seizure operations

Exchanges between think tanks

Joint participation in adventure activities

Training on board Indian Sail Training Ships

INDIA DECIDED TO BLOCK THE US INVESTIGATIONS OVER TRADE POLICIES AND PATENTS LAWS OF INDIA

India decided to block the investigations by the United States into its trade policies and patent laws, and prepare for a battle at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 24 February 2014.

India is furious about a threat of trade sanctions made by the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) office over its protection of intellectual property rights (IPR), preference for domestic producers and non-trade barriers. India has since hardened its stance, instructing officials not to allow any request from the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) to examine India’s trade practices.

INDIA AND SAUDI ARABIA SIGNED MOU ON DEFENCE COOPERATION

India and Saudi Arabia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation pact to take their strategic partnership further in areas of security on 26 February 2014.


The pact was signed between India and Saudi during the visit of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to India (from 26 to 28 February 2014) to discuss bilateral, regional and other issues of mutual interest.

The defence cooperation pact will allow exchange of defence-related information, military training and education as well as cooperation in areas varying from hydrography and security to logistics.

INDIA SIGNED PUBLIC AND HOMELAND SECURITY AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL

India and Israel signed an agreement on Cooperation in Public and Homeland security on 27 February 2014.

Besides this, two other agreements were signed. These are:

Agreement on cooperation in legal assistance in criminal matters.

Agreement on protection of classified material.

These agreements were signed by Additional Secretary (Home Ministry) Rajiv Sharma and Israeli Ambassador Alon Ushpiz.

FNCII AND CII AGREED TO ORGANISE NEPAL-INDIA ECONOMIC SUMMIT ANNUALLY

The Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on 24 February 2014 agreed to organise Nepal-India Economic Summit every year. This summit will be held alternatively in the two countries.

This decision on Nepal-India Economic Summit was made during a meet of the President of FNCCI, Suraj Vaidya and incoming President of CII, Ajaya S Shriram at the FNCCI secretariat in Kathmandu. Shriram is on the official visit to Nepal to take part in the Nepal Economic Summit 2014 has been held from 24 February to 26 February 2014 with the slogan Destination Nepal for Investment.

BRITISH ARMY UNMANNED AIRCRAFT THE WATCHKEEPER TO START FLYING OVER WILTSHIRE

The British Army latest unmanned aircraft The Watchkeeper will start flying over Wiltshire on 25 February 2014. The Watchkeeper, unmanned aerial system (UAS), was developed by Thales for the British army.


The reconnaissance and surveillance drone with a 10.7m wingspan is equipped with a day and night camera. It will provide 24-hour high-definition coverage and a radar sensor to improve visibility in bad weather.

**About UAV

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot aboard. Its flight is controlled either autonomously by onboard computers or by the remote control of a pilot on the ground or in another vehicle.

INDIA AND CANADA SIGNED THREE MOUS

India and Canada on 24 February 2014 signed three MoUs for cooperation in health sector, audio-visual co-production and skill development. At present David Johnston, the Governor General of Canada is on a nine day visit (22 February 2014 to 2 March 2014) to India and this visit is the first by a Canadian Governor General since 1998.

These MoUs were signed after talks between Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India and David Johnston in New Delhi.

G-20 FINANCE MINISTERS AND CENTRAL BANK GOVERNORS MEET

The official theme of the meeting is restoring global growth.

The G20 nations set the target to increase global growth by at least two percentage points over the next five years that is by 2019. To achieve the target a clear action plan is yet to endorse. The ambitious target would translate about 2 trillion dollar in economic activity.

The summit also produced a breakthrough on international tax avoidance, with all nations agreeing to adopt a common reporting standard for the automatic exchange of tax information and to detail plans for implementing it by September 2014.

RADIOACTIVE WATER LEAKED AT FUKUSHIMA PLANT

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) on 20 February 2014 said that around 100 tonnes of highly radioactive water have leaked from a storage tank at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant. The leakage of the highly contaminated water was discovered on 19 February 2014 and it happened after a valve was left open.


This is the latest leak reported at the Fukushima Plant that has seen huge volumes of radioactive water since 2011 quake-tsunami disaster. This leak of the contaminated water will affect waters across the pacific in the foreseeable future.

INDIA CALLED FOR COMPREHENSIVE INSTITUTIONAL & STRUCTURAL REFORMS IN SAARC: SALMAN KHURSHID

India on 20 February 2014 called on for comprehensive institutional and structural reforms in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Salman Khurshid, the Union Foreign Minister at the 35th meet of the Foreign Ministers at Bandos Island Resort in Maldives emphasized that there is a need for clearly defining the relations between SAARC and the observer nations.

There are nine observer countries to the SAARC and includes

Australia

China

The European Union

Iran

Japan

South Korea

Mauritius

Myanmar

US

**About South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)

SAARC is n economic and geopolitical cooperation and have eight member nations, which primarily are located primarily in South Asian Continent. It is headquartered in Kathmandu in Nepal. The idea of regional political and economical cooperation in South Asia was first coined in 1980 and the first summit was held in Dhaka on 8 December in 1985 that led to its official establishment. Member nations of SAARC

Bangladesh

Bhutan

India

Maldives

Nepal

Pakistan

Sri Lanka


Afghanistan

INDIA AND BAHRAIN SIGNED AGREEMENTS TO EXPAND COOPERATION IN KEY AREAS

India and Bahrain on 19 February 2014 signed three agreements in New Delhi during the state visit of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Kingdom of Bahrain to India. The two sides signed the agreements with a decision to expand their cooperation in key areas that includes trade and business.

The agreements were signed in the presence of Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

INDIA AND KYRGYZ REPUBLIC SIGNED TWO AGREEMENTS

India on 14 February 2014 signed two agreements with Kyrgyz Republic during the visit of Abdyldaev Erlan Bekeshovich, Foreign Minister of Kyrgyz to India. The two sides exchanged documents to facilitate mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and to simplify visa regime for diplomatic and official passport holders.

List of agreements signed during the visit of foreign Minister of Kyrgyz are

S.No. Name of the MOU/Agreement/Treaty

Kyrgyz Signatory

Indian Signatory

1 Signing of Protocol on Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in Criminal Matters – Exchange of Instrument of Ratification

Erlan Abdyldaev Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyz Republic

Salman Khurshid External Affairs Minister

2 Exchange of Notification on the completion of internal procedures from both the sides for implementation of Visa Free Agreement for diplomatic and official passport holders

Jeenbek Kulubaev Director, Department of Asia Africa Division, MFA

Mukta D Tomar Joint Secretary(CPV), MEA


HILLARY R CLINTON LAUNCHED A NEW GLOBAL REVIEW OF DATA ON WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

Hillary R Clinton launched a new global review of data on women empowerment on 14 February 2014. The global review of data will analyse the advancement of women and girls around the world since the mid 1990s.

Clinton announced the new partnership at New York University between the Clinton Foundation and the Gates Foundation.

The Project will collect and review data on the progress of women since the 1995 United Nations Beijing conference. Data is needed to promote female participation in education, politics and the economy around the world.

The project is part of No Ceilings initiative of Hillary Clinton that aims at empowering women in the 21st century.

BELGIUM BECAME SECOND COUNTRY TO ALLOW MERCY KILLING FOR CHILDREN

Parliament of Belgium on 14 February 2014 legalised death to terminally ill children of any age. The Parliament took the decision despite of opposition from the Church and some pediatricians. This action of legalizing death for the children came 12 years after the country legalised euthanasia for adults.

This ground-breaking legislation was adopted by 86 votes in favour. 44 votes were against the legislation with 12 abstentions. This legislation had given a chance of euthanasia to children in a hopeless medical situation of constant and unbearable suffering that cannot be eased and which will cause death on a short-term.

**Other European countries that allows active euthanasia are

Luxembourg, which permits active euthanasia for over 18 years in age

Switzerland lets doctors to help adult patients to commit suicide

CANADA ANNOUNCED TO OPEN CONSULATE GENERAL IN BANGALORE

Canada announced to open a Consulate General Office in Bangalore on 11 February 2014. The office of the Consulate General of Canada will be located at the World Trade Centre in the Bangalore.


The office of Consulate General will work on the supervision of Visa and Immigration services.

The services will be offered for the entire South India. That is, the new office is supposed to cater to the needs of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Vice President of India launched India-China Year of Friendly Exchanges

The Vice President of India M. Hamid Ansari launched the India-China Year of Friendly Exchanges on 11 February 2014. The Year 2014 has been designated by the Governments of India and China as the Year of Friendly Exchanges.

The Year of Friendly Exchanges will help in forging a closer and stronger relationship between India and China.

DOMESTIC CONTENT REQUIREMENT OF INDIA’S SOLAR MISSION CHALLENGED BY US

Domestic content requirement of India's solar mission on 10 February 2014 was challenged by the United States, which it alleged as discriminatory and against international norms including the laws of WTO. It has badly affected the American domestic solar panel manufacturing industry.

US NAVY ANM66 BOMB, THE LARGEST EVER WWII BOMB WAS SUCCESSFULLY DISMANTLED

Hong Kong police on 7 February 2014 successfully dismantled the largest ever found World War II bomb. The bomb was found in the city at the construction site, which was discovered on 6 February 2014. It was unearthed near a Sikh Temple, residential housing and hotels. The police evacuated 2260 people from the construction site.

The US Navy ANM66 bomb of nearly one tonne in weight was discovered by the building workers in the Happy Valley District, near the city’s famous downtown racing track. The bomb disposal experts took a time of 15 hours to remove the live explosives from the bomb.

The bomb weighed 900 kilograms and more than five meters long. Its diameter was two feet and it is believed that the bomb was dropped by US forces in 1945. As per the Police, the time was taken because the explosives inside the bomb were sensitive and they needed to cut the shell in a low temperature environment.

Hong Kong was a former colony of British and it saw a fierce fight in December 1941 against the invasion of Japanese, who occupied it until 1945.


Earlier, similar type of British shell was detonated in November 2013 in a controlled explosion at the Peak. Similar unexploded wartime ordnances are routinely found in the southern Chinese city.

INDIA AND GERMANY SIGNED 2 PACTS FOR FINANCIAL AND TECH CO-OPERATION

India and Germany on 5 February 2014 signed two umbrella agreements for financial and technical co-operation under Indo German bilateral Development Cooperation framework. P Chidambaram, the Union Finance Minister and Gerd Mueller, the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development signed the pacts during their bilateral meeting.

These agreements were signed during an official visit of Joachim Gauck the President of Federal Republic of Germany is on a six day (4-9 February 2014) State Visit to India. President Joachim Gauck is being accompanied by a high-level delegation including Ministers, Member of Parliament and business leaders.

NEPAL AND INDIA AMENDED BILATERAL TRANSIT TREATY

India and Nepal amended a bilateral transit treaty on 2 February 2014. The amendment to the export procedure in the Memorandum to the Protocol to the Treaty of Transit of 1999 will facilitate the transit of goods of third country origin exported from Nepal. This amendment in the provisions of the Treaty of Transit brought into effect a significant decision which was reached between the two sides during the Nepal-India Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) meeting on Trade, Transit and Cooperation to Control Unauthorised Trade held in Kathmandu, Nepal on 21 – 22 December 2013

India pledged 44.12 million rupees grant assistance to Nepal Academy Library

India on 30 January 2014 pledged Nepal to grant assistance of 44.12 million rupees for the construction of Nepal Academy’s library building in Kathmandu.

Nepal Academy, established in 1957, is a premier national institution devoted to the promotion of language, literature, culture, philosophy and research activities.

INDIAN RUPEE TO BE A LEGAL TENDER IN ZIMBABWE

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) announced Indian rupee as a legal tender on 29 January 2014.


RBZ was adding Indian Rupee and three other Asian currencies to the basket of currencies to be circulated in the country. These include China, Japan and Australia.

The public can now open accounts in Chinese Yuans, Australian Dollars, Indian Rupees and Japanese Yens.

Till now, Zimbabwe accepted the US dollar and the South African rand as the main legal tender, which helped the country to stabilize the economy after world-record inflation threw it into a tailspin.

INDIA AND JAPAN INKED MOUS TO STRENGTHEN COOPERATION IN TOURISM AND POWER GENERATION

India and Japan inked several pacts during the official visit of the Prime Minister of Japan to India from 25 to 27 January 2014. Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan was the Chief Guest of India on the occasion of the Republic Day parade on 26 January 2014.

RUSSIA AND CHINA TO CONDUCT WAR GAMES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Russia and China will conduct their first ever naval war games in the Mediterranean Sea from 1 February 2014.

The joint naval drill, involves Russia’s heavy nuclear missile cruiser Peter the Great and Chinese frigate Yancheng.

The main purpose of the drill is to enhance the interoperability of Russian and Chinese combat ships for joint operation in the Eastern Mediterranean.

USA ALLOWED SIKH MILITARY MEN TO WEAR TURBAN

USA allowed the Sikh military men to wear turbans, head scarfs and other religious clothing with their uniform. USA updated its policy on 23 January 2014.

This move is likely to improve military job prospects for members of the Sikhs community in USA.


CUMBRIA UNIVERSITY OF UK BECAME THE FIRST PUBLIC UNIVERSITY TO ACCEPT FEES IN BITCOIN

Cumbria University of UK became the first public university to accept fees in digital currency, Bitcoin. A system for processing the payments is already operational.

The payment of fees through Bitcoin will be only applicable to two new courses on the roles of complimentary currencies in economic systems, which will be taught from summer this year at the Institute for Leadership and Sustainability (IFLAS).

**What is Bitcoin

Bitcoin is an online currency and payment system which enables the international transmission of funds. Though thousands of merchants worldwide accept this “cryptocurrency” – so called because it uses cryptography to guarantee its security – it has often been associated with illicit activity, most notably with the online illegal drug market called Silk Road.

GDP OF CHINA DECELERATED TO 7.7 PERCENT IN 2013-14

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of China decelerated to 7.7 percent in 2013-14. It is the slowest GDP growth rate clocked by China in last 14 years. This was revealed by the data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China on 20 January 2014.

The deceleration in the GDP growth was on account of poor performance of the Chinese economy in the final quarter of 2013. In the final quarter of 2013 the Chinese economy grew by 7.7 percent compared to the 7.8 percent in the third quarter of 2013.

INDIA AND UAE AGREED TO PROMOTE COOPERATION IN RENEWABLE ENERGY

India and UAE on 18 January 2014 agreed to promote cooperation in renewable energy, especially in areas of solar energy and wind power. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed to this effect in Abu Dhabi by Farooq Abdulla, the Minister of New and Renewable Energy of India and Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the Minister of State of UAE.

OBAMA ESTABLISHED AF-PAK STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP OFFICE

Ahead of the drawdown of US troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, US President Barack

Obama announced to establish an Af-Pak Strategic Partnership Office (APSPO) on 18 January


2014. The objective is to oversee smooth transition and promote normalised diplomatic

presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

APSPO has been tasked to perform the specific project of supporting executive departments

and agencies in facilitating a partnership with the two South Asian countries of Afghanistan and

Pakistan.

APSPO will be a temporary office and would be based in Washington, Islamabad and Kabul. It

would promote security and stabilisation and transitioning to a normalised diplomatic presence

in both the countries.

PESHAWAR, LARGEST RESERVOIR OF POLIO IN WORLD: WHO

Peshawar in Pakistan had the largest number of polio cases in the world in 2013. This was

revealed by World Health Organisation (WHO) in a global analysis for polio cases on 17 January

2014.

The analysis by World Health Organisation (WHO) further said that Pakistan is the only polio-

endemic country which reported more polio cases in 2013 than in 2012. Pakistan reported 83

cases in 2013 compared to 58 cases in 2012. In 2013, 369 cases were reported worldwide.

HERY RAJAONARIMAMPIANINA DECLARED AS THE PRESIDENT OF MADAGASCAR

Hery Rajaonarimampianina, a former Finance Minister of Madagascar on 17 January 2014 was

declared as the new President of the nation. His election as the President came as the result of

the elections conducted on 20 December 2013 with an aim to restore democracy in the nation.

Hery Rajaonarimampianina was officially declared as the president of the country by Francois

Rakotozafy, the president of the electoral court. He was successful in garnering 53 percent of

votes in the elections.

INDIA & UK SIGNED MOU TO ENHANCE THE COLLABORATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF UKIERI

Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) on 16 January 2014 signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance the


collaboration within the framework of UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) in New Delhi.

The signing was done after a bilateral meeting between the delegations led by K Suresh, the Minister of State of Labour and Employment (MoLE) of Government of India and Matthew Hancock, the Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise of United Kingdom.

INDIA AND SOUTH KOREA INKED PACTS IN DIFFERENT AREAS INCLUDING TRADE AND COMMERCE

India and South Korea have signed many pacts in different areas on 16 January 2014 to deepen economic cooperation and bolster defence engagements in New Delhi. The agreements were signed after delegation level talks between Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India and Park Geun-hye, the President of South Korea in New Delhi.

BRITISH PM ORDERED ENQUIRY INTO THATCHER’S ROLE IN OPERATION BLUESTAR

British Prime Minister David Cameron ordered an enquiry into the role of former British PM Margaret Thatcher in Operation Bluestar on 14 January 2014. The enquiry will be conducted by the Britain’s cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood.

The enquiry will look into newly-released documents that suggested Margaret Thatcher government facilitated the Indian government in 1984 to plan Operation Bluestar against separatist Sikh militants hiding inside the Golden Temple.

**Operation Bluestar

Operation Blue Star is the name given to a military operation to flush out the terrorists and recover arms from the Golden Temple. The operation was led by Indian Army at Harmandir Sahib in Golden Temple complex in 1984.

INDIA-JAPAN CONDUCTED JOINT MARITIME EXERCISE ALONG KOCHI COAST

India and Japan held joint exercise in Kochi Coast on 14 January 2014. Indian Cost Guard Ship ICGS Samrat and Japan Coast Guard Ship JCG Mizuho participated in the exercise.

Joint exercises between India and Japan Coast Guards included cross-deck landing, anti-piracy drills, search and rescue demonstration and a fire fighting demonstration.


MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT TO INTRODUCE HIGH-TECH ID CARDS

Malaysian Government announced on 13 January 2014 to introduce high-tech ID cards for foreign workers. The cards will be introduced by the end of December 2014. These biometric identity cards are being introduced to control the influx of illegal foreign workers.

The new ID cards, embedded with high-tech chips, would ensure only legal foreign workers are working in the country. The cards will store identification documents of the holder and could be examined easily by the security personnel.

INDIA AND CANADA SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT FOR CO-OPERATION IN IRON AND STEEL SECTOR

India and Canada on 13 January 2014 signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for co-operation in Iron and Steel Sector. The letters were signed by Beni Prasad Verma, the Union Minister of Steel and Minister of Natural Resources, Government of Canada, Joe Oliver. The Canadian Minister is heading a high-level delegation from Canada to India.

As per the signed Letter of Intent (LOI), the two countries has planned to develop and expand the mutual co-operation through information exchanges in areas of mutual interest, which includes iron-ore, cooking coal and other steel making raw materials. The two sides has also planned to encourage bilateral investment opportunities in iron and steel related business. For taping the new markets, the efforts would be made by both the countries ensuring raw material security and forge alliances with global entities.

SHEIKH HASINA SWORN-IN AS BANGLADESH PRIME MINISTER

Sheikh Hasina along with her Cabinet of 49 Ministers was sworn-in before President Abdul Hamid at the Bangabhaban (the President’s House) on 12 January 2014. Sheikh Hasina was sworn-in as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the third time.

MALAYSIA INVITED IITS TO OPEN ITS CENTRE

Malaysia urged India to open a branch of Indian Institutes of Technology in Kuala Lumpur on 8 January 2014. Datuk Seri G Palanivel, Federal Minister for Natural Resources and Environment of the Republic of Malaysia made this announcement at ongoing 12th Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas in the capital.


AL-QAIDA LINKED FORCES DECLARED FALLUJAH AS NEW STATE

The Iraq government has lost control of the strategic city of Fallujah after being captured by Al-Qaeda linked forces.

Fallujah was located on the west of Baghdad. Militants now control the south of the city.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF INDIA COLLABORATED WITH ARCHIVES OF TURKEY AND OMAN

The National Archives of India has successfully collaborated with the State Archives of Turkey and the National Records and Archives Authority of Oman. The collaboration was reached after a series of meetings in Ankara and Muscat.

National Archives of India, as per the signed protocol allows it to access the ancient Ottoman Archives record that amounts to 12 million documents. The two sides has recognized the benefits from the collaboration in the field of archives and agreed on the need to collaborate deeply in the coming years. The two sides will collaborate in future for development of strong institutions and improved record management practices.

POLIO VACCINATION FOR PAKISTAN TRAVELLERS TO BE IMPLEMENTED FROM 14 FEBRUARY

India on 3 January 2014 announced a new rule to vaccinate against polio to the travellers from Pakistan would be implemented from 14 February 2014. India under the new rule has made it mandatory for all persons including children travelling to India from Pakistan to furnish a proof of vaccination against polio from 30 January 2014.

As Pakistan is one among the three countries in the world in which the crippling disease is endemic and in 2013 the polio cases in Pakistan touched 85.

The step of polio vaccination has been taken to safeguard the polio-free status attained by India after sustained efforts and investment.

PAKISTAN HAS PLANNED 7 NUCLEAR PLANTS FOR 8900 MW OF ELECTRICITY BY 2030

Pakistan on 2 January 2014 announced its plan to set up seven functional nuclear plants of 1100 MW each by 2030. The government is set to install 325 MW Chashma-4 (C-4) plant.


Pakistan took this decision to combat the problem of shortage of power supply in the country. Nuclear power was set to become a major player in the country's power sector.

INDIA & SAUDI ARABIA SIGNED PACT TO PROTECT INTERESTS OF INDIAN DOMESTIC SECTOR WORKERS

India and Saudi Arabia on 2 January 2013 signed an agreement to protect the interests and rights of Indian domestic sector workers in the Gulf Kingdom. The pact was signed by Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi and the visiting Adel bin Mohammed Fakeih, the Labour Minister of Saudi Arabia in New Delhi.

LATVIA BECAME THE 18TH MEMBER OF EURO ZONE

Latvia on 2 January 2014 became the 18th member of the Euro zone. The small ex-Soviet state has been preparing for the switch, since European Union finance ministers formally announced in July 2013 that Latvia could adopt the Euro.

Both Standard & Poor’s and Fitch have raised the country’s credit ratings in anticipation of its euro entry.

Latvia gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and joined the European Union and NATO in 2004. Latvia became the fourth smallest member of the currency area, ahead of Cyprus, Estonia and Malta. Estonia joined the euro zone in 2011 and Lithuania aims to do so in 2015.

JAPAN'S POPULATION DIPPED TO RECORD LOW IN 2013

The Health Ministry of Japan on 1 January 2014 estimated that a quarter of the population is currently aged over 65 and the figure is expected to reach nearly 40 percent by 2060. It has estimated that the population of the country in 2013 declined by a record 244000 people. It also says that if in case the same trend persists in future, the population of Japan will lose a third of its population in next 50 years.


Environment Ecology

REVISED NCR NORMS RESTRICT TOURISM IN GREEN ZONES

Revised norms of NCR Planning Board on 14 May 2014 restricted tourism in green zones in NCR. Tourism activities won't be allowed in the Natural Conservation Zones (NCZs) in NCR.

The board also decided that the sacred Mangar Bani and a 500-metre buffer radius around it will be earmarked as a no-construction zone.

CHANCES OF EL NINO WOULD EXCEED 65 PERCENT THIS YEAR: US CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER

The US Climate Prediction Center on 5 May 2014 said that the chances of weather-altering El

Nino will develop in Pacific Ocean. In its forecast it highlighted that El Nino would exceed from

50 percent to 65 percent.

El Nino is one part of Southern Oscillation and is caused due to an abnormal warming of surface

ocean waters in the eastern tropical Pacific. On the other hand, the Australian Bureau of

Meteorology in the second week of May 2014 also updated that El Nino development would be

up to 70 percent.

**About El Nino and La Nina

El Nino is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific. La

Nina is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific.

El Nino is an oscillation of the ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific having important

consequences for weather around the globe. These are increased rainfall across the southern

tier of the US and in Peru, which has caused destructive flooding and drought in the West

Pacific, and sometimes associated with devastating brush fires in Australia.

NEW DANCING FROG SPECIES FOUND IN WESTERN GHATS

14 new species of dancing frogs were discovered in the Western Ghats of southern India by the scientists/biologists. These tiny acrobatic amphibians (frogs) were found by Indian biologists. The Indian Dancing frogs are scientifically known as Micrixalidae and their family comprises a single genus Micrixalus. Name of the species has been derived by their style of unusual kicks used to attract the mates.


The species of other dancing frogs are found in Central America and Southeast Asia. The Indian family evolved about 85 million years ago.

NEW SPECIES OF SNAKE HIMALAYANUS DISCOVERED IN HIMALAYAS

A new species of brownish pit viper, Himalayanus was discovered by the Chinese scientists. The

genetic analysis identified Protobothrops himalayanus as new species of snake. The discovery

was published in Asian Herpetological Research.

It was first spotted at Jilong valley in Southern Tibet Autonomous Region in 2012. It was named

Himalayanus in honour of its home Himalayas. The local people called the snake as the holy

region of the Himalayas.

The himalayanus with a round head and copper-coloured eyes is about 1.5 metres in length, is

fierce and aggressive reptile. Himalayanus is mostly found on the south flank of the Himalayas.

CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTING NUTRIENT CONTENT OF STAPLE CROPS: STUDY

Scientists on 7 May 2014 warned that rise in the level of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) will badly hit the nutritional value of key cereals like wheat and rice. The warning was issued after conducting experiments by simulating conditions expected by mid-century.

Researchers at Harvard University in their findings, reported decline of two important nutrients namely Zinc (Zn) and Iron (Fe) in wheat, rice, soybeans and field peas, which were grown in open-air fields where the scientists created CO2 concentrations at the level as forecasted for the Earth by roughly 2050 about 550 parts per million.

Zinc and Iron are two nutrients, received by almost two million people globally eating crops. At present the Earth's atmospheric CO2 concentration is about 400 parts per million and is increasing at a fast pace.

THE ONLY GORILLA OF INDIA, POLO DIED IN MYSORE ZOO

Polo, the only Gorilla in Indian Zoo died on 26 April 2014 in Mysore Zoo. It died due to

respiratory infection and age related ailments after being treated for about a month.

Till few years back, 43-year-old male Western Lowland Polo was the Asia’s lone Gorilla. It was

gifted to the Mysore zoo by Ireland’s Dublin Zoo on 12 August 1995.


NEIGHBOURHOOD TREES CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED ON INTERNATIONAL MOTHER EARTH DAY

Neighbourhood Trees Campaign was launched on International Mother Earth Day by the India

Biodiversity Portal on 22 April 2014. The Campaign will be organized from 22 April to 27 April

2014.

It is a unique citizen science project that aims to document tree species across the country

through crowd sourcing. The Crowd sourcing is the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas,

or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of online community.

Neighbourhood Trees campaign is probably the first Crowd sourcing project in India. Such

crowd-sourcing projects have been popular in the West.

The campaign is part of the TreesIndia group activity on the India Biodiversity Portal in

association with ATREE, SeasonWatch, Nizhal (Chennai), Keystone Foundation (Kotagiri), Strand

Life Sciences and Azim Premji University.

The aim of the online campaign is to spread awareness on the importance of trees and to

aggregate information on tree diversity across the country. As a part of campaign, volunteers

need to click photographs of trees in their gardens and neighbourhood and sign up at

treesindia.in and upload their observations.

CHERRAPUNJI REGAINED THE WORLD RECORD FOR HIGHEST RAINFALL IN 48 HOURS

World Meteorological Organization (WMO) panel on 4 April 2014 announced that Cherrapunji in India regained the world record for highest rainfall in 48 hours with 2493 millimeters. The previous highest rainfall in Cherrapunji was recorded on 15–16 June 1995. The previous world record for 48-hour rainfall was held by La Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. La Reunion Island holds the record with 2467 millimeters from April 1958. L Reunion is a French island with a population of 840974 inhabitants located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Mauritius.


AIR POLLUTION OVER ASIAN COUNTRIES STRENGTHENED PACIFIC STORMS: PNAS STUDY

A study tittled Assessing the effects of anthropogenic aerosols on Pacific storm track using a multiscale global climate model was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in the US. The lead author of the study was Yuan wang

The study identified a link between increased pollution in Asian countries and changes in weather systems over the Pacific Ocean.

The study noted that air pollution in China and other Asian countries is having far-reaching impacts on weather patterns across the Northern Hemisphere.

UNION MOEF CLEARED EXPANSION OF COAL MINE PROJECT IN ODISHA

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest accorded environmental clearance (with some conditions) to the expansion of Bhubaneshwari opencast project in Odisha. This project belongs to Mahanadi Coalfield Ltd, a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd. The clearance is given for the expansion from 20 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum) to 25 MTPA of Mahanadi Coalfields subject to compliance of terms and conditions. The second Expert Appraisal Committee meeting which held on 3-4 October 2014 considered this proposal initially, then the ninth Expert Appraisal Committee meeting which held early in 2014 reconsidered it.

45-DAY LONG FISHING BAN IMPOSED IN EAST COAST

The 45-day long annual ban on fishing in the territorial waters along the east coast of the country started from the midnight on 14 April 2014. This ban is imposed annually to ensure time and space for the fish and other marine life to breed and multiply. During this period, the mechanized boats are barred from entering the deep seas for fishing till mid-night of 31 May 2014.

THE ASIATIC WILD DOG SPOTTED IN WEST BENGAL FOR THE FIRST TIME

Dhole -The Asiatic Wild Dog was spotted for the first time in the Jaldapara National Park (West Bengal). Three months earlier, they were spotted in the nearby areas such as Buxa and Mahananda and Neora valley.


Usually they are found throughout in south of River Ganges, southern part of Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats, Central India Highlands, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya.

Dhole is listed under endangered category in the IUCN Red list. In a group, Dhole can be dangerous for the tigers too.

ICJ ORDERED THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT TO STOP ITS WHALING PROGRAMME JARPA II

The UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherland on 31 March 2014 has ruled that the Japanese government must halt its whaling programme Jarpa II in the Antarctic Ocean. Japan has agreed to abide by the decision.

IPCC RELEASED FIFTH ASSESSMENT REPORT ON CLIMATE IMPACTS ON HUMAN AND NATURAL SYSTEMS

UN report released on 30 March 2014 has warned that the increasing magnitude of global

warning will have severe, pervasive and irreversible impact on the climate. The UN backed

panel’s report was finalised by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

This comprehensive scientific and technical assessment on the impacts of climate change across

the world was published after a weeklong intense discussion of scientists and officials in

Yokohama, Japan. The meeting was held from 25 to 29 March 2014 and this report is based on

more than 12000 peer-reviewed scientific studies.

GEAC REVALIDATED 10-GM CROPS FOR FIELD TRAILS

Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) on 21 March 2014 revalidated ten varieties of Genetically Modified (GM) crops including wheat, rice, maize, cotton and sorghum for field trails.

Revalidation of GM crops varieties was required due to the lapse of validity period on account of State governments not allowing field trial. The GEAC had given its clearance in those 10 cases way back in 2011 and 2012.


PANASONIC ANNOUNCED POLLUTION COMPENSATION FOR CHINA WORKERS

Japanese electronics firm Panasonic announced on 12 March 2014 to pay its employees a pollution premium to workers who are working in China. The move was announced as part of Panasonic's pay negotiations.

Panasonic became the first firm to explicitly pay more due to China's air quality problems. Unrelenting smog has become a focus for public discontent particularly in prosperous urban areas such as Beijing. Urban areas of China are experiencing the worst level on China’s air quality index.

The readings of pollution particulates in Beijing soared to 15 times the daily maximum recommended by the World Health Organisation.

UNION MOEF ACCEPTED THE KERALA GOVERNMENTS RECOMMENDATIONS ON ESA

Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) accepted the recommendations of the Kerala Government regarding Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) boundaries on 4 March 2014.

The Kerala government recommended to keep agricultural, plantations and habitations out of ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs) identified by the High-Level Working Group (HLWG) on the conservation of the Western Ghats.

It has also been decided that the MoEF will consider recommendations of the other States in Western Ghats region based on similar on-ground exercise. If such, proposals are forwarded to the MoEF within 60 days of issuance of the draft Notification.

100 TONS OF RADIOACTIVE WATER LEAKED AT FUKUSHIMA POWER PLANT

100 metric tons of radioactive water leaked from a holding tank at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on 20 February 2014.

The leak of an estimated 100 metric tons of highly contaminated water was discovered by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).

The water leak was highly radioactive with a reading of 230 million becquerels per litre of radioactive isotopes. A becquerel is a unit used to measure radioactivity. WHO guidance advises


against drinking water with radioactivity levels higher than 10 becquerels per litre. The level is about 7.6 million times the government’s limit for water allowed to be released into the ocean.

The leak, according to TEPCO, might have been caused by a faulty valve in the pipes that transfers water from a decontamination facility to storage tanks.

However, the contaminated water had not reached the Pacific Ocean because the tank is located several hundred metres away from the sea and there are no spillways near the tank.

The Fukushima nuclear plant was damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011 faced multiple problems including leaks and power cuts since the disaster.

STUDY FOUND THAT FERTILIZATION DESTABILIZES GLOBAL GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEMS

A new research study named Nutrient Network (NutNet) published in the third week of February 2014 says that use of fertilizers in farming and industries have destabilizing effects on global grassland ecosystems. The study was carried out by an international team of researchers and scientists from Lancaster University and University of Minnesota, who found that the natural ecosystem creates more stable ecosystems overtime, because of less synchronized growth of pants.

COUNTRY’S FIRST WILD DOG BREEDING CENTRE TO BE CREATED IGZP IN VIZAG

Central Zoo Authority on 18 February 2014 selected the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) of Vizag for creation of a conservation breeding centre for the endangered wild dog – Dhole. This will be the first zoo in India to have a breeding centre for Dholes and it will be created in two to three months. 50 lakh rupees will be invested to undertake the project.

IUCN has classified Dholes as an endangered species. The population of wild dogs has gone up from just two to 22 in the country in a series of successful in-breeding of wild dogs in the zoo. 22 is the highest number of wild dogs in captivity in India.


JAPAN SNOWSTORM LEFT 19 DEAD AND INJURED MORE THAN 1600 PEOPLE

Japan in fourth week of February 2014 faced a severe snowstorm that has killed 19 people and left more than 1600 people injured. This snowstorm weather has also sparked widespread transport chaos. People of the country have been trapped in small communities because they have been cut off by snow-locked roads and railway lines.

To help people in the distressed areas, the members of Japan’s Self-Defence forces have also stepped in.

US SNOWSTORM THAT HAS LEFT 7 LAKH HOMES POWERLESS HAS BEEN TERMED AS SNOWMAGGEDON

Huge snow storm that blanketed the densely North-East of United States in third week of February 2014 after wreaking havoc with ice in South has been termed as Snowmaggedon. This snow blanketing has led to power cut in about 7 lakh 50000 houses, mostly in South Carolina and Georgia. The natural calamity has also led to cancellation of 6500 flights. Due to this weather calamity at least 18 people have lost their lives and people in about 22 states from Texas to Maine have been affected due to the weather change. The storm has dumped up to 15 inch of snow in Washington DC region and 8 inch around New York City.

VOLCANO MOUNT KELUD OF INDONESIA ERUPTED

Volcano Mount Kelud of Kediri district (main island of Java) of Indonesia erupted on 13 February 2014 after rumbling for several weeks. Following this eruption, the government of the country has ordered around 2 lakh people of 36 villages within 10 kilometers of the crater to evacuate. The eruption spewed ash and sand 17 kilometers into the air. The volcanic eruption has resulted in the closure of three international airports namely Jogyakarta, Solo and Surabaya. The closure action was taken because the ash released during the eruption has darkened the skies across the country, which has reduced visibility. The ashes can also pose danger to the engines of the aircrafts.

SCIENTISTS DISCOVERED NEW RIVER DOLPHIN SPECIES IN AMAZON; THIS IS FIRST DISCOVERY IN 100 YEARS

Scientists in January 2014 discovered a new species of river dolphin in the Amazon River system. This discovery is the first discovery in almost 100 years and it is believed that this


species will be enlisted as endangered status of IUCN Red list. The small group of river dolphins was discovered by a team of experts from Federal University of Amazons in Manaus, Brazil.

This species has been named as botos and were found in the Araguaia basin where they were separated from other populations by only a narrow canal and series of rapids. Araguaian boto name was suggested by the team who discovered the fact that this species is distinct after closer inspection and DNA test.

Scientists say that these Araguaian botos are the closest relatives of Inia geoffrensis and Inia boliviensis genetically.

BAN ON BURNING TYRES IN PUBLIC PLACES: NATIONAL GREEN TRIBUNAL

National Green Tribunal (NGT) on 7 February 2014 issued a ban on the process of burning of tyres at public places like roads and areas surrounded by residential buildings. The order was passed following the actions of burning tyres during the religious and political possessions by groups as it cause health hazard.

Burning tyres creates toxic smoke, which is also a serious environmental threat. This ban was issued by Western Zone Bench of NGT after hearing a petition against the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and the State of Maharashtra.

OLDEST TIGRESS MACHLI FOUND IN RANTHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK

Machli, Queen Mother of tiger dynasty was found in the Ranthambhore National Park on 5

February 2014. The tigress was missing from 9 January 2014 from zone 5 of the park.

The 17-year-old Machli is the longest living wild-tigress in the world, besides being the most

photographed big cat. The tigress was identified as T-16.

Machli had survived in the dense forest by hunting her own prey despite her advanced age.

FIRST ONLINE GLOBAL FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY ATLAS LAUNCHED

A new online Atlas of freshwater biodiversity that presents spatial information and species distribution patterns was launched on 29 January 2014 at the landmark Water Lives


symposium. The symposium (conference) brought together the European Union policy makers and freshwater scientists.

Delhi Metro awarded GSF certification for efficient energy use

The Delhi Metro was awarded the prestigious Gold Standard Foundation (GSF) certification standard for using the energy efficiently on 2 February 2014. Delhi Metro became the first ever Railway system in the world with GSF certification standard.

GSF standard certification is a globally accepted certification standard for carbon mitigation projects. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) registered for the certification standard for its energy efficiency measures undertaken in 51 stations in Phase II of the DMRC Project.

WORLD’S OLDEST FLAMINGO DIED AT ADELAIDE ZOO OF AUSTRALIA

World’s oldest flamingo known as Greater died at the age of 83 on 30 January 2014 at Adelaide Zoo of Australia. Greater was brought to the zoo in 1933 and lived long with the Chilean flamingo named Chilly, who is in his 60s. Chilly is the only remaining flamingo in Australia. The world’s oldest Flamingo was the last Greater flamingo that has resided in Australia. It’s known that the lifespan of the flamingos is of about 25 years in the wild but they can live for many decades in captivity.

SAVING ASIA’S VULTURES FROM EXTINCTION PROJECT FOR ASIAN VULTURES

A programme named Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction (SAVE) in its plan wants to release up to 25 birds into the 30000 kilometer square safe zone. The captive-bred birds will be released into the wild by 2016 under the project would. The project has been planned following the devastation in the populations due to vetting of drugs named Diclofenac on cattle.

INDIA RANKED 155TH IN GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT PERFORMANCE INDEX

The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2014 was released on 25 January 2014. As per the Index, India was ranked 155 out of 178 countries with an index score of 31.23 points in its efforts to address environmental challenges.

India was ranked behind neighbouring countries China at 118, Pakistan at 148 and Nepal at 139 respectively.


Among the BRICS countries, South Africa was placed at 72nd position, followed by Russia (73), Brazil (77) and China (118).

EPI ranks how well countries perform on high-priority environmental issues mainly in the areas of protection of human health from environmental harm and protection of ecosystems.

2013 IS FOURTH WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR THE PLANET: REPORTS

Two top American scientific agencies NOAA and NASA in their separate releases have confirmed the trend of global warming is continuing. The releases were made on 22 January 2014. Annual climate report of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that above-average annual temperature was experienced in most of the planet in 2013. As per the release, 2013 was the fourth warmest year, since record keeping began in 1880. The temperature of 2013 tied with the temperature experienced by the world in 2003.

CHILIKA LAGOON NAMED DESTINATION FLYWAYS BY UNWTO

Chilika lagoon in Odisha was named Destination Flyways by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on 21 January 2014. The lagoon was named so for its sustainable and resilient destination for migratory birds.

Chilika is the only site to be selected from Asia by the UNWTO and was included in a list of eight such sites. The Destination Flyways initiative of UNWTO aims at promotion of sustainable tourism.

BEIJING GOT SEVERE NEW LAW TO CONTROL HAZARDOUS SMOG AND AIR POLLUTION

Beijing, the Chinese Capital on 22 January 2014 passed a regulation to curb air pollution featuring emission controls. The comprehension measure to tackle air pollution also carries harsher penalties in the city’s latest effort to battle its notorious smog. At present the Chinese capital city is plagued by its dangerous unclean air. This is the first pollution warning of China in 2014.


FIRST CLIMATE CHANGE THEATRE OPENED IN INDIA

First Climate Change theatre was opened at Pushpa Gujral Science City in Kapurthala, Punjab on 16 January 2014. The theatre will educate people on climate change. This is the second theatre in the world to be opened after Canada.

The theatre is 18 metre in diameter and it is set up in a dome-shaped building with a seating capacity of 125 persons. The 25-minute film shows what worst can happen if humans do not take action on current or impending problems which could threaten civilization.

The film starts by giving a glimpse of future - floods, droughts, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Then Earth introduces itself and talks to the audience about current situation and impacts it is experiencing due to global warming.

AIR POLLUTION OF BEIJING 25 TIMES ABOVE WHO SAFE MARK

Air pollution of Beijing, China has reached to dangerous levels on 16 January 2014 and people

of the city have been warned to take precautions. US embassy monitoring post said that the air

pollution of the city was 25 times higher than the mark that is considered safe by the World

Health Organisation (WHO).

Thick smog that has been named as Airpocalypse (impenetrable toxic fog) allowed visibility to

people about a few hundred meters only.

The complete city was covered with dense gray smog. This was the first incident of the season

in which waves carried extremely dangerous pollution that was concentrated with toxic small

particles. Due to these smog commuters of Beijing was supposed to wear industrial strength

face masks.

LEVEL OF GREENHOUSE GASES RISING RAPIDLY: LEAKED UN REPORT

Leaked draft IPCC UN report on 17 January 2014 warned about rise of the level of greenhouse gases and it calls for greater global efforts to tackle the issue. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has also mentioned that if the current situation continues that hugely expensive technology will be required.

The report has mentioned that during 2000 to 2010, the CO2 has grown by 2.2 percent per year and this rise is almost twice higher from the growth of the period of 1970 to 2000. It also has


asked the global community to cut the emissions without any delay and also suggested to make a shift towards the clean energy.

PARLIAMENT OF EUROPEAN UNION APPROVED CO2 EMISSION RESTRICTIONS FOR COMMERCIAL VANS

The Parliament of Europe approved new carbon dioxide restrictions for commercial vans on 14 January 2014 that will slash emissions by 28 percent from 2020.

Under the rules are all new light commercial vehicles sold across the European Union (EU) will emit a maximum 147 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre instead of 203 grammes as per the level set in 2007. The legislation would be reviewed in 2015.

DINOSAURS FOOTPRINTS SPOTTED IN JAISALMER: SCIENTISTS

An International team of 34 scientists on 13 January 2014 spotted the footprints of Dinosaurs at Thaiat village in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan. At present, the team of scientists from a number of countries is camping in Jaisalmer to study the fossils of Dinosaurs found in sandy desert areas.

The research related to fossils is centered on the evolution, extinction and paleo-bio-genography of the dinosaurs. The team of scientists also includes scientists from India. It also includes scientists from France and Germany.

EXCEPTIONALLY RARE CONJOINED WHALES DISCOVERED

Fishermen found a conjoined gray whale calves in the lagoon in Baja California in second week of January 2014 as per the Mexican officials. The discovery of the conjoined gray whale is exceptional and rare. This discovery is exceptional because till date any precedent of such a whale has not been found.

The whale was found alive in the lagoon of Ojo de Liebre, which opens to the Pacific Ocean in the Baja California peninsula but it died shortly after birth according a government biologist.

INDIAN PITTAS, ENDEMIC BIRD SPOTTED IN DELHI

India Pitta, a small and colourful bird which is endemic was spotted at Aravalli Biodiversity Park in Delhi after 60 years recently.

A rare butterfly, Striped Blue Crow, was also seen for the first time at Aravalli Biodiversity Park.


Indian pitta is mainly found in the Himalayan foothills and Western Ghats in winters is mainly seen in closed canopy forest.

Pittas belong to the family of Pittidate that has 32 species distributed throughout Asia, Africa and Australia.

The bird is also known as the Blue-Winged Pitta, the Bengal Pitta, the Painted Thrush and Navaratna in Hindi because of its vibrant colours.

The bird sighting was last reported by ornithologist Usha Ganguli in her book A Guide to the Birds of Delhi.


Science & Technology

CSIR AND IMD SIGNED AN AGREEMENT TO DEVELOP DRISHTI SYSTEM

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and India Meteorological Department (IMD) signed a partnership agreement on 22 May 2014 for joint production of Drishti system.

The agreement was signed by Dr Shyam Chetty, Director, CSIR-NAL and Dr LS Rathore, Director General of Meteorology, IMD. The agreement encompassed a wide range of research & development activities for further development of various meteorological sensors.

The agreement paves the way for operational deployment of Drishti system at different airports where IMD provides aeronautical meteorological services. A mega project for installing nearly 70 such systems at various Airports of the India is being jointly undertaken by the two organisations.

Seven Drishti systems are working in three international airports. Out of seven, one each has been installed at Choudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow, (for the last 3 years) and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata (for the last 1½ years). Five systems are working in country’s most stringent CAT IIIB airport, viz., Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, for the last two years.

This cost-effective product is a mandatory system required at all airports as per International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). The system is extremely robust with high mean time between failures.

NASA DEVELOPED HIGH-TECH CAGES TO CARRY RODENTS TO ISS

NASA has developed high-tech cages to carry rodents to the International Space Station (ISS) from Earth. The rodents carried by the cages will allow the researchers to study the long-term effects of microgravity on mammalian physiology.

The first flight of the Rodent Habitat modules will be carried out in August 2014 aboard an unmanned SpaceX Dragon cargo ship.

The high-tech cages have been developed by NASA’s Ames Research Centre in Moffett Field, California and the new habitats are designed to transport the animals to space station as part of their long-term accommodation.

The design of the transport module can fit into the racks in the pressurised cargo section of the Dragon spacecraft. It has an access module for moving the rodents from the transporter to the


station’s rodent habitat without having the mice escape and take up residence behind the control panels. Every habitat module provides as many as 10 mice or six rats with all of the basics like water, food, fresh air and lighting needed by them to live comfortably aboard the station.

The habitat modules include data downlink capability that enables monitoring of environmental conditions such as temperature. The crew in space and scientists and veterinarians on the ground will be able to monitor behavior and overall health of the rodents on a daily basis through the visible light and infrared video system.

Overall, these rodents will help in studying the genetic strains of rodents and roles played by specific genes in gravity sensing and responses.

PALAEONTOLOGISTS DISCOVERED THE FOSSIL OF WORLD’S LARGEST DINOSAUR IN PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA

Palaeontologists on 16 May 2014 discovered the fossil of the world largest dinosaur fossils. It was found near a desert in La Flecha, situated 125-km west of Trelew in Patagonia, Argentina.

The fossil of the dinosaur was excavated by the palaeontologists from Argentina’s Museum of Palaeontology Egidio Feruglio, headed by Dr Jose Luis Carballido and Dr Diego Pol.

The fossils of the world’s largest dinosaur measured 40 metres in length, 30 metres in height and weighed 77 tonnes. The fossil remains included bones from the dinosaur neck and back, along with pieces of the tail and legs.

This plant-eating dinosaur belonged to species of Titanosaurs from the family of Sauropod dinosaurs that were characterized by their enormous stature and long necks and tails. It lived around 95 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period.

The discovered fossils of Titanosaurs were larger than the previous record holder, Argentinosaurus, also found in Patagonia, Argentina in 1987.

REPORT ON HEALTH FOR THE WORLD’S ADOLESCENTS RELEASED BY WHO

Report on Health for the world’s adolescents was released on 14 May 2014 by World Health Organisation (WHO). The report revealed that depression is the predominant cause of illness and disability for both boys and girls aged 10 to 19 years.

According to the Report, the top 3 causes of adolescent deaths globally are road traffic injuries, HIV/AIDS, and suicide. Worldwide, an estimated 1.3 million adolescents died in 2012.


NEW ELEMENT 117 NAMED UNUNSEPTIUM SET TO JOIN THE PERIODIC TABLE

New Element 117 which is temporarily called Ununseptium with 117 protons set to join

periodic table.

It is the second-heaviest element ever created by humans after ununoctium, or element 118.

Elements beyond atomic number 104 are referred to as super-heavy elements.

The latest instance of the discovery of this element was made by a team at the GSI Helmholtz

Center for Heavy Ion Research in Germany. The report was published in Physical Review Letters.

Ununseptium will get an official name soon and will be considered a Group VII element. It was

to be put into the same family as fluorine, bromine and chlorine.

Ununseptium was produced by accelerating ions of calcium (which has 20 protons) into a target

of berkelium (which has 97).

The ununseptium was observed to have a half-life of 50 milliseconds, or one twentieth of a

second. It will gradually decayed into lighter elements, emitting alpha particles (a helium nuclei with two protons and two neutrons) in the process. And the lighter elements formed have a

greater half-life than ununseptium.

The newly created element's half-life was too short for it to be chemically studied, but after examining the alpha particles, researchers concluded that the original element indeed had an

atomic number 117.

The element was discovered back in 2010 by a group of American and Russian physicists with

the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR).

Element 117 will join the periodic table once the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) confirmed its existence. After the confirmation, the body will name the new

element and it will be added to the periodic table.

KEPLER-186F, THE FIRST EARTH-SIZE PLANET DISCOVERED IN THE HABITABLE ZONE

Astronomers on 17 April 2014 announced that they have discovered an Earth-size planet, named Kepler-186f. The planet is located in the habitable zone—a range of distance from a star where liquid water might pool on the planet's surface. It is a part of the Kepler-186 system, which is located about 500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus.


This Kepler-186f also called as the Earth cousin, orbits around a red dwarf (M dwarf), which is a type of star much smaller and dimmer than Earth’s sun. Our galaxy has about 100 billion stars of which seven out of every ten of them are M dwarfs.

The astronomers have claimed that discovery of Kepler-186f has confirmed that Earth-size planets actually exist in the habitable zones of other stars. This also signals a significant step closer to find a world similar to earth.

3D MODEL OF MALARIA PARASITE GENOME CREATED FOR THE FIRST TIME

Scientists from University of California, Riverside created a 3D model of the human malaria parasite genome for the first time. The 3D model was created at three different stages in the life cycle of parasite. The creation of 3D model will help in identifying new anti-malaria drugs.

The study was published in the journal Genome Research on 16 April 2014.

Why the need for development of 3D Model

To understand the biology of an organism or any cell type, Scientist needs to understand the following

• The information encoded in the genome sequence;

• how the genome sequence is compacted and physically organised in each cell or tissue;

• how the changes in the 3D genome architecture can play a critical role in regulating gene expression, chromosome morphogenesis and genome stability.

Thus, the Scientists at California University used a chromosome conformation capture method and high throughput sequencing to analyse the organisation of the genome of p.falciparum in the natural state of the cell. Scientists then used the maps of all physical interactions to generate a 3D model of the genome for each stage of the parasite life cycle.

Once the scientists understand how the malaria parasite genome is organised in the nucleus and which components control this organisation. Then it is possible to disrupt the genome architecture and the parasite development too. Hence, genome architecture is critical in regulating gene expression and in regulating genes that are critical for parasite virulence.


BLUEFIN 21- A ROBOTIC SUBMARINE - DEPLOYED TO SOLVE MYSTERY OF LOST MALAYSIAN PLANE MH370

Bluefin 21 - a robotic submarine - was launched on 14 April 2014 to solve the mystery of the lost Malaysian plane MH370. The decision of sending a Bluefin-21 was taken when the search team felt that the batteries of Black Box had expired making them incapable of sending signals.

This autonomous unmanned under water vehicle was launched from the Australian navy ship Ocean shield and would go under Indian Ocean.

This submarine can create three-dimensional sonar map of any debris on the seafloor by using its side-scan sonar.

FOLDSCOPE: A LOW COST MICROSCOPE INVENTED

A team of Scientists led by Manu Prakash from Stanford University developed an amazingly cheap microscope namely Foldscope (due to it folding design). The research was published in Stanford Daily, US in the first week of April 2014.

Composition of Foldscope

Foldscope is made up of paper and contains three parts as follows:

1. a slip of paper which acts as the slide on which the specimen is kept;

2. a slide for the ball-shaped lens;

3. a piece that contains an LED light.

This light help in illuminating the subject under examination.

Mechanism

• The users need to place their eyebrow against the paper with their eye close to the lens to view the sample similar to traditional microscope.

• Thumbs of users will control Magnification and image panning. This process also includes sliding to view different parts of the image.

• To control magnification a simple flexing mechanism is used.


However, while testing multiple concerns were revealed about use of Foldscope. These concerns are:

• eye strain;

• ergonomics;

• Examination of potentially infectious samples very near to the human body.

To address these concerns, Researchers are now working on development of different type of microscopes. Future Foldscopes will be designed in such a way that each type of disease will have a correlating microscope which will be used exclusively for particular disease. Foldscope will minimize price and bypass the difficulty of optimization present in traditional multipurpose microscopes.

ARTIFICIAL BLOOD MADE BY UK SCIENTIST SET FOR FIRST HUMAN TRIAL BY 2016

Researchers in the UK on 14 April 2014 for the first time announced to conduct a test on patient of artificial blood made from human stem cells. The trial was conducted by the team of Professor Marc Turner, medical director at the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) at the University of Edinburgh.

The trial test would be conducted in 2016. The trial will involve three patients with thalassaemia, a disorder of the RBCs that requires regular transfusions. They will receive around 5 ml of blood initially to test whether the cells behave normally in the body.

If successful, the trial could pave the way for manufacturing of blood on an industrial scale. The successful trial could even supersede donated blood as the main supply for patients.

Blood cells freshly made in the laboratory are likely to have a longer life span than those taken from donors, which typically last no more than 120 days.

They would also be free from infectious agents such as viruses or the rogue prion proteins that cause Creuzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).

Trial test would aim to produce relatively rare O rhesus negative blood that can safely be given to 95% of the population, and the skin cell donors will have to belong to this blood group.

The blood cells will be created from ordinary donated skin cells called fibroblasts which are genetically reprogrammed into a stem cell-like state. The resulting induced pluripotent stem


(iPS) cells have the same ability as embryonic stem cells to develop into virtually any kind of body tissue.

Chemicals will be used to coax the iPS cells to mature into red blood cells suitable for injection into a living person.

A 5 million pound strategic award from the Wellcome Trust charity have funded the research being carried out by a consortium that includes blood donation services in England, Scotland and Ireland.

SOLAR PLANE SOLAR IMPULSE 2 UNVEILED IN SWITZERLAND

The upgraded solar-powered plane Solar Impulse 2 was unveiled on 13 April 2014 at Payerne Air Force Base of Switzerland. The solar plane will circumnavigate the world in March 2015. The solar plane can fly around the world for five consecutive days without using any fuel.

Swiss pilots Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard have developed the solar powered aircraft. Solar Impulse 2 is a bigger and better version of the single-seater prototype that first took flight five years ago.

The entire airplane weight only 2.3 metric tons (2.54 tons). To maintain its weight budget, the materials in the updated plane are lighter than before, and it has more efficient electric motors.

The upgraded aircraft has a wingspan that is 72 meters longer than a Boeing 747 commercial jet. The wings are covered with 17000 solar cells that power the plane's various systems.

The maximum speed of aircraft is 140 kilometers per hour (87 mph).

The original plane demonstrated that a solar-powered plane can fly through the night, hop from Europe to Africa and cross the width of the United States.

The plane have an autopilot function, a toilet, a comfortable business-class seat and enough space in the ergonomic cockpit for the pilot to lie down and either exercise a little bit, or get some rest.

The purpose of the round-the-world flight is to showcase cutting-edge renewable technologies developed by some 80 companies involved in the project.


HEARTBLEED: A NEW SECURITY THREAT

Heartbleed is a new security threat which adversely impacts the online safety of internet users worldwide. This threat can result into compromising of confidential information. This problem is limited to OpenSSL, a variant of SSL/TLS, but OpenSSL software is used by a large no. of websites.

This threat is believed to be a result of a programming error in OpenSSL software by Robin Seggelmann a German Software developer. About two years ago, he submitted new features of OpenSSL while working on its update. In one of the features, he forgot to validate a variable containing length and so did his coworkers. This essentially means that an opening is created in SSL/TLS, an encryption technology marked by the small, closed padlock and https: on Web browsers to show that traffic is secure. Another worry of the security experts is that this error had been unnoticed since past two years.

GOOGLE LAUNCHED THE 360 DEGREE ONLINE VIEW OF ANGKOR WAT IN CAMBODIA

Google on 3 April 2014 launched 360 degree online view of Angkor Wat in Cambodia under Streetview project. The Angkor Wat project was developed with the help of the Apsara Authority of the Kingdom of Cambodia. APSARA National Authority is an organisation created for the protection and maintenance of Angkor.

Streetview was used to patch together over 90000 high resolution 360-degree images of the monument. The project was started in July 2013. About 100 temples in the vast Angkor area were covered under this project.

The Angkor collection will also include over 300 pieces of art retrieved from the ruins spread over 400 sq kilometers and often overlooked by the thousands of tourists visiting the Siem Reap where the monuments are located.

While Streetview is traditionally used to power maps that are rich and three dimensional, of late Google has been using this technology of its to bring a lot of monuments across the world to life.

Street View is a part of Google Maps which is available in 55 countries and allowed people to virtually explore and navigate a neighbourhood through 360 degree panoramic images. The last heritage monument to have been put on Street View was the Taj Mahal.


ISRO SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED IRNSS 1B FROM SRIHARIKOTA

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 4 April 2014 launched India’s 2nd regional navigational satellite, IRNSS 1B from Sriharikota Space Station of Andhra Pradesh. The launch of IRNSS series would enable India to have its own reliable and independent navigational resources for itself.

The satellite was lifted off by the Polar Satellite Vehicle (PSLV) C 24 at 5.14 pm. IRNSS (Indian Regional navigational satellite) was injected by the launch vehicle after four stages of 19 minutes of its take off from Sriharikota.

This launch of IRNSS 1B is the 25th successful launch of the PSLV series by ISRO. This launch of the satellite had brought India close to join the group of selected nations namely US, Russia, China, Japan and European countries.

IRNSS series launch will benefit India from its applications including terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking and fleet management. It will also provide visual and voice navigation for hikers and travelers.

ISRO DECOMMISSIONED COMMUNICATION SATELLITE INSAT-3E

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO on 1 April 2014 decommissioned the Communication Satellite INSAT-3E. The satellite was decommissioned after it completed ten and half years in orbit as it had stopped working on 29 March 2014.

The satellite was facing problems for quite some time. Earlier it ran out of the on-board oxidizer. The oxidizer along with fuel keep it Earth-locked and fixed over India and helped satellite to perform daily functions.

In September 2012, the satellite blinked and disrupted services for about 24 hours and was restored later. Also since 2009, only 25 transponders out of 36 were functioning properly.

ISRO claimed that there will not be any adverse impact on the users. It has started shifting process of the INSAT-3E users on to standby capacities on some of its other satellites on 22 March 2014. The process is still going on.

Now, the ISRO have 189 transponders on its ISRO/GSAT fleet. Other 91 additional transponders leased on foreign satellites.

In order to prevent collision of the satellite with other working spacecrafts of other countries, the Master Control Facility at Hasan will move the satellite into a higher orbit.


The satellite was launched in September 2003 and was expected to give 15 years of service. The third generation satellite had 36 transponders (24 C-band and 12 extended).

During its service span, INSAT-3E performed following functions:

Its C-band supported communication networks of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, National Thermal Corporation and BSNL and other organizations.

Its 10 extended C-band transponders supported VSAT operators. It provided tele-education services to the distant users. It provided high communication services.

It facilitated efficient TV broadcast services.

EBOLA VIRUS DETECTED IN GUINEA

Ebola Virus causing haemorrhagic fever was detected on 23 March 2014 in Guinea. More than 80 persons have been detected to have been infected with Ebola virus. Out of this 59 persons from Sierra Leone and Liberia have died. This marks the first time an outbreak among humans has been detected.

Earlier, in 2012 Ebola outbreaks were reported in Congo and Uganda. The only prior case of a human contracting the virus in West Africa came in 1994.

An outbreak like Ebola can be devastating for a country like Guinea. As Guinea is a country with weak medical infrastructure. UNICEF has set up Doctors Without Borders in Gueckedou to try to stop the disease from spreading.

Among humans the disease is transmitted through bodily fluids. The subtype of Ebola was not determined yet, as it could give a better idea of the fatality rate. The fatality rate for Ebola can range from 25 to 90 percent.

TERI DEVELOPED CLOUD BASED OPEN-SOURCE WEB-GSI TOOL

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) on 13 March 2014 developed its first ever cloud based open-source Web-GIS tool. The tool was developed to estimate the rooftop solar power potential for Indian cities.

The development of Web-GIS tool project was supported by

• Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF)


• Chandigarh Renewable Energy Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST)

• Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)

• Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI)

• Confederation of Industry (CII)

Some features of Web-GIS tool

• It will act as a Decision Support System (DSS) to carry out the pre-feasibility assement of putting rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system for a particular location.

• It will help users to estimate potential green-house gas (GHG) mitigation through solar rooftop route for a given location.

The web-GIS tool first will be launched in Chandigarh and later in other cities. The government was already providing subsidies to the private sector to produce renewable energy.

If seen in international trends perspective, than Germany is one of the countries of the world that produces 25 percent of its energy in form of solar power. Apart from this, there are many other countries who are also investing in renewable energy for the benefit of the environment. This practice also helps in saving cost on production of energy.

About TERI

TERI was established in 1974 for research activities in the fields of energy, environment and sustainable developments.

INDIAN-AMERICAN SCIENTIST ANIL JAIN DEVELOPED FIRST 3D MODEL OF HUMAN FINGERPRINT CALLED PHA

Indian-American scientist Anil Jain on 6 March 2014 developed the first 3D model of a human fingerprint called Phantom. The development could boost the accuracy of fingerprint-matching systems and improve security technology.

The team of computer scientists led by Arun Jain at Michigan State University developed the 3D image by first making a two-dimensional image of a fingerprint and then mapping it to a 3D finger surface. The 3D finger surface complete with all the ridges and valleys that make up the human fingerprint, is made using a 3D printer.


Although the 3-D model does not yet have the exact texture or feel of a real finger. However, it could advance fingerprint sensing and matching technology.

The ultimate goal is to have a precise fingerprint model with known properties and features that can be used to calibrate existing technology used to match fingerprints. Tools like this would help improve the overall accuracy of fingerprint-matching systems, which eventually leads to better security in applications ranging from law enforcement to mobile phone unlock.

Anil Jain is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and at present is the lead computer scientist & Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University. He has six US patents on fingerprint matching and has written a number of books on biometrics and fingerprint/facial recognition.

RESEARCHERS AT CAPRISA DISCOVERED POTENT ANTIBODIES TO NEUTRALIZE HIV

Researchers at Center for the AIDS Program of Research (CAPRISA) discovered potent antibodies which can neutralize and kill multiple strains of HIV. The study was published in the scientific journal, Nature on 3 March 2014.

Researchers studied how a South African woman’s body referred to as CAPRISA 256 (abbreviated to CAP256) responded to her HIV infection by making potent antibodies. These potent antibodies are also called as neutralizing antibodies because of their ability to kill multiple strains of antibodies.

INDIAN ORIGIN BOY SHUBHAM BANERJEE DEVELOPED LOW COST BRAILLE PRINTER

A 12 year old boy of Indian Origin Shubham Banerjee developed a low cost Braille Printer on 23

February 2014.

By using a 350 dollar LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 set, he had developed a Braille Printer to help

blinds.

The invention was named as Braigo, a mash-up of Braille and LEGO. Users can type in letters, and the Braigo’s needle will hammer out the translated message in raised dots on paper.

LEGO Mindstorms EV3 is a remarkably powerful and functional robotics kit people of any age can use to build some impressive and complicated projects.


ASI & GOOGLE JOINTLY LAUNCHED THE 360 DEGREE ONLINE VIEW OF INDIAN HERITAGE SITES

Archaelogical Survey of India (ASI) joined hands with the Google to launch the 360 degree online view of the Indian heritage sites on 20 February 2014.

The aim is to create a dynamic, immersive online experience by which people within India and around the world can understand and engage more of India's diverse cultural heritage.

Under the first part of the project, a total of 30 heritage sites from across the nation have been mapped using the Street View Trekker of Google. Under the Street View Trekker a person gets a step by step walk around virtual tour of the place.

The Indian heritage sites that have been mapped include the likes of Taj Mahal, Raigad Fort, Nagarjuna Konda Buddhist Stupas, Fatehpur Sikri, Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb, Red Fort, Aga Khan Palace, Agra Fort and more.

The 30 monuments will also be now available to viewers on GoogleMaps and on the World Wonders site, part of Google Cultural Institute.

In October 2013, Google had announced its project to capture the panoramic image of 100 Indian Heritage sites with Union Ministry of Culture and ASI. In pursuance of the signed agreement with ASI and Union Culture Ministry, Google created a virtual walkthrough application using its Street View Trekker technology for the first time in India.

UNION GOVERNMENT LAUNCHED HIV SALVAGE THERAPY

Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched third-line drug therapy for people living with HIV/AIDS on 12 February 2014. The third-line therapy also called salvage or rescue therapy is prescribed for people who have limited drug options left.

The announcement for the salvage therapy was made by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad at the launch of at the launch of the National AIDS Control Programme Phase IV (2012-2017). The highly expensive therapy will be provided free. The third-line therapy would enhance longevity and improve the quality of life of patients.

The Union Health Ministry also extended free anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to more of them by revising the eligibility norm.


For receiving free ART, the minimum CD4-count limit had been reduced from 500 to 350. The count is a measure of the viral load.

MARS ORBITER SPACECRAFT, MANGALYAAN, COMPLETED 100 DAYS

The Mars Orbiter spacecraft, also called Mangalyaan, completed 100 days in space on 12 February 2014. As per the rough estimation, it has covered a third of its journey towards the Red Planet.

Till now it has completed its curved travel of 190 million km towards Mars (the Red Planet) out of its total journey of 680 million km which it will be covering it over the next 210 days.

Although the orbiter has travelled 160 million km in a semicircular path, it is 16 million km away from Earth if an imaginary straight line is drawn between the two because Earth is also moving in the same direction.

The ground station of ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) has been continuously monitoring it from Byalalu on the outskirts of Bangalore, Karnataka. ISTRAC is due to do a few course corrections as the orbiter covers the remaining 490 million km using the pre-set propulsion system.

All the five instruments on the Mars orbiter were switched on for tests and were found to be performing well on 6 February 2014,

Subsequent to six orbit raising manoeuvres around the Earth following the launch, the Trans Mars Injection (TMI) Manoeuvre on 1 December 2013 gave necessary thrust to the spacecraft to escape from Earth and to initiate the journey towards Mars, in a helio-centric orbit.

Three more such trajectory correction manouevres are slated for April 2014, August 2014 and September 2014. Then the spacecraft will be inserted into an orbit around Mars by an operation called Mars Orbit Insertion on 24 September 2014.

The Mangalyaan is scheduled to be near the Red Planet around mid-September after travelling nearly 300 days.

The first interplanetary probe, Mangalyaan, was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre,

Sriharikota on 5 November 2013. The main objective of India's launch is to check whether Mars

ever had an environment in which life evolved and to explore Mars' surface, topography,

mineralogy and atmosphere.


AUSTRALIAN ASTRONOMERS DISCOVERED OLDEST KNOWN STAR IN UNIVERSE

Astronomers of Australian National University discovered the oldest known star in the Universe on 11 February 2014. The discovery was published in the journal Nature.

The star, known as SMSS J031300.36-670839.3, is in the Milky Way galaxy and some 6000 light years from the Earth. The star was formed shortly after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago.

The star was discovered using the ANU SkyMapper telescope at the Siding Spring Observatory, which is searching for ancient stars as it conducts a five-year project to produce the first digital map of the southern sky. The discovery of the star was confirmed using the Magellan telescope in Chile.

The composition of the newly-discovered star shows it was formed in the wake of a primordial star, which had a mass 60 times that of our Sun. The iron content of the star was used to determine its age. The low iron content in the star suggests it was formed in a low energy explosion. This is a new discovery, as it means early supernovae were more varied in their energy than previously thought.

The discovery allowed astronomers for the first time to study the chemistry of the first stars, giving scientists a clearer idea of what the Universe was like in its infancy. The discovery will open the way for new approaches in examining the origins of the Universe.

This new discovery suggests early stars were much larger and would have burned more lithium than experts previously realised. The stars burn the lithium, they blow up, and don't emit much iron. This helps bring the lithium abundance into line with what the Big Bang theory predicts.

The Big Bang created a universe filled with hydrogen, helium and extremely small amounts of

lithium. Iron, along with other elements, was forced in stars and supernovae. While modern

stars were created from multiple star explosions and contain many different elements, older

stars are more simplistic in terms of composition.

NIT ODISHA DEVELOPED TECHNOLOGY TO TURN PLASTIC INTO FUEL

National Institute of Technology, Odisha, developed a commercially viable technology for efficiently rendering common polymer, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) into a liquid fuel.


This discovery may lead to re-using discarded plastic bags and other products to address growing demands for fuel globally. Study was published in International Journal of Environment and Waste Management.

LDPE is used to make container, medical and laboratory equipment, computer components and plastic bags.

The team heat up the plastic waste to between 400 and 500 degrees celsius over a kaolin catalyst (a clay mineral containing aluminum and silicon).This caused the plastic's long chain polymer chains to break apart in a process known as thermo-catalytic degradation. The process released large quantities of much smaller, carbon-rich molecules.

An analytical method called Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to characterise these product molecules and found the components of their liquid fuel to be mainly paraffins and olefins 10 to 16 carbon atoms long.

This makes the liquid fuel very similar chemically to conventional petrochemical fuels.

Kaolin acts as a catalyst by providing a large reactive surface on which the polymer molecules can sit and so be exposed to high temperature inside the batch reactor, which breaks them apart.

Recycling initiatives are in place across the world but much of the polyethylene waste ends up in landfill, dispersed in the environment or in the sea.

The process, if implemented on a large scale, can reduce pressures on landfill as well as ameliorating the effects of dwindling oil supplies in a world with increasing demands on petrochemicals for fuel.

NASA ROVER OPPORTUNITY FOUND MARS HAD LIFE FRIENDLY FRESH WATER

ASA Mars rover Opportunity found that Mars had life friendly fresh water once. This was confirmed by the scientists at NASA on 23 January 2014. The discovery has reinforced the similar discoveries made by Curiosity on the other side of the planet Mars.

Opportunity had been analyzing water-bearing rocks at the rim of an ancient impact crater called Endeavour. Rather than the chemical fingerprints of acidic, salty water found at previous sites, Opportunity discovered telltale clays called smectites that form in Ph-neutral water.


The finding adds to an emerging picture of a planet Mars that spent its first billion years or so warmer than it is today, with pools of fresh water on its surface. Gradually, water activity declined and what did exist became acidic, scientific findings reveal, and then, beginning about 3 billion years ago, Mars dried up.

By studying rocks at various levels, scientists expect to not only get a better idea of how long the planet Mars was able to sustain life, but where conditions might be favourable to perverse key evidence, such as organic carbon.

SMART CONTACT LENS UNVEILED BY GOOGLE TO MEASURE GLUCOSE LEVELS IN TEARS

Google X Lab unveiled a smart contact lens that can help diabetics to measure their glucose

level in tears on 17 January 2014. The smart contact lens has been developed in collaboration

with the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) by Brian Otis and Babak Parviz.

The contact lens uses a tiny wireless chip and a minituarized glucose sensor. Besides it uses an

antenna, thinner than a human hair, to measure tear glucose with better accuracy. The lens

also uses tiny LED lights to warn users when their glucose levels cross certain thresholds.

The company is currently testing prototypes of contact lens that can take about one reading per

second.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diabetes affects 347 million people

worldwide. In 2004 alone, 3.4 million people died as a result of high fasting blood sugar.

The International Diabetes Federation data shows that one in ten people across the world's

population are forecast to have diabetes by 2035.

INDIA COMPLETED THREE YEARS WITHOUT ANY POLIO CASE

India completes three years without reporting any case of polio on 13 January 2014. It is only the second time in the history that a disease is being eliminated in India through immunisation after small pox in May 1980.

Officially the World Health Organisation (WHO) will certify India as polio-free on 11 February 2014. The WHO on 24 February 2012 removed India from the list of countries with active endemic wild polio transmission.

Once India is declared polio-free, the entire WHO region would also become polio free.


India’s being declared polio-free is particularly important because it was the only country in the South East Asian region with polio cases.The number of polio cases came down from 741 in 2009 to 42 in 2010 and just one in 2011 reported from West Bengal.

India won the war against polio through intense Pulse Polio Immunisation under the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). The Pulse Polio Immunisation programme was launched in 1988 by Rotary International in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO). Under the Polio Immunisation programme, over 17 crore children were vaccinated in each round of vaccination with the help of 24 lakh vaccinators.

ANU VIDYUT PARIYOJANA LAUNCHED IN FATEHABAD, HARYANA

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation of 2,800 Megawatt nuclear power plant in Fatehabad district of Haryana on 13 January 2014.

The project named as Anu Vidyut Pariyojna, will have four units of 700 MWes each and it will be built at a cost 23502 crore rupees.

They are Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) which will use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as both coolant and moderator.

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) will build these reactors. This is the first time Haryana will have a nuclear project.

In the second stage, the NPCIL will build two more PHWRS of 700 MWe each at the Gorakhpur site of Haryana.

The nuclear plant will accelerate the pace of development of the area and it would also generate more employment opportunities.

The NPCIL is already building four PHWRS of 700 MWe each, two units each at Kakrapara in Gujarat and Rawatbhatta in Rajasthan. The units at Kakrapara are under advanced stage of construction and they will attain criticality in 2016.

NPCIL is the sole body responsible for constructing and operating India's commercial nuclear power plants. The company had 21 nuclear reactors in operation at seven locations. Total installed capacity of nuclear reactors is 5780 MWe.


SCIENTISTS DESIGNED MOCLIC SOFTWARE TO PREDICT WEATHER

Researcher from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) designed the software Monitoring Climate Change (Moclic) through which is possible to organise, store and operate geo-referenced data from climate elements.

Moclic can calculate bio and agro climatic indicators such as humidity, aridity, rain erosion and rainfall concentration.

Using the new software information regarding temperature can be known more accurately which feeds on data from weather stations in any state or country.

Moclic project allows an agronomist to obtain annual rainfall records and relate them to the crops production figures for explanation of a possible event.

It is also possible to identify desiccation processes in a region which comes useful while considering the seeds that can resist droughts or the optimization of rainwater catching techniques, storage or types of irrigation.

The software is very simple and can be used by decision making characters, as governors,

breeders, physicians, farmers, students or anyone whose repercussions could have economic

politic or social effects.

INDIA’S SUPERCOMPUTER, PARAM YUVA-II RANKED 1 IN INDIA

PARAM Yuva-II India’s supercomputer rated 1st in India, 9th in the Asia Pacific Region and 44th

in the world among the most power efficient computer systems as per the Green500 List.

It was announced at the Super computer Conference (SC 2013) in Denver, Colorado, US.

PARAM Yuva-II was developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).

C-DAC is the second organization worldwide to have carried out the Level 3 measurement of

Power versus Performance for the Green500 List

PARAM Yuva – II uses hybrid technology, processor, co-processor and hardware accelerators.

PARAM uses hybrid technology to provide the peak compute power of 520.4 Teraflop/s using

210 kilowatt power.

The interconnect network comprises of homegrown PARAMNet-III and Infiniband FDR System

Area Network.


This system is designed to solve large and complex computational problems.

The system has 200 Terabytes of high performance storage, and requisite system software and

utilities for parallel applications development.

About Supercomputers

• A Super computer is the fastest type of computers that is typically used for scientific and

engineering applications which handles very large databases or does a great amount of

computation or both.

• In general Supercomputers consume a lot of electrical power and produce much heat.

• To reduce heat, it requires elaborate cooling facilities, which increases the Total Cost of

Ownership (TCO) of a supercomputer.

• Green500 ranks computer systems in the world according to compute performance per watt

and providing a world ranking based on energy efficiency.

• Energy consumed by supercomputers is measured at various Levels L1, L2, and L3.


Sports

CHINA WON UBER CUP 2014 OF BADMINTON

China won Uber Cup 2014 of badminton on 24 May 2014. China team defeated the Japan team 3-1 in the final held at Siri Fort Complex in New Delhi.

With this, China won the Uber Cup for the 13th time and it was China’s eighth title from the last nine editions. China has reached 16 successive finals.

JAPAN WON THE THOMAS CUP 2014 OF BADMINTON

Japan won the Thomas Cup 2014 of badminton on 25 May 2014. Japan team defeated the Malaysian team 3-2 in the finals held at Siri Fort Complex in New Delhi. This was Japan’s first maiden Thomas Cup.

Also, with this win, Japan became the fourth nation to win the Thomas Cup after Indonesia, China and Malaysia.

Malaysia won the last of their five Thomas Cup titles in 1992 and was runner-up in 1994, 1998 and 2002. Besides, it won three Bronze medals at Thomas Cup in 2006, 2008 and 2010.

REAL MADRID DEFEATED ATLETICO MADRID 4-1 TO WIN 10TH UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FOOTBALL TITLE

Real Madrid on 24 May 2014 defeated Atletico Madrid 4-1 at Lisbon to win their 10th UEFA Champions League Football title and first since 2002.

The highlight of the match was that all the three winning goals by Real Madrid was done in the extra-time play after the match was tied 1-1 in the 90-minutes play. The three goals in the extra-time on part of Real Madrid were done by Gareth Bale, Marcelo goal, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

JAPAN WON AFC WOMEN’S ASIAN FOOTBALL CUP 2014

Japan won the AFC Women's Asian Football Cup 2014 on 25 May 2014. In the final held in Vietnam, Japan football team defeated defending champion Australia 1-0. This is Japan’s first-ever AFC Women’s Asian Cup since it started competing in the event in 1977.

In the final, the winning and the only goal was scored by Japanese Azusa Iwashimizu.


SNOOKER CHAMPION CHITRA NOMINATED FOR ARJUNA AWARDS 2014

Snooker champion Chitra Magimairaj was nominated for Arjuna awards 2014 announced by the Billiards and Snooker Association of India (BSFI) on 21 May 2014. Contemporary player Vidhya Pillai and upcoming player Brijesh Damani were also nominated for the Arjuna awards 2014.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC WON THE MEN'S ITALIAN TENNIS OPEN 2014 FOR THE THIRD TIME

Novak Djokovic won the men's Italian Tennis Open 2014 held in Rome, Italy on 18 May 2014. Novak of Serbia defeated Rafael Nadal of Spain 4-6, 6-3 and 6-3 in the final. This is Novak’s third Italian Open and his 44th title overall.

The Italian Open won by Novak’s was his 19th career Masters Title and his 19th win against Nadal in 41 meetings.

Rafael Nadal had won the Rome Masters for the maximum number of seven times.

In the women’s, Serena Williams of US won the Italian Open 2014 against Sara Errani of Italy.

The Italian Open 2014 was held in Rome Italy from 11 May 2014 to 18 May 2014. It is red clay tennis tournament after French Tournament. It is also known as Rome Masters or Italians Championships.

SERENA WILLIAMS WON THE WOMEN'S ITALIAN TENNIS OPEN 2014 FOR THE THIRD TIME

Serena Williams of US won the Women's Italian Tennis Open 2014 on 18 May 2014. She defeated World No. 11 Sara Errani of Italy 6-3, 6-0 in the final held in Rome, Italy.

This was the third Italian Open won by Serena. For the first time she won the Italian Open in 2002 and the second Italian Open was won by her in 2013.

Also, the win gave Serena her 60th WTA titles and as a result she moved to Number 7 position on the all-time list for most WTA titles.

The six highest on the all-time list for most WTA titles are Martina Navratilova (who won 167 WTA titles), Chris Evert (154), Steffi Graf (107), Margaret Court (92), Evonne Goolagong Cawley (68) and Billie Jean King (67).

Besides, Errani is the first Italian to make to the final of Italian Open since 1985.


SIR JACK BRABHAM, THREE-TIME F-1 CHAMPION DIED IN AUSTRALIA

Sir Jack Brabham, the three-time Formula One world champion died on 19 May 2014 at his home in Australia after a long illness. He was 88.

He won the F-1 titles in 1959, 1960 and 1966. In 1966, he won the F-1 title in his own car named Brabham, which was built by him.

PANKAJ ADVANI WON CCI BILIARDS TITLE

Pankaj Advani on 14 May 2014 won Cricket Club of India (CCI) Classic Billiards and Snooker tournament. He defeated two-time world runner-up Dhruv Sitwala 1425-447 in the final.

The Bangalore-based Eight-time world champion Pankaj Advani also won the Highest Break award for the 530, which he scored against Devendra Joshi in the quarterfinals.

At the halfway mark of the four-hour final, Sitwala was trailing 227-787 with the aid of a 95 break. While, Advani had procured breaks of 243, 193, 98, 87 and 78.

About Pankaj Advani

Pankaj Advani is a 8-time World Champion. He won his first world title when he was just 18. He is the only Asian to have ever won both the Billiards and Snooker World Championships.

Pankaj Advani is one of the youngest Indian to be honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. He has also been conferred with the Arjuna and Padmashree awards.

HOCKEY INDIA HONOURED HEROES OF 1975 WORLD CUP TEAM

Hockey India (HI) honoured heroes of 1975 World Cup team on 14 May 2014. Hockey India (HI) felicitated 13 living members of the 1975 World Cup.

Hockey India honoured the team with a cheque of 175000 rupees to each member.

Ajit Pal Singh was the captain of the 1975 team. Other members were Ashok Kumar, Aslam Sher Khan, Brigadier (retd) Harcharan Singh, Leslie Fernandez, Varinder Singh, Ashok Diwan, Michael Kindo, BP Govinda, Brigadier (retd) HJS Chimni, VJ Phillips, Onkar Singh and Kaliah PE.

The 1975 World Cup team was felicitated on the eve of announcement of the squad for the World Cup. The Hockey World Cup will be held in The Hague in May 2014. Till now, India had won the gold medal in Hockey world Cup only once in 1975.


GRANT FLOWER NAMED AS PAKISTAN BATTING COACH

Grant Flower, the former Zimbabwe batsman on 15 May 2014 was named as the batting coach of Pakistan cricket team for two years. He will join the Pakistan side on 1 August 2014 just before the Sri Lanka series of the team.

Grant Flower name was finalised on the recommendation of the coaching committee comprised of

Moin Khan - Chief Selector

Intikhab Alam - director domestic cricket operations

Haroon Rashid - director game development

MANIPUR WON SENIOR NATIONAL WOMEN'S FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS TITLE

Manipur on 12 May 2014 won the 20th Senior National Women’s Football Championships title at the Golaghat Stadium in Assam. To clinch the title, Manipur defeated the defending champions Orissa by 3-1.

Bala Devi of Manipur scored two goals and the third was made by Oinam Benbem (the AIFF Women’s Player of the Year)

Sakina Nesa of Orissa reduced the margin of goals by scoring a goal in the last minutes

At the end of the tournament, Bala Devi was adjudged as the player of the tournament.

Last time, Manipur won the Championships in 2010.

MARIA SHARAPOVA DEFEATED SIMONA HALEP TO WIN MADRID OPEN TITLE

Maria Sharapova of Russia on 11 May 2014 won the Mutua Madrid Open Tennis title. To win her 1st Madrid Open title, Sharapova defeated the Romanian Simona Halep 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the finals.

With this win, Sharapova has captured 31st career title. For Halep, this was first appearance in the finals at one of the WTA’s Premier tournament.

Earlier in 2013, Sharapova lost the finals of Madrid to Serena Williams. Since 2011, the eighth seed Sharapova has lost only three times on the clay and all the defeats by the hand of world number one Serena Williams.


RAFAEL NADAL WON MADRID OPEN TITLE

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal on 11 May 2014 won his 27th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at Mutua Madrid Tennis Open final. He won after Kei Nishikori of Japan was forced to withdraw with a back injury when was trailing 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 in the final set.

With this win Nadal of Spain became the first player to win four Madrid open tennis titles.

His previous victories were

In 2005 against Ljugicic

In 2010 against Federer

In 2013 against Wawrinka

O’SULLIVAN NAMED AS SNOOKER’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ronnie O’Sullivan on 8 may 2014 was crowned World Snooker’s Player of the Year at the sport's annual awards ceremony in London. Apart from this, O’Sullivan was also handed the Fans Player of the Year award after being voted by snooker supporters.

During the 2013/14 season, he won four titles, which included the Masters in January when he beat Mark Selby 10-4 in the final. He triumphed in the Welsh Open in March 2014 by rounding off a 9-3 defeat of Ding Junhui with a 147 break. This was 12th maximum of his career and a new record too.

Awards given in the ceremony are

World Snooker Player of the Year: Ronnie O'Sullivan

Snooker Writers Player of the Year: Ding Junhui

Fans Player of the Year: Ronnie O'Sullivan

Rookie of the Year: John Astley

Performance of the Year: Mark Selby

Magic Moment of the Year: Mark Selby

Special award for 100 Centuries: Neil Robertson

147 Club (players making a 147 during the season): Neil Robertson, Judd Trump, Mark Selby, Dechawat Poomjaeng, Gary Wilson, Shaun Murphy, Ronnie O'Sullivan

Hall of Fame inductees: Dennis Taylor and Cliff Thorburn

WAQAR YOUNIS APPOINTED AS HEAD COACH OF PAKISTAN CRICKET TEAM

Waqar Younis, the former fast bowler of Pakistan on 6 May 2014 was appointed as the national coach of the national cricket team of Pakistan for a period of two years. His name was finally


formalised by the Pakistan Cricket Board after his name was declared a week ago by Najam Sethi, the Chairman of the Board.

His name was selected by a committee constituted by PCB that met in Lahore.

The committee included

Intikhab Alam - Director Domestic Cricket Operations

Haroon Rashid - Director Game Development

Moin Khan – the Chief selector

VIRAT KOHLI RANKED NO 1 IN ICC ONE DAY INTERNATIONAL RANKINGS

Virat Kohli was ranked no 1 in ICC list of One Day International (ODI) rankings released in Dubai on 4 May 2014. He remained on the top rank in batsmen list with 881 points and is followed by the AB de Villiers with 872 points.

The other two Indians under top 10 list are Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shikhar Dhawan.

Jadeja remained at fifth position with 676 points and Ravichandran Ashwin (rank 14) in the bowling list. Jadeja is ranked fourth in the list of the all-rounder.

Top ten ranking of ICC of ODI batsmen

Rank Name points

1 V Kohli India

2 A B de Villiers South Africa

3 G J Bailey Australia

4 H M Amla South Africa

5 K C Sangakkara Sri Lanka

6 M S Dhoni India

7 S Dhawan India

8 TM Dilshan Sri Lanka


9 Misbah-ul-Haq Pakistan

10 R L Taylor Australia

MARK SELBY WON WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP 2014

Mark Selby of England won the World Snooker Championship 2014 in Sheffield, England on 6 May 2014. He won the title against the defending champion Ronnie O Sullivan with 18-14 in the final. This is his first World title and he was runner-up in 2007. With this win he was ranked world no 1 in the Snooker.

Mark Selby, 30, won cash prize of 300000 pounds and he is the ninth player to win Triple Crown (World Championship, the Masters and UK Championship).

Earlier he won three Master titles (2008, 2010 and 2013) and a UK Championship in 2012.

The other titles include the Welsh Open in 2008 and the Shanghai Masters in 2011.

Champion O Sullivan won the World title for five times, ranked 19 and this was the first world final he lost.

SANIA MIRZA AND CARA BLACK WON WTA PORTUGAL OPEN 2014

Sania Mirza of India and Cara Black of Zimbabwe on 3 May 2014 won women’s doubles title at the WTA Portugal Open 2014 held in Oeiras, Portugal.

Sania and Cara won the title by defeating the Czech Russian team of Eva Hrdinova and Valeria Solovyeva 6-4, 6-3 in the final. This is the first title and third final of the season for Sania and Cara who ended runners-up at Indian Wells in March 2014 and at Stuttgart event in April 2014. Sania and Cara shared 9919 euro as prize money and earned 280 ranking points each for the title.

In 2013, Sania and Cara pair won the women doubles title at the China Open 2013 and the Toray Pan Pacific Open 2013.

INDIA RANKED NO 1 IN TWENTY20 INTERNATIONAL TEAM RANKING

India ranked no 1 in ICC Twenty20 International Team ranking announced in Dubai on 1 May 2014. India replaced Sri Lanka from the top position. Sri Lanka earned the top position on 8 April 2014 by replacing India after defeating it in the T20 world cup 2014 in Bangladesh.

http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/sania-mirza-and-cara-black-won-wta-portugal-open-2014-1399269151-1

http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/sania-mirza-and-cara-black-won-wta-portugal-open-2014-1399269151-1


ADHIBAN WON SILVER AT ASIAN CONTINENTAL CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

Grand Master Adhiban won silver medal at the Asian Continental Chess Championship held in Sharjah on 26 April 2014. With this silver he got an entry in the World Chess Cup 2015 that will be held at Baku, Azerbaijan.

Adhiban ended up with 6.5 points whereas Yu Yangyi of China won the gold medal ending with 7 points. Ni Hua of China won bronze medal with 6.5 points. Rustam Kasimdzhanov stood at the fourth place (6 points) and Weng Yan of China at the fifth place (6.5 points).

In the women's championship, Irine Kharisma Sukandar of Indonesia won the gold medal. Atousa Pourkashiyan of Iran won the silver and Tan Zhongyi of China got bronze.

INDIAN SQUASH PLAYER SAURAV GHOSAL WON DATO ALEX LEE AWARD 2013

Indian Squash Player Saurav Ghosal won Dato Alex Lee Award 2013 on 24 April 2014. He was selected for the award by the Asian Squash Federation (ASF) for being the Outstanding Asian Men's Player of the Year 2013.

Also, the Indian men’s team was awarded the ASF Award for being the Outstanding Men’s Team of The Year 2013. The Indian men's team comprised Ghosal, Harinderpal Sandhu, Ramit Tandon, Mahesh Mangaonkar along with coaches Cyrus Poncha and Gautam Das.

REAL MADRID WON THE COPA DEL RAY FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT OF SPAIN

Real Madrid won the Copa del Rey Cup on 16 April 2014. They defeated Barcelona 2-1 in the final played at Mestalla in Valencia, Spain.

In the final, it was Gerath Bale’s second goal that sealed the victory for Real Madrid. The esteemed Spanish club won the cup for the 19th time.

The highlight of the final match was the Gale Berath’s second goal in the 85th minute. The winger from Wales sprinted from the halfway line into the penalty area before slipping the ball brilliantly between the legs of Barca goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto.


RUBIN 'HURRICANE' CARTER, THE US BOXER DIED

Former American middleweight boxer, Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter died on 20 April 2014 at his home in Toronto, Canada following a battle with prostate cancer. He was 76.

He remained in jail for about two decades on the charge of murder of three white people in New Jersey in 1966. His conviction caused an international outcry.

JOSHNA CHINAPPA WON INAUGURAL RICHMOND OPEN OF SQUASH

Joshna Chinappa won inaugural Richmond Open of Squash at the Country Club of Virginia, US

on 19 April 2014. Chinappa won against Australian Champion Rachael Grinham. Chinappa

(ranked 21) scored 11-9, 11-5 and 11-8 in the finals and this was her first win in six meetings

over Rachael Grinham (ranked 16).

This was Chinappa’s ninth Women Squash Association (WSA) tour title in Country Club of

Virginia. This was the 16th final of Joshna and 65th for Grinham since her career started in

1998. Joshna was defeated by the Grinham at the Texas Open held from 8 April to 13 April 2014

in US.

STANISLAS WAWRINKA WON MONTE CARLO MASTERS TENNIS TITLE BY DEFEATING ROGER FEDERER

Stanislas Wawrinka on 20 April 2014 won the men's single Monte Carlo Masters Tennis title by

defeating former world number one Roger Federer, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2. With this, the 29-year-old

Wawrinka has won his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title.

CBI ESTABLISHED SPORT INTEGRITY UNIT TO INVESTIGATE SPORTS FRAUD CASES

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) established a Sport Integrity Unit on 15 April 2014 to investigate the cases related to fraud in sports. Betting and Match fixing are the most common cases of sports fraud.

CBI had held discussions with officials of International Cricket Council (ICC) and Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) before setting up the unit.


EIGHT FRANCHISEES OF INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE OF AIFF ANNOUNCED

The names of the eight franchisees of All India Football Federation's (AIFF) Indian Super League (ISL) were announced on 13 April 2014. The names were announced after competitive bidding was held for the rights to own eight soccer teams in the ISL. The ISL is scheduled to be held in September-November 2014.

During the competitive bidding each winning bidder paid about 25 million dollar for a 10-year contract for each of the eight soccer teams. The base price of each time was fixed at 12 crore rupees and the total money spent on acquiring eight team was 120 crore rupees. The highest price of 18 crore rupees was paid for Kolkata team.

WILSON KIPSANG WON LONDON MARATHON

Wilson Kipsang (Kenya) won the 34th London Marathon on 13 April 2014. He completed the 26.2-mile route in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 29 seconds. He won the title for the second time. He earlier won it in 2012. Stanley Biwott (Kenya) secured second and Tsegaye Kebede secured third position. London based double Olympic champion Mo Farah got eighth rank.

SANTOSO WON OUE SINGAPORE OPEN 2014

Simon Santoso (Indonesia) won the OUE Singapore Open 2014 for the first time on 13 April 2014. He defeated Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia), badminton’s world number one player by 21-15, 21-10 in final match held in Singapore. Santoso won 300000 US Dollars for this victory.

SHIKHAR DHAWAN NAMED AMONG WISDEN’S FIVE CRICKETERS OF THE YEAR

Shikhar Dhawan, the Indian cricketer on 9 April 2014 was named as one of the Five Cricketers of 2014 for his performance in 2013. The other four to be named under the list of cricketer of the year are

Chris Rogers and Ryan Harris of Australia

Joe Root of England

Charlotte Edwards, the captain of women’s team of England


SACHIN BECAME 1ST INDIAN CRICKETER ON COVER PAGE OF WISDEN CRICKETERS’ ALMANACK

The 151st edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack published on 9 April 2014 carries a picture of Sachin Tendulkar on its cover page. With this Sachin Tendulkar, the Indian cricketer, who retired from International cricket in November 2013 and ended his glorious 24-year long career, became the 1st Indian cricketer to be featured on the cover page of the Almanack.

The yellow page of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack had shown Tendulkar walking out of the Wankhede stadium after completing his last innings against the West Indies in November 2013. The captured photograph had shown Tendulkar acknowledging the crowd with his bat raised.

The 2014 edition of Wisden Cricketers was published in London. Lawrence Booth is the editor of the edition that carried Sachin on the cover page.

INDIA'S HEENA SIDHU CLINCHED WORLD'S NO. 1 SPOT IN 10 MTS AIR PISTOL EVENT

Heena Sindhu, the Indian shooter on 7 April 2014 clinched the World’s Number One spot in 10 meters air pistol event. By achieving this fete, she became the first Indian pistol shooter to be ranked at the top position in the list.

Sindhu clinched the first spot in the rankings list by replacing the world champion Zorana Arunovic of Serbia with total pf 1699 rating points. Zorana is now placed at the second position in the list with 1514 points. China’s Wenjun Guo with 1190 points is placed at the third position.

DHONI NAMED CAPTAIN OF ICC WORLD T20 TEAM

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain of Indian cricket team on 7 April 2014 was named as the captain of the ICC World T20 team. The selected team for the ICC World Team includes other Indians like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin.

The World Team includes four players from India, two from both South Africa and West Indies, and one representative each from Australia, Netherlands and Sri Lanka. Players selected under the list of 2014 ICC World Team of the Tournament


LEE CHONG WEI & SHIXIAN WANG WON INDIA SUPER SERIES BADMINTON TITLES

Defending champion, Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia on 6 March 2014 won the men’s singles title of 250000 US dollar India Super Series Badminton in New Delhi. To retain the men’s singles title, he defeated Chen Long of China in straight-game by 21-13, 21-17. This was the third title for World Number one badminton player Chong Wei, of the season.

AUSTRALIAN CRICKET TEAM WON WOMEN'S T20 WORLD CUP 2014

Australian women cricket team on 6 April 2014 won the Women’s World Twenty20 Cup 2014 cup defeating England in the final match in Mirpur, Dhaka. It defeated England by six wickets with 29 balls left to be bowled. This was the third successive Women’s World Twenty20 title won by Australian women’s cricket team.

Australia’s captain – Meg Lanning (she was the highest scorer of the tournament with 257 runs)

England’s captain – Charlotte Edwards

Player of the match – SJ Coyte (Australia)

Player of the series – A Shrubsole (England) for taking 12 wickets in the tournament

Group stage

Group A: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, Ireland

Group B: England, West Indies, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh

PUNJAB WON JUNIOR NATIONAL HOCKEY TITLE 2014

Punjab on 6 April 2014 won the 4th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2014 (Division A) by defeating Hockey Odisha 6-2 in the finals at Chennai, Tamil Nadu. With this win, Punjab had retained the championship title.

To gain the third place in the tournament, Haryana defeated the Sports Authority of India (7-3).

Awards

Best Goalkeeper – Jugraj of Punjab

Best Deep Defender – Nilam Sanjeev Xess of Odisha

Best Midfielder – Sumit of Haryana


Best Forward – Joseph Toppo of Odisha

Man of the Tournament – Harjeet Singh of Punjab

SRI LANKA WON ITS MAIDEN ICC TWENTY20 WORLD CUP TITLE

Sri Lankan cricket team on 6 April 2014 won the ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2014 title after defeating Indian cricket team by six wickets in the final match at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) in Mirpur, Dhaka.

In the final, India batting first scored 130 runs. In response Sri Lanka achieved the target of 131 runs by losing only 4 wickets in 17.5 overs. From Indian side, once again, Virat Kohli led the scorecard of Indian team. He made a valiant 77 runs of 58 balls. From the Sri Lankan side, it was Kumar Sangakkara who led his team to victory by making an unbeaten 52 runs of 38 balls.

Earlier in the semi-finals, India defeated South Africa and Sri Lanka defeated West Indies to reach to the final of the T20 Cricket World Cup.

Man of the match – Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka

Player of the Tournament – Virat Kohli for hitting 319 runs in the tournament.

Captain of Sri Lankan cricket team in the final - Lasith Malinga

Capatin of Indian team - MS Dhoni

FIFA IMPOSED TRANSFER BAN ON BARCELONA

International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) imposed a transfer ban at both national and international level on 2 April 2014 on Spanish club FC Barcelona. The ban prohibited FC Barcelona from buying and/or selling players for the next two transfer windows (June 2014 and January 2015).

This ban will last for one year. Apart from this ban, FIFA also imposed financial penalty on FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

INDIA RANKED AS NO. 1 CRICKET TEAM IN ICC T20 RANKINGS

The Indian Cricket Team was ranked as number one team in recently released International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 rankings. ICC T20 ranking was released on 2 April 2014. It replaced Sri Lanka from the number one position.

India was able to push Sri Lanka to Number two due to it’s unbeaten run in its group in the ongoing T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.


VISWANATHAN ANAND RAISES TO NO. 3 IN FIDE WORLD CHESS RANKINGS

Viswanathan Anand ranked World number 3 in the rating list released by FIDE on 1 April 2014. Anand with the Victory at the Candidates Tournament held in Russia in March 2014 has moved five places ahead from 8 to 3 with 2785 Elo points.

According the rating list, Magnus Carlsen of Norway with Elo points 2881 ranks no 1 and Levon Aronian of America with 2812 ranks 2.

DJOKOVIC DEFEATED NADAL TO WIN FOURTH MIAMI MASTERS CROWN

Novak Djokovic, the six-time Grand Slam winner won his fourth Miami Masters crown on 30

March 2014 by defeating Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-3. This title was a combination of ATP and WTA

Tour hardcourt tournament. This win has helped him 850430 US dollars as the winner’s cheque.

Second seed Djokovic, benefitted from two walkovers didn’t dropped a set winning his third

Miami title in four years and fourth in total to odd to triumphs in 2007, 2011 and 2012. Nadal

has lost the Miami Masters title in 2008, 2009 and 2011.

LEWIS HAMILTON WON MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX

Lewis Hamilton won the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang (Malaysia) on 30 March 2014. His

teammate Nico Rosberg clinched second position. Lewis Hamilton won the race by 17.3

seconds by taking advantage of his pole position.

This was Hamilton’s 23rd victory in Formula One and 1st in Malaysia. It was also the first

Mercedes one-two victory since it returned to Formula One as a works team in 2010.

Top Final Results

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

3. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

4. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)

5. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India)


SIMON SANTOSO, INDONESIAN SHUTTLER WON MALAYSIA GRAND PRIX GOLD

Indonesian Simon Santoso won the Malaysia Grand Prix gold against Sourabh Varma in Men’s

Single at Pasir gudang, Malaysia on 30 March 2014. Malaysian Grand Prix gold was held from 25

March to 30 March 2014.

Simon Santoso won the final with score 21-15, 16-21, 19-21 against the Sourabh varma in an

hour and nine minutes. This is Simon’s second win over Sourabh Varma. Last time Sourabh and

Simon played against each other at the Indonesia Open 2012.

WEST ZONE WON CRICKET'S DEODHAR TROPHY 2014

West Zone on 27 March 2014 won the cricket's Deodhar Trophy 2014. They lifted the trophy after defeating North Zone in the Day-Night final at Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam by a margin of 133 runs.

North Zone, while chasing a score of 282 runs to win, was all out on 148 in 37.1 over.

Captain of West Zone – Cheteshwar Pujara

Captain of North Zone – Harbhajan Singh

India won 3rd South Asian Handball Championship title

India on 26 March 2014 clinched the 3rd South Asian Handball Championship title played at Genesis Global School in Noida. To win the title, India defeated Pakistan 36-31. The championship started on 23 March 2014.

Five teams that participated in the championship were

India

Afghanistan

Nepal

Pakistan

Bangladesh

RUSI DINSHAW, PAKISTAN’S ONLY PARSI CRICKETER DIED

Rusi Dinshaw, the only Parsi Community cricketer of Pakistan died on 24 March 2014 in Karachi. He was 86 and was suffering from schizophrenia.


RSPB WON SENIOR WOMEN HOCKEY NATIONAL TITLE

Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) on 23 March 2014 won the 4th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship (Division A) in Bhopal. To clinch the title, it defeated defending champions Haryana 4-0.

Top Scorer: Navneet Kaur, Haryana

Best Forward: Poonam Balra, Jharkhand

Best Defender: Deepika Railways Sports Promotion Board

Best Goalkeeper: Savite, Haryana

Best Player of the Tournament: Monika Haryana

Captain of Railway Sports Promotion Board - TH Chanchan

First and second position was claimed by: the winner and runner-up

Third position in the tournament went to: Jharkhand by defeating Punjab 5-0

Fourth position went to: Punjab

STUART OLIVER WON 1ST-EVER INDIAN TRUCK-RACING CHAMPIONSHIP

Stuart Oliver, the experienced British racer on 23 March 2014 won the inaugural Tata T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship at Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida. He represented Castrol Vecton team in the race and took 30:26.848 minutes to complete 15 laps of the 2.5 km loop on the 5.1 km-long track.

Stuart Oliver (50-year-old), a ten-time British Truck Racing Champion staved off the stiff challenge from Mathew Summerfield (30:31:522 minutes) of Team Cummins. Summerfield finished at the second position. David Jenkins, representing Tata Technologies Motorsports finished third with timings 30:32:413 minutes.

SACHIN TENDULKAR VOTED CRICKETER OF THE GENERATION

Sachin Tendulkar on 14 March 2014 was voted as the Cricketer of the Generation by a 50-member jury that comprised current and former cricketers and journalists. To win the award, Sachin defeated his competitors spin legend Shane Warne and all-rounder Jacques Kallis.


ASIAN GRAND PRIX ARCHERY CHAMPIONSHIP: INDIAN ARCHERS WON 2 GOLD & SILVER IN TEAM EVENTS

Indian archers on 13 March 2014 bagged 2 gold and a silver in the team events in 1st Asian Grand Prix Archery Championships at Bangkok. Whereas, in the Compound Women’s team event women team defeated Iran to clinch the first gold, 219 to 204. The women compound team included Gagandeep Kaur, V Jyothi Surekha and P Lily Chanu.

IPL 2014 TO BE HELD IN UAE, BANGLADESH AND INDIA

Ending the speculation over India Premium League (IPL) 2014, a release of BCCI on 12 March 2014 said that the tournament will be held in United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bangladesh and India from 16 April to 1 June 2014. The tournament will be played in three different phases and the first phase at least 16 matches will be played in United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 16 April to 30 April 2014.

The second phase of the tournament from 1 May to 12 May 2014 will be held in Bangladesh only if Union Home Ministry doesn’t permits to hold the event in India. The BCCI at present is seeking permission to play IPL matches in Indian cities, where the polling will be concluded in respective states till then.

The third and the last phase of the tournament will be played in India once the polling will conclude in all states of the country. As per the decision, the board of BCCI has decided to conduct the remaining league matches plus the playoffs in India from 13 May 2014 1 June 2014. It has also decided that no matches will be conducted on the day of counting of the polls on 16 May 2014.

HEENA SIDHU AND CHAIN SINGH WON GOLD AT 7TH ASIAN AIR GUN CHAMPIONSHIP

Heena Sidhu on 10 March 2014 won the Gold medal in the Women’s Air pistol event at the 7th Asian Air Gun Championship in Kuwait.

Heena topped the qualification stage with 386 and won the Gold medal with a score of 200.3, Chia Ying Wu of Chinese Taipei won the Silver (198.3) and Wadha Al Balushi from Oman won the Bronze (177.3).

In Team Event, Heena along with Shweta Chaudhary and Harveen Srao won the Silver medal with a total score of 1138 (20x). China won the Gold with a score of 1138 (21x) and Chinese Taipei won the Bronze with a score of 1134.


MIZORAM WON 68TH SANTOSH TROPHY OF FOOTBALL BY DEFEATING RAILWAYS

Mizoram on 9 March 2014 won the 68th senior National football championship of Santosh Trophy by defeating Railways 3-0 in the final match played at Kanchenjungha Stadium in Siliguri, West Bengal. This is the maiden Santosh Trophy for Mizoram and this was also the first appearance for them in the final match.

Railways for the last time bagged Santosh Trophy in 1966 and since then (48 years) it has never won a single trophy.

AUSTRALIA REPLACED INDIA IN SECOND POSITION IN ICC TEST TEAM RANKINGS

Australia on 5 March 2014 replaced India at the number two position in the Test team rankings of cricket. This place was achieved by Australia after they defeated South Africa by 245-run in the third and final Test match in Cape Town.

Australia who replaced India at the second position in test rankings entered the three test-matches series with South Africa at third position.

TAMIL NADU AND RAILWAYS WON FEDERATION CUP 2014

Tamil Nadu (TN) men and Railways women won the XXVII (twenty seventh) Federation Cup Volleyball titles on 5 March 2014 in the finals at Kizhakkambalam, Ernakulam in Kerala. Tamil Nadu men defeated services and the Railways women defeated Kerala in the finals. The cup was held from 26 February to 5 March 2014.

Tamil Nadu defeated services in straight sets 25-21, 25-19, 25-19

Women Railways defeated Kerala women by 25-21, 25-18, 25-16

Bronze Medal of women was won by Tamil Nadu and men by Uttrakhand.

64TH NATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP CONCLUDED

The 64th National Basketball Championship concluded on 5 March 2014 at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.

In the final, Chhattisgarh won the women's title beating Indian Railways 81-77. The men's title was won by Tamil Nadu. They defeated Punjab 74-57 to win the men's title.


SOURAV KOTHARI WON THE NATIONAL BILLIARD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE

Sourav Kothari won the National Billiard Championships held in Lucknow on 26 February 2014. He beat Alok Kumar by 5-3. This is the first maiden title for Saurav Kothari since he turned professional in 2007.

Sourav Kothari and Alok Kumar both play for Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB). Third position was secured by B. Bhaskar who beat Dhruv Sitwala.

SOMDEV DEVVARMAN WON ATP MEN'S SINGLES TENNIS TITLE

Somdev Devvarman, the India’s top singles star on 23 February 2014 lifted his third ATP Challenge Tennis title after beating top seed Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-3, 6-1 in the final of the USD 100000 ONGC-GAIL Open in RK Khanna Tennis stadium, New Delhi.

This was the fourth Challenger level final for Somdev and the first since 2010, when he achieved success in Izmir, Turkey. His first title came in 2008 in Lexington, USA.

DELHI WAVERIDERS WON THE 2ND EDITION OF HOCKEY INDIA LEAGUE CUP 2014

Delhi Waveriders on 23 February 2014 emerged as the champions of the Hero Hockey India League 2014 after defeating Jaypee Punjab Warriors at Astroturf Hocket Stadium in Ranchi. In the final match of the tournament, Delhi scored 3-1 against Punjab in the shoot-out after the regulation 70 minutes game ended in a 3-3 tie.

With this win, the Delhi team was handed over a trophy and a cash prize of 2.5 crore rupees and the runner ups were given a sum of 1.25 crore rupees. Apart from the two teams, Ranchi Rhinos was awarded with a sum of 75 lakh rupees for finishing at third position in the tournament. To stay at the third place, Ranchi team defeated Uttar Pradesh Wizards 3-2.

Delhi Waveriders was captained by Sardar Singh

Jaypee Punjab Warriors was captained by Jamie Dywer

Delhi Waveriders head Coach - Cedric D’Spuza

Jaypee Punjab Warriors head coach - Barry Dancer

FIH President - Leandro Negre

FIH CEO - Kelly Fairweather

Hero Hockey India League Chairman – Dr Narinder Batra

YES Bank Garv Award winner –Mark Knowles, Jaypee Punjab Warriors


Man of the Match –Nicolas Jacobi, Delhi Waveriders

Hero Goal of the Match Award –Norris Jones Lloyd, Delhi Waveriders

Other Tournament Awards

Awards Prize Money / Trophy

Winner – Team / Player

Winner Team of HHIL 2014

2.5 crore rupees Delhi Waveriders

Runners up team of the League

1.25 crore rupees

Jaypee Punjab warriors

Team positioned 3rd in the League

75 lacs rupees Ranchi Rhinos

Ponty Chadha Upcoming Player of the Tournament:

20 lacs rupees Jaypee Punjab warriors

Airtel Maximum goals

10 lacs rupees Jamie Dwyer, Jaypee Punjab warriors

Star Fair Play Trophy Ranchi Rhinos

Hero Most Valuable Player of the League

25 lacs rupees Jaap Stockmann, Jaypee Punjab warriors

CHETESHWAR PUJARA NAMED AS BRAND AMBASSADOR OF GUJARAT ELECTION COMMISSION

Cheteshwar Pujara, the middle order batsman of Indian cricket team on 20 February 2014 was appointed as the brand ambassador of the Gujarat State Election Commission.


Pujara’s name, which has been accepted by the Election Commission of India was sent as a suggestion to it by Rajendra Kumar, the district collector of Rajkot district. His name was suggested as he is popular among the cricket lovers and youth of the sate and he would appeal the people to caste their votes in the general elections.

P V SINDHU RANKED 9TH IN BWF WOMEN’S SINGLES RANKING

P V Sindhu was ranked ninth in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) women’s singles ranking on 20 February 2014. Sindhu moved to ninth with 55752 points from the eleventh just one place behind the Sania Nehwal (rank 7th).

Sindhu, 18 reached the finals of Syed Modi International before winning the All India Open Senior Ranking in Kochi. Sindhu is just 3928 points behind the Olympic bronze medalist, Saina Nehwal.

Sindhu and Saina will be playing the All England Open Championships from 4 to 9 March 2014 in Birmingham, England.

Parupalli Kashyap was ranked 18th place and Sourabh Verma reached the 41st rank in the BWF men’s singles ranking.

The top ten ranks of BWF women’s Singles

Ranking Names Country

1 Li Xuerui China

2 Wang Yihan China

3 Intanon Thailand

4 Wang Shixian China

5 Sung Ji Hyun South Korea

6 Bae Yeon Ju South Korea

7 Saina Nehwal India

8 Tai Tzu Ying Taiwan

9 P V Sindhu India

10 Porntip Buranaprasertsuk

Thailand


RENAUD LAVILLENIE BROKE 21-YEAR POLE VAULT RECORD OF SERGEY BUBKA

Renaud Lavillenie, the French Olympic champion on 15 February 2014 broke 21-year-old world record of pole vault of Sergey Bubka with a leap of 6.16 meter at Donetsk in the Ukraine.

Lavillenie aged 27 cleared the height in his first attempt by going 1 centimeter higher than the record set indoors by Bubka on 21 February 1993 at the age of 21. Bubka, the former Olympic champion also holds the world outdoor record of 6.14 meter achieved by him in Sestriere, Italy in 1994.

Bubka was the pioneer of the sport to become the first man to clear 6 meter and was present in Donetsk, when Lavillenie eclipsed his world record. Lavillenie is the six-time outdoor world champion. In pole vault, the world records set indoors or outdoors are accepted.

Sergey Bubka

Sergey Bubka is a former pole vaulter from Ukrain and was born on 4 December 1963

He represented the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991, was twice named Athlete of the Year by Track & Field News, and in 2012 was one of 24 athletes inducted as inaugural members of the International Association of Athletics Federations Hall of Fame

He has been a consecutive IAAD World Championships winner for six times

He is also a gold winner of Olympics

He has broken the world record of men’s pole vaulting 35 times of which 18 were broken indoors and 17 times outdoor

At present Bubka is a key member of the IOC and in 2013 he lost out to Thomas Bach on the race for President of the organization.

NEW ZEALAND WON TWO-CRICKET TEST SERIES AGAINST INDIA 1-0

New Zealand on 18 February 2014 won the two match Test Series against India 1-0 as the second match played in Wellington ended in a draw. Brendon McCullum, the skipper of the team of New Zealand in the second test match created a history by becoming first Kiwi player to score triple hundred. He scored 302 runs in the second innings.


PENG SHUAI OF CHINA RANKED WORLD NO. 1 IN WTA DOUBLES RANKING

Peng Shuai of China was ranked World Number 1 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Doubles ranking released on 17 February 2014. Peng Shuai is the first Chinese player to ascend to the top of the WTA's doubles ranking.

Hsieh Su-Wei of Chinese Taipei was ranked No.2 in WTA Doubles ranking which is the highest ranking ever for a player from Chinese Taipei.

LI NA OF CHINA RANKED WORLD NO. 2 IN WTA SINGLES RANKING

Li Na of China was ranked World Number 2 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles ranking released on 17 February 2014. Li Na became the first Asian player, Male or Female, to hold the WTA World No. 2 singles ranking.

She moved to second spot with 6690 points behind the American great Serena Williams, the 17-time Grand Slam title-winner, on 12380 points. She was ranked World No. 3 in WTA singles ranking in 2013.

The previous Asian record was No.4 for Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan.

The Women’s Tennis Association singles ranking

Rank Player Country

1 Serena Williams USA

2 Li Na China

3 Agnieska Radwanska

Poland

4 Victoria Azarenaka

Belarus

5 Maria Sharapova

Russia


6 Petra Kvitova CZE

7 Jelena Jankovic Serbia

8 Angelique Kerber

Germany

9 Simona Halep Romania

10 Sara Erranil Italy

CANCER AWARENESS PROGRAMME LAUNCHED BY YUVRAJ SINGH

Yuvraj Singh, the Indian cricketer cancer foundation named YouWeCan joined its hand with an NGO Navbharat Sewa Samiti on 10 February 2014 to roll out a campaign named Cancer Mukt Purvi Dilli. The aim of joining the hand is to focus on awareness, early detection of the disease and education.

Yuvraj Singh during the launch of the programme highlighted the need for an early detection of the dangerous disease to save more lives.

About YouWeCan foundation

The YouWeCan foundation was launched by Yuvraj Singh on 6 July 2012 after he successfully fought his battle against cancer. This organisation was launched as an initiative dedicated to raise cancer-awareness.

JUSTICE MUDGAL COMMITTEE SUBMITTED ITS REPORT ON IPL SPOT FIXING SCANDAL

Mukul Mudgal, the Former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana led committee on 9 February 2014 submitted its report on IPL spot fixing scandal that involved the son-in-law of BCCI Chief, Srinivasan. The committee was probing the charges against team owners of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals


The report submitted by justice Mudgal says that the allegations of betting and passing of information during Indian Premier League 2013 against Gurunath Meiyappan has been proved. The report also says that more investigation is needed against Rajasthan Royals owner Raj Kundra, who is facing charges of betting and fixing the match.

YULIA LIPNITSKAYA IS THE YOUNGEST RUSSIAN TO WIN GOLD MEDAL IN WINTER OLYMPICS

Yulia Lipnitskaya became the youngest Russian athlete to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. Yulia, 15-years-old won this medal in Winter Olympics 2014 at Sochi, Russia on 9 February 2014 in free skating in the team figure skating competition.

Yulia scored 141.51 points and earned a combined total of 214.41 under the International Judging System. Kim Yuna of South Korea is the current record holder, who scored 150.06 and combined total of 228.56 in women’s single in Winter Olympics 2010.

The youngest athlete is South Korean short track speed skater Kim Yun-mi, who won the medal at the age of 13 in Winter Olympics, 1994.

About Yulia Lipnitskaya

Yulia was born in the Ural Mountains, Russia.

Yulia won a silver medal at the Russian Senior Championships, 2012 and a gold medal at the Russian Junior Championships, 2012.

Yulia holds the title of Master of Sport of International Class in Russia.

BINDRA BECAME 1ST PERSON TO WIN THREE GOLD MEDALS IN TRI-SERIES SHOOTING

Abhinav Bindra, the Indian shooter on 8 February 2014 won his third gold-medal in the Inter-Shoot Tri-series Shooting in the Air Pistol event. With this, he became the first person to win three gold medals in the event that is being held at the Hague, Netherlands.

SRINIVASAN ELECTED AS THE NEW CHAIRMAN OF ICC FROM JULY 2014 ONWARDS

Narayanswamy Srinivasan, the President of BCCI on 8 February 2014 was elected as the new Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). His tenure of the office will begin in July 2014 for a period of 2 years. This decision was taken by the ICC Board during their meet in Singapore. He will succeed Alan Raymond Isaac.


Apart from the approval on his name, the new model of Governance, finance and competition was also approved by the voice-vote. The new proposal was voted by eight member countries of ten member nations. Sri Lanka and Pakistan abstained from voting saying that more time was needed by them to consult with their boards on the amended resolution.

With this appointment, the ICCs Board will be headed by Srinivasan. ICC Board is the apex decision making body of the world cricket. Srinivasan will be assisted by a new Executive Committee that will be chaired by Wally Edwards from Australia. The Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee chaired by Giles Clarke from the English cricket Board.

SANGAKKARA BECAME SECOND CRICKETER TO HIT TRIPLE CENTURY AND A CENTURY IN SAME MATCH

Kumar Sangakkara, the cricketer of Sri Lankan national team on 7 February 2014 became the second person in the history of Cricket to score a triple century and a century in the same test match. By performing the rare record, he joined Graham Gooch, the former skipper of England team.

He achieved this reach by scoring 319 runs in the first inning of the match and 105 runs in the second innings. He achieved this record, while playing in the second test match against Bangladesh.

But he failed to break the record of most runs in a Test match of Gooch by 32 runs as in 1990, Gooch scored 333 and 123 runs in two innings, which on aggregated becomes 456 runs. Whereas, Sangakkara’s total aggregate of the two matches is 424 runs. In the second innings, he was dismissed by Sohag Gazi.

ABHINAV BINDRA WON SECOND GOLD MEDAL IN INTER SHOOT TRI SERIES SHOOTING

Abhinav Bindra won his second gold medal at the Inter Shoot Tri Series shooting at The Hague, Netherlands on 7 February 2014. He won the second gold on 7 February 2014 by scoring 627.7 in the qualification round and then scoring 209 points in the finals of the second match. He defeated Romanian London Olympic Games Champion, H Moldoveanue Alin George in both the matches.

The 31-year-old Bindra won his first medal in this Tri Series competition with his qualification score of 613.7 and by shooting remarkably well in finals score of 209.3 points to win the gold. He won his first gold on 6 February 2014.


KARNATAKA DEFEATED MAHARASHTRA TO WIN THE RANJI TROPHY 2014

Karnataka on 2 February 2014 defeated Maharashtra by seven wickets to win the Ranji Trophy 2014 at Hyderabad. Karnataka, while chasing a target of 157 runs on the last and fifth day of the tournament was successful to clinch winning by losing only three wickets in the second innings.

Karnataka bowlers R Vinay Kumar and Shreyash Gopal claimed four wickets each. The remaining two wickets of Maharashtra team were taken by Abhimanyu Mithun.

Man of the match: Lokesh Rahul of Karnataka, who scored highest 131 in the first innings and 29 in the second.

Brief Score:

Karnataka: 515 and 157 for three

Maharashtra: 305 and 366 all out

Captains of the two teams

Karnataka: R Vinay

Maharashtra: Rohit Motwani

Karnataka's moment of glory arrived after 14 years of wait. This is the seventh title win for Karnataka; the first trophy was won in 1988-99 season. Captain of Karnataka, R Vinay became the sixth captain of the state to win the title. The previous captains of the state who have won the title are

EAS Prasanna (twice)

Brijesh Patel

Anil Kumble

Rahul Dravid

Sunil Joshi

INDIA SUFFERED 4-0 LOSS IN 5 MATCH ODI SERIES AGAINST NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand on 31 January 2014 won the five ODI Series of 5 matches against India by 4-0 after

defeating India in the fifth match by 87 runs at the Westpac Stadium at Wellington. New

Zealand that batted first gave a score of 304 runs to chase to the visitors, who were all out at

the score of 216.


While chasing the score of 303 runs in the fifth and final match, India lost wickets at regular

intervals apart from Kohli and Dhoni, who scored 82 and 47 respectively, 20 runs was scored by

two players and five batsmen fell for single digits along with one duck. From India Varun Aaron

took 2 wickets by giving 60 runs and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as well as Mohammad Shami took

one wicket each.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the fifth match became the fourth fastest batsman to

complete 8000 runs in one-day cricket.

SUMIT MALIK STRIPPED OFF GOLD MEDAL FOR ANTI-DOPING VIOLATION

Sumit Malik, the 400 meter gold medal winner in the men’s 400 meter race in Lusofonia Games 2014 has been stripped off from his medal on 28 January 2014. He was stripped for violating anti-doping rules and illegally participating in the Lusofonia Games in lieu of a provisional suspension imposed on him by National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). He was a gold medalist of the Lusofonia Games 400-meter event.

ICC APPROVED INTRODUCTION OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP

International Cricket Council (ICC) on 29 January 2014 approved the introduction of an International Women’s Championship, which is a part of qualification for the ICC Women's World Cup. As per the approval, each of the top eight ranked international teams will play the others in a series of matches between mid-2017 and the end of 2016. The top teams will automatically qualify for the ICC Women World Cup of 2017 to be played in England.

The team that falls in the bottom sides will fall into the regional qualification structures of ICC to play in a Women’s World Cup qualifier. This qualifier will decide the final list of participants at the Women’s World Cup Cricket Championship.

SAINA WON SYED MODI INTERNATIONAL INDIA GRAND PRIX TITLE

Saina Nehwal won the Syed Modi International India Grand Prix title 2014 on 26 January 2014. Sania beat P V Sindhu 21-14, 21-17 in the final held at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. The win was Sania’s third straight win over sindhu.


Sania’s last title was Denmark Open in 2012 against Juliane Schenk of Germany.

At present Saina is ranked ninth whereas P V Sindhu is ranked eleventh in world ranking of women singles.

Men’s Single

China’s Xue Song won the men’s single of the Syed Modi International India Grand Prix title. He beat K Srikanth of India 21-16, 19-21, 13-21 in the final.

Mixed Doubles

In the mixed doubles final Yilv Wang and Huang Yaqiong of China beat compatriot Kaixiang Huang and Qingchen Chen 21-18, 21-14.

Women’s Doubles

In the women’s doubles final, Qingchen Chen and Yi Fan Jia of China registered a 22-24, 21-19, 21-11 victory against Yu Xiaohan and Huang Yaqiong of China.

Men’s Doubles

In the men’s doubles final, Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen of China beat compatriot Kaixiang Huang and Si Wi Zheng 21-17, 19-21, 22-20.

MS DHONI BECAME FIRST CAPTAIN TO PLAY IN FOUR TIED ODIS

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

The last three tied matches Dhoni has played are

ICC World Cup 2011 match in Bangalore against England

ODI match played on 11 September 2011 at Lords against England

ODI match played in February 2012 at Adelaide against Sri Lanka

Other cricketers who have faced tied matches in three cases are

Richie Richardson of West Indies

Steve Waugh of Australia


Shaun Pollock of South Africa

Australia won ODI series against England by 4-1

Australia on 26 January 2014 won the five matches ODI series against England 4-1. England lost the fifth match by five runs, while chasing 217 run target score set by Aussies at Adelaide Oval.

Earlier, England won the fourth ODI match in Perth with a margin of 57 runs after losing the first three matched of the series.

INDIA WOMEN CRICKET TEAM WON ONE DAY SERIES AGAINST SRI LANKA 3-0

Indian women team won the three ODI series 3-0 by defeating Sri Lankan women team. In the last and final ODI played at ACD-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam, India defeated the Lankan team by 95 runs. The ODI series will be followed by three Twenty20 matches to start from 25 January 2013.

The trophy of the tournament was handed to the Indian team by DV Subba Rao, the president of the Andhra Cricket Association.

Indian team was captained by Mithali Raj

The Sri Lanka team was captained by Hettimulla Appuhamilage Shashikala Dedunu Siriwardene

OCA RECOGNIZED RUSSIAN MARTIAL ART SAMBO AND IS NOW A PART OF ASIAN GAMES

Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has recognised Sambo, the Russian martial art and has become part of the Asian Games. The decision of recognition to Sambo Union of Asia was taken by the Executive Board of OCA on 17 January 2014 at Manila, Philippines. The board decided to include Sambo in the Asian Games was later ratified by the OCA General Assembly.

According to the International Sambo Federation, the board met during the ongoing 32nd General Assembly of the pan-Asian continental body. With this finalization, Sambo became a part of the combat sports on the list of OCA like Wrestling, Wushu, Judo and Taekwondo.


MAHESH BHUPATHI LAUNCHED IPTL IN MELBOURNE

Tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi launched the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) in Melbourne, Australia on 21 January 2014. He also announced the name of the teams during the launch of IPTL.

The host cities or the teams which will participate in the IPTL are Mumbai, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. The fifth host city will be from the Middle East.

Mahesh Bhupati linked arms with German tennis legend Boris Becker, and American Justin Gimelstob, a former pro and member of the ATP board to launch the IPL styles IPTL.

ANJU BOBBY GEORGE DECLARED WINNER OF WORLD ATHLETICS FINAL, 2005

Anju Bobby George was declared winner of the World Athletics Championships final held in Monte Carlo in 2005. The decision was given by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) on 13 January 2014.

The decision of the IAAF came following the disqualification of the Gold Medalist Tatyana Kotova of Russia for doping.

At the World Athletics Final in 2005, Anju Bobby George won the Silver Medal with a long jump of 6.75 meter. The Gold Medal was won by Tatyana Kotova with a jump of 6.83 meter and the Bronze Medal was won by Grace Upshaw of the US.

Following the decision of IAAF to disqualify Kotova, the new rankings now stand as:

1. Anju Bobby George (India, 6.75m)

2. Grace Upshaw (USA, 6.67m)

3. Eunice Barber (France, 6.51m)

Similarly, Anju also moved up one place to fourth in the new long jump results of the 2005 Helsinki World Championships. This happened after the Silver Medalist Tatyana Kotova was tested positive for doping by the IAAF in 2013.


NIKHAT ZAREEN WON GOLD MEDAL AT THE THIRD NATIONS CUP INTERNATIONAL BOXING TOURNAMENT

Nikhat Zareen won gold medal at the third Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament held in Novi Sad, Serbia on 12 January 2014.Zareen defeated Paltceva Ekaterina of Russia in the 51 kg weight category. The boxing tournament was held from 8 January 2014 to 12 January 2014.

She won the silver in the Youth World Boxing Championship held in Bulgaria in 2013.

In 2011 Zareen won the gold medal in flyweight division held at the AIBA Women’s Junior and Youth World Boxing Championship in Turkey

75TH NATIONAL TABLE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP

Sanil Shetty and Ankita Das won their maiden men’s and women’s singles championship at the 75th Senior National Table Tennis Championships held on 12 January 2014.

Shetty defeated Harmeet Desai 4-2 in the men’s final and won the amount of 2.30 lakh rupees. Ankita Das defeated Krittwika Sinha 4-0 in the women’s final and won the amount of 1.45 lakh rupees.

ONGC MEN & CHHATTISGARH WOMEN WON FEDERATION CUP NATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

ONGC on 9 December 2014 won the men’s title of the IMG-Reliance 28th Federation Cup National Basketball Championship. The event was held at YMCA International Centre by defeating Tamil Nadu 61-53. With this winning the team won the prize amount of 1 lakh and a title.

Apart from this, Chhattisgarh Women scored a one-point 77-76 victory over Maharashtra in the final. The points tied at 72 points in the final minute, with two minutes left time for regulation. The Runners were each awarded Rs 75000

UNDER-19 ASIA CUP: INDIA DEFEATED PAKISTAN BY 40 RUNS.

India defeated Pakistan to win 2014 Under-19 Asia Cup in the final match played at Sharjah cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on 4 January 2014. The Indian under-19 squad led by Vijay Zol beat Pakistan side by 40 runs.


Centuries by Vijay Zol and Sanju Samson leads their team to a glorious victory. Batting first the India team scored 314 runs with the loss of 8 wickets.

ADITYA JOSHI BECAME WORLD NO. 1 JUNIOR SHUTTLER

Young shuttler Aditya Joshi from Madhya Pradesh on 6 January 2014 became the first male junior badminton player from India to be ranked top in the world. The shuttler, Aditya of 17 years in age is a resident of Dhar town of the state.

He got the number one slot in the January Rankings released by the World Badminton Federation (WBF).

SERENA WILLIAMS WON THE BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL TITLE 2014

Serena Williams won the Brisbane International title in Queensland, Australia on 4 January 2014. Serena Williams won over Victoria Azarenka, the Belarusian tennis player, ranked 2.

This was Serena’s 14th win in 17 matches played with Victoria Azarenka. Williams is a five-time champion in Melbourne but has not won the title, since 2010.

Recently Serena Williams won the Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in December 2013. Serena Williams won 11 titles and ranked number 1 for the 2013 season.

About Brisbane International title

Brisbane Tournament was held from 29 December 2013 to 5 January 2014 in Queensland, Australia.

Brisbane Tournament was played on outdoor hard courts.

RONALDINHO GOT SOUTH AMERICAN FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Ronaldinho has been elected as the South American footballer of the year in the annual poll conducted by the Uruguayan daily El Pais on 30 December 2013.

Ronaldinho is a Brazilian football player. Ronaldinho became a key member of the Brazilian team that won the 2002 World Cup.

He has played for clubs in Brazil, France, Spain and Italy.


Ronaldinho won FIFA World player of the year in 2004 and he won Europe’s Ballon d’Or in 2005.


Art & Culture

SPAIN SUSPENDED THE 12TH BULL FIGHT FESTIVAL AFTER MATADORS GOT INJURED BY BULLS

Spain on 22 May 2014 suspended the 12th bull fight festival (called San Isidro festival in Spain) after matadors got injured by bulls. The fight was suspended after the bulls injured two matadors torero, David Mora and Antonio Nazare and tossed a third one, Jimenez Fortes, into the air.

It was for the first time that event had been suspended in 35 years.

The two bulls were Deslio, a 532-kilogram animal from the El Ventorrillo breeding ranch, and the 537-kilogram Feten of the Los Chospes ranch.

About San Isidro (Bull fighting) Festival

Every year around 15 May, the famed San Isidro (bull fighting) Festival are held in Madrid.

Approximately 2000 bullfights are held each year in Spain in a tradition that dates back 4000 years.

Bull fighting (also known as Corrida) is still permitted in a majority of Spanish regions. In 2013, it was granted the traditional cultural heritage status by the Spain’s Congress to protect it from further bans.

BRAZIL HONOURED 100 YEARS OF INDIAN CINEMA BY RELEASING TWO POSTAGE STAMPS

To pay tribute to the 100 years of Indian cinema, Brazil on 5 May 2014 released two postage

stamps designed by an Indian graphic designer. The stamp was released in Brasilia to mark the

Indian Cinema Film Festival which is dedicated to contemporary Indian cinemas.

The postage stamps have been designed by Kochi-based graphic designer Satya Raj and were

released by India’s Ambassador to Brazil, Ashok Tomar along with Anand Jyothi and Carina Bini

Palackapilly, the curators and directors of the festival.

About the Indian Cinema Film Festival in Brazil


The Indian cinema Film Festival is the first of its kind festival in South America. The festival

would later move to other cities of Brazil by the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup scheduled to

be held from 12 June to 13 July 2014. Some cities where the festival will move include

Rio De Janerio, Reife (Northern Brazil)

Porte Alegre (Southern Brazil)

LARGEST DIAMOND OF WORLD AND MUGHAL NECKLACE TO BE AUCTIONED IN GENEVA

The largest flawless blue diamond of World and a rare Mughal necklace were auctioned by Christie on 14 May 2014 in Geneva. The sale is expected to fetch a total of 80 million US dollar.

Dating back to 17th century, the seven Mughal engraved spinel bead necklace will be sold at Magnificent Jewels sale. The pendent necklace engraved with names of Mughal emperors Akbar and Jahangir is expected to fetch well over 2000000 US dollar for Christie.

UNION MINISTRY OF CULTURE LAUNCHED LOGO OF FESTIVAL OF INDIA IN CHINA

Union Ministry of Culture on 24 April 2014 launched the logo, posters and webpage of the Festival of India in China. The festival has been organized as the year 2014 was declared as the India-China Year of Friendly Exchanges. The festival will be celebrated from May 2014 to March 2015 in 12 cities of China in 4 circuits. The festival is being organized by Union Ministry of Culture and Union Ministry of External Affairs.

The Colourful logo was made by putting together the face of a Kathakali dancer (left side) and a Beijing opera mask (right side) and it represents the spirit of cooperation and harmony underlying the Glimpses of India Festival.

'GULABI GANG' DOCUMENTARY TO BE SCREENED AT NEW YORK INDIA FILM FESTIVAL

A documentary entitled Gulabi Gang will be screened at the 14th New York Indian Film Festival. The documentary is based on the life of an activist Sampat Devi.

The film festival will be held from 5 May to 10 May 2014. During the film festival, overall thirty-four (23 narrative, 11 documentary) award-wining and critically-acclaimed movies from South Asia including films from Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be screened.


Films of south Asia to be screened in the festival includes

Four from Pakistan

Two from Sri Lanka

One from Nepal

BHAAG MILKHA BHAAG SCREENED AT SEVENTH ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2014 IN SAUDI ARABIA

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, a 2013 biographical film of Milkha Singh was screened in Saudi Arabia on 25 March 2014. The film was screened as a part of the seventh Asian Film Festival 2014.

The film was screened as a part of the 12 films that was selected by the Asian Consulates General Club (ACGC) to present the cultural diversity of Asian countries.

About the film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

The movie is an Indian biographical sports drama based on the life of Milkha Singh, who was a national champion and an Olympian Indian athlete

The film was produced and directed in 2013 by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra on a script written by Prasoon Joshi

Farhan Akhtar played the role of Milkha Singh in the film

The film’s script was inspired by a book authored by Milkha Singh and his daughter co-authored a book entitled, The Race of My Life. The right of the film was sold by Singh for one rupee to the producer and director with a clause that a share of the profits would be given to the Milkha Singh Charitable Trust founded in 2003.

INDIA NOMINATED RANI-KI-VAV AND GHNP FOR UNESCO’S WORLD HERITAGE SITE STATUS

India nominated Rani-ki-Vav located in Patan, Gujarat and the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Himachal Pradesh for UNESCO’s World Heritage Site Status for 2014.

The World Heritage Committee will convene in Doha, Qatar, in June 2014 to review the nomination and take a final decision.

Process of Confirming the World Heritage status


First step is to create an inventory of important natural and cultural heritage sites also called as tentative list in the country.

In next step the concern department in particular country submits the nomination to the World Heritage centre. The centre sends it to the Advisory bodies, the International

Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) for evaluation mandate by the World Heritage Convention.

The intergovernmental World Heritage Committee meets to decide which sites will be inscribed on the World Heritage list.

About Rani-ki-Vav

Rani-ki-Vav is an 11the century stepwell and it is one of the finest examples of stepwells in Gujarat. It was constructed by Queen Udayamati of the Solanki dynasty.

The well is subterranean structure with a series of steps, board landings, pavilions and sculpted walls which provides access to water in deep water. It is of seven storeys with five exist and there are more than 800 elaborate sculptures which are survived. This is a protected monument under the Archeological Survey of India.

Earlier in 1998, the Indian government had included in the tentative list but next step not pursued.

FILM BLACK WAS SCREENED AT FAKEL THEATRE IN MOSCOW

Black, the popular Indian film starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee was screened at Fakel Theatre, Shosse Enthusiastov in Moscow on 9 February 2014. This screening was done in Indian Cinema Club in association with the Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre in Embassy of India (JNCCEI), Moscow.

The film was screened after dubbing it into Russian language. Indian Ambassador of India to the Russian Federation PS Raghvan and Barbara Raghavan were the Guests of Honor at the inauguration ceremony. This was also attended by Art-Director of Fakel Theatre, Natalia Gavruk-Gavarlina, General Director of MOSKINO, Vasilisa Orestova and Head of Indian Cinema Club, Moscow, Anna Abalueva.

SURAJKUND INTERNATIONAL CRAFTS MELA BEGAN IN HARYANA

The 28th Surajkund International crafts Mela began at Surajkund in Faridabad on 1 February 2014. The fortnight long festival of craft will continue till 15 February 2014.The Goa is the theme state for the 28th Surajkund International Crafts Mela 2014.


National and State craftspersons from India and also SAARC nations are participating, showcasing their ethnic art and crafts in the Surajkund Crafts Mela.

The fortnight long celebrations also come as a food festival, some popular food traditions from Punjab, South India, Chinese and snack foods have arrived. And also the mela has grown equally famous for the rhythms of folk theatre.

Dhanu Yatra of Bargarh started in Odisha

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

About Dhanu Yatra

During this Dhanu Yatra celebration, Bargarh town is virtually transformed into Mathuranagar, the capital of King Kansa, whereas nearby Ambapalli village across river Jeera becomes into Gopapura, the adobe of Lord Krishna and Jeera river between the two places stands for Yamuna river. Dhanu Yatra of Bargarh is considered as world’s biggest open-air theatre. Almost the entire population of Bargarh town takes part in the festival and it is the biggest assembly of actors that a play can ever have. It is a conglomeration of several open-air theatres, with the action taking place simultaneously at different places. Both actors and viewers keep moving from one place to another as the drama unfolds. The age-old story of Lord Krishna killing the tyrannical King Kansa of Mathura forms the central theme of the play.

It is believed that, Dhanu Yatra in its present form started in 1948, post-Independence, as a performance charged with a nationalistic fervour. Kansa, the demon king, symbolizes the imperialist British government on its way out and Lord Krishna stands for the nationalistic aspiration of the people.


Awards | Honours

EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY AWARDED HONORARY DEGREE TO FORMER PRESIDENT APJ ABDUL KALAM

Former President APJ Abdul Kalam was awarded with honorary degree by Edinburgh University

in Scotland. He was awarded for his contribution to science and technology and his

commitment to helping transform India into a developed nation by 2020.

The degree was presented at the inaugural conference of the University's Edinburgh India Institute on 15 May 2014. The Edinburgh India Institute will help coordinate the work of Edinburgh academics who are working with a wide range of partners across India. This university adds new dimensions in its contributions which brings Scotland and India together, who share a rich past and a glorious heritage of civilization.

RAVI DHARIWAL, CEO OF BCCL, AWARDED WITH SILVER SHOVEL AWARD OF INMA

Ravi Dhariwal, the CEO of Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited (BCCL) on 13 May 2014 was awarded with the Silver Shovel Award. The Silver Shovel Award is the International News Media Association's (INMA) highest honour given for volunteer service and lifetime achievement in the media industry.

The Award was given at the 84th Annual INMA World Congress at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, USA. The award was given by Michael Phelps, former CEO of the Washington Examiner and the 2013 Silver Shovel Award recipient.

PRESIDENT CONFERRED NATIONAL FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE AWARDS ON 35 NURSING PERSONNEL

Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India on 12 May 2014 conferred National Florence Nighangle Awards 2014 on 35 nursing personnel from across the country for their meritorious services. The awards were conferred at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi.

The award is conferred every year on 12 May as the world on this day observes International Nurses’ Day. Theme chosen by the International Council of Nurses for this year is Nurses: A force for change – A vital resource for health.

The award was instituted in 1973 by the Union Health Ministry and carries a medal, a certificate and cash prize of 50000 rupees. National Florence Nighangle Awards is given every year to


recognize the outstanding service of the nursing personnel employed in Central, State, Union Territories, Non-Government and Voluntary Organisations.

VIKARAM SUNDERAM WON BEST CHEF IN THE MID-ATLANTIC OF JAMES BEARD AWARDS 2014

Indian-American chef, Vikaram Sunderam won the prestigious James Beard Awards 2014. Vikaram Sunderam was awarded as the Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic. The awards are considered as the Oscars of the US food and beverage industry. The award was presented in New York on 5 May 2014.

Sunderam (47) has opened restaurant Rasika in Washington in 2005. He was a native of Mumbai, joined the Taj Mahal Hotel group in 1985. He was in London for 14 years at the award winning Bombay Brasserie.

CAPARO GROUP WON INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD 2014

Caparo Group won the International Business of the Year award 2014 at the Asian Business Awards Midlands in Birmingham on 9 May 2014.

About Caparo Group

The Caparo Group was founded in 1968. It is a diversified global association of businesses with over a 1.5 billion Euro turnover. It was founded by Indian born British Industrialist, Lord Paul.

The group involved in the design, manufacture and marketing of value added steel and niche engineering products.

The group presence in India was first established in 1994 with a joint venture with Maruti Suzuki. The Caparo India operates from over 25 sites, many of which are a result of greenfield projects and contain state-of-the-art equipment.

TWO INDIAN-AMERICANS MANJUSHA P. KULKARNI AND RANJANA P. SELECTED FOR CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE

Two Indian-Americans Manjusha P. Kulkarni and Ranjana Paintal on 7 May 2014 were selected for Champions of Change by the White House.

The award was announced in recognition of their work to educate Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) about President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare Act.


The award was honoured by the Department of Health & Human Services along with nine other advocates and community leaders.

Manjusha P. Kulkarni is executive director of South Asian Network (SAN) based in California. SAN is a community-based organisation dedicated to advancing the health, empowerment and solidarity of persons of South Asian origin in Southern California.

Ms. Paintal serves as programme manager for the Asian Health Coalition’s partnership consortium around education, outreach and enrolment to underserved AAPIs communities in Illinois.

INDIAN-AMERICAN MITUL KADAKIA WON 2014 GREGORY BRADEB MEMORIAL FELLOW OF THE YEAR AWARD

Indian-American cardiologist Mitul Kadakia won the prestigious 2014 Gregory Bradeb Memorial Fellow of the Year Award. The Prestigious award was given to him by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) Foundation in US in first week of May 2014.

Mitul Kadakia is currently a fellow in Interventional Cardiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. His clinical and research interests include new devices and therapies for coronary and valvular heart disease and bleeding reduction in acute coronary syndrome.

Kadakia is a graduate of Harvard College and his medical school degree from Harvard Medical School. Later, he completed a residency in internal medicine at Brigham & Women's Hospital.

IAA RECEIVED INTERNATIONAL ARCH OF EUROPE AWARD

Indian Aviation Academy (IAA) on 8 May 214 was awarded with the International Arch of Europe Award for quality and technology in Gold Category. IIA was selected for the award by the Business Initiative Directives Group (BIDG), Madrid (Spain).

The award was received by Rajiv Goel, Director; IAA from Jose E. Prieto, President & CEO, BID Group at a function held in Frankfur`t, Germany. Later, this award was presented to Alok Sinha, Chairman of Airports Authority of India.

INDIA HONOURED NEW FRONTIERS AWARD 2014

Arabian travel Market (ATM) awarded India with New Frontiers Award 2014 on 8 May 2014. It was awarded at the special roundtable session at annual event of ATM in Dubai.


It was awarded for its outstanding contribution to rebuild physical infrastructure and its rural tourism economy in the wake of the June 2013 floods, landslides in the northern state of Uttarakhand, the devastation wreaked by tropical Cyclone Phailin.

The award includes crystal trophy, the New Frontiers Award comprises ATM exhibition space valued at 10000 US dollars along with additional marketing support in promoting the outstanding tourism opportunities offered by the India.

PROJECT MOBILE SEVA UNDER DEITY WON THE 2014 UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD

The project Mobile Seva under Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) on 21 May 2014 won second rank in the 2014 United Nations Public Service Award. Department of Electronics and Information Technology comes under Ministry of Information and Technology

Mobile Seva has won the Second place in the Asian and Pacific Region in the Category 3: PROMOTING WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT APPROACHES IN THE INFORMATION AGE. It is the only project from India selected as the winner in 2014.

The first rank was achieved by Republic of Korea for its initiative Social Security Information System (SSIS) under Korea Health and Welfare Information Service.

This award is very unique and first of its kind to have been received by C-DAC Mumbai. The Mobile Seva initiative is lead by Dr. Rajendra Kumar, joint secretary (e-Governance), DeitY.

THE 15TH INTERNATIONAL INDIAN FILM ACADEMY AWARDS 2014

The 15th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards 2014 was held in Tampa Bay, US from 23 April to 26 April 2014. This was held for the first time in US and Hollywood star John Travoltas and Kevin Spacey made appearance at the IIFA awards.

IIFA awards in different categories are:

Best Picture - Viacom 18 Motion Pictures & Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra- Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Best Direction - Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra - Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Performance in a Leading Role (Male) - Farhan Akhtar - Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Performance in a Leading Role (Female) - Deepika Padukone - Chennai Express


Performance in a Supporting Role (Male) - Aditya Roy Kapoor - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

Performance in a Supporting Role (Female) - Divya Dutta - Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Performance in a Comic Role - Arshad Warsi - Jolly LLB

Performance in a Negative Role - Rishi Kapoor -D-Day

Music Direction - Mithoon, Ankit Tiwari, Jeet Ganguly - Aashiqui 2

Best Story - Prasoon Joshi - Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Lyrics Writer - Mithoon - Song (Tum Hi Ho) - Aashiqui 2

Playback Singer (Male) - Arijit Singh – Song (Tum Hi Ho) - Aashiqui 2

Playback Singer (Female) - Shreya Ghoshal- Song (Sunn Raha Hai) - Aashiqui 2

Best Debutant Male – Dhanush – Raanjhanaa

Best Debutant Female - Vani Kapoor - Shudh Desi Romance

Outstanding Contribution by An Indian in the US - Drs. Kiran & Pallavi Patel

Entertainer of the year - Deepika Padukone

Outstanding Contribution To International Cinema -John Travolta

Lifetime Achievement - Shatrughan Sinha

The IIFA awards are presented by the International Indian Film Academy every year. These were presented to both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in Bollywood. The awards have categories like popular awards, technical awards and special awards.

JOHN TRAVOLTA HONOURED THE MOST POPULAR ALL TIME INTERNATIONAL STAR IN INDIA AT IIFA AWARDS

Hollywood star John Travolta received a special honour, the Most Popular All Time International Star in India at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards. The 15th IIFA awards were held in Tampa Bay, Florida from 23 to 26 April 2014.

John Travolta, 60, has seen astounding success as an actor, singer and dancer in the Hollywood. He starred in several blockbusters films such as Saturday Night Fever, Pulp Fiction, Grease, Swordfish, Face Off, Broken Arrow and Ladder49.


He has been twice nominated for the Academy Award and nominated for seven Golden Globes. He won twice the Golden globe including one for his performance in the critically acclaimed film Get Shorty.

TIME MAGAZINE RELEASED THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD LIST

Time Magazine released the 100 most influential people in the world list on 24 April 2014. The Time Magazine released its annual list without ranking them. The four Indian have made it in to the list.

The annual list includes US President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Grammy-winning artist Beyonce, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Pope Francis, Russian President Vladimir Putin, whistleblower Edward Snowden, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Pakistani girl’s educational activist Malala Yousafzai among others.

The Four Indians who made in to the list are

BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi

Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal

Author Arundhati Roy

Coimbatore-based health activist Arunachalam Muruganantham

The Time has described Modi as a divisive politician poised to lead the world’s largest democracy. Arvind Kejriwal was described as powerful outsider in Indian politics who is the antithesis of the modern-day Indian politician and Muruganantham as an unlikely health crusader, his unique idea to help his wife lead to the invention of a machine that manufactures low-cost sanitary pads. Arundhati Roy was described as the novelist who is the conscience of India.

MATHANGI SATHYAMURTHY TO RECEIVE M S SUBBULAKSHMI AWARD 2014

Mathangi Sathyamurthy, Karnataka musician was selected for M S Subbulakshmi Award 2014. It was announced by the M S Subbulakshmi Foundation on 19 April 2014. She will receive a cash award of 10001 rupees and a plaque. The awards will be presented to her on 2 May 2014.

**About M S Subbulakshmi Award

M S Subbulakshmi Awards was instituted in 2005 by Varkala Sreekrishna Natya Sangeeta Academy and the M S Subbulakshmi Foundation. It was instituted in the memory of Indian Classical Vocalist M S Subbulakshmi.


61ST NATIONAL FILM AWARDS: SHIP OF THESEUS WON BEST FEATURE FILM

The 61st National Film Awards for 2013 was announced in New Delhi on 16 April 2014 by the Directorate of Film Festivals. Ship of Theseus directed by Anand Gandhi was selected as the Best feature film.

Best popular film providing wholesome entertainment award was given to Bhaag Milkha Bhaag that was produced and directed in 2013 by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra on a script written by Prasoon Joshi. Farhan Akhtar played the role of Milkha Singh in the film.

The artists who gave benchmark performances in acting and film making in the year 2013 were announced by jury Saeed Akhtar Mirza and Reena Mohan.

The list of winners chosen by the jury in National Film Awards 2013 is as follows

Best Actor – Raj Kumar for Shahid in hindi and Suraj Venjaramoodu for Perariyathavar in Malyalam

Best Actress – Geetanjali Thapa for Liar’s Dance in Hindi

Best Direction – Hansal Mehta for film Shahid

Best Film on Social Issues – Gulabi Gang directed by Nishtha

Best Supporting Actor – Saurabh Shukla for Jolly LLB

Best Supporting Actress – Amruta Subhash for Astu in Marathi and Aida El-Kashef for Ship of Theseus

Best Children’s Film – Kaphal (Hindi), directed by Batul Mukhtiar

Best Child Artist – Somnath Avghade for Fandy in Marathi and Sadhana for Thanga Meengal in Tamil

Special Jury Award – Yellow in Marathi directed by Mahesh Limaye and Miss Lovely in Hindi directed by Ashim Ahuwalia

Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director – Fandry in Marathi directed by Nagraj Manjule

Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration – Thalaimuraigal (Tamil) directed by Balu Mahindra

Best Writing on Cinema or Book of the Cinema – Cinema Ga Cinema in Telugu authored by Nandagopal and published by Praga India, Hyderabad

The award ceremony will be held on 3 May 2014.

About National Film Awards


The National Film Awards are most prominent awards given away to the film fraternity. These awards were established in 1954. Annually, the national panel is appointed by Government of India to select the winner in different categories. The awards are presented by the President of India in the official ceremony.

INDIA BORN POET VIJAY SESHADRI WON 2014 PULITZER PRIZE IN POETRY CATEGORY

Vijay Seshadri on 14 April 2014 won the prestigious 2014 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for his collection of poems entitled 3 Sections published in 2013. The Pulitzer Committee described Vijay's (India-born US poet) creation 3 Sections as a compelling collection of poems that examines human consciousness, from birth to dementia that turns witty and grave compassionate and remorseless.

The 98th annual Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism, Drama, Letters and Music was announced by Columbia University in New York. As a reward, Vijay would receive 10000 US dollar.

The prize is given in the poetry category for a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author.

With this, Seshadri became the fifth person of Indian origin to win the prestigious award. The other four Indian origin people to bag the award are:

Gobind Behari Lal in 1937 – was a science editor and was awarded in the reporting category

Jhumpa Lahiri (Indian-American author) got Pulitzer for fiction in 2000 for her collection of stories Interpreters of Maladies

Geeta Anand (Journalist-writer of Indian origin) was awarded in 2003

Siddhartha Mukherjee (Indian-American physician) was awarded in 2011 for his book on cancer named 'The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

**2014 Pulitzer Prize Winners in Journalism

Public Service - Two Prizes: The Guardian US and The Washington Post

Breaking News Reporting - The Boston Globe Staff

Investigative Reporting - Chris Hamby of The Center for Public Integrity, Washington, D.C.

Explanatory Reporting - Eli Saslow of The Washington Post

Local Reporting - Will Hobson and Michael LaForgia of the Tampa Bay Times

National Reporting - David Philipps of The Gazette, Colorado Springs, CO

International Reporting - Jason Szep and Andrew R.C. Marshall of Reuters


Feature Writing - No award

Commentary - Stephen Henderson of the Detroit Free Press

Criticism - Inga Saffron of The Philadelphia Inquirer

Editorial Writing - The Editorial Staff of The Oregonian, Portland

Editorial Cartooning - Kevin Siers of The Charlotte Observer

Breaking News Photography - Tyler Hicks of The New York Times

Feature Photography - Josh Haner of The New York Times

**2014 Pulitzer Prize Winners in Books, Drama and Music

Fiction - The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (Little, Brown)

Drama - The Flick by Annie Baker

History - The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832 by Alan Taylor (W.W. Norton)

Biography - Margaret Fuller: A New American Life by Megan Marshall (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Poetry - 3 Sections by Vijay Seshadri (Graywolf Press)

General Nonfiction - Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation by Dan Fagin (Bantam Books)

Music - Become Ocean by John Luther Adams (Taiga Press/Theodore Front Musical Literature)

PRESIDENT CONFERRED SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI FELLOWSHIPS 2013

Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India on 11 April 2014 conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships (Akademi Ratna) and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (Akademi Puraskar) for the year 2013. The fellowship and awards were given at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.

The two fellowship and Awards are national honours bestowed on performing artists as well as teachers and scholars in the field performing arts.

Akademi Fellowships that presents a cash prize of 3 lakh rupees were conferred on

Dr. Kanak Rele

R. Sathyanarayana

Mahesh Elkunchwar

The Sangeet Natak Akademi awardees received a cash purse of 1 lakh rupees, an angavastram and a tamrapatra.


The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the field of Music were presented to

Overall contribution and scholarship in the performing arts – Mysore V. Subramanya and N. Ramanathan

For Hindustani vocal music – Ritwik Sanyal and Veena Hari Sahasrabuddhe

For the Hindustani instrumental music – Hashmat Ali Khan and Dhruba Jyoti Ghosh

For Carnatic vocal music – Aruna Sairam and Hyderabad Brothers D. Sesha Chary and D. Raghava Chary

For Carnatic instrumental music – Trichy Sankaran and Thiruvizha Jayasankar

For Odissi music – Bankim Sethi

The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the field of Dance were presented to

For Bharatanatyam – Jamuna Krishnan and B. Herambanathan

For Kathak – Rajashree Shirke

For Kathakali – Kalamandalam M.P.S. Namboodiri

For Kuchipudi – Chinta Seetha Ramanjaneyulu

For Odissi – Sangeeta Dash

For Sattriya dance – Jogen Dutta Bayan

For Arayer Sevai – Srinivasa Rangachariar

For Mardal drumming – Dhaneswar Swain

The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for their contribution to theatre to eight artists, namely

For playwriting - Rameshwar Prem and Pundalik Narayan Naik

For direction - Kamalakar Muralidhar Sontakke, Kewal Dhaliwal and Prasanna Ramaswamy

For acting - Vasant Josalkar and Kusum Haidar

For make-up – Krishna Arjun Borkar

The award for the work in traditional, folk and tribal dance, music, dance and puppetry to

For folk music of Jammu and Kashmir – Raj Begum

For folk music of Tamil Nadu – T.A.R. Nadi Rao and N. Jeeva Rao

For instrument making – Gurdial Singh

For Rabindrasangeet – Mohan Singh Khangura

For Tokari Geet and Dehbichar Geet of Assam – Umakanta Bairagi

For puppetry – Lilavati M Kavi

For instrument-making (the Ghatam of Tamil Nadu) – Meenakshi K

For folk theatre of Maharashtra – Shaikh Riyajoddin Abdul Gani


RATAN TATA RECEIVED KNIGHT GRAND CROSS AWARD BY UK GOVERNMENT

Ratan Tata on 10 April 2014 received the Knight Grand Cross (GBE) award by UK Government. GBE is one of the highest civilian honour of Britain. The award was given by Queen Elizabeth II.

Ratan Tata is one of the five foreign nationals to be honoured. He was already honoured with a KBE (Knight Commander) in 2009.

Ratan Tata was honoured for his services to UK/India relations, inward investment to the UK and philanthropy.

LEGENDARY POET GULZAR SELECTED FOR THE DADASAHEB PHALKE AWARD 2013

The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced on 12 April 2014 that legendary poet and film lyricist Gulzar was selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2013. He is the 45th winner of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Sampooran Singh Kalra famous as Gulzar is a lyricist, director, screen writer, producer and poet.

The award is conferred by the government for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema.

Gulzar was conferred by the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2002 and the Padma Bhushan in 2004. He had won a number of National Film Awards and 20 Filmfare Awards.

At the 81st Oscars in 2009, he won the Academy Award for best original song for Jai ho with Rahman.

He was born in 1934 in Punjab in pre-independence India. He started his career in 1956. As a lyricist, he got his first break in Bimal Roy’s Bandini.

STUART PARKIN WON MILLENNIUM TECHNOLOGY PRIZE 2014

British-American physicist Stuart Parkin won Millennium Technology Prize 2014 for discoveries leading to a thousand-fold increase in digital data storage on magnetic disks. The Prize is worth of 1 million euro and it was announced by the Technology Academy Finland in Finland on 9 April 2014.


His discoveries facilitated the cloud services and online distribution of social networks, music and film.

Former director of the IBM-Stanford spintronic science centre, Sturart Parkin, 58, helped to make our contemporary online world largely possible. Spintronics relies on the magnetic spin of electrons rather than their charge to store bits.

JHUMPA LAHIRI'S "LOWLAND" SHORTLISTED FOR 2014 BAILEYS WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION

Indian American novelist, Jhumpa Lahiri’s Lowland has been shortlisted for the 2014 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction on 8 April 2014. Five other books have also been shortlisted for the prize. This is the UK’s only annual book award for fiction written by a woman and this year’s prize winner will be announced on 4 June 2014 in London.

Lowland published in 2013 is a book set in Kolkata and Rhode Island in the US and narrates a story about the lives of two brothers (Subhash and Udayan), their choices and their fate. Earlier, the book was also shortlisted for Man Booker Prize.

Other shortlisted authors and their books are

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Americanah

Hannah Kent- Burial Rites

Audrey Magee - The Undertaking

Eimear McBride - A Girl is a Half-formed Thing

Donna Tartt - The Goldfinch

THE LIST OF 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL ASIAN PEOPLE OF 2014 RELEASED

The Asian Awards Ltd released a list of the 100 Most Influential Asian People of 2014 on 6 April 2014. Chinese President Xi Jinping topped the list of the 100 Most Influential Asian People.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi are among the top 5 in the list.

Sonia Gandhi is on second, followed by Modi at fourth position, Rahul Gandhi at fifth position and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at sixth position.


Others in top 10 are: Chinese Premier Le Keqiang (3); Sir Li Ka Shing, Hong Kong-based business tycoon (7); UN chief Ban Ki Moon (8); Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (9); South Korea President Park Guen-Hye (10).

Other Indian in the 100 most influential Asian people list are

Union finance minister P Chidambaram (11); President Pranab Mukherjee (19); Mukesh Ambani (21); West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee (42); Social activist Anna Hazare (46); CEO of Pepsi Co. Indra Nooyi (47); Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize winner for Economics (52); MD of ICICI Bank, Chanda Kochhar (54); Film star Amitabh Bachchan (63); Cultural icon Rajnikanth (66); Film star, Aamir Khan (68); Sachin Tendulkar (76); Actress Aishwarya Rai (84); Star Salman Khan (98); Cricketer, M S Dhoni (99).

Paul Sagoo, businessman was the founder of The Asian Awards. As per release the aim of the list is simple, to showcase the most influential Asian people in the world today.

KOYAL RANA WON THE MISS INDIA 2014 TITLE

Koyal Rana on 5 April 2014 won the 51st edition of the fbb Femina Miss India 2014 crown after defeating 24 other contestants from across the country. With this win, Rana will represent India at the Miss World International beauty pageant 2014.

Rana, who was born in Jaipur but raised in Delhi, was crowned at Yash Raj Studio in Mumbai. She was crowned by Navneer Kaur Dhillion, the 2013 winner of Femina Miss India title and Megan Young, the Miss World 2013.

Earlier, Koyal Rana was crowned as the title of Miss Teen India 2008 at the age of 15 years.

First runner-up – Jhataleka Malhotra from Mumbai

Second runner-up – Gail Nicole Da’Silva from Margao, Goa

The top five finalists were Gail Nicole Da Silva, Jhataleka Malhotra, Koyal Rana, Lopamudra Raut and Nikhila Nandgopal.

Judge panel included - Malika Arora Khan, Abhay Deol, Jacqueline Fernandez, Manish Malhotra, singer Honey Singh, Miss World 2013 Megan Yang, actor Vidyut Jamwal, actor Aditi Rao Hydari and world champion boxer Vijender Singh.


MS DHONI WON UNITED KINGDOM’S 2014 ASIAN AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SPORTS

MS Dhoni, the captain of Indian cricket team on 4 April 2014 won the United Kingdom’s 2014 Asian Award for outstanding achievement in Sports. The award was announced at London’s at The Grosvenor House Hotel.

At present Dhoni is in Bangladesh and will lead the Indian team into the finals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2014 against Sri Lanka.

HAL RECEIVED THE MOST EFFICIENT NAVRATNA AWARD 2013

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on 3 April 2014 received the Most Efficient Navratna Award for the year 2013. It received the award at the 5th Dalal Street Investment Journal Awards ceremony held in New Delhi. The award was collected by the Chairman of HAL, Dr. R K Tyagi.

The awards were presented to the various PSUs in different categories in recognition of their performance and contribution to the Indian economy.

The award was given to the company for the measure it has taken on various fronts such as R&D, modernization, customer initiatives, quality and thrust given on indigenization.

**About Navratnas

At present there are 14 Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) which have been designated as Navratnas by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. These are:

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

ZUBIN MEHTA WON SPECIAL JURY AWARD OF TIMES NOW NRI AWARDS 2014

Renowned music director and concert conductor Zubin Mehta on 30 March 2014 won the special jury award of Times Now NRI Awards 2014. The award ceremony was held in Mumbai.

Other winners of inaugral Times Now NRI Award 2014

Yusuff Ali M A, managing director of Abu Dhabi-based Emke Lulu group was given the popular choice award

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan was named India's global icon

Keertika Rawat was awarded in the entertainment category

Dr Kunal Saha won the NRI award in My India category

Dr Raminder Singh Ranger, Rupesh Srivastava, Anand Kumar and Nitish Jain were awarded in the entrepreneur category

Husain Khaki, Mala Kiran Talekar, Abdul Muqeet and Aastha Chauhan won the awards in the NRI students category

Dr Ramesh Babu, Chandrabhan Singh, Chandrashekar Natarajan, Y Sudhir Kumar Shetty and Venkatesha Murthy won the award in professional category

Suman Kapoor, Vijay Goradia, Keshav Murleedharan and Dr D Chandroo were felicitated for philanthropy

About Times Now NRI Awards 2014

To recognize the successful Indians globally and to celebrate their achievements, Times Now announced NRI Awards in February 2014.

The award recognises non-resident Indians' contribution across categories, including entrepreneurship, arts, entertainment and philanthropy.

This award is open to any Non Resident Indian (NRI), Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and Person of Indian origin (PIO) who has resided in USA, Canada, Singapore, UK, Middle East including Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait for a minimum of 2 years and will have a five tier evaluation process managed by Ernst & Young. Times Now is the largest media conglomerate of India with a presence in over 75 countries.

About Zubin Mehta

Zubin Mehta is an Indian Parsi conductor of Western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Main Conductor for Valencia's opera house.


The Government of India honoured Mehta in 1966 with the Padma Bhushan and in 2001 with the Padma Vibhushan, second highest civilian award of India.

INDIAN-ORIGIN STUDENT GOPAL RAO WON UK TWITTER PRIZE

Indian-origin Gopal Rao on 27 March 2014 won UK Twitter Prize. The prize was to meet the British Foreign Secretary William Hague and to discuss the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI).

PSVI was launched on 29 May 2012 by William Hague. PSVI aimed to strengthen and support international efforts to respond to sexual violence in conflict which included to enhance the capacity of countries, institutions, and communities to support survivors and end impunity for perpetrators.

Gopal Rao, MBA student at Cambridge University won the accolades from British Foreign Secretary William Hague after winning a Twitter competition which asked a question regarding UK’s foreign policy.

The question asked was What do you think is the biggest contribution UK foreign policy can make to the world?

Gopal Rao answered that UK foreign policy should focus on emancipation of girlsandwomen through enterprise, supported by vibrant #socent culture within UK. #meetFS.

GOVIND MISHRA, THE HINDI WRITER SELECTED FOR SARASWATI SAMMAN 2013

Govind Mishra, the renowned Hindi author will receive Sarawasti Samman for the year 2013 for his book Dhool Paudho Par published in 2008. This honour will make Mishra the second Hindi author to receive the honour after Harivansh Rai Bachchan.

In 1991, Harivansh Rai Bachchan became the first Hindi author to receive this honour.

First novel of Mishra was Wo Apna Chehra published in 1969. Lal Peeli Zameen published in 1976 is Mishra's much talked novel.

Earlier on 2 August 2013 the Saraswati Samman 2012 was given to Sugathakumari, the Malayalam poetess for Manalezhuthu (the Writings on the Sand), a collection of poems in Malayalam.

About Saraswati Samman


Saraswati Samman is an annual award and is given in recognition of outstanding prose or poetry literary works in Indian languages that are listed in Schedule VII of the constitution of India. This Samman is given for the literary works of last 10 years. The award was established in 1991 by K. K. Birla Foundation and carries a prize amount of 10 lakh rupees along with a certificate.

PRESIDENT CONFERRED GALLANTRY AND DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS

Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India on 22 March 2014 conferred Gallantry and Distinguished Service Awards. He conferred three Kriti Chakras and ten Shurya Chakras to Armed Personnel at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The five Surya Chakra was given posthumously.

The awards were given to them for displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage and extreme devotion to duty.

Other medals conferred by Mukherjee on the day were

Param Vishisht Seva Medals to fifteen persons

Uttam Yudh Seva Medals to two persons

Bar to Ari Vishist Seva Medals to three persons

Ati Vishisht Seva Medals to twenty two persons

Pranab Mukherjee being a President of India is also the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces.

PHYSICIST RAJESH GOPAKUMAR SELECTED FOR G D BIRLA AWARD 2013

Physicist Rajesh Gopakumar was selected for the 23rd G D Birla Award for scientific research for the year 2013. It was announced by the K K Birla Foundation on 21 March 2014. The award carries a cash prize of 1.5 lakh rupees and a citation.

Gopakumar has been awarded for his important contributions on topics in Quantum Field Theory and String Theory. At present he is working as a theoretical physicist at Harish Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad.

Gopakumar, 46 has won many other awards including B M Birla Science prize in 2004 andThird World Academy of Sciences Award in 2013.


For 2012, G D Birla Award was given to Prof. Nibir Mandal of Jadavpur University for his work in area of structural geology.

About the G D Birla award

The G D Birla award for scientific research was instituted in 1991 to recognise significant scientific research undertaken by Indian scientists below the age of 50, working in India.

INDIAN JOURNALIST SHUBRANSHU CHOUDHARY WON DIGITAL ACTIVISM AWARD 2014

Indian journalist Shubranshu Choudhary won digital activism award on 20 March 2014 for regional news service. Shubranshu Choudhary defeated American Whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Indian journalist Shubhranshu Choudhary has been given the 2014 Google Digital Activism Award for his work in using mobile phones to bring local news to remote Indian regions in their native language.

Other nominees of this award were TAILS, which is an open source encryption tool, and Free Weibo, which is a social network from China.

Shubhranshu Choudhary is the founder of CGNet Swara, which empowers tribals in Chhattisgarh and connects them to the world outside using various digital means. With this project, Choudhary gave the voices of tribals a global platform via Internet and mobile phone usage.

Google Digital Activism Award is a part of Index Freedom of Expression Awards. The award recognized the people who have made it big in one of the four categories, namely advocacy, arts, digital activism, and journalism.

PRESIDENT PRESENTED THE STANDARD AND COLOURS AWARD

President Pranab Mukherjee on 12 March 2014 presented the President's Standard and Colours Award. The Standard Award was given to 112 Helicopter Unit and President's Colour to 4 Base Repair Depot (BRD). The Award was presented at the Air Force Station in Kanpur.

President's Standard Award was received by Wing Commander Manish Sharma, Commanding Officer of 112 Helicopter Unit and Group Captain S Shrinivas Commanding Officer of 4 Base Repair Depot (BRD) received the President's Colour Award.


INDIAN ACID ATTACK VICTIM, LAXMI WON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE AWARD

US honoured Laxmi, an acid attack victim with the prestigious International Women of Courage Award on 4 March 2014. She has been honoured for being a standard-bearer for the movement to end acid attacks in India.

She received the award at the State Department ceremony in Washington by Michelle Obama, first lady of US. The award was presented to Laxmi along with other awardees from different countries.

**About International Women of Courage Award

International Women of Courage Award was established in 2007 and is an annual award that is given by Secretary of State to women around the globe who have exemplified exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights, women’s equality and social progress. . This is the only Department of State award that pays tribute to emerging women leaders worldwide. Since the inception of the award in 2007, the Department of State has honored more than 70 women from 49 different countries.

CHANDI PRASAD BHATT WON GANDHI PEACE PRIZE FOR 2013

Chandi Prasad Bhatt, the noted Gandhian environmentalist and social activist won the Gandhi

Peace Prize for the year 2013 on 28 February 2014.

Chandi Prasad Bhatt

• Bhatt was one of the pioneers of the Chipko movement (His founded Dasholi Gram Swarajya

Sangh became the mother-organisation to Chipko movement) for which he was awarded with

the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1982

• In 2005, he was awarded with Padma Bhushan

• He was born in 1934

• He is known for his work on Subaltem social ecology and in one of the first modern

environmentalists


MADAN BABU WON PROTEIN SCIENCE YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD FOR 2014

Madan Babu, an Indian-born scientist, won the Protein Science Young Investigator Award for 2014 at Cambridge, UK on 20 February 2014. The Protein Science Young Investigator Award is given by the Protein Society for important contribution made in the study of proteins.

Madan received the award for his contributions to the understanding of the principles of regulation in biological systems, especially in the fields of intrinsically disordered proteins and gene regulation. With this award, he became the first scientist of Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) to win the award.

At present Madan Babu heads the Regulatory Genomics and Systems Biology group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.

The 67th BAFTA Awards

The 67th British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards were given in London on 16 February 2014. The Awards were conferred for the outstanding performances in films and documentaries screened at British Cinemas in 2013.

The Awards are:

Category Names

Best Film 12 Years a Slave

Best Director Alfonso Cuar’on (Gravity)

Best Actor Chiwetel Ejofor (12 years a Slave)

Best Actress Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

Best Supporting Actor Barkhad Abdi (Capitan)

Best Supporting Actress Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)


Best British Film Gravity

Best Debut By a British Writer, Director or Producer

Kieran Evans

Best Original Screenplay American Hustle

Best Adapted Screenplay Philomena

Best Film Not In The English Language

The Great Beauty

Best Documentary The Act of Killing

Best Original Film Score Gravity

Best Cinematography Gravity

Best Editing Rush

Best Sound Gravity

Best Animated Film Frozen

Best Visual Effects Gravity

Best Makeup and Hair American Hustle

Best Production Design The Great Gatsby

Best Costumes The Great Gatsby

Best Short Film Room 8


Best Animated Short Sleeping With The Fishes

BAFTA Rising Star Award Will Poulter

About BAFTA

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) supports, promotes and develops the art forms of moving image like film, Television and Video games.

BAFTA Identifies, rewards and celebrates excellence at it’s internationally- renowned, annual awards inspiring the practitioner and benefiting the public.

KILLA, A MARATHI FILM BAGGED CRYSTAL BEAR AWARD AT 64TH BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Killa, a Marathi film on 17 February 2014 won the Crystal Bear (Glasernen Bar) for the best film award by the Children’s jury in Generation Kplus section at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival. The film has been directed by Avinash Arun. The jury in its citation for the award to the film said that the film deals with the universal conflict of migration and how it impacts the lives of people, especially children made them want to discover India. The film Killa convinced the jury in all respects with good camera work and the great actors.

PRESIDENT PRANAB MUKHERJEE CONFERRED AWARD OF HONOUR OF ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee was conferred Award of Honour on 11 February 2014 in New Delhi. The award was presented by Ron Burton, President of Rotary International at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The President, Mukherjee was awarded for the leadership he has provided and the India’s victory over Polio. Recently India completed three years without reporting any case of polio on 13 January 2014.

Officially the World Health Organisation (WHO) certified India as polio-free on 11 February 2014. The WHO on 24 February 2012 removed India from the list of countries with active endemic wild polio transmission.


KRISHI KARMAN AWARDS FOR 2012-13

The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, presented Krishi Karman Awards for the year 2012-13 on 10 February 2014. The awards were presented during inaugural function of World Congress on Agro-Forestry (WCA-2014) held in New Delhi.

The awards were presented in two categories. In the Total food grain production category, the awards were presented to Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Manipur states. In the excellence in the Individual food grains crops category, the awards were presented to Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar States.

Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura got commendation prizes for total food grain production. Maharashtra got commendation prize for rice, Assam for pulses and Punjab and Haryana for rice and wheat.

SACHIN TENDULKAR AND CNR RAO CONFERRED WITH BHARAT RATNA

Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour was conferred on cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar

(40) and eminent scientist Prof CNR Rao (79) by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. The

awards were given at the Durban Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on 4 February

2014.

The recipient of the award will receive a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a

medallion. This award does not carry any monetary grants.

With this felicitation, Sachin became the first sportsperson to be conferred with the honour of

Bharat Ratna. He is also the youngest person alive to be conferred with the award. Master

blaster Sachin retired from international cricket on 16 November 2013. Sachin after receiving

the award dedicated it to his mother.

Prof CNR Rao (Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao) is the third scientist who has been

conferred with the award. He received the honour after CV Raman andAPJ Abdul Kalam, the

former President of India. Rao is recognized international authority on solid state and materials

chemistry. Till now, he has published 1400 research papers and 45 books.


NATHPA JHAKRI HYDRO POWER STATION AWARDED A GOLD SHIELD

Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station awarded a gold shield on 4 February 2014 for its

meritorious performance in 2013-14.Nathpa Hydro power Station consecutively third time

received the award.

Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station received Silver shield for the year 2012-13 and Bronze shield

for the year 2011-12 by the Central Electricity Authority in the category of Performance of

Hydro Power Stations.

The Ministry of Power had instituted the Comprehensive Award Scheme for recognizing

meritorious performance in Power Sector in 2004-05.

ANAND KUMAR, THE FOUNDER OF SUPER30 GOT RAMANUJAN MATHEMATICS AWARD 2014

Anand Kumar, a mathematician and founder of Super30 classes was conferred with the 2014 Ramanujan Mathematics Award in Rajkot on 27 January 2014. The award was given to him at the Eighth National Mathematics Convention organised in Rajkot.

As award, he was presented a cash award of 20000 rupees by the Pitamber Patel, an Atomic scientist and JJ Rawal, a scientist.

About Ramanujan Mathematics Award

• Ramanujan Mathematics Award is an annual award that is given to a person who has at least three papers published in international journals and is involved in teaching mathematics.

• Ramanujan Prize was first awarded in 2005 to Marcelo Viana from Brazil

• Other Indian to be awarded with the prize is Ramdorai Sujatha, India in 2006

About Anand Kumar

• Anand is a native of Bihar and a founder of an institution named Super30

• In 2010, Anand Kumar won the Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Shiksha Puraskar that is the highest award by the Government of Bihar


• Mathematical Spectrum and Mathematical Gazette of the UK has published a number of papers of Anand Kumar. During graduation, Kumar submitted papers on Number Theory, which were published in Mathematical Spectrum and The Mathematical Gazette

• Three times, Kumar has been invited jointly by the Mathematical Association of America and the American Mathematical Society to present his papers

About Super30

• Super30 was established in 2002 in Patna, Bihar under the banner of Ramanujan School of Mathematics by Anand Kumar. The institution gives free residential mentoring to 30 selected students from underprivileged families to appear in the entrance exam of IIT-JEE. Super30 as an institution that has achieved international recognition for social awakening

• Time Magazine selected Super30 in the list of the Best of Asia 2010

• It was included in the list of four most innovative schools in the world by the Newsweek Magazine

56TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS FOR 2014 ANNOUNCED

The Recording Academy announced the 56th Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on 26 January 2014.

This year the Grammy Awards weren't just about the music and they were also about making a statement in the same-sex marriage debate.

Category Album Name of Artist

Album of the year Random Access Memories

Daft Punk

Record of the year Get Lucky Daft Punk , Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers

New artist Macklemore and Ryan Lewis


Song of the year Royals Lorde

Children’s album Throw a Penny in the Wishing Well

Jennifer Gasoi

Pop solo performance

Royals Lorde

About Grammy Awards

The Grammy awards are the recording industry’s most prestigious award presented annually by The Recording Academy.The Recording Academy also known as The National Academy of Recording Arts & Science in United States was established in 1957.

CYRUS MISTRY WON THE DSC PRIZE 2014

Cyrus Mistry won the DSC prize 2014 for South Asian literature for his book Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer on 18 January 2014. Mistry was awarded with a cash price of 50000 dollars at Jaipur International Literature Festival 2014.

Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer derives a true story of the son of a Parsi priest, who falls in love with the daughter of a corpse bearer, a community segregated and shunned by society.

About DSC Prize

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

Earlier, winners are

• H M Nagvi for his novel Home Boy in 2011 • Shehan Karunatilaka for his novel Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew in 2012 • Jeet Thayil for his novel Narcopolis in 2013


YUSHI, TAIWANESE POET AWARDED THIRUVALLUVAR AWARD

Taiwanese poet Yushi was awarded the Thiruvalluvar award on 15 January 2014 by the Tamil Nadu government in Chennai. Yushi is the first foreign scholar to receive Thiruvalluvar award.

The award was given to Yushi on the occasion of Thiruvalluvar Day. The award was given to him in recognition of his contribution to the Tamil language. Yushi has translated Tirukkural (one of the collection of sangam literature), the poems of poet Subramanya Bharathi and poet Bharathidasan in Mandarin, Chinese language.

The Thiruvalluvar award carries a gold medal and a cheque of one lakh rupees.

Yushi is the founder president of the Tamil Sangam in Taiwan. In 2004 he received the highest honour award by Seoul World Academy of Arts and Culture.

DEEPIKA AND FARHAN WON BEST ACTORS AT SCREEN AWARDS

Deepika Padukone and Farhan Akhtar won the Best Actress and Best Actor awards respectively on 15 January 2014 at the 20th Screen Awards. Padukone was awarded as the best actor Award (female) for Ram-leela and Farhan was awarded for his power packed performance in the Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.

Apart from the award of the best actress, Padukone also bagged the most popular choice award (female) for Chennai Express. She had four blockbuster movies in 2013 namely Race 2, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Chennai Express and Ram Leela. All the four films were ranked in the 100-crore club in the box office.

The Most Popular Choice Award (male) was given to Shah Rukh Khan for Chennai Express. Amitabh Bachan received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Other awards announced and given were:

• Special Jury Award: won by director Anand Gandhi for Ship of Theseus

• Ram Nath Goenka Memorial award – won by John Abraham for Madras Café

• Best on-screen Jodi of the Year – given to Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor of Aashiqui 2

• Best Film Award – won by Bhaag Milkha Bhaag


• Best Director Award – won by Shoojit Sircar for Madras Café

• Best Story Award – won by Mohan Sikka for BA Pass

• Best Screenplay – won by Hansal Mehta, Sameer Gautam Singh and Apurva Asrani for the biopic on murdered lawyer Shahid Azmi (Shahid)

• Best Supporting Actor awards – won by Saurabh Shukla and Swara Bhaskar for Jolly LLB and Raanjhanaa respectively

• Best Actor in Negative Role (male) – won by Rishi Kapoor for his role in D Day in which he played the role of Dawood Ibrahim

• Best Actor in Negative Role (female) – won by Shilpa Shukla for her erotic drama in BA pass

• Best Actor in Comic Role award – won by Richa Chadda for Fukrey

• Most promising newcomer award - won bySushant Singh Rajput for Kai Po Che

• Most promising newcomer (female) – won by Aida Ei-Kashef for Ship of Theseus

• Most promising debut director – won by Ritesh Batra for The Lunchbox

PRESIDENT PRESENTED SUNIL GANGOPADHYAY AWARD 2012 & 2013

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

About Sunil Gangopadhyay Memorial Award

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


ANDHRA PRADESH BAGGED OIL AND GAS CONSERVATION AWARD, 2013

Andhra Pradesh bagged the Oil and Gas Conservation Award for the best performance among the big States. The award is given by the Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

The PCRA observes the Oil and Gas Conservation Fortnight from January 16 to 31 every year. The award is given away for exceptional support and cooperation extended by the governments for various conservation activities organised by the state-level coordinator during OGCF-2013.

The award will be presented by petroleum and natural gas minister M Veerappa Moily during the inaugural function of OGCF 2014 to be held in Delhi on 16 January 2014.

71ST GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS 2014 ANNOUNCED

71st Golden Globe Awards were announced at Los Angeles on 11 January 2014. The event was organised by Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

It is one of the few awards ceremonies that span both television and motion picture achievements. The winners in the various categories are as follows- -

Best Motion Picture, Drama: 12 Years a slave

Best Director - Motion Picture: Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity

Best Actress in a Motion Picture: Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama: Mathew Mc Conaughey for Dollas Buyers Club

Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy - American Hustle

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy - Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Amy Adams – American Hustle

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, Musical or Comedy - Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, Musical or Comedy - Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle

Best Screenplay- Spike Jonze – Her

Best Animated Feature Film- Frozen

Best Foreign Language Film - The Great Beauty (Italy)


Woody Allen won a lifetime achievement award for more than four decades of writing, producing and directing films.

PRAVASI BHARATIYA SAMMAN AWARDS CONFERRED BY THE PRESIDENT

Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India on 9 January 2014 conferred the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Awards to thirteen NRIs, PIOs and organisations for their outstanding contribution in the country of their residence as well as to India.

The Pravasi Bhartiya Divas was organised in New Delhi from 7 to 9 January 2014. The theme for the year was Engaging Diaspora: Connecting Across Generations. Following people were awarded

Lisa Maria Singh from Australia she was given for Public service and fostering friendly

relations between India and Australia.

Kurian Varghese from Bahrain was awarded for Business for enhancing India’s image and for Promotion better understanding of India abroad.

Vasdev Chanchlani from Canada was awarded for Community service and fostering ties

between India and Canada and efforts in promotion Indian culture and heritage.

Ramakrishna Mission from Fiji was awarded for Community service and philanthropic

activity and enhancing India’s prestige abroad.

Satnarainsing Rabin Baldewsingh from Netherlands was awarded for Public service and developing closer ties between India and South Africa.

Bikas Chandra Sanyal from France was awarded for Education and culture and

enhancing India’s image.

Sasindran Muthuvel from Papua New Guinea was awarded for the field of Public service.

Shihabudeen Vava Kunju from Saudi Arabia was awarded for the Community service and

promoting ties between India and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Ela Gandhi from South Africa was awarded for Public service, enhancing India’s image and promoting ties between India and South Africa.

Shamsheer Vayalil Parambath from United Arab was awarded for Health business and in

promoting Better understanding of India United Arab Emirates.

Shailesh Lakhman Vara from United Kingdom has been awarded for Public service and in

promoting ties between India and the people of U.K.

Parthasarathy Chiramel Pillai from USA was awarded for Science and for fostering closer relations between India and USA.

Renu Khator from USA has been awarded for Education and enhancing India’s prestige

abroad.


Person in news

SUSHMA SWARAJ BECAME THE FIRST WOMAN EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER OF INDIA

Sushma Swaraj became the first woman External Affairs Minister of India on 26 May 2014. She was also been given the charge of Overseas Indian Affairs.

Although, Indira Gandhi held the post of Union External Affairs Minister prior to Sushma Swaraj, but it was in addition to the post of Prime Minister which she held in 1967 and 1984.

INDIAN-AMERICAN STUDENT AKHIL REKULAPELLI WON NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEE CHAMPIONSHIP

Indian-American student Akhil Rekulapelli on 21 May 2014 won the National Geographic Bee championship in Washington, USA.

Ameya Mujumdar from Florida stood second, while California's Tuvya Bergson-Michelson finished third. Ameya Mujumdar is also an Indian American student.

EC CONFIRMED AMIR KHAN AS ITS NATIONAL ICON FOR LOK SABHA ELECTION 2014

Election Commission (EC) confirmed Amir Khan as its national icon for the Lok Sabha elections 2014 on 1 April 2014. He IS the fifth national icon selected by the EC. The EC recorded a video and audio campaign which shows Amir Khan urging people to vote ethically.

MEXICO CELEBRATED THE 100TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF LATE NOBEL LAUREATE OCTAVIO PAZ

Mexicans on 1 April 2014 celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of late Nobel Prize winning poet and essayist Octavio Paz. On his birth anniversary, Google dedicated the doodle on home page to him.

During a ceremony held at ornate Vasconcelos Library in Mexico City, President Enrique Pena Nieto hailed Paz as the brilliant Mexican mind of the 20th century.

He was a firm defender of democracy and a member of Institutional Revolutionary Party which was known for its authoritarian ways while in power for most of the 20th century.


INDIA BASED AMERICAN DR. SUMIT CHUGH CHOSEN FOR PRESTIGIOUS SIMON DACK AWARD

An Indian- American Cardiologist, Dr. Sumit Chugh along with one more researcher has been chosen for the Prestigious Simon Dack Award for Outstanding Scholarship. This award will be given to him in recognition of his contributions to the organisation’s peer-reviewed medical journals.

Apart from being an expert in heart rhythmic disorders, he is also leader of a World Health Organisation panel. This panel performs a global assessment of heart rhythmic disorders for the global burden of disease duty. He received his medical degree from Patiala.

SHEILA DIKSHIT TOOK OATH AS KERALA GOVERNOR

Sheila Dikshit, the former Chief Minister of Delhi on 11 March 2014 took oath as the Governor of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram. The oath was administered to her by the Kerala High Court’s Chief Justice Dr Manjula Chellur. She was appointed at the post of the state’s governor on 4 March 2014.

She has succeeded Nikhil Kumar, who in the past has served as the Police Chief of Delhi. Her appointment to the post came following resignation of Nikhil Kumar.

SPICEJET APPOINTED R. NEELAKANTAN NEW CFO

Low-cost carrier SpiceJet appointed R.Neelakantan as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on 4 March 2014. He will replace Sam Isaac.

He was serving as the Head of Internal Audit for the Sun Group. Earlier, Neelakantan had served as SpiceJet’s CFO from November 2010 to February 2013.

DR. TEJ VIR SINGH WON THE UNWTO ULYSSES PRIZE

Dr. Tej Vir Singh from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh won the 2013 UNWTO Ulysses Prize for Excellence in the Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge on 22 January 2014. Dr.Singh is the professor and Founding Director of the Centre for Tourism Research & Development (CTRD) in India.


ANAND SINHA, THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF RBI RETIRED

Anand Sinha, the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India retired on 20 January 2014. His retirement came following his superannuation and his portfolio has been allocated to other three Deputy Governors.

The reallocation was necessitated consequent upon Anand Sinha relinquishing his charge as Deputy Governor. Earlier, Singh was looking after the process of granting new bank licences along with the procedure for granting the licencse to the private sector. The process and procedures of allocation of new licence is incomplete till now.

QAMAR AHMED, THIRD CRICKET JOURNALIST, TO COVER 400 TEST MATCHES

Qamar Ahmed, the veteran Pakistani Cricket journalist on 16 January 2014 became the only third man in history to cover 400 test matches. He covered his 400th test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Sharjah, which was overall the 2115 test match in number.

Ahmed of 76 years follows the British journalist John Woodcock and Australian captain-turned-writer and commentator Richie Benaud to achieve the milestone. He is fondly known as Q to friends and cricketers around the world.

MS DHIR ELECTED AS SPEAKER OF DELHI ASSEMBLY

MS Dhir an MLA of Aam Aadmi Party has been elected as the Speaker of the Delhi Assembly on 3 January 2014. His election as the speaker was announced by the Pro-tem Speaker, Mateen Ahmad in the House. He was elected as the Speaker of the House after his party won the trust vote on 2 January 2014. Dhir defeated his BJP rival Jagdish Mukhi. He got 37 votes in support as compared to 32 votes won by Mukhi. The session of Delhi Assembly that bagan functioning on 1 January 2014 will end on 7 January 2014.


Person Appointed

AHMED MAITIQ SWORN-IN AS THE NEW PRIME MINISTER OF LIBYA

Ahmed Maitiq was sworn-in as the new Prime Minister of Libiya on 26 May 2014. Maitiq took oath of his office before Nuri Abu Sahmain, the President of the General National Congress, Libya's transitional Parliament.

FORMER IB CHIEF RAJIV MATHUR BECAME NEW CIC

Rajiv Mathur, 64, the former Intelligence Bureau Chief on 22 May 2014 took over as the new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC). His oath to the office was administered by Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

In addition to Mathur, the Central Information Commission at present have seven Information Commissioners against the sanctioned strength of 10. These are

Vijai Sharma

Basant Seth

Yashovardhan Azad

Sharat Sabharwal

Manjula Prasher

M.A. Khan Yusufi

Prof Madabhushanam Sridhar Acharyulu

ANANDIBEN SWORN-IN AS FIRST WOMAN CHIEF MINISTER OF GUJARAT

Anandiben Patel was sworn-in as the first woman Chief Minister of Gujarat on 22 May 2014. Kamla Beniwal, the Governor of Gujarat administered her oath to the office and secrecy at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.

Anandiben Patel was appointed as the new Chief Minister of Gujarat after Narendra Modi resigned from the office on 21 May 2014 to take over the post of Prime Minister of India. At the time of appointment, Anandiben was serving the state as the Gujarat Revenue Minister.


INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY 2014 OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD

22 May- International Day for Biological Diversity

International Day for Biological Diversity was observed across the world on 22 May 2014. The theme of International Day for Biological Diversity 2014 is Island Biodiversity.

The theme coincided with the International Year of Small Island Developing States which was designated by the United Nations General Assembly.

The day was celebrated with the aim of spreading awareness on biodiversity and the importance of preserving it in villages and islands.

PRESIDENT APPOINTED NARENDRA MODI AS PRIME MINISTER, OATH ON MAY 26

Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India on 20 May 2014 appointed Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of India. Narendra Modi, the leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party will take a formal oath of the office on 26 May 2014 at Rashtrapati Bhawan. His oath will be administered by the President.

The President asked him to advise the names of others who will be appointed as the Members of Council of Ministers. At the time of being appointed as the Prime Minister of India, he was serving Gujarat as its Chief Minister. This was his third term as the Chief Minister.

Narendra Modi is the first Prime Minister of India who has born in Independent India. For the first time, he was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat on 7 October 2001 and at present he is the longest serving Chief Minister of Gujarat.

NAVEEN PATNAIK SWORN-IN AS CHIEF MINISTER OF ODISHA FOR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE TERM

Naveen Patnaik on 21 May 2014 was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Odisha for fourth consecutive term. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President Patnaik was sworn-in at the Raj Bhavan, Bhubaneswar.

Governor S C Jamir administered oath of office and secrecy to Naveen Patnaik and 21 other ministers.


PAWAN CHAMLING SWORN-IN AS THE CHIEF MINISTER OF SIKKIM FOR RECORD 5TH TERM

Pawan Chamling was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Sikkim on 21 May 2014 for a record fifth consecutive time. Governor of Sikkim, Shriniwas Patil administered the oath of office and secrecy to Chamling and his 11 ministers at Raj Bhawan in Gangtok.

Chamling is the leader of Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) and has secured a two-third majority in the Assembly elections by winning 22 seats out of 32. The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha will be the opposition party in the assembly as it has secured 10 seats.

He has been the Chief Minister of the State since 12 December 1994 and has competed 20 years at the post till now. With this swearing-in, he is set to become the longest-serving Chief Minister of any State of India, if he serves a complete tenure. Till now the record has been held by the late communist leader Jyoti Basu, who served West Bengal as a Chief Minister for 23 years from 1977 to 2000.

MONTEK SINGH AHLUWALIA, THE PLANNING COMMISSION DEPUTY CHAIRMAN RESIGNED

Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission of India resigned from his office on 17 May 2014. He submitted his resignation to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh after the Union Cabinet meet held in New Delhi.

Apart from Ahluwalia, another member of the Planning Commission BK Chaturvedi also submitted his resignation.

Full-time members of the Planning Commission members apart from Montek Singh Ahluwalia were

BK Chaturvedi

Saumitra Chaudhuri

Syeda Hameed

Narendra Jadhav

Abhijit Sen

Mihir Shah

K Kasturirangan

Arun Maira


JITAN RAM MANJHI TOOK OATH AS THE CHIEF MINISTER OF BIHAR

Jitan Ram Manjhi was sworn-in as the new Chief Minister of Bihar on 20 May 2014. His oath of the office and secrecy was administered by the Governor of Bihar, DY Patil at the Raj Bhavan in Patna.

He succeeded Janata Dal – United (JD-U) leader, Nitish Kumar who resigned from the post of Chief Minister on 17 May 2014 after the debacle of the party in the 16th Lok Sabha election. Nitish Kumar served as Chief Minister of Bihar for two term from 2005 - 2009 and from 2009 - 2014.

NABAM TUKI SWORN-IN AS THE CHIEF MINISTER OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH

Nabam Tuki on 18 May 2014 was sworn-in as the eighth (seventh as person) Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh at the Raj Bhavan in Itanagar. This is second consecutive term for the veteran congress leader. His oath to the office and secrecy was administered by the Governor Lt. Gen. (Retd) Nirbhay Sharma.

He was sworn in as the seventh Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh on 1 November 2011 as a successor of Jarbom Gamlin. He was selected as the Chief Minister due to internal revolt within Congress Party. In the internal revolt 42 Congress legislators in the 60-member house had opposed Gamlin due to his authoritarian rule. Gamlin was made Chief Minister of the State after the death of former Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu on 30 April 2011 in a helicopter crash.

A.B. PANDYA APPOINTED AS THE CHAIRMAN OF CENTRAL WATER COMMISSION

Ashwin B. Pandya on 15 May 2014 was appointed as the Chairman of the Central Water Commission & ex-officio Secretary of the Government of India. He was holding the additional charge of the post since November 2013.

KRISTIN LUND OF NORWAY BECAME FIRST-EVER WOMAN TO HEAD A UN PEACEKEEPING FORCE

Major General Kristin Lund of Norway became the first-ever woman to head a UN Peacekeeping Force in its entire history. She was appointed as the Force Commander of UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) on 12 May 2014 to mark its 50th anniversary in 2014.


Major General Kristin Lund will assume the charge of Force Commander of UNFICYP on 13 August 2014. She will succeed the outgoing Force Commander, Major General Chao Liu of China who will retire on 13 August 2014.

Major General Kristin Lund previous assignment at UN includes

Service with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)

Service with the UN Protection Force (UNPROFOR)

She also has extensive experience in multinational operations which includes

Deployment to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm in 1991

NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Headquarters in Afghanistan

SURESH KUMAR REDDY APPOINTED AS THE FIRST AMBASSADOR TO ASEAN

Union Ministry of External Affairs (MoEA) on 23 April 2014 appointed Suresh Kumar Reddy as India's first Ambassador to the separate Indian Mission to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) & East Asia Summit. He is expected to take up his assignment shortly.

Presently, he is working as the Ambassador of India to Iraq.

ECONOMIC AFFAIRS SECRETARY ARVIND MAYARAM DESIGNATED AS NEW FINANCE SECRETARY

Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram has been designated as new Finance Secretary. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved a proposal to designate Arvind Mayaram as the new Finance Secretary on 15 April 2014.

Previous Finance secretary, Sumit Bose retired on 31 March 2014 and the post was vacant since that time.

JUSTICE G ROHINI APPOINTED AS THE FIRST WOMEN CHIEF JUSTICE OF DELHI HIGH COURT

President of India on 11 April 2014 approved the name of Justice G Rohini (58) for appointment as the Next Chief Justice of Delhi High Court. With this approval, she will become the first women Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court. At the time of appointment, Rohini was serving as the senior-most judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. She will sevre the High Court of Delhi as its Chief Justice for a period of four years.


She will succeed Acting Chief Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed. Justice Ahmed was appointed after Justice NV Ramana was elevated to the Supreme Court as a Judge in February 2014.

Earlier, her name was suggested by the Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam.

JUSTICE R.M.LODHA APPOINTED AS NEXT CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA

President of India on 11 April 2014 appointed Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha as Next Chief Justice of India. Justice Lodha will take his charge from 27 April 2014. He will be the 41st Chief Justice of India. He will succeed Justice P. Sathasivam.

Justice Lodha will have a brief tenure of five months as the Chief Justice of India (CJI). He is scheduled to retire on 27 September 2014. He is 64.

Justice Lodha is the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court after CJI P. Sathasivam. The name of Justice Lodha was recommended as the next CJI by Justice Sathasivam.

RATAN TATA APPOINTED MEMBER OF CHINA-BACKED BOARD OF BOAO FORUM FOR ASIA

Ratan Tata on 10 April 2014 was appointed as a member of the Board of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA). The post is a rare distinction for an Indian in the Chinese government-backed influential body. Ratan Tata is one of the 15 members of the Board of BFA. The other influential personalities includes former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badwai, former Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and former Prime Minister of France Jean-Pierre Raffarin besides former US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI) is an ordinary member of the forum. The appointment of Ratan Tata to the board of the BFA is seen as part of China's efforts to push closer ties with India.

SAP APPOINTED RAVI CHAUHAN AS MD FOR INDIA

Ravi Chauhan on 7 April 2014 was appointed as Managing Director for SAP India. He will take the charge immediately. He will report directly to Adaire Fox-Martin, President of SAP Asia Pacific Japan.


He had joined SAP after four years at Juniper Networks, where he had last served as Managing Director for India and South Asia. Before Juniper, Chauhan held leadership roles at Nortel Networks.

MARIE-LOUSIE COLEIRO PRECA SWORN-IN AS PRESIDENT OF MALTA

Marie-Lousie Coleiro Preca was sworn-in as the President of Malta on 4 April 2014 in Valletta, Malta. She was named as President after being suggested by the Prime Minister,Joseph Muscat and approved by Parliament. Coleiro replaced George Abela from Labour Party whose term completed on 4 April 2014.

She is the ninth President of the Malta and second female President in the European Union (EU) Country.

R GANDHI APPOINTED AS DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF RBI

R Gandhi was appointed as the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India on 3 April 2014 for a period of three years. His appointment came into effect from 3 April 2014. Before being elevated to the position of Deputy Governor, he was serving the Reserve Bank as its executive director.

He has been appointed as the successor of Anand Sinha, who retired from the office on 20 January 2014. Till the time of retirement, Sinha was looking after the new bank licence process.

D K PATHAK APPOINTED AS THE NEW DIRECTOR GENERAL OF BSF

Union Government on 2 April 2014 appointed senior IPS officer D K Pathak as the new Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF). BSF is country's largest border guarding force. His name for the post of DG was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Mamohan Singh. He is expected to continue till February, 2016.

Pathak is a 1979-batch officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. Prior to the appointment of DG, he was posted as the Special DG and was also officiating as the DG since 1 March 2014.

FRENCH PRESIDENT HOLLANDE NAMES VALLS AS NEW PM

President Francois Hollande on 31 March 2014 appointed Interior Minister Manuel Valls as next

prime minister of France. Manuel Carlos Valls is a Spanish-born French Socialist Party politician.


He was the Mayor of Évry from 2001 to 2012 and a Member of the National Assembly since

2002.

SUNIL GAVASKAR APPOINTED AS INTERIM PRESIDENT OF BCCI

Sunil Gavaskar was appointed as the interim president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) by the Supreme Court on 28 March 2014. He was appointed as acting president of BCCI to discharge the functions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014.

Sunil Gavaskar replaced the present BCCI chief N Srinivasan. The Supreme Court also directed administrative responsibilities of the BCCI board to the BCCI vice-president Shivlal Yadav, former off-spinner of Indian cricket team.

JENS STOLTENBERG APPOINTED AS SECRETARY GENERAL OF NATO

Jens Stoltenberg was appointed as the Secretary General of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). This was announced by the North Atlantic Council in Brussels in Belgium on 28 March 2014. Besides, he was also appointed as the Chairman of the North Atlantic Council.

Stoltenberg will take charges of Secretary General of NATO on 1 October 2014. He will replace the incumbent Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Prime Minister of Denmark.

SOMA MONDAL APPOINTED FIRST WOMEN DIRECTOR OF NALCO

Soma Mondal on 12 March 2014 was appointed as the first woman director (commercial) of Navratna Public Sector Unit (PSU) National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO). Mondal joined Nalco in 1984 as a Graduate Engineer Trainee.

Earlier, she was working with the company as executive director (marketing) at Nalco’s corporate office.

She had worked on the different profiles in the company’s eastern and western regional offices. She had rich experience in sales and marketing,


RAKESH SETHI APPOINTED AS CMD OF ALLAHABAD BANK

Rakesh Sethi was appointed as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Allahabad Bank on 12 March 2014. Sethi will take charge of CMD with immediate effect as the post was lying vacant since January 2014 when Shubhlakshmi Panse retired.

He will serve the Bank till his retirement on 30 April 2017. He was an executive director of Punjab National Bank (PNB) till this appointment.

FPSB APPOINTED FORMER SC JUDGE SRIKRISHNA AS ITS CHAIRMAN

Justice (Retd.) BN Srikrishna on 11 March 2014 was appointed as the Chairman of Financial Planning Standards Board India (FPSB). He will succeed Dhirendra Swarup, the former chairman of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

Srikrishna is a retired judge of Supreme Court and has served as the Chief Justice of Kerala High Court.

He has also served as the Chairman of the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC) set up in March 2011 by the Union Ministry of Finance. He also headed the Sixth Central Pay Commission set up by the Union Government on 5 October 2006.

AVAYA APPOINTED PRIYADARSHI MOHAPATRA AS MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR INDIA AND SAARC

Technology firm Avaya on 6 March 2014 appointed Priyadarshi Mohapatra as Managing Director for its India and SAARC operations.

A 17 year veteran of the industry, Mohapatra will provide strategic direction to India operations. He will manage business priorities and will enhance Avaya's position as a leading business communications company.

He will play a key role in strengthening channel partner relations and driving significant growth in the mid-market segment.

Mohapatra had join Avaya from SAP. He had joined SAP in 2008 and had held various leadership positions.


Before SAP, Priyadarshi had worked for retail practice for Sun Microsystems in India and previously co-founded, Oyzterbay, a venture capital funded jewellery chain.

SHEILA DIKSHIT APPOINTED AS THE NEW GOVERNOR OF KERALA

Sheila Dikshit, the former chief minister of Delhi on 4 March 2014 was appointed as the 22nd Governor of Kerala. She will succeed Nikhil Kumar, a former Delhi Police Commissioner who took over as the governor of Kerala in March 2013. Nikhil Kumar had tendered his resignation to the President of India that has been accepted.

DINESH SARRAF APPOINTED NEXT ONGC CHIEF

Dinesh Sarraf appointed as next Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on 26 February 2014.

The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PSEB) recommended Dinesh K Sarraf as the next head of the country's most valuable company ONGC.

Dinesh Sarraf will replace Sudhir Vasudeva who will be due to retire on 28 February 2014.

Sarraf is currently working as the head of OVL. He had successfully transformed ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) into an aggressive overseas firm, stitching 4 deals worth over 11 billion dollar since taking charge of the company.

Dinesh Sarraf had previously worked as the director (Finance) of ONGC.

IBRAHIM MAHLAB SWORN IN AS PRIME MINISTER OF EGYPT

Ibrahim Mahlab was sworn in as new Egypt Prime Minister on 25 February 2014. He is a former

member of Hosni Mubarak's political party.

Mahlab was the housing minister in the previous administration. He will head Egypt's sixth

government since the 2011 uprising that toppled the autocratic Mubarak.

Ibrahim Mahlab will replace Hazem el-Beblawi government.

He is the former CEO of Arab Contractors, one of the region's largest construction firms.

He is expected to lead an interim government at least until the election of a new president.


MATTEO RENZI SWORN-IN AS PM OF ITALY

Matteo Renzi on 22 February 2014 sworn-in as Italy’s Prime Minister replacing Enrico Letta,

who resigned from the office on 14 February 2014. Apart from this a new cabinet of 16

ministers also took the sworn of their offices at the Presidential palace in Rome.

Renzi, 39 is the Italy’s youngest Prime Minister and he is the third prime minister to reach office

without winning an election. Renzi belongs to the Democratic Party, who was the former mayor

of the Florence.

The Renzi’s 16-member cabinet is the smallest cabinet of the country. This cabinet is also the

youngest one with an average age of 48. Half of the cabinet ministers are women in Italian

history.

Italy’s new Finance Minister is Pier Carlo Padoan who is a deputy secretary-general and chief

economist of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

ABDUL BASIT APPOINTED HIGH COMMISSIONER OF PAKISTAN TO INDIA

Pakistan appointed Abdul Basit as Pakistan’s high commissioner to India on 17 February 2014. He will replace Salman Bashir. Salman Bashir relinquishes charge of office on 28 February 2014.

Basit will take charge of office in March 2014.

He is currently working as ambassador to Germany. From May 2012, he was representing Pakistan in Berlin.

Basit had joined the Foreign Service in 1982. He had held various assignments in Pakistan missions abroad and at the headquarters, including as the foreign office spokesperson. He had previously served at Pakistan’s missions in Moscow, New York, Sana’a, Geneva and London. The ambassadors of Commonwealth countries are designated as High Commissioner.

JUSTICE MUKUL MUDGAL APPOINTED AS CHIEF OF BCCC

Justice Mukul Mudgal, former Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court, was appointed as the chief of the Broadcast Content Complaints Council (BCCC). The appointment was approved by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), an association of channels. He will take charge as the chief of BCCC towards the end of February 2014.


Justice Mudgal will replace Justice A P Shah, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court who has been appointed as head of the Law Commission of India.

JATINDER BIR SINGH APPOINTED CMD OF PUNJAB AND SIND BANK

Jatinder Bir Singh was appointed Chairman and Managing Director of Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB) on 6 February 2014. He will succeed D.P.singh

He will take the charge from 10 February 2014.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) under the Union Government has approved the appointment.

Jatinder Bir Singh is 1983-batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre.

Prior to this, Singh was an Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Water Resources.

R.K.TIWARI APPOINTED NEW CHAIRMAN OF CBDT

R.K.Tiwari was appointed as the new chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 9 February 2014.

The appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).

Mr. Tiwari is a 1976-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer. He is currently working as the Member of Legislation and Computerisation Department in the CBDT.

He will take the charge from 1 March 2014. He will succeed Chairperson Sudha Sharma who is scheduled to retire on 28 February 2014.

N RAMACHANDRAN ELECTED PRESIDENT OF IOA

N Ramachandran was elected President of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on 9 February 2014.

Presently, he is the chief of World Squash Federation. He was elected unopposed for the presidential post. He will remain in the office till 2016.

Kho-Kho Federation of India President Rajeev Mehta were also elected unopposed as Secretary General.


All India Tennis Association (AITA) chief Anil Khanna were also elected unopposed as Treasurer.

The poll was conducted by a three-member election commission of the IOA. It was preceded by a Special GBM which made an amendment in the constitution under the diktat of International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Under the new constitution, any member against whom charges have been framed by a court of law for an offence that carries imprisonment of more than two years will not be allowed to contest elections and the case will be referred to the IOA Ethics Commission.

Indian Boxing Federation, Taekwondo Federation of India and Fencing Association of India were barred by the IOC from casting votes on the ground that these three was suspended by their international federations.

Earlier, Abhay Singh Chautala, was the president of IOA.

MARCO LAMBERTINI APPOINTED DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF WWF INTERNATIONAL

The global conservation organisation, WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) on 6 February 2014 appointed Marco Lambertini as Director-General (DG) of the WWF International. His new role as the DG will start from 1 May 2014.

At the time of this appointment, he was serving Bird Life International as its chief executive. He will succeed James P Leape, who was appointed as the DG of WWF International in 2005.

SATYA NADELLA APPOINTED AS CEO OF MICROSOFT

Satya Nadella was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Internet Giant Microsoft in

Washington on 4 January 2014. Satya Nadella succeeds Steve Ballmer and he takes over as the

third CEO of the Microsoft firm.

Bill Gates is the founder and first CEO of Microsoft. Nadella is the first Indian to head the

Microsoft in its 38-year history.

About Satya Nadella

• Nadella was born in Hyderabad, India and joined Microsoft in 1992. Satya is a proven leader

with hard-core engineering skills, business vision and the ability to bring people together.


• Nadella holds a bachelor of degree in electrical engineering from Manipal Institute of

Technology. Nadella completed masters in computer science from the University of Wisconsin

and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

• Nadella joined Microsoft in 1992 and he served as the Executive Vice President of Cloud and

Enterprise Group in 2012.

• His father BN Yugandhar is a former planning commission member and served as special

secretary to former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao.

Other Indians heading MNC’s

Name Company

Indra Nooyi PepsiCo

Ivan Menezes Diageo

Ajit Jain Berkshire Hathaway Group

Piyush Gupta DBS Group Holding

Sanjay Jha Global Foundries

Dinesh Paliwal Harman Int’l

Anshu Jain Deutsche Bank

Rakesh Kapoor Reckitt Benckiser

Ajay Banga Master Card

Sanjay Meharotra San Disk

Shantanu Narayen Adobe

Rajiv Vasudeva Egon Zehnder

JUSTICE ASHOK KUMAR MATHUR APPOINTED TO HEAD 7TH CENTRAL PAY COMMISSION

Former Supreme Court Justice, Ashok Kumar Mathur on 4 February 2014 was appointed as the

Chairman of the 7th Pay Commission. Vivek Rae, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary will

be the full time member director.

Ratin Roy of National Institute of Public Finances and Policy will be part-time member of the

commission. Officer on Special Duty in the Department of Expenditure, Meena Agarwal will be

the Secretary of the Pay panel.


The Commission has been mandated to submit its report in two years time. Its

recommendation would be implemented from 1 January 2016. Manmohan Singh, the Prime

Minister of India has approved composition of the 7th Pay Commission in September 2013 that

will revise the salaries of over 50 lakh central government employees and about 30 lakh

pensioners.

The Pay Commission is constituted every ten years by the government of India to revise the pay

scales of its employees and often these are adopted by states after some modification. The 6th

Pay Commission was implemented with the effect from 1 January 2006, while the fifth and

fourth commissions were implemented from 1 January 1996 and 1 January 1986 respectively.

In May 1946, the first Pay commission was constituted under the chairmanship of Srinivasa

Varadachariar. It submitted its report in a year. The first commission was based upon the idea

of living wages to the employees, which was taken by the Islington Commission.

POONAM KHETRAPAL SINGH TOOK CHARGE AS REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF SEARO

Poonam Khetrapal Singh took charge as the Regional Director of World Health Organisation

(WHO) South-East Asia Region on 1 February 2014.

Poonam Khetrapal Singh succeeded Samlee Plianbangchang of Thailand who served for ten

years consecutively. The Regional Director has a term of five years and can get a second term.

She is the first Indian in 44 years to hold the post of Regional Director, South East Asian

Regional Organistion (SEARO). India had occupied the post from 1948-1968.

About Poonam Khetrapal Singh

Poonam retired as Advisor, International Health in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Poonam was Executive Director, Sustainable Development and Healthy Environments, WHO

and Deputy Regional Director of WHO from 2000 to 2013.

MANOJ VAISH TOOK CHARGE AS MD & CEO OF MCX

Manoj Vaish took charge as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of

Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd. (MCX) on 1 February 2014. Forward Markets


Commission (FMC) the commodity markets regulator approved the appointment of Vaish. His

appointment is for a period of three years.

His appointment came following step down of Shreekant Javalgekar in October 2013 as the

Managing Director and CEO of MCX following the 5600 crore rupees scam related to National

Spot Exchange (NSEL). NSEL is a sister concern of MCX and is co-promoted by MCX promoter

Financial Technologies India Ltd. (FTIL).

At the time of appointment, Vaish was the Managing Director of NSDL Database Management.

Between 1998 and 2004, he served as the executive director of the BSE and CEO of financial

services research firm Dun & Bradsheet.

HARISH RAWAT APPOINTED 8TH CHIEF MINISTER OF UTTRAKHAND

Harish Rawat was appointed as the 8th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand on 1 February 2014. He was administered the oath of office by Governor Aziz Qureshi at Raj Bhawan.

He succeeded Vijay Bahuguna. Harish Rawat was a Union Minister for Water Resources.

Rawat is a MP from Haridwar. He was made a Minister of State for Labour and Employment in 2009 and then MoS for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries.

In July 2011, he was made MoS for Parliamentary Affairs.

He was elevated to the rank of a Cabinet Minister in 2012 in an apparent bid to placate him after Bahuguna was made the CM. Rawat has earlier served as a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2002-08.

He won his first Lok Sabha election in 1980 from Almora by defeating BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi. He won the Lok Sabha polls in 1984 and 1989 as well.

MICHEL ROGERS NOMINATED AS DIRECTOR OF NSA

Michael Rogers has been nominated as the Director of National Security Agency by the US president Barack Obama. His name was announced by Defence Secretary of US on 30 January 2014.

Defence Secretary also announced the name of Rick Ledgett as the new Deputy Director of NSA who is at present its Chief Operating Officer.


Vice Admiral Michel Roger will succeed Keith Alexander who served as the Director of NSA for almost nine years. Michel Roger will take the charge as Director of NSA in March 2014.

PROFESSOR RAKESH KHURANA OF INDIAN ORIGIN APPOINTED AS DEAN OF HARVARD COLLEGE

Indian American Professor Rakesh Khurana on 23 January 2014 was appointed as the Dean of Havard College. With this appointment, Khurana has joined the long list of Indian-origin academicians, who has assumed the leadership roles at the renowned global universities. With this appointment will succeed Evelynn Hammonds, the professor of History of Science and of African and African American Studies at Harvard.

He will assume the charge of the dean from 1 July 2014. Harvard College is the school within the Harvard University that grants undergraduate degrees.

About Rakesh Khurana of 46 years

• At present he is a professor of Leadership Development at Harvard Business School (HBS) and he is also a professor of Sociology in the faculty of Arts and Sciences

• He is a co-master of Cabot House at Harvard

• In 1998, he received his PhD through a joint programme between HBS and Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

ARUNA BAHUGUNA FIRST WOMAN TO BE APPOINTED CHIEF OF NATIONAL POLICE ACADEMY

The Union Government appointed IPS Aruna Bahuguna as chief of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderbad. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) issued the orders for the appointment on 20 January 2014.

Aruna Bahuguna is the first woman to be appointed as the chief of the National Police Academy. She is the 28th chief of the academy and will be at its helm till February 2017.

She will replace the incumbent IPS Subhas Goswami who was appointed as the Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in November 2013.

JAMILA BAYAZ, FIRST WOMEN TO BE APPOINTED POLICE CHIEF OF KABUL PROVINCE

Jamila Bayaz was appointed as the police chief of District One of Kabul province on 15 January 2014. She is the first woman in Afghanistan to be appointed as police chief of an entire district.


She joined Afghan police force more than three decades ago and at present serving as Colonel in Kabul’s police force.

The appointment of Jamila Bayaz is significant in more than one sense. Firstly, the appointment will pave the way for more Afghani women to rise through the ranks. Secondly, her appointment as police chief to one of the core districts of Kabul testifies that women position in Afghan society is improving since the Taliban were driven out from power in 2001.

District One of Kabul province houses the presidential palace and numerous ministries. Besides it houses the Central Bank of Afghanistan and is the main money and gold market of Afghanistan. Kabul province is divided into 22 districts. Each number specifies the name of the district and is organized in ascending order in order of importance.

SIRAJUDDIN QURESHI ELECTED AS THE PRESIDENT OF IICC

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

Other personalities that were elected are

Delhi Minorities Commission chairman Safdar H. Khan has been elected as vice-resident.

Doordarshan News Director General S. M. Khan has been elected to the board of trustees for the managing body of IICC.

Priority of the newly elected body are resuming civil service coaching classes for Muslim youth, promoting vocational courses and to opening branches of IICC in six other States Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.

UNINOR APPOINTED MORTEN SORBY AS NEW CEO

Uninor appointed Morten Karlsen Sorby as the new chief executive officer (CEO) on 8 January 2014.

Uninor is a joint venture between Telenor Group and Unitech Group. Telenor is a telecommunications company headquartered in Oslo, Norway.

Morten Sorby is the fourth CEO of Uninor. Uninor started operations in 2009.


Telenor is in operational and managerial control of the Uninor. It offers mobile voice and data services based on the GSM technology.

Uninor serves more than 32 million customers in 6 circles covering the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarkhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

US SENATE CONFIRMED JANET YELLEN AS NEXT CHAIRPERSON OF FEDERAL RESERVE

The US Senate on 6 January 2014 confirmed the name of Janet Yellen as the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve. With this confirmation, the Senate has elevated an advocate to fight unemployment and a backer of the Central Bank’s efforts to spur the economy with low interest rates and massive bond purchases.

She succeeds the Chairman Ben Bernanke as the next head of America’s central bank. Ben Bernanke is stepping down after serving as the Chairman of Federal Bank for eight years, which was dominated by the Great Recession and the efforts of the bank to combat it. Her term in the office will begin on 1 February 2014. Her appointment marks an important shift in the direction of the efforts of the bank’s policies as the monetary policy of past 5 years have resulted in fed pouring about 3.8 trillion dollars into the US economy leading to the financial crisis.

CHANDRASHEKHAR APPOINTED THE PRESIDENT OF NASSCOM

R. Chandrashekhar was appointed as President of National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) on 4 January 2014.

R. Chandrasekhar succeeded Som Mittal whose tenure with the NASSCOM ended on 3 January 2014. He was at the helm of NASSCOM for six long years.

After taking over as the President of NASSCOM his immediate challenge would be to achieve NASSCOM’s ambitious target of 300 billion dollar of revenue by 2020 from the IT sector.

He had previously worked as the chairman of telecom commission and secretary of the department of telecom till March 2013.

Chandrasekhar established the first department of Information Technology in the country in Andhra Pradesh and was secretary of the department from June 1997 to December 1999.

Besides, drafting National Telecom Policy 2012, he played a key role in the drafting the first National IT Policy and National Policy on Electronics during his dual role of IT and Telecom Secretary with the Union Government.


SRINIVAS AND PRAVIN RAO APPOINTED INFOSYS PRESIDENTS

B. G. Srinivas and U.B. Pravin Rao appointed as presidents of the Infosys Ltd Company on 3 January 2014. B. G. Srinivas will focus on global markets while U. B. Pravin Rao will focus on global delivery and service innovation. The financial services, insurance, manufacturing, engineering services, energy & communications, Infosys public services, Infosys Lodestone, strategic global sourcing, marketing and alliances will report to Srinivas Retail, consumer packaged goods and logistics, life sciences, resources & utilities, services, growth markets, cloud and mobility, quality & productivity and Infosys Leadership Institute will report to Rao


Person Died

N SRINIVASAN, THE VETERAN NUCLEAR SCIENTIST DIED

N Srinivasan, the veteran nuclear scientist and Padma Bhushan recipient died on 18 May 2014. He died due to cardiac arrest at the age of 84.

About N Srinivasan

• He joined Department of Atomic Energy in 1953

• He was the design engineer for the Plutonium (Pu) plant at Trombay

• He established the indigenous technology for reprocessing spent fuels from thermal reactors

• Srinivasan was the first project director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (formerly called Reactor Research Centre) at Kalpakkam

• Srinivasan helped India to attain self-sufficiency in Heavy Water Production as Chief Executive of Heavy Water Board

• He was a member of Atomic Energy Commission during 1982 to 87

• He was awarded with Padma Bhusan in 2000

• In 2009, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award of department of Atomic Energy for excellence in science and technology

RUSSI MODY, THE FORMER TATA STEELS CHAIRMAN DIED

Russi Mody the former Chairman of Tata Steels (formerly called TISCO) died on 16 May 2014 in Alipore in South Kolkata. He was 96. Fondly called the Grand Old Man of Steel, he was known for his man management.

Born to Sir Homi Mody and Lady Jerbhai on 17 January 1918, Mody did his schooling from Harrow School in England and college from Christ Church College, Oxford.

FOUNDER OF LEELA GROUP HOTELS KRISHNAN NAIR DIED

Capitan Krishnan Nair, founder of Leela Group of Hotels died on 17 May 2014 in Mumbai. He died at the age of 91. He received the Padma Bhushan award in 2010.

About Krishnan Nair

• Nair was a war veteran was born in Kannur district of Kerala in 1922.


• Nair joined the freedom movement at the age of 13 and joined Indian Army in Bangalore. Later he joined as wireless officer in Abbottabad and he rose to the rank of a captain in the Maratha Light Infantry.

• He founded the Leela Hotel in Mumbai in 1987. He expanded the Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts in a span of 25 years to eight luxury properties in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Gurgaon, Udaipur, Goa, Chennai and Kovalam.

• The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS) awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award. • The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) awarded him the Global 500 Roll of Honour award in 1999.

BRITISH ACTOR BOB HOSKINS DIED AT 71

British actor Bob Hoskins died of pneumonia at the age of 71 in London on 29 April 2014. He is best known for roles in The Long Good Friday, Mona Lisa and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

His most memorable performance was as the Cockney cabbie in Mona Lisa film for which he was nominated for Oscar and won best actor awards at Cannes, the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes. He also worked in the US film likes The Cotton Club, Maid in Manhattan and Nixon.

ARTURO LICATA, THE WORLD'S OLDEST MAN DIED IN ITALY AT AGE 111

Arturo Licata, the World’s oldest man died in Italy on 27 April 2014 at the age of 111. He was

awarded the Guinness World Records title of oldest living man on 28 February 2014 at the age

of 111 years and 302 days.

He was named as the oldest living man after the death of previous holder of the record

Salustiano Sanchez. Salustiano Sanchez died in September 2013 at the age of 112 years and 97

days.

Licata was born into a family of four brothers and two sisters in Sicily. He had seven children,

eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. He joined army in 1921 and served it as a

soldier in East Africa during invasion of Ethiopia as ordered by the Italian fascist regime.

Currently 115-year-old female, Misao Okawa of Japan, is recognised by Guinness World Records

as the world's oldest living person.


CANADIAN AUTHOR ALISTAIR MACLEOD DIED

Canadian author Alistair MacLeod on 20 April 2014 died due to a heart stroke. He was 77. He

was best known for his short story collections and novel No Great Mischief.

He wrote his first short story The Boat in 1968. MacLeod's only novel No Great Mischief was

published in 1999. The novel won Ontario's Trillium Prize and the prestigious 2001 IMPAC

Dublin Literary Award.

It was recognized as Atlantic Canada's best book in the 2009 survey Atlantic Canada's 100

Greatest Books.

NOBEL LAUREATE GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ DIED AT 87

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Nobel laureate in literature died at the age of 87 in Mexico on 17 April 2014. He was considered the most popular Spanish-language writer after Miguel de Cervantes in the 17th Century.

He was born in Colombia in 1927 and received the Nobel Prize in 1982 for literature. His novels and short stories were about Latin America’s passion, superstition, violence and inequality.

He was an elder statesman of Latin American journalism, with magisterial works of narrative non-fiction that included the Story of A Shipwrecked Sailor, the tale of a seaman lost on a life raft for 10 days.

His stories made him the best-known practitioner of magical realism and the fictional blending of the everyday with fantastical elements in literature such as a boy born with a pig's tail and a man trailed by a cloud of yellow butterflies.

KHUSHWANT SINGH, THE RENOWNED AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST DIED

Khushwant Singh, the renowned author and journalist died on 20 March 2014 at the age of 99

at his home in Sujan Singh Park in Delhi. He was mainly famous as the best storyteller. He was a

lawyer, who turned to be a diplomat followed by being a writer.

He is survived by his son Rahul Singh and daughter Mala.


About Khushwant Singh

• He was born on 2 February 1915 in Hadali (Pakistan’s Punjab)

• He was the founder-editor of Yojna

• During 1970s to 1980s, he edited the Illustrated Weekly of India, the Hindustan Times and the

National Herald

• Some of his most successful and accepted books were Train to Pakistan, I Shall Not Hear the

Nightingale and Delhi - A Novel

• The Sunset Club was written by him at the age of 95

• His acclaimed non-fiction books were A History of the Sikhs in two volumes

• In 2002, he wrote his autobiography, Truth, Love and Little Malice, which was published by

Penguin Books

Honours and Awards

• 1966, Rockfeller Grant

• 1974, he was awarded with Padma Bhushan but he returned it in 1984 in protest of entrance

of the Indian Army in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab

• In 2000, as Honest Man of the Year, Sulabh International

• In 2006, Punjab Rattan Award by the Government of Punjab

• In 2007, he received Padma Vibhushan by Government of India

• In 2010, he received Sahitya academy fellowship award by Sahitya academy of India

• In 2012, he received All-India Minorities Forum Annual Fellowship Award by Uttar Pradesh

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav

FORMER SIERRA LEONE PRESIDENT, AHMAD TEJAN KABBAH DIED

Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, the former President and leader of Sierra Leone died on 13 March 2014 in Freetown. He was 82. He played a pivotal role in gaining peace to the country after 11-year long brutal civil war. The war was infamous for the use of child soldiers, which was also criticized for the use of Blood diamonds in funding the violence.


EMINENT PAINTER PROKASH KARMAKAR DIED

Prokash Karmakar, an eminent painter died on 24 February 2014 following age-related illness. He was 81. His paintings reflected the degenerating society and the confusion that prevails in modern India.

Karmakar was influenced by the works of Picasso and other impressionists of the 19th century Impressionism movement. The term impressionist was coined by Louis Leroy, a French art critic in 1874 based upon the painting impression, Sunrise on Monet’s painting. This term was created to define loose, undefined and unfinished style that was used by Monet and several other artists.

HINDI WRITER AND JNANPITH AWARD WINNER AMAR KANT DIED

Hindi writer Amar Kant died due to ill health at his residence in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh on 17 February 2014. He was 89. His short stories and novels portray the common people’s life and often his works were being compared with the legendary Prem Chand.

About Amar Kant

• Kant was born in 1925 in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh. Amarkant took active part in the Quit India Movement of 1942.

• Amar Kant prominent novels are Inhin Hathiyaron Se, Katili Raah Ke Phool, Sookha Patta, Kale Ujle and Beech ki Deewar. Other story collections are Zindagi Aur Jonk, Desk Ke Log, Maut Ka Nagar, Mitra Milan and Kuhasa.

• Kant received the 45th Jnanpith Award in 2009 along with Shree Lal Shukla, Hindi satirist of Raag Darbari fame.

FAMOUS BENGALI ACTRESS SUCHITRA SEN DIED

Famous Bengali actress Suchitra Sen died in Kolkota on 17 January 2014. She was 82.

She was born as Rama Dasgupta in Pabna district of West Bengal on 16 April 1931.

She was famously known as the Greta Garbo of Bengali cinema and had worked in more than 60 films, the most memorable being Aandhi in hindi and Deep Jwele Jai in Bengali. For Aandhi she was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress Award.


The other memorable films in Bengali include Saat Paake Bandha, Agnipariksha, Saptapadi and Deep Jwele Jai.

In 1955, Suchitra Sen starred as Paro in her first Hindi film Devdas which was Bimal Roy's adaptation of Bengali classic Devdas. She played the leading lady opposite Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in the film.

In 1963, Suchitra Sen became the first Indian actress to win an international award. She had received the Silver Prize for Best Actress at the Moscow Film Festival for Saptapadi.

In 2012, Suchitra Sen received the Banga Bibhushan award from the government of West BengaL.

FAMOUS MARATHI WRITER NAMDEO DHASAL DIED

Namdeo Dhasal, the famous Marathi poet, writer and social activist died in Mumbai on 15 January 2014. He was born on 15 February 1949 in Pune district.

His selected poems were translated into English under the title Namdeo Dhasal: Poet of the Underworld, Poems 1972-2006. He practiced the ideals of BR Ambedkar throughout his life. He used his works like Golpitha, Khel and Tu Hi Yatta Kunchi to highlight problems of dalit community. He was one of the founders of the militant Dalit Panther movement after the casteist riots in Worli's BDD chawls. Awards won by Namdeo Dhasal

In 1999, he was honored with the prestigious Padma Shri Award In 2004, he won Sahitya Akadami’s Life time achievement award He received the Soviet Land Nehru award in 1974 for his collection of poems Golpitha

ISRAEL’S FORMER PRIME MINISTER ARIEL SHARON DIED

Israel’s former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon died on 11 January 2014.The former general

of Israeli Army had been in coma since 4 January 2006. He was 85. He served as the 11th Prime Minister of Israel until he was incapacitated by a stroke.

Sharon was a commander in the Israeli Army from its creation in 1948.

Sharon was born in British-mandate Palestine on February 26, 1928, to immigrants from

Belarus. He was just 17 when he joined the Haganah, the militia that fought in the 1948

war of independence and eventually became the Israeli army.


Sharon switched to politics in 1973, championing the development of Jewish

settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

He was famous for his personal but "indirect" responsibility in the 1982 massacre of

hundreds of Palestinians by Israel's Lebanese Phalangist allies in Beirut's Sabra and

Shatila refugee camps.


Report | Survey

WORLD GOLD COUNCIL GOLD DEMAND TRENDS REPORT RELEASED

World Gold Council Gold Demand Trends Report was released by the World Gold Council on 20 May 2014. The Report covers the period from January 2014 – March 2014 (or Quarter 1). According to the Report the demand for gold has returned to the long-term quarterly average demand trends established over the past 5 years.

FORBES 11TH ANNUAL GLOBAL 2000 LIST RELEASED

Forbes 11th annual Global 2000 list was released on 7 May 2014. The Forbes Global 2000 is a comprehensive list of the world’s largest, most powerful public companies, which was measured by revenues, profits, assets and market value.

The top three biggest public companies and five of the top 10 are from China and added 25 firms to the list. The top 5 companies in the list are

1. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China – Banking

2. China Construction Bank, China – Bankin

3. Agricultural Bank of China, China – Banking

4. JPMorgan Chase, United States – Banking

5. Berkshire Hathaway, United States – Conglomerate

WHO DECLARED OUTBREAK OF POLIO AS WORLD HEALTH EMERGENCY

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on 5 May 2014 declared outbreak of polio as a World Health Emergency after detecting new cases of polio across borders from countries like Syria and Pakistan.

WHO recommended citizens of affected countries travelling abroad to carry a vaccination certificate.


As per the WHO, the virus is considered endemic in only three countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.

Although, WHO has also listed Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel and Somalia as countries among posing an ongoing risk for new wild poliovirus exportations in 2014.

As per WHO, Syria which was polio-free for 14 years was re-infected with the virus from Pakistan. It is only the second time in the WHO's history it has made such a declaration, the first being during the swine flu pandemic of 2009.

WHO recorded 417 cases of polio worldwide in 2013, while till April 2014, it had already recorded 68 cases. Between January 2014 and April 2014, three new importations of the virus were detected, from Pakistan to Afghanistan, Syria to Iraq and Cameroon to Equatorial Guinea. Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal viral disease that mainly affects children under the age of five.

The virus is transmitted through contaminated food and water, and multiplies in the intestine. It can then invade the nervous system, causing paralysis in one in every 200 infections. It is capable of causing death within hours.

IMPROVE THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT IN INDIA REPORT RELEASED

Improving the Business Environment in India report was released on 6 May 2014. The report on Best Practices to Improve Business Environment across States/Union Territories in India was prepared by consultancy firm Accenture on behalf of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. The report highlighted few facts and best practices adopted by some states like

• Gujarat - model of land acquisition was termed as the best in the country

• Karnataka – integrated and comprehensive system for VAT in

• Maharashtra – Labour Management solution and setting up Maharashtra Industry, Trade and Investment Facilitation Cell

• Rajasthan and Punjab – single window clearance system


INTERNET TO HAVE 3 BILLION USERS BY END OF 2014: ITU REPORT

United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU) on 5 May 2014 released the new statistics ICT [Information and Communications Technology]. The statistics claimed that by the end of 2014 the world will have about 3 billion internet users – two-thirds of them will be from the developing world – with mobile-broadband penetration approaching 32 percent. The 3 billion people accounts for about 40 percent of world’s population.

The ICT figures also highlighted that by the end of 2014, the mobile-cellular will reach 7 billion of which over 75 percent users will be a part of developing countries.

Figurative details of for other countries and region by the end of 2014

• Africa – about one fifth of the population will have an access to Internet

• Americas – nearly two-thirds of the population will be online

• Europe – highest Internet penetration rate of 75 percent

• Asia-Pacific region – the largest population of Internet users

INDIA DROPPED TO 78 IN LATEST FREEDOM OF THE PRESS 2014

India dropped to 78 in the latest Freedom of the press 2014. Press freedom score of India declined by a point to 39 and dropped it in the list of countries with partially free media. In 2013 Index, the rank of India was 20 with 38 points.

Sweden topped the list and belongs to the world's most independent press.

The world's eight worst-rated countries remain Belarus, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

WEF RELEASED GLOBAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REPORT 2014

World Economic Forum (WEF) released 13th Edition of the Global Information Technology Report 2014 on 14 April 2014 in New York. India was ranked 83 among 148 economies in terms of leveraging information and communications technologies for growth and well being.


According to the Report, little progress been made in bridging the gap between the most networked economies of world and the rest of the world. Many large emerging economies continue to struggle to realise their full digital potential and feature lower down the index, while developed economies feature on the top.

Besides, the constant digital divide across the economies, government should also be wary of understanding, identifying and addressing potential internal digital divides so that new opportunities can be created for all and support enhanced social inclusion.

The top ten ranks in the list are Finland (rank 1); Singapore (rank 2); Sweden (rank 3); Netherlands (rank 4th); Norway (rank 5th); Switzerland (rank 6th); United States (rank 7th); Hong Kong SAR (rank 8th); United Kingdom (rank 9th); Republic of Korea (rank 10th) Among emerging market economies, China was ranked 62nd position, Brazil (69th), Mexico (79th) and India (83rd). India is the least performing of the BRICS economies and slipped from rank 68th (out of 144 economies) to the 83rd rank.

Other economies are Sri Lanka (rank 69), Bangladesh (rank 114), Nepal (rank 126) and Pakistan (rank 105).

The drop in rankings of India can be traced back mainly to difficulties in improving historical limitations and keeping up with other emerging in several dimensions. The quality of political, regulatory, business environment and lack of digital infrastructure are different issues hindered the network readiness profile of India.

About World Economic Forum (WEF)

WEF is an International Institution committed to improving the state of the world through public-private cooperation. It was founded in 1971.

The WEF will publish reports such as the Global Competitiveness Report, the Global Risks Report and the Global Gender Gap Report. And also produces landmark titles covering the environment, education, individual industries and technologies.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT ON DEATH PENALTY WORLDWIDE RELEASED

Amnesty International released its annual report on death penalty in London on 27 March 2014. According to report, at least 22 countries which are still applying death penalty, consider the abolition of capital punishment as a top priority. Also the number of countries which use the death penalty has reduced in the last 20 years.

Main highlights of the Report


• In 2013, at least 778 executions were recorded which is an increase of almost 15 percent as compared to 682 in 2012 excluding the China.

• There was a sharp increase in global trend in the number of executions in Iran (369) and Iraq (169) in 2013.

• China, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the USA topped the list in executions. In fact China is the country where more people are executed than anywhere else in the world.

• The USA is the only country in the Americas to carry out executions in 2013. The death penalty in the USA continued to be marked by error, inconsistency, racial disparities and, in a number of cases, a lack of adherence to specific provisions of international law or safeguards.

• In 2013, there were 39 executions carried out in 9 states of USA which is an increase of 34 percent in 2012 and there were 3108 people on death row in 2013.

• Europe and northern Central Asia became execution-free zones, where no case of capital punishment has been reported since 2009.

WIPRO AND TATA POWER AMONG WORLD'S MOST ETHICAL FIRMS

Wipro Limited and Tata Power Company on 20 March 2014 emerged as the only Indian entities in the 2014 list of World's Most Ethical Companies. The list was prepared by the US-based entity, Ethisphere Institute.

Ethisphere Institute has prepared a list of 144 companies has featured at least three global firms are headed by an India-origin individuals. They are namely

• Satya Nadella-led software giant Microsoft Corporation

• Indra Nooyi-led beverages company PepsiCo

• Shantanu Narayen-led software major Adobe Systems

The list of 144 companies has 21 first-time entrants. The 144 companies are of different sectors like Aerospace and Defence, Agriculture, Automative, Banking, Computer Services, Chemicals, Electronics and others. None of the companies have been ranked in any sector.


INDIA RANKED 4TH IN SPAM E-MAILS EXPORT: MICROSOFT REPORT

India was ranked fourth in a Microsoft report in the list of the countries sending out spam e-mails. Microsoft on 28 February 2014 released security intelligence report saying that spam emails contents are malicious and carries advertisements for pharma products and sexually explicit material. The report is based on the survey conducted during January to June 2013.

In the list of the Microsoft report, India has followed three nations namely

• US topped the list for sending maximum number of Botnet spam

• China

• The UK

Cyber criminals share out malicious software or malware that can turn a computer into a bot also known as a zombie or robot. Zombie or robot automates the tasks of the computer over the internet without being in knowledge of the PC (personal computer) owner.

Governments and industry response team can understand the magnitude of security problems by determining the originating place of bonet spam.

India was also victim of a number of cybercrimes and ranked fifth in terms of malware encounters. The encounter rate increased slightly from 29.31 percent in the first quarter to 29.44 percent in second quarter of 2013. Worms, Trojans and viruses were most prevalent form of attack in India.

The US topped the encounter rate followed by Brazil, Russia and Turkey. Other countries are Mexico, Germany, France, China and the UK. Encounter rate refers to a percentage of computers running Microsoft real-time security products encountering malware during particular period.

INDIA IS THE WORLD’S LARGEST ARMS IMPORTER: SIPRI

A new data on international arms transfers released on 17 March 2014 said that India’s import of weapon systems is three times more than Pakistan and China. The report published by as Swedish Think Tank, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has claimed that India continues to be the largest buyer of arms in the world.


The new data has ranked China and Pakistan second and third respectively as the largest arms importer. China was replaced as the world’s biggest arms buyer by India in 2010. Overall, the volume of international transfers of major conventional weapons grew by 14 percent between 2004–08 and 2009–13.

Findings of the data released by the think tank

Between 2004 and 2008, the imports of major weapons by India rose by 111 percent

India’s share in the volume of international arms import between 2009 and 2013 increased from 7 to 14 percent

Between 2009 and 2013, Russia was ranked as the major supplier of arms to India accounting for 75 percent of imports

It claims that the United States with 7 percent imports to India from 2009-13 for the first time became the second largest arms supplier for India and in the same time, Pakistani imports of arms from US was 27 percent

China has played an important role in imports of arms for Pakistan with its share of 54 percent and 82 percent in the case of imports in Bangladesh

According SIPRI release, the five largest arms suppliers worldwide between 2009 and 2013, who collectively accounts for 74 percent of total arms exports were:

United States with 29 percent of global exports

Russia with 27 percent of global exports

Germany with 7 percent of global exports

China with 6 percent of global exports

France with 5 percent of global exports

The USA and Russia together accounted for 56 per cent of the volume of arms exports.

SIPRI data of top five arms importer

India

China

Pakistan

United Arab Emirates

Saudi Arabia

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM RELEASED YOUNG GLOBAL LEADERS 2014 LIST

World Economic Forum (WEF) released Young Global Leader’s 2014 list on 11 March 2014. The WEF recognised 214 Young Global Leaders (YGLs). Among them 109 are woman who were recognised for leadership and service to society.


The Young Global Leaders 2014 came from 66 countries across 7 regions and equally represent the public and private sector and belong to professions including academia, arts and culture, civil society, government, media and not-for-profit organisations.

The YGL Class of 2014 includes 49 individuals from East Asia, 46 from Europe, 17 from Latin America, 18 from the Middle East and North Africa, 48 from North America, 17 from South Asia and 19 from sub-Saharan Africa.

There were 17 young global leaders in South Asia, out of which 14 were from India. Following are the Indians among the YGLs list.

Name Profession Organisation

Pallavi S. Aiyar Author and Journalist The Hindu and Free Lance

Farhan Akhtar Film Director, Actor, Producer

Excel Entertainment Production House

Sachin Bansal Co-Founder and Chief

Executive Officer

Flipkart.com

Avani Davda Chief Executive Officer

Tata Starbucks Limited

Mohit Joshi Vice-President and Head, Europe

Infosys Ltd

Roshni Nadar Malhotra

Executive Director and CEO

HCL Corporation Ltd

Vishwarupe Narain India’s Head Texas Pacific Group

Nandini Piramal Executive Director and Head of HR

Piramal Enterprises Limited


Rishad Premji Chief Strategy Officer, IT Business

Wipro

Anoop Ratnaker Rao Chief Operating Officer

Naandi Foundation

Chiki Sarkar Chief Executive Officer

Penguin Random House

Parmesh Shahani Head of Innovation

Laboratory

Godrej Industries Ltd

Anurag Thakur MP & National President BJYM

BJP's Youth

Wing

Ratheesan Yoganathan

Co-Founder and Group

Chairman

Lebara Group

INDIAN MIGRANTS AMONG TOP MIGRANT ENTREPRENEURS IN UK: REPORT

A report entitled Migrant Entrepreneurs: Building Our Business, Creating Our Jobs released in March 2014 released claims that migrant entrepreneurs are one in seven of all UK companies. The report released by Centre for Entrepreneurs and financial technology company Duedil has listed Indian migrants at second position.

As per the report 456073 migrants have launched a small or medium-sized business in Britain.

Top performing nationalities with and number of migrants with their companies

• Irish - 48854 people

• Indian – 32593 people

• German – 30755

• American


• Chinese

In case of American and Chinese entrepreneurs the report claimed that they are also behind a significant number of UK-based businesses.

The report that claims that Young entrepreneurs are among top five nationalities whose citizens have created jobs in Britain by setting companies and have challenged the anti-immigration rhetoric that discourages public in recent past years.

BIMAL JALAN COMMITTEE ON NEW BANK LICENCES SUBMITTED ITS REPORT TO RBI

Bimal Jalan Committee on New Bank Licenses submitted its report to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 25 February 2014. The report contains names of entities eligible for bank licences. The committee was constituted by RBI under the chairmanship of Bimal Jalan in October 2013. RBI had constituted the committee to examine the criteria, business plans and corporate governance practices of applicants applying for new bank Licenses.

Other members of the committee are former RBI Deputy Governor Usha Thorat, former Securities and Exchange Board of India Chairman C B Bhave and Nachiket M Mor, Director of the Central Board of Directors of the RBI.

The central bank issued guidelines for licensing of new banks on 22 February 2013.

There are around 25 players in the group to get bank license, among them primarily are Public sector units, India Post and IFCI and private sector Anil Ambani group and Aditya Birla group. Bajaj Finance, Muthoot Finance, Religare Enterprises and Shriram Capital have also applied. In the past 20 years, the RBI has licensed 12 banks in the private sector in two phases. Ten banks were licensed on the basis of guidelines issued in January 1993.

Kotak Mahindra Bank and Yes Bank were the last two entities to get banking licenses from the RBI in 2003—04.

India has 27 public sector banks, 22 private sector banks and 56 regional rural banks.


MGI RELEASED THE REPORT FROM POVERTY TO EMPOWERMENT

McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) released the report titled From Poverty to Empowerment: India's imperative for jobs, growth and effective basic services on 19 February 2014. The report praising the reduction in poverty in India from 45% in 1994 to 22% in 2014 has suggested for creating a new national vision for economically empowering the people living in poverty.

For realizing the vision, McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) has created the Empowerment Line. The Empowerment Line is an analytical framework that determines the level of consumption required to fulfill eight basic needs—food, energy, housing, drinking water, sanitation, health care, education, and social security—at a level sufficient to achieve a decent standard of living rather than bare subsistence.

INDIA RANKED 8TH IN DEMAND FOR DIGITAL GOVERNANCE

India was ranked 8th in the list of ten countries in terms of digital governance. The report on digital governance was released by Accenture on 11 February 2014.

The list was topped by Singapore followed by Norway and UAE at second and third place respectively.

The report revealed the demand for the digital governance is rising in India and emerging economies which will enhance efficiency and output. In India the Government embarked on e- Governance model and the infrastructure which would pay the dividends in the long run.

The report is based on survey of 5000 respondents in ten countries including Brazil, Germany, India, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the United Kingdom and the United States.

UNESCO RELEASED 11TH EFA GLOBAL MONITORING REPORT 2013-14

UNESCO released the 11th Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2013 – 14 on 28 January 2014. The theme of the report was Teaching and Learning: Achieving quality for all. The report warns that despite advances made in education, not a single goal laid down in Dakar, Senegal in 2000 will be achieved globally by 2015.

The EFA Global Monitoring Report 2013-14 vividly underlines the fact that people in the most marginalized groups have continued to be denied opportunities for education over the decade.


The Report has advocated to put in place a robust global post-2015 education framework to tackle unfinished business while addressing new challenges.

It further said that post-2015 education goals will only be achieved if they are accompanied by clear, measurable targets with indicators tracking that no one is left behind, and if specific education financing targets for governments and aid donors are set.

PAKISTAN ONLY POLIO-ENDEMIC NATION WITH MORE CASES

A report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that Pakistan is the only polio-endemic country in the world and it reported most cases of crippling disease in 2013 and 2012. Pakistan had 83 polio cases in 2013 and 58 cases in 2012. In 2013, a total of 369 cases from the endemic and non-endemic countries have been recorded from the world, which also includes Pakistan. Of 83 cases recorded in Pakistan, 59 cases are from Fata, 10 were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and seven each from the Punjab and Sind. All the recorded cases are type-1 cases but no cases of type-3 was recovered.

As per an analysis, non-uniform routine immunisation coverage in several areas is a major reason for the increase in the cases.

Basic reason for non-uniform routine immunisation coverage in Pakistan is the attack of Taliban on health workers. Many health workers have lost their lives due to the militant attacks suffered by them.

In its report, WHO report witnessed only 11 polio cases in 2013 in Afghanistan of which maximum were associated with multiple importations with no evidence of local re-establisation circulation. 35 cases were reported there in 2012.

Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the three nations where polio remains endemic as per the report released by WHO.


Summit and Conferences

3RD NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT 2014

The Third Nuclear Security Summit was held in The Hague, Netherlands from 24 to 25 March 2014. The summit was attended by 58 World leaders. The third NSS synergizes previous two summits without their backdrops.

At the Summit, the leaders agreed to build a robust Nuclear Security Structure. Besides, the summit also saw the agreement on Strengthening Initiative wherein 35 countries agreed to incorporate the guidelines of IAEA into their national legislation to assess the security of nuclear materials.

About Nuclear Security Summit

The goal of the Summit is to address the threat of nuclear terrorism by enhancing

international cooperation to prevent the illicit acquisition of nuclear material by non-state

actors such as terrorist groups and smugglers.

The first NSS was held in Washington DC in 2010 and the second NSS was held in Seoul in

2012. The United States will host the next Summit in 2016.

WHARTON INDIA ECONOMIC FORUM TO BE HELD IN PENNSYLVANIA

The 18th Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) will be held on 22 February 2014 at Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, USA. WIEF is an annual student-run India-focused conference hosted by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

The theme for WIEF 2014 is India: Time to Reboot.

The conference will bring together business and political leaders, professionals, academics and students from around the world to discuss India's evolution into a global economic power.

The WIEF conference started in 1996. WIEF has not only been the leading business forum focused on India in the United States, but is also one of the largest and most prestigious in the world. It is attended by over 500 people annually, and features renowned speakers who are at the forefront of India’s economic and business growth and development.


G-4 DIRECTOR GENERALS FOR UN AFFAIRS MET IN NEW DELHI

New Delhi – a place where Director Generals for UN Affairs of G-4 nations met G-4 Director Generals for UN Affairs met on 11 February 2014 in New Delhi. During the meet, the four G-4 nations namely Brazil, Germany, India and Japan also conducted an Outreach Seminar on UNSC Reform on 12 February 2014.

During the meeting, the Director Generals (DGs) of the four nations exchanged their views on Security Council Reform. Similar such a meet was held on 26 September 2013 in New York on the sidelines of the 68th UN General Assembly.

The DGs of the four nations discussed the current state of play on UNSC reforms in New York as well as the way forward with the view to move the process urgently to text-based intergovernmental negotiations. For betterment of the geopolitical realities of the 21st Century they underlines the broad support that exists among UN member states for expansion of the UNSC in both permanent and non-permanent categories. This was done to make the council more representative, transparent and efficient. The DGs of the G-4 nations also stressed on a point that reforms will enhance effectiveness and credibility as well as the legitimacy of the decisions of UNSC.

The G-4 countries reiterated their commitments as aspiring new permanent members of the UN Security Council, as well as their support for each other’s candidatures. They also reaffirmed their view of the importance of developing countries, in particular Africa, to be represented in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of an enlarged Council.

They also agreed to continue their discussions leading up to the 2015 Summit, with Japan offering to host the next meeting in Tokyo. The G-4 nation DGs of also met External Affairs Minister of India, Salman Khurshid on 12 February 2014.

A one day Outreach Seminar on United Nations Security Council Reform: Perspectives and Prospects was organised by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and Ministry of External Affairs on 12 February 2014.

Background of September 2013 meeting

The Foreign Ministers of the G-4 nations met in New York and stressed the need to intensify efforts to translate the commitments made in the Outcome of the 2005 World Summit into Concrete outcomes at latest by 2015.

THIRD WORLD CONGRESS ON AGRO-FORESTRY

Third World Congress on Agro-Forestry was held from 10 to 14 February 2014 in New Delhi, India for the first time. The theme of the Congress is Trees for Life.


Third World Congress on Agro-Forestry was organized by the World Agro-forestry Centre, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the Indian Society of Agro-forestry and Global Initiatives.

The Third World Congress on Agro-Forestry will help shape next steps to be undertaken in the field of integrative science. These are:

Transformative change in landscapes

Tree improvement

Innovative tree-based value chains

Debates on global and local sustainability

Reform of land and tree tenure and holistic education

The Third World Congress was organized to

Expand global awareness and understanding of agro-forestry

Share the current status of knowledge and practice of agro-forestry and consolidate its research base

Build support for agro-forestry within governments, companies, academia, NGOs and the media

Increase the engagement of the private sector.

About World Congress on Agro-Forestry

The World Congress on Agro-Forestry is organised to raise local, regional and global profile of the practice and significantly increase awareness, support, engagement and investment.

It aims to create a deliberate and tangible legacy in terms of recognition, partnerships, investments and impact, and produce a global roadmap for agro-forestry with clear targets.

The first two congresses were held in Orlando (USA, 2004) and Nairobi (Kenya, 2009).

ASSOCHAM ORGANIZED SEVENTH GLOBAL INSURANCE SUMMIT AT HYDERABAD

Seventh Global Insurance Summit was held at Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh on 8 January 2014. The summit was organised by National Council on Insurance of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).


The focus of the summit was on the need for simplifying the insurance process and to provide financial security for the masses in India.

At the summit IRDA advocated for a single policy covering all basic need of insurance which would be more effective to increase insurance penetration in India.

Cost effective ways of distributing insurance covers would be key to success in increasing insurance coverage among low income groups. Issuance of e-policies through insurance repositories would reduce policy issuance costs significantly.


Important Dates

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPERS OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD

29 May - International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers

The international Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was observed on 29 May 2014. The theme of year 2014: UN PEACEKEEPING: A Force for Peace. A Force for Change. A Force for the Future.

The day celebrations include the honour of all peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving under the UN flag. Besides, the Dag Hammarskjold Medal is awarded posthumously to the peacekeepers who lost the lives while serving in the cause of peace, during the preceding year.

ANTI-TERRORISM DAY OBSERVED ACROSS INDIA ON 21 MAY

21 May 2014: Anti Terrorism Day/ Martyrdom of Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi

Anti-Terrorism Day observed Across India on 21 May 2014. The day is celebrated as 23rd Death Anniversary of former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi.The day is marked by a pledge taking ceremony among other activities.

WORLD TURTLE DAY OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD ON 23 MAY

World Turtle Day: 23 May

World Turtle Day 2014 was observed across the world on 23 May 2014. The day is observed to bring human attention towards turtle and tortoise and also to encourage human efforts to help them survive.

American Tortoise Rescue (ATR) started observing the World Turtle Day in 1990 and since then the world is observing the day, annually.


INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY 2014 OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD

22 May- International Day for Biological Diversity

International Day for Biological Diversity was observed across the world on 22 May 2014. The theme of International Day for Biological Diversity 2014 is Island Biodiversity.

The theme coincided with the International Year of Small Island Developing States which was designated by the United Nations General Assembly.

The day was celebrated with the aim of spreading awareness on biodiversity and the importance of preserving it in villages and islands.

INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM DAY 2014 CELEBRATED ACROSS THE WORLD

18 May-International Museum Day

International Museum Day was celebrated across the world on 18 May 2014. This is the 37th International Museum Day.

The theme of International Museum Day 2014 is Museum collections make connections. The theme for the year 2014 aims to rejuvenate the traditional methods which museums use to involve their communities and keep up with their public.

On this day, events and activities were organised in thousands of museums all over the world to celebrate IMD 2014 for the museum community. The day aims to increase public awareness about the role of museums in the development of society.

WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD

10-11 May World Migratory Bird Day

World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) was observed across the world on 10 – 11 May 2014. The Theme of the WMBD 2014 was Destination Flyways: Migratory Birds and Tourism.

The day was celebrated by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to promote their new Destination Flyways Project. The project aims to build local sustainable tourism by linking together key migratory bird sites, local communities and the global wildlife watching industry.


The WMBD 2014 highlighted the links between migratory bird conservation, local community development and wildlife watching tourism around the world. The day is celebrated by organising public events like bird festivals, education programmes and bird watching excursions.

World Press Freedom Day observed across the world

3 May: World Press Freedom Day

World Press Freedom Day was observed on 3 May 2014 across the world. The theme of 2014 year is: Media Freedom for a Better Future: Shaping the post-2015 Development Agenda.

WORLD MALARIA DAY OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD

World Malaria Day (WMD) was observed on 25 April 2014 across the world. The day was observed to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control.

INTERNATIONAL MOTHER EARTH DAY OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD ON 22 APRIL 2014

Every year on 22 April, the world observes International Mother Earth Day to create awareness and also to support environmental protection. The Earth Day 2014 will focus on green cities and will mobilize million of people to create a sustainable, healthy environment by greening communities worldwide.

WORLD HEALTH DAY 2014 OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD

World Health Day 2014 was observed across the world on 7 April 2014. The day provides an opportunity for individuals to get involved in activities that can lead to better health.

The theme for World Health Day 2014 is vector-borne diseases. World Health Organisation (WHO) is highlighting the serious and increasing threat of vector-borne diseases with the slogan Small bite, big threat.


WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY CELEBRATED ACROSS THE WORLD

The World Autism Awareness Day 2014 was celebrated across the world on 2 April 2014. This was the seventh World Autism Day. The day is celebrated to raise fund and to create awareness about autism.

On this day, Autism Speaks organisation celebrated Light It Up Blue. Light It Up Blue is a global initiative that kicks-off Autism Awareness Month and helps raise awareness about autism.

EARTH HOUR OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD

Earth Hour was observed across the world on 29 March 2014. The pledge of Earth Hour 2014 is to switch to energy efficient bulbs.

Over 7000 cities in 150 countries joined the movement with places like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Times Square in New York City, the Acropolis hill in Athens and even the Kremlin in Moscow participating.

WORLD WATER DAY OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD

22 March- World Water Day

World Water Day was observed on 22 March 2014 with the theme Water and Energy to raise awareness of the inter-linkages between water and energy. World Water Day is observed to preserve and ration consumption of water.

The Day was celebrated with the events like the UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and communications with journalist workshop in Tokyo, releasing of the World Water Development Report, giving away of Water for Life Awards, high-level policy panel, side events and key note speeches.

WORLD POETRY DAY OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD

21 March-World Poetry Day

World Poetry Day was observed across the world on 21 March 2014. The day was observed to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression and to offer endangered languages the opportunity to be heard within their communities.


UN OBSERVED INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FOREST

21 March: International Day of Forest

International Day of Forests was observed across the world on 21 March 2014. The theme of the International Forest Day was Celebrating Forests for Sustainable Development.

To celebrate the theme, UN held a Panel discussion on Women as agents of change for forests and sustainable development with inspiring speakers from forest heroes to film makers, as well as award-winning short films.

UN also celebrated the day by conducting activities like tree-planting and other community-level events, and national celebrations including art, photo and film as well as social media.

WORLD SPARROW DAY OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD

World Sparrow Day was observed on 20 March 2014. The day is observed to create awareness about the House Sparrow and other common birds and the need for their protection. The theme for this year is Rise for the Sparrow.

WORLD KIDNEY DAY OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD

World Kidney Day was observed on 13 March 2014 with the theme, Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and aging. World Kidney Day is observed annually on the second Thursday in March.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN DAY OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD

International Women Day – 8 March

International Women Day was observed across the world on 8 March 2014. United Nation celebrated the 2014 Women day with the theme Equality for Women is Progress for all. International women’s day is also called Working women’s day.

Thousands of events occur to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. Organisations, governments, charities, educational institutions, women's groups, corporations and the media celebrate the day.

Each year International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March. The first International Women's Day was held in 1911.


For the first time International women’s conference was held in Copenhegen in 1911. The day was proposed by Clara, a German.

WORLD DENTIST DAY OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD

World Dentist Day – 6 March

World Dentist Day is being observed across the world on 6 March 2014. The day is observed every year to raise awareness about dental health. On this day the Indian Dentists Association (IDA) organizes Continuing Medical Education (CME), seminars and workshops to update the dentists about the various developmental programme, which is aimed towards improving the dental health.

NATIONAL SCIENCE DAY OBSERVED ACROSS INDIA ON 28 FEBRUARY

28 February – National Science Day

India on 28 February 2014 observed National Science Day to mark the discovery of the Raman Effect by Indian physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (CV Raman).

In 2014, the theme of the day is Fostering Scientific Temper and Energy conservation. This day is celebrated every year on this day to spread a message about the significance of scientific applications in the daily life of the people.

The National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) in 1986 asked the Government of India to designate 28 February as National Day.

INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD ON 21 FEBRUARY 2014

21 February: International Mother Language Day

International Mother Language Day (Bhasha Divas) was observed across the world, with Bangladesh leading on 21 February 2014. This day is observed with an aim to promote awareness of linguistic, multilingualism and cultural diversity.

International Mother Language Day was announced by UNESCO on 17 November 1999 and was formally recognised by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution establishing 2008 as the International Year of Languages.


NATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY OF INDIA OBSERVED ON 13 FEBRUARY

National Women's Day of India was observed on 13 February 2014. This day is observed on the date of birth of India’s first women governor Sarojini Naidu. Sarojini Naidu was born on 13 February 1879 and died on 2 March 1949. This was the 135th birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu.

Her birthday has been selected to observe as a National Woman Day in recognition of the works done by her for uplliftment and development of women in India. Her name and birth date was proposed to celebrate as the National Women’s Day in India by members of Bhartiya Mahila Sangh and Akhil Bhartiya Mahila Sammelan.

WORLD RADIO CELEBRATED ACROSS THE GLOBE

World Radio Day – 13 February

World Radio Day was celebrated across the globe on 13 February 2014. This is the third Radio Day being observed by the UNESCO to celebrate radio as a medium.

The theme for World Radio Day 2014 is Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Radio.

The theme of the Day was chosen by the UNESCO in order to get the balance right in favour of women in radio. That is, UNESCO seeks to strengthen pluralism and freedom of expression in radio.

WORLD CANCER DAY 2014 OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD ON 4 FEBRUARY

World Cancer Day 2014 - February 2014

The World Cancer Day 2014 was observed across the world on 4 February 2014 with its focus on Target 5 of the World Cancer Declaration: Reduce stigma and dispel myths about cancer, under the tagline Debunk the myths.

This day is observed to raise the collective voices for improving the general knowledge around cancer and dismiss the misconceptions about the disease.


WORLD WETLAND DAY CELEBRATED ACROSS THE GLOBE

World Wetland Day: 2 February

World Wetland Day was celebrated across the globe on 2 February 2014. The theme for this year’s World Wetland Day was Wetlands & Agriculture.

The Ramsar Convention chose Wetland & Agriculture as theme for World Wetland Day 2014 in view of the UN declaring 2014 as International Year of Family Farming.

THE ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA CELEBRATED THE 4TH NATIONAL VOTERS DAY: 25 JANUARY

The Election Commission of India celebrated the 4th National Voters Day across the country on 25 January 2014. The theme for the 4th NVD is Ethical Voting.

National Voters Day is started from 25 January 2011. NVD functions were held at more than 6.5 lakh locations across the country covering nearly all 8.5 lakh Polling Stations. Around 46000 Educational Institutions also celebrated National Voters Day.

25th January is also the foundation day of the Commission, which came into being on this day in 1950. The Commission’s objective through NVD is to increase enrolment of voters, especially of the newly eligible ones, to make universal adult suffrage a complete reality.

NATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY OBSERVED ON 24 JANUARY

National Girl Child Day observed on 24 January 2014 across India by the Government. This day is observed every year to raise awareness and consciousness of the society towards girl children. This year’s theme of Girl Child Day is Safety and Development of girl child. This day is being observed every year on 24 January, since 2008.


Miscellaneous

MALAVATH POORNA OF ANDHRA BECAME YOUNGEST WOMAN TO CLIMB MOUNT EVEREST

Malavath Poorna, a 13-years and 11-month old girl of Andhra Pradesh on 25 May 2014 became the youngest woman to climb the Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world. In this expedition, Poorna was accompanied by Sadhanapalli Anand Kumar, a 16-year old from the same state. Anand became the first Dalit to conquer the tallest peak.

TRAVEL PLANNING PORTAL TRIPIGATOR.COM LAUNCHED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH INCREDIBLE INDIA

Delhi Government on 5 May 2014 launched Travel planning Portal Tripigator.com in Partnership with Incredible India. Three IITians Mukul Garg, Piyush Grover and Karteek Narumanchi have come together to help the Incredible India site of the tourism ministry through their own tripigator.com.Tripigator.com is a travel planning engine.The website was selected as the official travel planner by the Ministry of Tourism and will also be available on Incredible India website.

ARCH TO BE BUILT OVER CHERNOBYL TO SAFEGUARD CITIZENS FROM RADIOACTIVE DUST

Ukranian Government on 28 April 2014 announced to build a arch over Chernobyl to protect its citizens from radioactive dust. The arch is being built to mark the 28th anniversary of Chernobyl disaster.The 32000 tonne arch made from sheathed stainless steel will be pushed on Teflon pads to cover the site. It is planned to be completed by 2017.

TWO FORMER POPES JOHN XXIII AND JOHN PAUL II DECLARED AS SAINTS BY POPE FRANCIS

John XXIII and John Paul II were declared as saints of the Roman Catholic Church on 27 April 2014 by Pope Francis. This declaration of the two predecessors was made before hundreds of people in St Peter's Square in Vatican City.


US PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA NOMINATED THREE INDIAN-AMERICANS TO AAPI

US President Barack Obama nominated three Indian-Americans to the 14-member advisory commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). It was nominated on 24 April 2014.

The Indian-Americans include

• US Air Force officer Lieutenant Colonel, Ravi Chaudhary

• Prominent community leader Shekar Narasimhan

• Popular film and television actor Maulik Pancholy

A NEW ROBOT, BOREWELL ROBOT, DEVELOPED TO RESCUE KIDS WHO FALL INTO BOREWELLS

A new robot called Borewell Robot was developed by M.Manigandan to rescue kids who fall into borewells. M.Manigandan is a Madurai-based social worker.

COMIC BOOK ICON ARCHIE TO DIE IN JULY'S FINAL ISSUE

Archie Andrews the famous comic book character that has ruled the market of comics for past 73 years is set to die in this summer issue of July 2014.

Archie for the first time was introduced in Pep Comics 1941.

PORTAL ‘RAILSAVER’ LAUNCHED TO IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN INDIAN RAILWAYS

Indian Railways launched a portal, RAILSAVER on 15 April 2014 with an aim to improve energy efficiency in Indian Railways. This initiative in form of RAILSAVER will facilitate railways in saving energy upto 15 percent by the year 2020, through improved energy efficiency measures as laid down in Railway’s vision document.


ERNESTO GAINZA SET A NEW GUINNESS RECORD OF SKYDIVING USING SMALLEST PARACHUTE

Ernesto Gainza of UAE on 7 April 2014 set a new Guinness record for skydiving using the world's smallest parachute. He jumped from 14000 feet with a canopy the size of a bed sheet. Ernesto Gainza is a member from the Skydive Dubai parachute team of United Arab Emirates.

THREE STATUES BELONGED TO NAPATAN CIVILISATION WERE STOLEN FROM NORTHERN SUDAN

Three statues belonged to Napatan civilisation were stolen on 3 April 2014 from a museum in South Sudan. The statues dating from 450 B.C were disappeared from a museum at the Jebel Barkal heritage area in northern Sudan. The museum is a UNESCO World Heritage site

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO OPENED AN ACADEMIC CENTRE IN CONNAUGHT PLACE, DELHI

The University of Chicago on 30 March 2014 opened an academic centre in Connaught Place, Delhi. US Amabassador to India Nancy Powell inaugurated the centre.

NIRBHEEK, A LIGHTWEIGHT REVOLVER FOR PROTECTION OF WOMEN LAUNCHED

Indian Ordinance factory on 25 March 2014 launched a light-weight revolver named Nirbheek. This revolver is designed especially for women to defend themselves from assault. Nirbheek that weighs 500 gm is a .32 bore revolver and it can be carried by women in their purses or handbags.The revolver is made of titanium alloy and is priced 122360 rupees.

UK DECIDED TO HONOUR THE INDIAN HEROES OF WORLD WAR I

United Kingdom in third week of March 2014 decided to honour the Indian soldiers, who participated in the World War I through a series of events. The events will be organised to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the conflict of World War I that started in 1914.


NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TITLED U & ME AGAINST DENGUE LAUNCHED

A multi-pronged National campaign on Dengue, U & Me Against Dengue, was launched on 11 March 2014 to eradicate dengue across six Indian cities with public private partnership. The campaign is joint initiative of Mortein (pest control brand) in association with All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Indian Medical Association (IMA), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Rotary Blood Bank and NGO SAHAYOG.

WORLD LONGEST AIRCRAFT AIRLANDER UNVEILED IN BRITAIN

World Longest aircraft Airlander or HAV304 was unveiled at Cardington in Bedfordshire, Britain in the first week of March. The aircraft looks like a giant blimp and is being manufactured by the Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd (HAV).

ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA ORGANIZED ELECTION AWAKENING FOR WOMEN AND YOUTH CAMPAIGN

Election Commission of India organized a campaign titled Election Awakening for Women and Youth on 8 March 2014. The campaign aims to raise the number of women voters in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

MUSIC ALBUM, RAUNAQ WRITTEN BY SIBAL AND COMPOSED BY AR RAHMAN LAUNCHED

Raunaq: a music album written by Kapil Sibbal and composed by AR Rahman

A music album entitled Raunaq based on the songs composed by music maestro AR Rahman and written by Kapil Sibal, the Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology was launched on 17 February 2014. The album was launched by Salman Khan, the Bollywood actor and the chief guest on the occasion of the release of the album in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

INDIRA PARYAVARAN BHAWAN INAUGURATED BY PRIME MINISTER

Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India on 25 February 2014 inaugurated Indira Paryavaran Bhawan on Jorbagh Road, New Delhi. This Bhawan will house the Ministry of Environment and Forest and has a provision to accommodate its 600 officials.


IRCTC LAUNCHED E-WALLET SCHEME TO MAKE PAYMENT PROCESS FAST

Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) launched E-Wallet Scheme in the second week of February 2014. The scheme was launched to make payment process fast and to reduce transaction failures due to bank payment related problems.

FIRST BRAILLE-SIGNAGE COACH IN INDIA TO BE ATTACHED WITH PURUSHOTTAM EXPRESS

Purushottam Express will become the first train in India to be attached with a Braille-embedded AC coach for visually-challenged passengers by the end of February 2014. Purushottam Express is a superfast train running between Delhi and Puri.

SOUTH AFRICA LAUNCHED COMMEMORATIVE SILVER STAMP OF NELSON MANDELA

South Africa launched a commemorative silver stamp of Nelson Mandela on 11 February 2014. This Black and white stamp is released to mark the 24th anniversary of release of Nelson Mandela after spending 27 years in the jail.

GARUDA VASUDHA ADVANCED LIGHT HELICOPTER OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA LAUNCHED

Minister of Mines, Dinsha Patel launched the Advanced Light Helicopter named Garuda Vasudha of Geological Survey of India from the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Bangalore on 23 January 2014. The Garuda Vasudha a Dhruv category built by HAL dedicated to the nation.The Ministry also laid the foundation stone of a Centre of Excellence Laboratory building of GSI at Bangalore, worth of 42 crore.

LEWIS CLARKE YOUNGEST PERSON TO REACH SOUTH POLE

Lewis Clarke, 16 years old became the youngest person to trek to the South Pole on 18 January 2014. Clarke spent 48 days at temperature of -40 Celsius and winds of up to 193 km/h.


RBI ISSUED 5 RUPEES AND 10 RUPEES COINS BEARING GODDESS VAISHNO DEVI

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued new 5 rupees and 10 rupees coins bearing images of Goddess Vaishno Devi on 16 January 2014. The coins were issued to commemorate the silver jubilee of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.

151ST BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA CELEBRATED WORLDWIDE

The 151st birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda was celebrated on 12 January 2014. The celebrations marked the culmination of year-long ceremonies.Birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda is now celebrated as National Youth Day every year.


Abbreviations | Terms

INDIAN AND SINGAPORE NAVY CONDUCTED SIMBEX 2014

SIMBEX - Singapore Indian Maritime Bilateral Exercise

Indian Navy and Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) conducted annual bilateral naval exercises named SIMBEX 2014 in Andaman Sea. The 21st series of SIMBEX hosted by India was conducted from 22 May to 28 May 2014.

SIMBEX 14 was designed to enhance inter-operability and mutual understanding between the navies of the two nations.

The Navies of the two nations were represented by

Country Represented by

Indian Navy Ships Kuthar and Karmuk from the Eastern Naval Command

Maritime Patrol Aircraft and a Helicopter each from Andaman and Nicobar Command

Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)

Missile corvette, Valour Patrol vessel, Independence

The Two nations started bilateral naval cooperation between the countries in 1994, the year when RSN ships began training with Indian Navy in Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW).

READ ALLIANCE INITIATIVE LAUNCHED TO STRENGTHEN CHILDREN’S READING SKILLS

READ Alliance: Read-Engage-Achieve-Dream Alliance

United States and India in second week of March 2014 launched a reading initiative named READ (Read-Engage-Achieve-Dream) Alliance. This initiative has been launched with an aim to improve the reading skills of millions of primary school-aged children in India, which seeks to discover and test reading solutions.


READ Alliance initiative is a partnership programme of 3.2 million US dollars between the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Indian Center for Knowledge Societies (CKS).

The day of the launch of initiative saw an expert panel discussion and reading exhibition. During this event, the synopsis of CKS’s ‘7 Steps to Reading’ report was also released. The 7 Steps to Reading report provides a plan for improving the reading abilities of India’s children.

IRV 2020 TO PROTECT VULNERABLE RHINOS

IRV2020 - Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020

IRV 2020 programme has been launched by WHO-India, with an aim to protect and increase the population of the one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). The goal of the programme is to attain their wild population to at least 3000 in the Indian state of Assam by 2020. Rhinos are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red list of Threatened Species.

Assam has been chosen for the programme because this state has the maximum population of rhinos and they are spread across seven protected areas. To achieve the targeted number, the programme needs an increase by 600 over the existing population available in the state in next eight years. This means an annual increase of about 3 percent.

Under the programme, the horns of rhinos will be trimmed before their translocation to Laokhowa-Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary in Nagaon district of the state. The trimming will be done in a way that any damage is not done to their internal organs and the trimmed horns will grow back to their original shape within four to five months. This action of trimming will also protect them from the poachers, who hunt them just to take away their horns.

This is a partnership programme of the Assam Forest Department, the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Rhinoceros and its habitats in the past

Rhinoceros existed in its maximum number in entire northern part of the Indian subcontinent including Brahmaputra, Ganges and Indus river basins across Pakistan to Indian-Burmese border. Till 1600 the Indian rhinos were present commonly across the northwestern India and Pakistan but disappeared slowly. During the 20th century its population decreased to a number of extinction.

Comment: It’s expected that this programme will help in increasing the population of rhinos and bring them back from the brink of extinction.


HONGKONGER ADDED INTO OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Oxford English dictionary has added Hongkonger and Hong Kongese in March 2014 in recognition of Hong Kong's local identity of inhabitants of the city. These are among the 900 new words added to the dictionary.

The word has been added to the dictionary at a time, when the people of the city are losing their original/individual identity due to Chinese influence on the countries politics and culture has emerged a lot.

Meaning of these words as per the dictionary

• Hongkonger and Hong Kongese are defined as the native or inhabitant of Hong Kong {A person living in Hong Kong SAR (Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China)}

• Hong Kongese can also be defined as an adjective to describe anything related to the city or its residents

This word was included by the dictionary following anti-Mainlandisation campaign over past few years. The campaign came into existence after China over took the city after end of the British rule on it.

Oxford English Dictionary is updated three times in a year (quarterly) and every time it provides insight that how English language is changing. The process of updating the dictionary started in 2000 to offer an authoritative catalogue to change the dictionary of modern times. The Oxford dictionary for the first time was completed in 1928.

Some other generally used words that have been added to the dictionary are

• Bestie (meaning a person's best friend; a very close friend)

• Bookaholic (meaning a habitual and prolific reader; a compulsive book buyer)

• Beat boxer (meaning a performer who uses (amplified) vocal effects to imitate the sounds and rhythms of hip-hop)

Earlier, Hongkonger was used in 1870s by the Daily Independent newspaper in California to describe inhabitants of the then-British colony. Hong Kongese as a word has its existence in the Collins Dictionary.


PEACE-PROMOTING ENERGY ACCESS THROUGH CLEAN ENERGY

PEACE is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and US to promote increase the energy access and to develop several priority activites. PEACE was signed in 2013.

PEACE was in news due to India and United States Energy dialogue held in New Delhi on 11 March 2014. During the dialogue, PEACE was recalled and agreed to promote scientific cooperation, research & development for greater technological innovation and for deployment of environmentally friendly technologies and products.


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