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Not ebook: current affairs
Creat ed: 21-Dec-14 4:02 PM
URL:
http://currentaffairs.gktoday.in/category/current-affairs-november-2014
Current Affairs : November 2014 Current Affairs - Current
Affairs Today
Chinas Yan Bingtao Becomes YoungestPlayer to Win World Snooker
TitleNovember 30, 2014No comments
Yan Bingtao, the 14-year-old prodigy from China, has created
history by becoming the youngestplayer to win the mens title in the
IBSF World Snooker Championship. He defeated PakistansMuhammad
Sajjad 8-7 in the final match held in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Earlier, Yan had defeated 12 time World titles holder Pankaj
Advani by 6-4 to storm into the menssemi-finals.
PM flags off Meghalayas first trainNovember 30, 2014No
comments
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged-off the first train from
Mendipathar, Meghalaya, to Guwahati.This was an important occasion
in the history of Indian Railways, as Meghalaya was being added
tothe rail network of India for first time. He also unveiled the
plaque for a new rail line from Bhairabito Sairang.
WCCB develops app to track wildlife crimesacross countryNovember
30, 2014No comments
For the first time, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) under
Environment Ministry incoordination with the Wildlife Trust of
India (WTI) have developed Android based smartphoneapplication that
will enable users to report wildlife crimes, from any part of the
country using theirmobile phones
Features of applications
This application provides a secure platform for real time
exchange of wildlife crime relatedinformation between WCCB and
relevant stakeholdersThe app allows an individual to report a
wildlife crime quickly and efficiently as the lead willbe
automatically delivered to a designated email id of WCCB.The user
who reports crime can also remain anonymous and WCCB will be the
solecustodian of the collected information.Further, no details of
the person reporting the crime will be shared without the
priorconsent of the individual.This interactive app has a simple
user interface replacing the written reporting and records.It is
also integrated with digital version of the Wild Life (Protection)
Act, 1972. The updatedversion will provide regular wildlife crime
news alerts and updates on anyamendments/notifications related to
the Act.
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Further, WTI is in consultation with its partner International
Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is alsotrying to develop an
application for identification of wild animals which is expected to
be integratedin the next version of the present app.
Thus this application may contribute greatly in improving
wildlife crime enforcement in India.
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Page 2November 29, 2014No comments
Renowned Crime novelist Phyllis Dorothy James has passed away in
Oxford, UK. She was 94. Shewas referred as queen of crime fiction
and well-known for her series of detective novels starringthe
policeman and poet Adam Dalgliesh.
About Phyllis Dorothy James
Phyllis Dorothy James usually known as PD James was born in
Oxford, UK was acclaimedBritish writer.She began her writing career
in the 1950s.Her first novel Cover Her face was published in 1962
which featured the investigator andpoet Adam Dalgliesh named after
a teacher at Cambridge High School.She had held a job in the
forensic science department and then the criminal law
departmentuntil 1979.She had gained international recognition in
1980 after the publication of her eighth book,
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Innocent Blood.Many of her detective novels were adapted by
television in the UK in 1980s.She was awarded the Crime Writers
Associations Diamond Dagger award in 1987 forlifetime achievement,
and had also received the Medal of Honour for Literature in 2005
byNational Arts Club.She has over 20 novels to her credit.She was
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) governor from 1988 to
1993.
RBI releases final guidelines for the BharatBill Payment System
(BBPS)November 29, 2014No comments
Reserve Bank of India issued the final guidelines for the Bharat
Bill Payment System (BBPS). It is anintegrated bill payment system
offering inter-operable and accessible bill payment service
tocustomers through a network of agents, enabling multiple payment
modes, and providing instantconfirmation of payment.
Key Facts
It will help consumers pay multiple bills like electricity,
telephone and school fees at a singlepoint of transaction.
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The National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) has been
appointed as the nodal bodywhich will set the standards, and also
take care of clearing and settlement as the Bharat BillPayment
Central Unit (BBPCU).In the two tiered BBPS set-up, there will be
authorised operational units called Bharat BillPayment Operating
Units (BBPOUs) with an agent network under the BBPCU.RBI has set a
Rs 100-crore networth and domestic registration as qualifying
conditions forthose seeking to be authorised collection
agents.Participants in the BBPS will include authorised entities
such as BPCU, BBPOUs as well astheir authorised agents, payment
gateways, banks, billers and service providers, and otherentities,
including authorised prepaid payment instrument issuers.
Thus, BBPS will help track all the payments being made in
economy, including cash payments toutilities, schools, and telcos
among others.
Mount Aso erupts in JapanNovember 29, 2014No comments
Mount Aso, a volcano in southern Japan has erupted. It is the
first such eruption in 22 years,causing flight cancellations and
prompting warnings to stay away from its crater. This eruption
hasspewed out lava debris and smoke, shooting plumes of ash a
kilometre into the sky.
Earlier, Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) had reported
earthquakes and other seismic activity inlate August on Mount
Aso.
About Mount Aso
Mount Aso is the largest active volcano in Japan, and is among
the largest in the world. It is locatedin Aso Kuju National Park in
Kumamoto Prefecture, on Kyushu Island. Its peak is 1592 m above
sea
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level. Mount Aso has one of the largest calderas in the world
(25 km north-south and 18 km east-west). The caldera has a
circumference of around 120 km.
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The Union Government has granted Rs. 444 crore for the Phase-2
work of the Sabarmati RiverConservation Project. This fund will
help to beautify Sabarmati Riverfront Project.
The National River Conservation Director (NRCD) has also given
nod for the purification of theSabarmati River.
As per the approval
70 per cent of the cost i.e. Rs. 311.72-crore would be borne by
the Centre.Remaining 30 per cent i.e. Rs. 132.72-crore will be
jointly borne by Government of Gujarat(GOG) and Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation (AMC).
This project will be executed as per the provisions of Central
Public Health EngineeringEnvironment Organisations (CPHEEO) Revised
Guidelines.
After the completion of Phase-2 of the River Conservation
Project, no untreated or half-treatedsewage water could be released
into the Sabarmati.
Similarly, industrial waste waters could also be released into
the sewage line only after primarytreatment as per the
provisions.
Earlier, Centre had earlier granted Rs. 90-crore for the Phase-1
of the project under which 22-kmof sewage network, two terminal
pumping stations and two sewage treatment plants, besides
twocrematoria and five toilets were constructed.
Page 4November 29, 2014No comments
Namibia has become first country in Africa to use electronic
voting in their presidential election. Forthe first time 1.2
million Namibians are expected to cast their votes electronically
in the countrys
5th election since independence.
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Around 3400 India-made Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be
used for this elections.
In April 2014, Namibian government had purchased these EVM form
Indias public sector unit,Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL),
Bangaluru.
This purchase was done after, the seven-member delegation from
the Electoral Commission ofNamibia (ECN) were impressed by the EVM
system after they had visited polling stations inKarnataka
including Bengaluru, during Lok Sabha polls in April, 2014 17.
Other countries using Indian made EVMs: Asian countries Nepal,
Bhutan have purchasedIndia-manufactured EVMs and using it. Fiji is
expected to use Indian EVMs.
India and Mozambique sign MoU forcooperation in oil & gas
sectorNovember 29, 2014No comments
India and Mozambique have signed a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) for cooperation in theoil and gas sector for a period of five
years.
This MoU seeks cooperation in oil and gas in both upstream and
downstream sectors in the areasof enhancing capacity-building,
forging closer cooperation between research and training centresand
intensifying technology transfer, among others.
The MoU was signed at a meeting held at New Delhi between
Petroleum Minister DharmendraPradhan and Mozambiques Minister of
Foreign Affairs Oldemiro Julio Marques Baloi.
Background
Earlier, Union cabinet had given their nod on 29th October 2014
for the MoU between bothcountries.
Mozambique is strategically located near India and is ideally
suited for bringing Liquefied naturalgas (LNG) to India at
market-determined price. Participation of Indian energy companies
in theproject will facilitate access to LNG for the growing Indian
gas market. This project plans toproduce 34 million tonnes of LNG
annually from its biggest gas field the Rovuma Area 1 offshoreblock
of Mozambique.
State-run ONGC Videsh Ltd, Oil India and Bharat Petroleum Corp
already have bought 30 percentstake and will also participate in
the LNG project.
70 crore Aadhaar cards generated so farNovember 29, 2014No
comments
Government has announced that as many as 70.43 crore Aadhaar
numbers have been generatedby the Unique Identification Authority
of India (UIDAI) as on November 15, 2014.
It was notified by Planning Minister Rao Inderjit Singh in a
written reply to Rajya Sabha.
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As per Government
The Aadhaar saturation level is more than 90 per cent in 9
states and union territories(UTs).Between 75 per cent and 90 per
cent in another 8 states/UTs.In the remaining 12 states/UTs, the
Aadhaar saturation level is under 50 per cent.Government has
allocated 24 states/UTs to UIDAI for Aadhaar enrolment and the
remaining12 states/UTs to Registrar General of India (RGI) for
enrolment under National PopulationRegister (NPR) process.At
present, Aadhaar enrolments in the state/UTs not allocated to UIDAI
are beingundertaken by Registrar General of India under NPR
process.
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Page 5November 29, 2014No comments
Thailands parliament has voted to ban commercial surrogacy. This
decision was taken byThailands military Junta which came to power
in May, 2014.
A voted draft bill has provision which mentions that anyone
profiting off surrogacy will be given amaximum ten year prison
sentence. The bill also forbids any middlemen or agencies,
receiving anyassets or benefits through the surrogacy process
This decision was outcome of outrage that had erupted over the
largely unregulated commercialsurrogacy industry following
allegations that an Australian couple abandoned a baby with
Downssyndrome.
In 1997, commercial surrogacy was supposedly banned by Thailands
Medical Council. But, thebooming surrogacy industry had sprung up
in Thailand which had attracted many foreigners.
This industry came under intense scrutiny after a series of
surrogacy scandals broke involvingforeigners.
WTO approves trade facilitation agreement(TFA)November 28,
2014No comments
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The World Trade Organization (WTO) approved the first world-wide
trade deal- Trade Facilitationagreement (TFA). It was approved by
WTOs 160 member nations in Geneva after months ofdeadlock.
This announcement comes after India and the US earlier had
resolved their differences over publicstockholding of food in
November 2014.
The approval of TFA deal will possibly help to meet a permanent
solution for the publicstockholding of food in the WTOs Ministerial
Conference 2015 as 160 members agreed to make allefforts to find a
permanent solution to the issue.
Summary
The Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) is the WTOs first-ever
multilateral accord. It was outcome
of 9th Ministerial Conference of WTO for broader reform to boost
global trade held in Bali,Indonesia in December, 2013.
The agreement includes provisions for
Lowering import tariffs and agricultural subsidies: It will make
it easier for developingcountries to trade with the developed world
in global markets.Abolish hard import quotas: Developed countries
would abolish hard import quotas onagricultural products from the
developing world and instead would only be allowed tocharge tariffs
on amount of agricultural imports exceeding specific
limits.Reduction in red tape at international borders: It aims to
reduce red-tapism tofacilitate trade by reforming customs
bureaucracies and formalities.
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Implications
If this agreement is properly implemented, it may create US$1
trillion worth of global economicactivity which may add 21 million
new jobs and lower the cost of doing international trade by
1015percent.
Centenary Celebrations of Shiksha MandalWardha beginsNovember
28, 2014No comments
On 26th November 2014, centenary celebrations of national
institution- Shiksha Mandal Wardhabegan. President Pranab Mukherjee
was Chief Guest of the celebration function.
Governor of Maharashtra, C Vidyasagar Rao was also present along
with Chief Minister ofMaharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis and Union
Minister for Road Transport & Highways in the CentralGovernment
(and a Shiksha Mandal Alumni) Nitin Gadkari .
About Shiksha Mandal
Shiksha Mandal is a pioneer national institution in higher
education in Central India. It was foundedin 1914, by Jamnalal
Bajaj and Shrikrishnadas Jajoo, associates of Mahatma Gandhi, at
Wardha foreducating the youth of India.
During Independence, this Mandal was a part of the national
movement and received support forseveral national leaders including
Gandhiji, Sardar Patel, Shri PC Ray etc.
During pre-Independence time, some of its students and faculties
were involved in the Quit Indiamovement and for few months during
this movement its buildings were seized by the British.
It was also the first institute in India to prepare text books
and conduct examinations in Hindi and
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Marathi at the graduate level.
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Page 6November 28, 2014No comments
Government has revised the target for opening of accounts under
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana(PMJDY) from 7.5 crore to10 crore by
26th January, 2015.
It was announced by Finance Ministry in order to open one
account bank account for eachhousehold in the country.
According to Finance Ministry
Till 18th November 2014, 7.64 crore bank accounts have been
opened under PMJDY.Out of 7.64 crore bank accounts, Public Sector
Banks (PSBs) have opened 6.15 croreaccounts, Regional Rural Banks
(RRBs) have opened 1.28 crore accounts and private sectorbanks have
opened 0.20 crore accounts.In terms of deposits, Rs. 6015 crore has
been collected up to 18th November, 2014 underPMJDY. Out of 7.64
core accounts opened, 5.74 crore accounts opened are zero
balanceaccounts.Under PMJDY scheme, Madhya Pradesh has achieved
more than 90% of the target ofopening of accounts and is likely to
achieve the target of 100% soon.
Finance Ministry, is also seeking to connect Aadhar card numbers
with bank accounts which willhelp in directly transferring the
subsidies to the bank accounts of the desired sections of the
societyunder Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana(PMJDY)
PM of India, Narendra Modi had launched the ambitious PMJDY
which aims to achievecomprehensive financial inclusion. It provides
universal access to banking facilities starting with
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Basic Banking Accounts and RuPay Debit card with inbuilt
accident insurance cover of Rs. 1 lakh andRuPay Kisan Card.
The slogan for the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan mission is Mera Khata
Bhagya Vidhaata.
India launches E-Visa facility for 43countriesNovember 28,
2014No comments
India has launched the tourist visa on arrival facility (VoA)
enabled by electronic travel authorizationi.e. E-Visa facility. It
was launched by Home Ministry and Tourism Ministry.
This system will be applicable for 43 countries and will make
travel seamless and hassle-free forforeign tourist in India.
The addition of 43 countries is the first phase of this facility
and more countries will be added soon.
Key Facts
In order to get e-visa facility, foreign tourists will have to
apply online at the Web site byuploading their photo and passport
and pay a fee online.Within 72 hours, the applicant will receive an
Electronic Travel Authorization, ETA by an e-mail.It will be 30-day
permit which will include sightseeing, visiting friends and family,
recreation,short duration medical treatment, and casual business
visit.This facility will be available to tourist twice a
year.Through this facility, foreign tourists will be allowed to
enter and depart from nine airports.They are Delhi, Mumbai,
Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi,Thiruvananthapuram
and Goa.In the first phase e-visa facility will be provided to
countries like Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, UAE,Jordan, Kenya, Fiji,
Finland, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Mauritius, Mexico,
Norway,
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Oman and Philippines, US, Germany and Israel.But Government has
barred a few countries from e-Visa Facility like Pakistan,
Sudan,Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Somalia.
Thus, government has changed the current procedure of Visa
approval from manual system to ITbased system which will benefit of
tourists and will bring the revolution in the tourism sector
andboost the economy.
Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes diesafter head
injuryNovember 28, 2014No comments
Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died after he had suffered a
severe head injury due to a bouncerduring a match. He was 25. He
was in coma for three days following the injury sustained
whileplaying in a Sheffield Shield game in Sydney Cricket
Ground.
After this incident, Hughes had undergone emergency surgery to
relieve pressure on his brain afterbeing struck on the head by a
ball. The cricket fraternity across the world today reacted with
shockand sadness at the sad demise of Phil Hughes.
About Phillip Hughes
Phillip Joel Hughes was an Australian Test and One-Day
International (ODI) cricketer. He hadplayed for domestic cricket
for South Australia and Worcestershire. He was a left-handed
opening
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batsman who played for two seasons with New South Wales before
making his Test debut in 2009at the age of 20.
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Page 7November 28, 2014No comments
Punjab government has banned the sale of flavoured tobacco and
e-cigarettes with immediateeffect throughout the state. This
decision was taken in at a state-level coordination committee
heldin Chandigarh as various firms were bypassing Cigarettes and
Other Tobacco Products Act(COTPA), 2003 by selling flavoured,
scented tobacco and e-cigarettes in the state.
Under the new notification, even e-commerce companies can be
booked as e-cigarettes containnicotine in chemical form.
State-level coordination committee had expressed concern over
sale of cigarettes near educationalinstitutions, especially
colleges and coaching institutes. They have strictly imposed ban on
sale oftobacco within 200 metres of educational institutions.
Thus, Punjab has become the first state in the country to ban
e-cigarettes and users of any otherelectronic nicotine delivery
system (ENDS). Under these new regulations, promoters will
beprosecuted under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act for selling
unapproved drugs and could end upserving a year in jail.
E-cigarette
It is a battery-powered vaporizer which has the feel of tobacco
smoking.They do not producesmoke like regular cigarette but rather
an aerosol (mist), which is inaccurately referred to asvapor. They
have a heating element that atomizes a liquid solution known as
e-liquid. E-liquids areusually a mixture of propylene glycol,
glycerin, nicotine, and flavorings. Using an E-cigarette iscalled
Vaping.
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Boxer Manoj Kumar receives prestigiousArjuna AwardNovember 27,
2014No comments
Boxer Manoj Kumar was awarded prestigious Arjuna Award by Sports
Minister SarbanandaSonowal in New Delhi. He was awarded this award
after winning a High Court case against Sportsministry. Manoj Kumar
is 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medalist.
Case
Earlier, Kapil Dev-led award selection committee had denied
Manoj this award, due false belief thathe was involved in a doping
case. Instead of Manoj, the committee had recommended name
ofanother boxer Jai Bhagwan for this award.
After this denial, Manoj had approached the Sports Ministry who
had assured him that his namewould be added to the list in a review
meeting. But he was again sidelined by the Sports Ministry.
After he was sidelined, he took the legal route and filed a case
in the Delhi High Court against theministry. He won this case and
that led to the ministry accepting his nomination for the
award.
About Arjuna Award
The Arjuna Awards are given by the Union Ministry of Youth
Affairs and Sports tosportsperson for their recognition and
outstanding achievement in National sports. It wasinstituted in
1961.
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The award carries a monetary prize of Rs. 500,000, a bronze
statuette of Arjuna and ascroll.From the year 2001, the award is
given only in disciplines falling under the
followingcategories:
1. Olympic Games / Asian Games / Commonwealth Games / World Cup
/ World ChampionshipDisciplines and Cricket.
2. Indigenous Games.3. Physically Challenged Sports.
93rd birth anniversary of Dr.VergheseKurien observed as National
Milk Day inGujaratNovember 27, 2014No comments
National Milk Day was observed in Gujarat to mark 93rd birth
anniversary of Dr.Verghese Kurien. Itwas the first of its kind
initiative organized by all dairy majors to celebrate November 26
asNational Milk Day in the memory Dr Verghese Kurien.
The idea of celebrating Indian Milk Day was first mooted by
Indian Dairy Association (IDA).
Events organized on National Milk Day
National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), IDA along with around
22 state level milkfederations including Gujarat Co-operative Milk
Marketing Federation (GCMMF) that marketsbrand Amul took part in
this initiative.200 lakh milk pouches of Amul will carry the
National Milk Days logo featuring Dr Kurien fora week across the
country.District level milk unions who are part of Milk federation
had organized district level
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celebrations which were attended by around 10,000 milk
producers.Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel addressed mega
gathering of farmers in aprogramme organized by Banas Dairy in
Palanpur district.In Anand district, all institutes founded by Mr
Kurien i.e. Amul, Institute of RuralManagement Anand (IRMA),
Anandalaya and NDDB participated to celebrate this day.
About Dr.Verghese Kurien
Verghese Kurien was renowned social entrepreneur. He was best
known as the Father of theWhite Revolution.
Operation Flood: His billion-litre idea-Operation Flood which
was the worlds largest agriculturaldevelopment programme, helped to
transform India from a milk-deficit country into the worldslargest
milk producer.
Milk Co-operatives Movement: He had founded around 30
institutions of excellence (like AMUL,GCMMF, IRMA, NDDB) which are
owned, managed by farmers and run by professionals. As thefounding
chairman of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation
(GCMMF), Kurien wasresponsible for the creation and success of the
Amul brand of dairy products.
Milk powder: Under his chairmanship, Amul achieved key invention
of milk powder processedfrom buffalo milk.
Awards conferred to Verghese Kurien for his contribution are
1963- Ramon Magsaysay Award.1989- World Food Prize by World Food
Prize, USA.1965- Padma Shri.1966- Padma Bhushan.1999- Padma
Vibhushan.
World Milk Day: Globally, 1st June is annually celebrated as
World Milk Day. In 2001, this day wasdesignated by the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO).
It aims to publicize activities related to milk and milk
industries and raise public awareness aboutthe importance of milk
and milk products for everyone throughout life.
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Page 8November 27, 2014No comments
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Lok Sabha has passed the Delhi Special Police Establishment
(Amendment) Bill, 2014. The Bill waspassed by voice vote.
The Bill amends the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946
for the changing the provisionrelated to appointment of Director of
CBI.
The Bill amends the provision in relation to the Leader of
Opposition (LoP) and states that wherethere is no LoP, the Leader
of the single largest Opposition Party in that House would be part
of thecommittee for appointment of Director of CBI.
In the present Lok Sabha there is no LoP in Lok Sabha, since no
party have the numbers to get thepost. Now Congress is the largest
Opposition party.
Summary
Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 constitutes a
special investigation police forceknown as the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI).Earlier the Act had provision for a three
member committee to make recommendations tothe central government
for appointment of the Director of CBI.This committee comprised of
Prime Minister (Chairperson), the Chief Justice of India or
aSupreme Court judge nominated by him, and the Leader of Opposition
in the Lok Sabha.
Thus this amendment bill, will pave the way for the appointment
of a new CBI Director in
December as incumbent CBI Director Ranjit Sinha is to retire on
2nd December 2014.
Anoop Mishra to be the new SecretaryGeneral of the Lok Sabha
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November 27, 2014No comments
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Anoop Mishra, will be the
new Secretary-General of the LokSabha. It was announced by the Lok
Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. He will have the rank and
status of Cabinet Secretary with effect from 1st December 2014
to 30th November 2016 or untilfurther orders.
About Anoop Mishra
Mr. Mishra is a former IAS officer of the 1978 batch of Uttar
Pradesh cadre. He has held severalimportant positions at the Centre
and in Uttar Pradesh.
He was the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh for a year with
overall responsibility of the Stateadministration, superintendence
of law and order and development and infrastructure schemes.
At Centre he has held several important posts like Joint
Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, with theresponsibility of strategic
Ministries of Home, Defence, External Affairs, Atomic Energy and
Spaceand the economic Ministries of Finance and Commerce, besides
the Planning Commission.
Supreme Court opines to terminate IPLteam Chennai Super
KingsNovember 27, 2014No comments
Supreme Court while hearing on the Mudgal report Committee probe
on IPL spot-fixing case hasopine to terminate Indian Premier League
(IPL) team Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
This hearing was given by two member special bench headed by
Justice T S Thakur and JusticeFakkir Mohamed Ibrahim Kalifulla.
SC hearing
Disqualification of CSK: The bench mentioned that being Board of
Control for Cricket inIndia (BCCI) chief and by owning CSK,
Srinivasan had breached the provision of conflict ofinterest. So,
CSK needs to be disqualified.
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BCCI not taking any action: The bench has also questioned that
BCCI over not taking anyaction against CSK, Rajasthan Royals -the
other team whose owner Raj Kundra wasallegedly involved in betting,
and their officials on the basis of findings of Mudgal
Committeereport.Fresh Elections of BCCI: The court also suggested
there must be fresh election processfor the Board. In these
elections the people whose names are mentioned in the Mudgalreport
should not take part. Afterwards newly elected board should decide
what actions areto be taken on the basis of findings of the
report.
Earlier SC hearing: SC while hearing on the IPL spot-fixing case
probed by the Justice MudgalCommittee had disclosed names of few
persons those who had alleged links with this case. Theywere
Srinivasan- Former President of BCCI and owner of CSKSunder
Raman- BCCI chief operating officer (COO).Raj Kundra- Rajasthan
Royals co-owner.Gurunath Meiyappan- Chennai Super Kings team
principal and son-in-law of N. Srinivasan.
About Mudgal Committee
In 2014, SC has constituted Justice Mukkul Mudgal Committee to
conduct an independent inquiryover allegations of corruption,
betting and spot-fixing in IPL matches.
Members of committee: Retired Justice Mukkul Mudgal (Head),
former Solicitor-General of IndiaL.Nageshwara Rao, former Umpire
Nilay Dutta, Deputy DG of Narcotics Control Bureau B.B.Mishraand
former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly.
They had submitted its findings in the form of a final Report to
the SC in a sealed cover onNovember 3, 2014.
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Page 9
Rajya Sabha has passed Labour Laws Amendment Bill, 2011 which
simplifies labour lawprocedures for establishments employing up to
40 workers. This bill amends the Labour Laws(Exemption from
Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by Certain
Establishments)Amendment and Miscellaneous Provisions Act,
1988.
The Amendment Bill, proposes to change the original Act of 1988
by
Increasing the number of laws under which small establishments
are exempted fromfurnishing returns and maintaining
registers.Amending the definition of small establishments to cover
units employing between 10 to40 workers as against the limit of 19
workers at present.The seven Acts that are added to the list
includes
1. Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961.2. Payment of Bonus Act,
1965.3. Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and
Conditions of Service) Act,
19794. Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of
Employment and Conditions of
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Service) Act, 1996.5. Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of
Employment) Act, 1966.6. Dock Workers (Safety, Health and Welfare)
Act, 1986.7. Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act,
1986.
The Bill also adds that the employer may maintain the returns
filed and the registers on acomputer, computer disk or other
electronic media.
Background
The Act of 1988, defines small establishments as any place which
employs between 10and 19 people on any day of the preceding 12
months. A very small establishment is aplace that employs nine or
less people.Under it, these small and very establishments are
exempted from furnishing returns andmaintaining registers under
certain labour laws.Small establishments were also exempted from
furnishing returns and maintaining registersunder certain
laws.Under the Act of 1988, the establishments were required to
furnish returns and maintainregisters in a specified format.
Thus this Amendment Bill seeks to widen the earlier Act to more
establishments and adds morelaws from which these establishments
were exempted earlier.
Page 10November 26, 20141 Comment
Haryana government has reduced retirement age of government
employees from 60 to 58 years.
This decision was taken in cabinet meet headed by Chief Minister
Manohar Lal Khattar. It was alsoannounced that the upper age limit
for fresh recruitment will remain 42 years. Earlier, Congress-
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led Bhupinder Singh Hooda government in Haryana had announced to
increase retirement age forgovernment staff from 58 to 60
years.
It was a populist decision announced by then Congress government
just before the 15th October2014 assembly election in the
state.
Pakistani writer Bilal Tanweer wins 2014Shakti Bhatt First Book
PrizeNovember 26, 2014No comments
Pakistani writer, Bilal Tanweer has won the 2014 Shakti Bhatt
First Book Prize for his novel TheScatter Here Is Too Great. The
award carries a cash component of Rs. 2 lakh.
This years judges for Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize were authors
Amit Chaudhuri, Aatish Taseerand Mridula Koshy (2009 winner of the
Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize).
For 2014 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize, six books were
shortlisted. They are
A Bad Character by Deepti Kapoor .The Scatter Here Is Too Great
by Bilal Tanweer.The Vanishing Act by Prawin Adhikari.a cool, dark
place by Supriya Dravid.The Competent Authority by Shovon
Chowdhury.The Smoke Is Rising by Mahesh Rao.
All the six books including Tanweers have been published by
Indian publishers.
About Bilal Tanweer
Bilal Tanweer was born and raised in Karachi. He is Lahore-based
author.He has published fiction, poetry and translation in various
international journals. In 2011, hewas selected for Granta New
Voice.His book The Scatter Here Is Too Great underlines the crucial
importance of literature in
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larger cultural landscape. It balances the universality of
existential torment with the oftenhorrifying nitty-gritty realities
of its location, Karachi.
About Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize
The Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize is an award named after
journalist Shakti Bhatt, who passedaway in 2007. It was set up in
2008 to encourage authors from the Indian sub-continent. 2014
wasseventh year of this prize and the prize money was increased to
Rs 2 lakhs with support from PritiPaul and the Apeejay Trust.
Other Pakistani writers who have won this prize:
In 2008- Mohammed Hanif.In 2011- Jamil Ahmad.
Government launches Swachh Bharat KoshNovember 26, 2014No
comments
Government recently launched the Swachh Bharat Kosh- a fund that
will be utilised to buildtoilets in schools, rural and urban areas
to achieve the objective of cleanliness across the country.
It will seek to attract donations under Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) from Corporate Sectorand contributions from
individuals and philanthropists to achieve the objective of Clean
India(Swachh Bharat) by the year 2019.
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Key facts about Swachh Bharat Kosh
Objective: Funds will be used for improving cleanliness levels
in rural and urban areas,including in schools. As a top priority,
funds will be used to bring out innovative projects andgirl
toilets.Governing Council: It will be under the Ministry of Finance
and will be managed by aGoverning Council headed by Expenditure
Secretary.Monitoring: Its functioning will be monitored on
quarterly basis by the Finance Minister andby the Prime Minister
from time-to-time.Activities:
Projects under it will be implemented and carried out by the
existing institutions at the state,district, and sub district level
and no new institutions would be created.
These funds will finance activities such as construction of new
toilets as well as repair andrenovation of dysfunctional toilets in
rural areas, urban areas, elementary, secondary and seniorsecondary
government schools, aanganwaadis.
It will be also used for constructing water lines to the
toilets, training and skill development tomaintain hygiene in the
toilets as well as other activities to improve sanitation.
Prime Minister himself will acknowledge contributions of over Rs
1 crore made by individuals and ofover Rs 20 crore by
corporates.
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Page 11November 26, 2014No comments
Kathak queen and legend Sitara Devi passed away. She was 94. She
was living legend and arenowned exponent of the classical Indian
dance Kathak and was well known for her own nichestyle of
Kathak.
About Sitara Devi
Sitara Devi was born in Kolkata in 1920. After her birth she was
named as Dhanalakshmi,and called as Dhanno.
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She was renamed as Sitara-the star by her father after she
impressed her teachers andthe local media with her Kathak
performance in a dance drama, Savitri Satyavan inKolkatta.Nobel
laureate Rabindranath Tagore described her as Nritya Samragini- the
empress ofdance, after watching her performance when she was just
16 years old.Bollywood career: At the age of 12 she started
performing dances in various Bollywoodfilms. She has danced in
Bollywood films like Usha Haran, Nagina, Roti, Vatan, and Anjali.
In1957, she performed her last dance in Mother India. She stopped
performing dances inmovies as it was adversely affecting her
passion for excelling in the classical dance Kathak.International
performances: She has given performances in several parts of India,
andin several other countries, including at the Royal Albert Hall,
London in 1967 and at theCarnegie Hall, New York in 1976.Blending
the elements of two schools of Kathak: She played important role
inblending the elements of two schools of Kathak, one which was
developed in Banares (eastUttar Pradesh) and one from Lucknow (Oudh
or north Uttar Pradesh) and represented aforgotten era of
Kathak.Personnel life: She was married to K. Asif, director of
Bollywood epic Mughal-e-Azam andthen to Pratap Barot.Awards: Over
the years, she has been conferred a number of awards for her
life-timecontribution to Kathak. They are
1. 1969- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.2. 1973- Padma Shree.3.
1995- Kalidas Samman.4. Nritya Nipuna.5. 2011- Legends of India
Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to the
classical
dance genre for over six decades.
Kathak, which literally means katha, is a narrative drama which
has evolved out from ancienttimes. It is one of the eight forms of
Indian classical dance.
Indo-China joint military exercise Hand inHand 2014 concludes in
PuneNovember 26, 2014No comments
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The Hand-in-Hand 2014- joint military exercise of India and
China for Counter Insurgency (CI)and Counter Terrorism (CT)
concluded in Pune, Maharashtra. In the concluding ceremony,
defenceestablishments of both countries agreed to continue such
friendship efforts in future.
This joint military exercise provided platform for both nations
to join of hands which will help at theglobal level not only for
peace, but also for prosperity.
The exercise had started in Aundh Camp, Pune on 16th November
2014. It was 12 days exercisebetween both countries.
Some facts
The exercise was planned at the company level with respective
battalion headquarterscontrolling the training. It was supervised
by a Joint Directing Panel comprising seniorofficials of both the
nations.The training and manoeuvres, were conducted at Aundh
Military Cantonment, College ofMilitary Engineering and firing
ranges at Dighi, PuneIn this exercise, Chinese counterpart
performed wrestle skills and traditional Chinese martialarts
including swordsmanship, sabre-play and Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, while
the Indiandetachment performed traditional martial arts and saber
dance and physical exercise.Helicopters of Indian Air Force (IAF)
also took active part in the various maneuvers of theexercise.On
the last day of the session, a joint tactical exercise was
conducted where a cordon andsearch operation was carried out by
troops.The joint teams of Indian and Chinese army men fought dummy
terrorists using modernweaponry, helicopters and water boats.
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First Commonwealth Science Conference isinaugurated in
BengaluruNovember 25, 2014No comments
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated First Commonwealth
Science Conference (CSC) held inBengaluru. It is organised for the
first time in nearly after 50 years. Special guest at the
inauguralevent was Duke of York Prince Andrew.
This four-day conference is being organised by Royal Society,
London and is supported by theUnion Government, Queen Elizabeth
Diamond Jubilee Trust and Bengaluru based Jawaharlal NehruCentre
for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCAR).
Indian scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee Prof C N R Rao, is
co-chair of the steering committee ofthe conference.
Key highlights of summit
The summit will witness about 500 delegates, including 300 top
scientists and 70 researchscholars from 30 commonwealth nations.In
this summit topics covered will include physical sciences, life
sciences, mathematics,engineering, climate change, global health as
well as science policy.Keynote lectures will be delivered by Nobel
laureates Sir Paul Nurse and Sir Martin Reesfrom Britains
Astronomer Royal. Paul Nurse is president of the Royal Society in
London.At a special session, Former Indian space agency (ISRO)
chairman and PlanningCommission member K. Kasturirangan, Infosys
co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy and Bioconchairperson Kiran
Mazumdar-Shaw will share their vision on Entrepreneurship
andInnovation in India.From India around 300 science graduates and
faculty will get an opportunity to participate inthe event and
listen to renowned scientists and experts presenting their papers
andresearch findings on diverse topics.
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Background
Royal Society: It is science academy of the Commonwealth
nations. It promotesdevelopment of science and scientific temper
among the stakeholders, including policymakers, governments,
academia and industry.Commonwealth Science Conference (CSC): It
aims to
1. Celebrate excellence in Commonwealth science.2. Provide
opportunities for cooperation between researchers in different
Commonwealth
countries.3. Inspire young people.4. Build scientific capability
in developing nations within the Commonwealth.
Earlier in 1967, the last CSC took place at Oxford in Merton
College. It was small conference andabout 80 people had
participated in it. Among them half were from Britain and other
half from restof the Commonwealth counties.
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Page 12November 25, 2014No comments
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari flagged
off the Delhi-Kathmandu busservice from Delhi. This bus service
aims to boost trade and tourism and will also strengthen the
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bilateral ties between India and Nepal.
Key Facts
The bus will run between Delhi and Kathmandu daily. It will
cover the distance of 1,250 kmin around 30 hours.The bus will
travel via the Yamuna expressway to Agra, Firozabad, Kanpur,
Lucknow,Gorakhpur and Sunauli and thereafter will enter Nepalese
territory to reach Kathmandu.This bus service will be a direct one
and not pick up and drop passenger anywhere inbetween the
route.There is a provision of advance booking for this bus service.
The passengers will have tocarry proof of identification while
purchasing the ticket.
It is the second international bus service by the Delhi
Transport Corporation (DTC). Firstinternational bus service was
Delhi-Lahore service, launched in 1999. In future, Indian
Governmentis also planning to start similar bus services to every
neighboring country.
Sarjubala Devi gets Silver medal in WorldWomens Boxing
ChampionshipsNovember 25, 2014No comments
Indian Women Boxer, Sarjubala Devi has won Silver medal in the
World Womens BoxingChampionships held in Jeju City, Korea. In the
final match of the 48kg division, she lost to NazymKyzaibay of
Kazakhstan by 0-3.
About Sarjubala Devi
Sarjubala Devi is from Manipur. She was born in farmers
family.In 2005, she started her boxing career after getting
inspired from the success stories of
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famous Indian boxer Mary Kom.She joined boxing at school in
2005. In 2007 she joined a Sports Authority of India (SAI)training
centre for boxing in Imphal, India.In 2011, she won gold medal in
Youth World Women Boxing Championship organised inTurkey.She also
has won medals in Sub-Junior, Junior Women National Championships
andNational Boxing Championships.In 2012, Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ)
had announced to support her to prepare for 2016Olympics as she
isexpected to be serious medal prospect.
Iran and six world powers extend deadlinefor nuclear
talksNovember 25, 2014No comments
The deadline to reach a comprehensive agreement for a Irans
Nuclear Programme deal with sixworld powers i.e. P-6 or P-5 +1
countries has been extended to the end of June, 2015 after
recenttalks in Vienna, Austrian failed.
P-6 countries include the five permanent members of the UN
Security Council viz., USA, Russia,China, UK, France and non-
permanent member Germany.
Failure in the talks came after intensive five-day diplomatic
push in Vienna involving the foreignministers of Iran, the United
States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
It is the second extension this year as Iran and P-6 nations
failed to reach any agreement overIrans Nuclear Programme
deadlock.
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Now they have agreed to extend discussions, with the aim of
reaching a high-level politicalagreement by 1 March, 2015 and
confirming the full technical details of the agreement by 1
July,2015.
Summary Background
There is decade long deadlock between Iran and Western countries
over the issue of Irans NuclearProgramme and safety concerns of
uranium enrichment.
Western Countries allegations: Western countries especially US
is alleging Iran, thattheir Nuclear Programme may be used by them
to produce enriched uranium to developnuclear warheads.Irans
response: However, Iran has refused the allegations of western
countries and hasclearly mentioned that it is its sovereign right
to continue its nuclear programme to theirenergy demand. Even they
had mentioned that their Nuclear programme is completelypeaceful
and not for defence purpose.
P-6 countries want Iran to reduce its uranium enrichment
programme to make sure it cannotproduce nuclear warheads.
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Page 13November 25, 2014No comments
The UK Government has unveiled new package of counter-terror
measures. This new package ispart of UKs new Counter Terrorism and
Security Bill.
The counter-terror package includes tough new measures,
including a ban on insurance companiescovering the cost of
terrorist ransoms and stripping teenage jehadis of their passport,
to counterthe growing threat of terrorism.
Key facts about UKs Counter Terrorism and Security Bill
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It will ban, UK-based insurance companies covering the cost of
terrorist ransoms. TheGovernment hopes that insurance firms and
families will be deterred from paying ransoms ifthe money cannot be
claimed back. This will make ransom payments to terrorists,
illegalunder UK and international law.It includes barring jehadists
from returning for at least two years in UK and strippingteenage
jehadists of their passport.Internet companies will be required to
store details linking individual users with internetprotocol (IP)
addresses, and hand them over to police when asked to assist in
identifyingsuspected terrorists and paedophiles.Thus, it will also
allow the police to force internet service providers to hand over
datashowing who is using a computer or smartphone at any particular
time.More than 6,000 people at schools, universities, airports,
shopping centres, cinemas andfarms across the UK will be briefed by
counter-terror officers.
NSA Ajit Doval to be SpecialRepresentative (SR) for boundary
talkswith ChinaNovember 25, 2014No comments
NDA Government has named National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit
Doval as Indias SpecialRepresentative (SR) for boundary talks with
China. NSA Ajit Doval role of SR will be to conductboundary
negotiations and strategic consultations with China. This
arrangement will be part ofNSAs overall assignment.
Background
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In 2003, India and China had established the mechanism of
Special Representatives (SR) tothrash out a resolution to the vexed
boundary question and work out a settlement over thedisputed
3,500-km border.Under it two sides have so far held 17 rounds of
talks, making some progress. Indian side isrepresented by NSA,
while Chinese side is represented by a vice minister-level
official.The last round was held in February, 2014 in New Delhi
between the then NSA ShivshankarMenon and Chinese state councillor
Yang Jiechi.
Earlier in July, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian PM
Narendra Modi during their first meetingon the sidelines of BRICS
Summit in Brazil had pledged to resolve the border dispute at the
earliestaccepting that this has hampered economic ties between the
two countries.
Key facts on Border dispute
Indias stance: India has clearly mentioned that China occupies
38,000 square km of itsterritory on the Aksai Chin plateau in the
west. India has even claimed that Chinese borderpatrols have been
intruding deeper into its side of the border. Many times Indian
andChinese armies were locked in a face-off in the Ladakh sector
and other parts.Chinas stance: China claims more than 90,000 sq km
disputed land in the eastern sectorof the Himalayas is acquired by
India.
India is planning to beef up defences and improve infrastructure
along the border with China ineastern and western sectors. But
China has expressed concern about Indias plan to build roadsand
border outposts in Arunachal Pradesh.
Former Union Minister Murli Deora PassesawayNovember 25, 2014No
comments
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Former Union Minister and Senior Congress leader Murli Deora
passed away after prolongedillness. He was 77. Mr. Deora, had held
several important portfolios at local and national levelpolitics
during his decades-long political career.
About Murli Deora
Murli Deora was popularly known as Murli bhai. He was an
economics graduate, industrialistand social
worker-turned-politician.He started his political career after
contesting for the civic elections in Mumbai in 1968 andwas elected
as corporator . He was Mayor of Mumbai from 1977 to 1978.Later he
was elected to the Lok Sabha four times from Mumbai South, a seat
later held byhis son, Milind, who is also a former MP and ex Union
minister. Currently, he was servinghis third term as a Rajya Sabha
MP. For 22 years, he was President of Mumbai Congress.He was
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas during the UPA-1 regime.In
2006, he joined the Union Cabinet shortly before he turned 70 and
led oil diplomacy inMyanmar, Algeria and Egypt, and held talks with
ministers from Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia andComoros.In November 2007,
as Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, he successfully hosted
thefirst India-Africa Hydrocarbon Conference and Exhibition.After
2009 Lok Sabha elections, he retained the portfolio of Petroleum
and Natural Gas inthe UPA-2 government under former Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh.
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Page 14
India and the UNSECO have signed a letter of intent (LoI) for
better cooperation in the field ofreducing disaster risks and
capacity-building In Earth Sciences. The LoI was signed
betweenMinistry of Earth Sciences and UNESCO in the presence of
Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for
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Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and Irina Bokova,
Director General, UNESCO.
Key facts
The cooperation between India and UNSECO has been going on for
several years now inreducing disaster risks.This LoI is considered
as historic moment and will help to open up of new vistas
ofcooperation in not only the ocean-related studies but other areas
of cooperation in differentfields of scientific activities.It will
help India to upgrade tsunami warning system and improve the
capacity to alertnations about it.India has done a considerable
research in the field of oceanography and also in terms ofdisaster
management.The cooperation is also at the level of universities and
institutions. Such cooperation helps inrisk reduction especially in
situation like tsunami and other natural disaster.
Page 15November 24, 2014No comments
Government has decided to open three new child helpline centres
in Kolkata, Gurgaon and Chennaiwhich will cover 500 cities and
towns to provide prompt help to distressed children across
thecountry.
In 1996, Childline-the 24-hour helpline was started in Mumbai.
Currently, it reaches out to 282locations across India with the
help of 543 partners, among which are the Tata Institute of
SocialSciences (TISS) and Tata Consultation Services (TCS).
But, it is becoming difficult for the Mumbai centre to attend to
all the calls made to the helpline,resulting in many calls getting
abandoned. It only covered calls from North and West
(India)effectively.
Now by introducing 3 more centres, will help to reduce burden of
Mumbai centre and help to caterall calls from children in the South
and East. Thus, help to cover entire country effectively.
The three new centres would be nodal bases providing service to
the rest of the locations. Theservice reach of the new centres will
be expanded to 500 cities and towns in next two years.
This Childline, can be reached on the number-1098 and so far
this year received 38,22,081 calls ofwhich 4 per cent were about
missing children.
With all the regional centres in place, the service would become
more prominent as anyone canimmediately contact the nearest NGO to
reach out to the child to provide prompt help.
Two Indians from Kerala conferredSainthood at VaticanNovember
24, 2014No comments
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Two Kerala-born Indian Catholics Father Kuriakose Elias Chavara
and Sister Euphrasia havebeen canonised by Pope Francis at St
Peters Square in Vatican.
Pope Francis pronounced them as saints at a special mass held at
St Peters Square, Vatican. Theceremony included a Latin hymn and a
recommendation by a representative of the Congregationfor the
Saints. Earler, in April this year, Pope had cleared their names
for sainthood.
With these canonisation of sainthood, the centuries-old Syro
Malabar Church, Kerala now has threeSaints, the first being Sister
Alphonsa, who was declared a saint in 2008 by the Vatican.
About Father Kuriakose Elias Chavara
Father Kuriakose Chavara lived in the 19th He was a visionary
priest and social reformerwhose contributions spread across
education, media and social justice.He fought for appointing Kerala
priests as bishops instead of foreign missionaries and hadfounded
the first Catholic religious congregation for men and women in the
country.As a social reformer, he believed that intellectual
development and education of women wasthe first step towards
overall social welfare.He was first to start schools for f weaker
sections and introduce the system called A schoolalong with every
church, which was successful in making free education available
foreveryone.He died in on 3 January, 1871, aged 65.
About Sister Euphrasia
Sister Euphrasia led a more secluded life, devoted to
prayers.She was known as a praying mother and a saint among nuns,
who, according tofollowers, had several miracles to her credit.She
had been a member of the congregation Carmelites of Mother Carmel
(CMC), foundedby Chavara.She died on Aug 29, 1952 at the age of 75
and is buried at Ollur, Thrissur.
To celebrate their sainthoods, prayers and masses were held at
churches across Kerala. Christians
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constitute 23 percent of Keralas 33 million population and 50
percent of them are Catholics.
Martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadurobserved on 24 NovemberNovember
24, 2014No comments
Martyrdom Day of 9th Sikh guru, Guru Teg Bahadur was being
observed on 24th November 2014. Itwas on this day in 1675, Guru Teg
Bahadur had sacrificed his life in Chandni Chowk, Delhi on
theorders of the sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
Events organised to observe Martyrdom Day of Guru Teg
Bahadur
In Punjab, main religious congregations were being organised at
Anandpur Sahib in Ropardistrict where Gurus head was cremated and
in the Gurudwaras which are related to thememory of Guru.Community
kitchens have been set up at many places. Devotees visited the
Gurudwarassince morning and continuous gurbani recitation took
place.A special journey known as Rin Uttar Yatra to pay gratitude
to great guru has started from
Anandpur Sahib, Rupnagar district, Punjab on 23rd November 2014
and it will conclude atGurudwara Sis Ganj Delhi.Seminars were
organized at many places in Punjab and Haryana by the Sikh scholars
toapprise younger generation about gurus sacrifice.
About Guru Tegh Bahadur
Guru Teg Bahadur is also known as Hind Di Chadder- Protector of
India. He had sacrificed his lifefor the unity of the society of
that period and to stop religious tyranny under the rule of
sixthMughal Emperor Aurangzeb. He became the 9th Guru of Sikhs on
16 April 1664, a position earlieroccupied by his grand-nephew, Guru
Har Krishan.
He had travelled in different parts of the country, including
Dhaka and Assam, to preach theteachings of Guru Nanak, the first
Sikh guru. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed on the orders of
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Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for resisting the forced
conversions of Hindus in Kashmir.
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Page 16
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has inaugurated the
Information Management and AnalysisCentre (IMAC) located in
Gurgaon. It is a joint initiative of Indian Navy, Coast Guard and
BharatElectronics Ltd to improve coastal surveillance and to
provide coastal security to avert incidents likethe 26/11 terror
attack on Mumbai.
Key facts about Information Management and Analysis Centre
(IMAC)
IMAC will be the single point centre interlinking the newly
formed coastal radar chain ofIndia. It will be manned by the Navy
and function under the National Security Adviser (NSA).It is the
nodal centre of the National Command Control Communications and
IntelligenceNetwork (NC3I Network) and National Maritime Domain
Awareness (NMDA).The NC3I will link 20 naval and 31 Coast Guard
monitoring stations with IMAC to generate areal-time picture of the
nearly 7,500-km long coastline.The system currently comprises 46
radars and 30 additional radars are planned to fill all thegaps in
coastline security.In this system the remote hubs are linked with
the centre by high speed optical fibrenetworks and satellite links-
for backup in case of emergency.Apart from coastal radars and
optical sensors, it also draws information from
automaticidentification systems fitted on merchant ships and has a
comprehensive shipping databaseof world registers of shipping for
analysis of traffic.The software on which the coastal surveillance
will be carried out incorporates hi-techfeatures like data fusion,
correlation and decision support features thus facilitating
betterdecision making.
Thus, Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) project
would go a long way in beefingup the maritime surveillance,
thereby, enhancing the National Maritime Domain Awareness
Project.
Page 17November 24, 2014No comments
Government has appointed former IAS officer Deepak Gupta as a
new chairman of the Union Public
Service Commission (UPSC). He took over as the chairman of UPSC
on 22nd November 2014 afterthe tenure of then UPSC chairman Rajni
Razdan came to an end.
He is the first chairman of UPSC, appointed by breaking away
from the tradition of appointing thetop post from the serving
members of the Commission.
As per convention, the UPSC chairman is appointed from among the
members of the Commission.This time it was the turn of former
Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer Alka Sirohi, to be appointedUPSC
Chairman who is working as member in the Commission but instead
non-member ofcommission Deepak Gupta was appointed.
About Deepak Gupta
Deepak Gupta is a retired IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre of 1974
batch. He is younger
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brother of former Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta.
About Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
UPSC is constitutional body which conducts the prestigious civil
services examination to select IAS,IFS and IPS officers among
others. It has been established under Article 315 of the
Constitutionand consists of a Chairman and ten Members; appointed
and removed by President. The chairmanand members of the Commission
hold office for a term if six years or until they attain the age of
65years, whichever is earlier.
At present there are 10 members in UPSC
Alka Sirohi former Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer, academician
David R Syiemlieh, retired IFSofficer Manbir Singh, former CBI
Director Amar Pratap Singh, former Navy Vice Chief D K Dewan,former
Railway Board Chairman Vinay Mittal, educationists P Kelimsungla
and Hem Chandra Gupta,and former IAS officer Chhatar Singh are
members of the Commission.
Government clears procurement of 814artillery guns under buy and
make in IndiapolicyNovember 23, 2014No comments
Defence Ministry has cleared the proposals for acquiring 814
long-range mounted artillery guns inline with Prime Minister
Narendra Modis buy and make in India policy. The final nod was
given bythe Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired for the
first time by the new Defence MinisterManohar Parrikar.
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Key decisions taken by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)
Out of 814 long-range mounted artillery guns, Army will buy 100
guns off-the-shelf fromvendor. The remaining guns will be
manufactured within the country.DAC also gave nod to addition of 4
more nodes to Indian Air forces (IAF) Integrated AirCommand and
Control System (IACCS). At present, India has 5 IACCS nodes. This
systemintegrates air sensors and radars to protect Indian airspace.
The additional four more nodeswill help to cover isolated islands
thereby providing a security umbrella to the entire country.DAC has
postponed the decision on a Tata-Airbus joint venture for
manufacturing 60 lighttransport aircraft to replace similar number
of ageing Avros. The main reason forpostponing Tata-Airbus joint
venture was due single vendor has bided for the project. Asper
Indian rules, the deal cannot be inked in such a situation.DAC has
refrained from taking a call on the IAF requirement for 106 more
Pilatus traineraircraft. The IAF has already bought 75 Pilatus
aircraft to train new fighter pilots and needs106 more.
As per the Make in India policy the Indian manufacturer will
have to tie up with the selectedforeign vendor for building the
defence artillery guns and other defence related equipments in
thecountry.
Some Indian companies like Tata, Kalyani and Larsen & Toubro
besides public sector OrdnanceFactory Board (OFB) have manufactured
prototypes of 155mm 52 calibre guns and they are likelyto take part
in the bid in future for this project.
Three projects under the Make in India category have been
already cleared by NDA Government.They are
Six conventional submarines project.Light transport aircraft
deal.197 light utility helicopter deal.
66th anniversary of NCC observed on 23Nov, 2014November 23,
2014No comments
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National Cadet Corps (NCC) is celebrated its 66th anniversary on
23rd November 2014 withtraditional fervour.
23rd November is traditionally celebrated as the NCC Day to mark
the function of raising the firstNCC Unit at Delhi which was
presided over by the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawahar
LalNehru held in 1948.
Event marking this 66th anniversary
At headquarters level, the raising day function was marked by
paying homage at the AmarJawan Jyoti, India Gate to the martyrs of
the Indian Defence forces who made the supremesacrifice.
Wreaths were laid on behalf of 17th Directorate of the NCC,
Cadets, Associated NCC Officersand the three services.A tree
plantation drive was undertaken by the NCC Cadets along with 132 TA
Battalion (Eco)Rajput at Asola Wildlife Sanctuary, Chattarpur.The
NCC raising day is also celebrated in the state capitals, where
cadets participate inmarch past, cultural activities and social
development programmes.
About National Cadet Corps (NCC)
The NCC is the Indian military cadet corps with its Headquarters
at New Delhi.It is the largestuniformed youth organisation in the
world and is open to school and college students on
voluntarybasis.
In 1948, NCC came into existence after National Cadet Corps Act
was accepted by the GovernorGeneral.
It is a Tri-Services Organization, comprising the Army, Navy and
Air Force engaged in groomingthe youth of the country into
disciplined and patriotic citizens.
It is a voluntary organization which recruits cadets from high
schools, colleges and Universities allover India. The Cadets are
given basic military training in small arms and parades.
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The officers and cadets have no liability for active military
service once they complete their coursebut are given preference
over normal candidates during selections based on the achievements
inthe corps.
NCC always has been at the forefront of contribution towards
social causes and communitydevelopment activities.
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Page 18November 23, 2014No comments
The year 2015-16 will be observed as water conservation year in
India. Recently, it wasannounced by the Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister UmaBharti while
inaugurating an international seminar on water risk and water
stewardship held atNew Delhi.
To mark this conservation year, a public movement will be
launched. The cooperation of stategovernments, NGOs, civil society,
youth and retired personnel will be taken to meet efforts aimedat
conserving water.
As per minister, public movement has become a necessity for
conservation of water and river inthe country as it is an important
element of development.
Environment Ministry approves waiver ofmandatory green
clearances for strategic
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border roadsNovember 22, 2014No comments
Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has given
in-principle approval to Union Home Ministryand Ministry for Road
Transport and Highways for waiver of mandatory forest and
environmentclearances for construction of strategic roads and
bridges along border.
This in-principle approval by MoEF was granted in order to
expedite strategic border projects underthe Forest (Conservation)
Act, 1980 for diversion of forest land for creation of border
securityrelated infrastructure within five kilometres aerial
distance from the International Border.
Earlier, Union Home Ministry had requested MoEF to exempt
environment clearance forinfrastructure projects falling within 100
km from Line of Control (LoC), Line of Actual Control (LAC)and
International Border (IB).
In response to this request, MoEF has allowed diversion of land
for setting up of surveillanceequipment within 5 km from the
International Border and 100 km from LAC.
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways also had requested MoEF
to give environment and forestclearances at their respective state
level in order to expedite these infrastructure projects along
theStates having borders.
The states mentioned were: Bihar, West Bengal, Arunachal
Pradesh, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh,Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan,
Punjab and Gujarat.
MoEF gave approval to Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
under Forest (Conservation) Actfor creation of security related
installations for all states having international border except to
thestate of Jammu & Kashmir as this Act do not extend to
it.
Implications of this decision on strategic border projects
Paramilitary organisations like Border Security Force (BSF) and
Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)are the first line of defence along the
IB. This approval will help them to meet their most ofinstallations
requirements such as border roads, fencing, Border Outposts,
floodlights,surveillance and power infrastructure are required to
be created along or near the IB.Due to the inhospitable terrain
along the LAC, installations of the Indo-Tibetan Border
Policedeployed along the LAC as first line defence, are required to
be created at far away distancefrom the LAC. Now they can construct
strategic installations within 100kms of LAC.These strategic
projects will help to tackle repeated incursions along LoC, LAC and
IB.
US President Barak Obama to be chiefguest on Republic
DayNovember 22, 2014No comments
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US President Barack Obama will be the chief guest at the
Republic Day parade on 26th January2015. Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi had invited him for this occasion. By accepting
PMNarendra Modis invitation, Mr. Barack Obama has become the first
US President to attend IndiasRepublic Day celebrations as chief
guest.
This visit of US President to India will help to strengthen and
expand the US-India strategicpartnership.
This will be US President Obamas second visit to India during
his tenure as the US President.
Last time Mr Obama had visited India in November 2010 during the
UPA Governments regimewhen Dr Manmohan Singh was the PM.
In 2010, Mr Obamas stay in India was one of his longest foreign
trips, during which he addresseda joint session of Parliament,
declared a major policy shift and the support of United States
forIndias permanent membership of an expanded UN Security
Council.
Earlier Chief guests of Republic Day parade
2014- Shinzo Abe (Japanese Prime Minister).2013- Jigme Khesar
Namgyel Wangchuck (King of Bhutan).2012- Yingluck Shinawatra (Then
Prime Minister of Thailand).2011- Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono(Then
President of Indonesia).
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Page 19November 22, 20141 Comment
Visitors from over 40 countries, including Germany, the US,
Israel and Palestine, will soon be ableto avail the electronic visa
(E-Visa) facility of India. The tourism ministry along with the
home
ministry will launch the facility on 27th November 2014.
Key Facts
In order to get an e-Visa, foreigners/tourists would need to
apply on the designated websitealong with the required fees.Within
96 hours of applying on designated website, foreigners will be
granted an electronicversion of the visa.The software arrangements
needed for providing e-Visa Facility are now ready and wouldbecome
operational at nine international airports Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai,
Kolkata,Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Goa.As
per the government decision, all countries, except a few in the
prior list, would bebrought into the e-visa regime over the next
two years. But Government has barred a fewcountries from e-Visa
Facility like Pakistan, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria,
SriLanka and Somalia.The countries which currently have Visa on
Arrival (VOA) facility in India will also be coveredunder the new
scheme.All countries will be included under this facility in a
phase-wise manner by 2015. Russia,Brazil, Germany, Thailand, UAE,
Ukraine, Jordan, Norway and Mauritius, among others,would be
getting the e-visa facility in the first phase.
e-Visa facility is expected to give a big boost to foreign
tourist arrivals in India and help to trap fullpotential tourism
industry.
India clinches third South Asian Football
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Federation Womens ChampionshipNovember 22, 2014No comments
India has clinched their third South Asian womens football
(SAFF) championship. This hatric winfor India comes after defeating
Nepal by 6-0 goals in a one-sided final match held in
Islamabad.This is the first time that India has won SAFF Womens
Championship in Pakistan.
Ngangom Bala Devi of India was the star of the match as she
scored 4 goals in the final match.
This win cements Indias place as the dominant force in womens
football in the region as theyhave won all three editions of the
championship since it was launched in 2010. In all last threefinals
of this Championship, Nepal was been Indias companion and was
defeated by India.
About South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Womens Cup
The SAFF Womens Championship is the association football
competition of the womens nationalfootball teams governed by the
South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). SAFF WomensChampionship was
established in 2010. The championship is held every two years. In
thisChampionship 8 members compete in the tournament. The SAFF 8
members are Afghanistan,Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal,
Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
CBI Director Ranjit Sinha ousted from 2GprobeNovember 21, 2014No
comments
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The Supreme Court has removed CBI Director Ranjit Sinha from 2G
case investigation and ruledthat CBIs senior most officer will now
oversee 2G probe after removal of Sinha from the case.
This judgment was given three members SC bench headed by Chief
Justice H L Dattu andcomprising justices M B Lokur, A K Sikri on a
plea filed by NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation.
However while ruling this decision the SC refused to pass an
elaborate order on the issue sayingthat it would tarnish the image
and reputation of the Indias premier investigative agency. After
thecourts decision to ousted CBI Director from 2G probe, Additional
Director of CBI Rupak Kumar Duttawill now head the CBI probe in the
2G spectrum scam.
R K Dutta is a 1981-batch IPS officer from the Karnataka cadre,
and now he is the overall inchargeof the Anti-Corruption Bureau
(ACB) of the CBI which is probing the 2G cases.
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Page 20November 21, 2014No comments
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Kotak Mahindra Bank has announced that it would acquire
Bengalaru-headquartered ING VysyaBank in an all-stock deal. The
deal will be final after regulatory approvals, including those from
theReserve Bank of India (RBI) and Competition Commission of India
(CCI). The management of thebanks expects that the new merged
entity will be operational by April 1, 2015.
The acquisition will help Kotak Mahindra Bank to widen its reach
in South Indian market and alsohelp in acquiring SME customers as
ING Vysya Bank was having stronghold in SME customers. Aftermerger
the combined banking entity will have a widespread network of 1,214
branches across panIndia.
The deal will make Kotak the fourth-largest private bank in the
country in terms of total business.The biggest three private banks
are ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank.
Union Cabinet approves three big powerschemesNovember 21, 2014No
comments
The Union cabinet has approved three major projects for the
power sector. They are Deen DayalUpadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana,
Integrated Power Development Scheme and the North EasternRegion
Power System Improvement Project.
Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS)
It aims to strengthen the transmission and distribution
(T&D) networks, 100 per centmetering urban areas and smarten it
with information technology.In this scheme IT enablement will help
in reduction in AT&C losses, establishment energyaccounting
/auditing system, improvement in billed energy based on metered
consumptionand improvement in collection efficiency.
Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana(DDUGJY)
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DDUGJY project is based on the Gujarat model of power reforms
for feeder separation ofagricultural and domestic usage and
strengthening of T&D infrastructure in rural areas.This scheme
aims to help in improving in hours of power supply in rural areas,
reducingpeak load, improving in billed energy based on metered
consumption and providing accessto electricity to rural
households.
North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project
(NERPSIP)
NERPSIP is for six north eastern states viz Assam, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripuraand Nagaland. It is meant for
strengthening of the Intra State Transmission and
DistributionSystem.This project will be taken up under a new
Central Sector Plan Scheme of Ministry of Power(MoP) and
implemented with the assistance of World Bank loan and the budget
of MoP.Implementation of this project will create a reliable State
power grid and improve itsconnectivity to the upcoming load
centres, and thus extend the benefits of the gridconnected power to
all the consumers.It will also provide the required grid
connectivity to such villages and towns of the six states,where
development of distribution system at the downstream level has been
taking placeunder previous Government of Indias (Gol) sponsored
electrification schemes.
These projects are considered as major step towards meeting the
NDA governments nationalobjective of Power to All by enhancing
access of consumers to grid connected power supplythrough improving
its availability and reliability. Power to All aims facilitating
inclusive growth.
Union Cabinet approves SAARC FrameworkAgreement for Energy
CooperationNovember 21, 2014No comments
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Union Cabinet has given its final nod for signing of SAARC
Framework Agreement for Energy
Cooperation (Electricity) among the SAARC Member States during
the forthcoming 18th SAARCSummit. This Union Cabinet meeting was
chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
The 18th SAARC Summit scheduled to be held at Kathmandu, Nepal
on 26-27 November, 2014.
Key facts of SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation
(Electricity)
It will enable greater cooperation in the power sector among
SAARC countries.It is expected to improve the power availability in
the entire SAARC region.It would facilitate integrated operation of
the regional power grid among member States.
Implications of this framework
This agreement will boost the implementation of common power
grid between SAARCmembers. Thus help them to share the
hydroelectric power generated in North East India toBangladesh,
Nepal and other countries.Excess electricity from India and
Pakistan can be supplied to electricity deficient
Afghanistan.Offshore wind projects could be set up in Sri Lankas
coastal borders to power southern partof India and Sri Lanka.
Background of SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy
Cooperation
In 2000, the process of regional cooperation in energy sector
began between SAARC MemberStates with the establishment of a
Technical Committee on Energy. Thereafter, the Islamabad
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Declaration at the 12th SAARC Summit in 2004 constituted,
Ministerial level Energy Forum for
regional cooperation in energy sector. Later on, 5th SAARC
Energy Ministers Meeting finalized theSAARC Framework Agreement for
Energy Cooperation (Electricity). This has been a
significantachievement of the Ministers meeting, as this Agreement
has been pending since 2010 and is acrucial step towards developing
a SAARC Market for Electricity (SAME) on a regional basis.
Indias Stance: India in this meet had called for building SAARC
power grid so that excessproduction of power in one region can
easily be used to meet deficit elsewhere.
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Page 21November 21, 2014No comments
45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2014,
kicked-off at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjeeindoor stadium, Panaji,
Goa. During the opening ceremony two of the biggest stars of the
Indianfilm industry, Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth, came
together. Amitabh Bachchan was the chiefguest for the ceremony
while Rajinikanth was honoured with the Centenary Award for the
FilmPersonality of the Year.
Key Facts:
The 11-day festival began with screening of Iranian director
Mohsen Makhmalbafs The
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President film.The Hong Kong-based director Wong Kar-wai, film
will be also screened in the festival. He isgoing to receive the
lifetime achievement award on the last day of the film
festival.This edition of festival will screen around 179 films from
75 countries across differentcategories which include World Cinema
(61 films), Masterstrokes (11 films), FestivalKaleidoscope (20
films), Soul of Asia (7 films), Documentaries (6 films), and
Animated Films(6 films).The Indian Panorama section will include 41
feature and non-feature films.As part of special package, seven
films from the Indias North-Eastern region will also bescreened at
the event.Other attractions this year festival is: retrospective
sections on Gulzar and Jahnu Baruah,special homage films on Richard
Attenborough, Robin Williams, Zohra Sehgal, Suchitra Sen,and
special tribute to Farooq Sheikh.A special section of films that
focus on dance, personality based retrospectives, andmasterclasses
or specialised workshops conducted by master artistes will also
form a partof IFFI 2014
About International Film Festival of India (IFFI)
IFFI was founded in 1952. It is held annually in the state of
Goa.
It is the biggest state-backed film festival and conducted
jointly by the Ministry of Information andBroadcasting, Directorate
of Film Festivals and the Government of Goa.
This film festival aims at providing a common platform for the
cinemas of the world to
Project the excellence of the film art.Contribute to create
awareness for understanding and appreciation of film cultures
ofdifferent nations in the context of their social and cultural
ethos.Promote friendship and cooperation among people of the
world.
SEBI approved new Insider trading rulesNovember 21, 2014No
comments
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The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has revamped
the rules related to the Insidertrading for the protection of the
smaller investors. Insider trading refers to the trade of acompanys
stocks or other securities and making unethical profits with access
to the non-publicinformation. This is detrimental to the other /
small investors who dont have such information.
The new rules align the insider trading rules to current
international practices. The key changesare as follows:
The biggest problem under the current rules is that the burden
of proof (whether a personindulged into insider trading) was on
SEBI. It was very difficult to prove that someone wasinsider. In
the new rules, the burden of proof is on the accused and not the
regulator.In the new rules, the definition of the term insider has
been broadened. The new rules saythat anyone who is in contractual,
fiduciary or employment relations with the promoters willbe
presumed to be insiders. Thus, the new rules include the immediate
relatives ofpromotes, directors and employees who are in possession
or have access to suchinformation, within the scope of insiders.The
new rules make it mandatory that the perpetual insiders such as
promoters anddirectors will have to disclose their future trading
plan in advance to the stock exchanges.They are required to trade
strictly as per that plan.The definition of the price sensitive
information has been broadened. Earlier, it hasreference to only to
company but now, it will have reference to company as well
assecurities.
The menace of Insider trading is not among the small firms but
in big companies as well. It is aknown fact that most of the
profits are earned by the promoters and for SEBI it was very
difficult toprove if someone was really an insider. The new rules
give more teeth to SEBI to crack down oninsider trading.
India announces $80 m assistance and
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VoA for FijiNovember 20, 2014No comments
During his recent visit to Fiji, the Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has announced Lines ofCredit and development
assistance of around USD 80 million for Fiji and. The Visa on
Arrival (VoA)scheme has also been announced for all the 14 Pacific
Island countries. A number of measureshave also been announced to
strengthen Indias relationships with Pacific Islands.
Narendra Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit these
Pacific countries after IndiraGandhi who visited in 1981.
Summary of Measures Announced:
Visa on arrival (VoA) to Pacific Island Countries
The VoA scheme has been extended to the nationals of all the 14
Pacific Island countries.These countries include: Cook Islands,
Kingdom of Tonga, Tuvalu, Republic of Nauru,Republic of Kiribati,
Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Niue, Republic of Palau,
FederatedStates of Micronesia, Republic of Marshall Islands, Fiji
and Papua New Guinea.
Forum of India-Pacific Island Cooperation
A Forum for India- Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) is to be
held on a regular basis.
Trade Office in India
India has announced to set up Trade Office at an existing
diplomatic representation in New
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Delhi to promote trade between India and Pacific Island
Countries.
Special Adaptation Fund of 1 million US dollars for Climate
change
Money from this fund has to be used for adaptation to Climate
change. Climate change is amajor concern in Pacific Island
Countries.India can also use this fund to provide
technicalassistance and training for capacity building to Pacific
Island Partners.
Pan Pacific Islands Project
Akin to the Pan-Africa Project, India has decided to formulate
Pan Pacific Islands Project fortelemedicine and tele-education in
the Pacific Island countries.
Solar energy project
India will also work on a solar energy project with the Pacific
Islands at the community level.The regional hubs will be developed
in the pacific Islands
Joint research in traditional medicine
India looks forward to do joint research in traditional medicine
and explore options ofdeveloping healthcare facilities for the
benefit of people in the region.
Deputation of experts
India has proposed to depute technical experts to share
experience and expertise withpacific Island countries in the fields
of agriculture, healthcare and IT.
Training to Diplomats from Pacific Island Countries
Foreign Service Training Institutes of India will organise
training programmes for theDiplomats of Pacific Island countries.
These training will be held in both the countries(respective
country and India).
Distinguished Visitors Programme
India has proposed a Distinguished Visitors Programme to
organise seminars and invitefriends from the region. This will help
to explore new ideas to strengthen the mutualbeneficial economic
cooperation.
Space Cooperation
India proposed cooperation in use of Space technology
applications for improving the qualityof life of people and
communications in this region. India may help these nations by
sharingdata that could be used for monitoring climate change,
disaster risk reduction andmanagement, resource management.
Page 22November 20, 2014No comments
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Sri Lanka has released five Indian fishermen, who were sentenced
to death on charges of drugtrafficking. The release was secured
after diplomatic intervention by Indias Prime Minister,Ministry Of
External Affairs (MEA), Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka.
Background
Five fishermen from Rameswaram were arrested in November 2011 on
charges of smugglingnarcotics from India to Sri Lanka after they
crossed the International Maritime Boundary Line. Highcourt of Sri
Lanka sentenced three Sri Lankans and five Indian fishermen death
penalty in this case.These fishermen were caught from Rameswaram by
Sri Lankan Navy in November 2011 oncharges of drug smuggling in Sri
Lankan waters. They were sentenced to death by Colombo High
Court on 30th October 2014.
Nanavati Commission submits final reportNovember 20, 2014No
comments
Justice Nanavati Commission has submitted its final report on
the 2002 Gujarat riots to state chiefminister Anandiben Patel. The
final report of the commission on the 2002 riots, in which more
than1,000 people, mostly of minority community, were killed, comes
after extensive investigation whichran over a period of more than
12 years and has more than 2,000 pages.
The commission members:
Retired d Supreme Court justice G T Nanavati and Retired High
Court Justice Akshay Mehta.
In 2008, the inquiry panel had submitted one part of its finding
with regard to the Godhra trainburning incident.
In the part one report, the commission had concluded that the
burning of S-6 coach of SabarmatiExpress near Godhra railway
station was a planned conspiracy.
Initially, the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the commission were
to inquire into the facts,circumstances and course of events that
led to the burning of the S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express.
About Nanavati Commission
On 3rd March 2002, Gujarat government under the Commission of
Inquiry Act had constitutedcommission comprising of Justice K G
Shah in the wake of the Godhra train carnage on February27, 2002,
and the subsequent communal riots across the state.
In May 2002, the state government appointed retired Supreme
Court justice G T Nanavati as thechairman of the commission and the
TOR were further amended in June 2002, as per which thepanel was
also asked to inquire the incidents of violence that took place
after the Godhra incident.
In 2008, after the death of justice K G Shah, retd high court
Justice Akshay Mehta was appointed tothe panel. The commission was
given 24 extensions of around six months each to complete
itsinvestigations.
The commission investigated roles of then Chief Minister
Narendra Modi, as per the TOR, hisCabinet colleagues of that time,
senior government and