Professional Documents
Culture Documents
National Events - 2013
National Events - 2013
January:
S Ramakrishnan takes charge as Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director
Senior scientist with four decades of experience in rocketry, S Ramakrishnan has assumed charge as
Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Tiruvananthapuram. Ramakrishnan, who was director
of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), succeeds P S Veeraraghavan. A Padma Shri award
recipient, Ramakrishnan is an expert in aerospace propulsion, launch vehicle systems and project
management. The new director was one of the scientists who took part in the mission to realise India's
first satellite launch vehicle SLV-3. He was the mission director for PSLV C1, C2, C3 and C4 flights.
Amitabh Bachchan, Vidya Balan named PETA's hottest vegetarian celebrities
Bollywood megastar Amitab Bachchan and actress Vidya Balan have been named PETA's hottest
celebrity vegetarians of 2012. The other names in the running were Miss India Neha Dhupia, actor
Shahid Kapoor, Sonu Sood, southern star Dhanush, Kareena Kapoor and veteran actress Hema
Malini. Bachchan, 70, has been named the hottest vegetarian celebrity three times in the past and
even won the crown in PETA Asia's equivalent contest in 2011. Balan, who had won the crown in 2010
too, has often credited her curves to her meat-free diet.
IPS officer creates triathlon record
A senior officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre has created a record of sorts on completing a 695 km long
journey from Visakhapatnam to Hyderabad on a bicycle. Rajiv Trivedi aged 51, Additional Director
General of Police, had started the cycling expedition along with few others, as part of a triathlon to
commemorate 150 years of Indian Police Service. This is the first time that somebody has undertaken
the ultra-endurance triathlon in India. A 15 member team, with personnel from various forces including
Border Security Force, Industrial Security Force, Maharashtra and Odisha state police forces and
some civilians, including a software engineer from Microsoft Sunil Menon, also participated in this
triathlon along with Trivedi.
Software engineer gets first successful intestinal transplant
Himanshu, a 30-year-old software engineer who has had better luck than the 23-year-old Delhi gangrape victim Nirbhaya, has become India's first recipient of a successful intestinal transplant.
Back in 2009, Himanshu had complained of severe stomach ache. An emergency laparotomy was
conducted and doctors found that he was suffering from thrombosis (blockage) of the main vein of his
intestine (superior mesenteric vein) which resulted in loss of blood supply to most of his intestine.
Subsequently, 95% of his small intestine (usually six metres long) had to be removed, leaving him with
just 28 cm of it. This saved his life, but also meant that he would never be able to eat solid food orally.
Doctors at Gurgaon's Medanta Medicity evaluated and counseled Himanshu for an intestinal
transplant and put him on the waiting list. Himanshu waited for two years before he got lucky with a
matched organ. On November 24, 2012, doctors found a perfect match. A 20-year-old patient who had
passed away had the same blood group and was fit to donate.
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reveals that in physical infrastructure per 1 lakh population with respect to Primary Health Centres,
Community Health Centres, and First Reference Units, Jammu and Kashmir is far ahead of Tamil
Nadu and other states. One important reason why Tamil Nadu (which also had a much better
baseline) was purposively chosen in this sample surveyed under Evaluation Study of NRHM was to
measure achievements of the high focus states with reference to a benchmark for performance. The
seven states surveyed are: Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa
and Jammu and Kashmir. For the utilisation of public health facilities for ante-natal care and post-natal
care services, Tamil Nadu is the best performing state and Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and
Assam are the worst.
US Presidents Volunteer Service Award for B. Suresh Lal
An Assistant Professor of Economics, Kakatiya University, B. Suresh Lal, has received the US
Presidents Volunteer Service Award, a rare honour. Mr. Lal, presently the programme coordinator of
KU National Service Scheme (NSS) was presented the Corporation for National and Community
Service of United States of America award. The award was given in recognition of his services to the
society.
Diu gets most promising new destination award
The tourism department of Diu has been conferred with the "Most Promising New Destination Award"
at World Tourism Fair 2013 at Bengaluru. It has been a gleaming day for the small union territory of
Diu with it being awarded the prestigious award at the World Tourism Fair 2013. Diu, a union territory,
located off the Saurashtra coast, is a famous tourists' island. Every year thousands of tourists gather
here to relax and enjoy the scenic beauty of the beaches surrounded by blue pleasant waves of the
Arabian Sea. Diu is one of the only two places in the world with the privilege of having sunrise and
sunset points, the other being Kanyakumari.
Madhya Pradesh gets Krishi Karman Award
Madhya Pradesh was awarded the Krishi Karman Award for 2011-12 for best performance under total
foodgrain category 1 (States with production over 10 million tonne). Chief Minister Shivraj Singh
Chouhan received the award from President Pranab Mukherjee in Delhi. The award included a cash
prize of Rs. 2 crore and a citation certificate. The Krishi Karman Award function was organised by the
Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Union Ministry of Agriculture. Notably, in 2011-12, Madhya
Pradesh recorded the highest total foodgrain production of 216.08 lakh MT. In 2010-11, maximum
production was 166.41 lakh MT which shows that there is an increase of 18.91 percent in the year
2011-12. The state has also recorded the highest production of wheat at 127.53 lakh MT. Per-hectare
production of wheat has increased to 2,609 kg in 2011-12, from 2,065 kg in 2010-11. The state has
also utilised 95.87% of funds under various crop development schemes.
Presidents rule imposed in Jharkhand
President Pranab Mukherjee has imposed Presidents rule in Jharkhand, following its approval by the
Union Cabinet. The former Union Home Secretary, Madhukar Gupta, and the former Central Reserve
Police Force Director General, K. Vijay Kumar, have been appointed advisers to Jharkhand Governor
Syed Ahmed. The President has proclaimed the imposition of Presidents Rule in Jharkhand under
Article 356(1) of the Constitution. Jharkhand has been placed under President's rule as the Arjun
Munda government fell after being reduced to a minority, following the Jharkhand Mukti Morchas
withdrawal of support.
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which poses risks to human health and the environment. The treaty has been named the Minamata
Convention on Mercury, in honour of the Japanese town where inhabitants for decades have suffered
the consequences of serious mercury contamination.Mercury is found in products ranging from
electrical switches, thermometers and light-bulbs, to amalgam dental fillings and even facial creams.
Large amounts of the heavy metal are released from small-scale gold mining, coal-burning power
plants, metal smelters and cement production.
Anti-cancer molecule gets a Kerala name
A molecule synthesised by a team of Indian scientists lends new hope for researchers trying to find a
cure for cancer patients. Dr. Sathees C. Raghavan, who is from Velloor, near Payyannur, heads the
research team that has developed the molecule named (after him) SCR7 and billed as a breakthrough
that can cure cancer. The scientist, whose areas of research include cancer genetics and cancer
therapeutics, said the small bioinformatically designed and chemically synthesised molecule had
cured cancer in laboratory animals. The study proved that SCR7 got bound to a DNA double-strand
break-repair protein and inhibited the repair, leading to the disintegration and death of the tested
carcinoma and sarcoma cells.
INS Saryu commissioned for maritime surveillance
The Indian Navy commissioned its largest offshore patrol vessel INS Saryu for maritime surveillance
around Andaman and Nicobar islands. Built at Goa Shipyard Limited, the 105-meter vessel is the first
of the four new class naval off shore patrol vessels (NOPVs) that would be commissioned by the
Indian Navy over the next one-and-half year. INS Saryu will also be important to provide secured
environment for oil installations off Andaman and Nicobar coast. "The ship is the Indian Navy's largest
off shore patrol vessel, the first in its class," said Rear Admiral (Retd) Vineet Bakhshi, Chairman and
Managing Director of Goa Shipyard Limited.
SC bans tourists in Jarawa land
The Supreme Court has banned tourists from taking the Andaman Nicobar Trunk Road that passes
through the area where the Jarawas live. The road is used to reach the Limestone Cave. The court
has already banned all commercial and tourism activities within a five-km radius of the Jarawa Tribal
Reserve on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A Bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and H.L. Gokhale
passed the order, taking on record the Andaman and Nicobar Administrations January 17 notification
to comply with the court directives issued in 2012. Except 30 villages notified in the schedule, the
notification declares a buffer zone the area up to a five-km radius, adjacent and contiguous to the
Jarawa Tribal Reserve Area starting from the Constance Bay in South Andaman to Lewis Inlet Bay in
Middle Andaman. No person shall operate any commercial or tourist establishment directly or
indirectly in the buffer zone. Furthermore, no one shall carry out any activity, which may be prejudicial
to the safety, security and interests of the Jarawas in any of the settlement villages. The Bench
directed that only government officials, persons residing in the reserve and vehicles carrying essential
commodities for the Jarawas would be allowed on the Trunk Road.
Enrolment in schools rises 14% to 23 crore
In a significant leg up to the government's literacy initiative, a national survey has revealed that almost
23 crore children are studying in 13 lakh schools across the country. There were 228,994,454 students
enrolled in different recognized schools of the country with a 13.67% growth in student's enrolment
from Class I to XII. This is an increase from 20.30 crore students enrolled in 2002. Encouragingly,
there is a 19.12 % increase in girl's enrolment. However, one-fifth of the total primary schools in rural
areas still do not have drinking water facility, three out of 10 are without usable urinal facilities and
about half do not have playgrounds. This is part of provisional data from the 8th All India Education
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Survey (AISES) conducted by NCERT covering the school education system with respect to access,
enrolment, retention, teachers and availability of basic facilities. The survey indicates trends from 2002
to 2009. Despite the overall growth in enrolment, there is cause for worry. A comparison of enrolment
data from 2002 to 2009 for primary schools shows a drop in enrolment in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat,
Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa, and Tamil Nadu.
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in the islands, served as hosts for this parasite. Mr. Das, who has 16 years of research at the malaria
research centre in Car Nicobar, received the ICMR award for senior bio-medical scientists for the year
2012-13 for his research. From the infected monkeys, this parasite gets transmitted to humans
through the Leucosphyrus group of Anopheles mosquitoes that serve as vectors.The parasite may
have migrated to the islands from the south-east Asian countries. Poachers from Thailand and
Indonesia are said to secretly visit the islands.
Padma Awards for Jaspal Bhatti, Gayatri Spivak, Sridevi
The following is the list of Padma Awardees announced by the Central government:
Padma Vibhushan
Raghunath Mohapatra, Art, Orissa; S. Haider Raza, Art, Delhi; Prof. Yash Pal, Science and
Engineering, Uttar Pradesh; Prof. Roddam Narasimha, Science and Engineering, Karnataka
Padma Bhushan
Dr. Ramanaidu Daggubati, Art, Andhra Pradesh; Sreeramamurthy Janaki, Art, Tamil Nadu; Dr. (Smt.)
Kanak Rele, Art, Maharashtra; Sharmila Tagore, Art, Delhi; Dr. (Smt) Saroja Vaidyanathan, Art, Delhi;
Abdul Rashid Khan, Art, West Bengal; Late Rajesh Khanna, Art, Maharashtra; Late Jaspal Singh
Bhatti, Art, Punjab; Shivajirao Girdhar Patil, Public Affairs, Maharashtra; Dr. Apathukatha Sivathanu
Pillai, Science, Engineering Delhi; Dr. Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Science and Engineering, Delhi; Dr.
Ashoke Sen Science and Engineering Uttar Pradesh; N. Suresh, Science and Engineering, Karnataka;
Prof. Satya N. Atluri, Science and Engineering, USA; Prof. Jogesh Chandra Pati, Science and
Engineering, USA.
Padma Shri
B. Jayashree, Art, from Karnataka, film director Ramesh Sippy, noted photo journalist Pablo
Bartholomew, the late Manju Bharat Ram (social work), Vandana Luthra (trade and commerce) and
fashion designer Ritu Kumar; theatre artists from Jammu and Kashmir Balwant Thakur and Rajendra
Tikku and Ghulam Mohammed Saznawaz; noted oncologist Pramod Kumar Julka; eminent
entrepreneur from Coimbatore Rajshree Pathy; noted Urdu poet Nida Fazli; anthropologist and art
historian Christopher Pinney; Urdu poet, the late Salik Lakhnawi; Chairperson of the Centre for
Linguistics of JNU Anvita Abbi; Sanskrit writer Rama Kant Shukla; Mustansir Barma of the Department
of Theoretical Physics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.
3 new High Courts for NE
The Centre has constituted three new High Courts in the northeast Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura
taking the total number of High Courts in the country from 21 to 24. According to Law Ministry
sources, the strength of judges in each High Court will be as follows: Tripura 4 (including the Chief
Justice), and Meghalaya and Manipur: three each (including the Chief Justice). As per the
recommendations of the Supreme Court collegium, Justice T. Meenakumari, Judge of the Patna High
Court, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, is being elevated as Chief Justice of Meghalaya. Justice
Deepak Gupta, who hails from Himachal Pradesh, is being elevated as Chief Justice of Tripura, and
Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre, Judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court, is being appointed the CJ of
Manipur.
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February:
Vasudeva Rao new Atomic Research Centre Chief
Distinguished scientist P.R. Vasudeva Rao took over as the new director of the Indira Gandhi Centre
for Atomic Research (IGCAR) from S.C. Chetal who retired on January 31, 2013. IGCAR, involved in
designing a fast breeder reactor (reactor that breeds more fuel than it consumes), is located at
Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu. Rao was earlier director of the chemistry group at IGCAR. He is a specialist
in the area of actinide chemistry and in particular in the area of chemistry of nuclear fuel cycle. He has
led research and development programmes of IGCAR related to chemistry. Under his guidance, the
group at IGCAR is researching chemical aspects of fast reactor fuels, coolants and control rod
materials as well as the fuel cycle aspects.
India presents Dornier aircraft to Seychelles
India handed over a Dornier-228 maritime reconnaissance aircraft to Seychelles to help the country
keep its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) under better surveillance as well as guard against terrorism
and piracy. Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced $5 million assistance for
Seychelles, in keeping with India's overall policy to provide economic and military aid to Indian Ocean
Region (IOR) countries to counter China's inroads into the region. Navy has been deploying Dorniers
and helicopters in Seychelles on a regular basis as well as stepping up the visits of its warships to the
region to help in anti-piracy operations.
U.C. Raman awarded the K.R. Narayanan Award 2012
Indian Union Dalit League (IUDL) State president U.C. Raman has been selected for the Dr. K.R.
Narayanan National Foundation award 2012 for his contribution to the empowerment of Dalit
segments. The award comprises a citation and a sculpture. Mizoram Governor Vakkom
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Purushothaman will confer the award on the winner at a function in Kollam on February 5. K.R.
Narayanan Foundation, Kerala, founded in December 2005, is aims at propagating the ideals and
perpetuating the memory of K.R. Narayanan, former President of India, who was also an illustrious
son of Kerala. The Foundation is to identify and honour the best in areas of national importance like
Integrity in Public Life, Journalism, Civil Service, Medical Science, Social Service, Literature, Sports,
Entertainment, Politics, etc.
Death for rapists likely in rarest of rare cases
Union Cabinet has cleared an ordinance to ensure that those who commit crimes against women face
far tougher sentences than those currently on the statute book. The ordinance will become law once
the President signs it, after which it will be promulgated. However, the ordinance will have to be
passed by Parliament within six months. The new law is likely to include the death penalty or
imprisonment for the rest of the perpetrators natural life in the rarest of rare cases, enhancing the
seven-year sentence for those convicted of rape to 20 years, criminalising public sexual harassment
ranging from cat calls to groping, more stringent punishment in specific cases of stalking, and acid
attacks. The word rape has been replaced by the expression sexual assault. The Verma panel did
not recommend the death penalty even in the rarest of rare cases, saying that it might encourage
rapists to kill their victims.
High corruption risk in defence purchases by India
India is among the countries that suffer from "high corruption risk" in defence purchases, one of the
most elaborate global assessments of corruption in the high spending sector has concluded.
According to the report, 'Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index 2013' by Transparency
International UK, 36% of the countries assessed by the index was found to have high corruption risk.
India and China are among those countries. Most of the countries in the band did not disclose the
level of expenditure dedicated to secret spending, and did not audit these secret budgets. In China,
the concentration of power created corruption risk. Only two countries, Australia and Germany, had
high levels of transparency, and strong, institutionalized activity to address corruption risk. About 30%
of the countries had generally high or moderate transparency, with some activity to address corruption
risks. The rest of the nations had poor results, with 57 of the 82 countries, or 69%, scoring in the
bottom three bands- D, E and F. India figures in the D band.
IAF's first Swiss Pilatus trainer aircraft arrives in India
The first of the 75 Swiss Pilatus trainer aircraft procured by the IAF under a Rs 2,800 crore deal to
train its rookie pilots landed at Jamnagar in Gujarat. The fleet of 75 aircraft will help in replacing the
fleet of HPT-32 basic trainers which were grounded after a fatal crash in 2009. The Pilatus plane flew
in from the firm's headquarters in Stans in Switzerland for its maiden flight. The Government of India
had signed a contract with the Swiss firm in May 2012 after the approval by the Cabinet Committee on
Security (CCS). According to the contract, Pilatus will also do a transfer of technology to the
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for maintenance of the fleet for the next 30 years.
Sonia launches universal child health screening service
Sonia Gandhi has launched her governments new child healthcare initiative, Rashtriya Bal Swasthya
Karyakram in the predominantly tribal taluka of Palghar in Thane district of Maharashtra. A child
health screening and early intervention service, the new programme is part of the National Rural
Health Mission. It aims at providing comprehensive healthcare for all children up to 18 years of age.
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After the new programme - which is a package of health services for children - will be extended to
cover all districts of the country in a phased manner. When fully implemented, the Rashtriya Bal
Swasthya Karyakram is expected to benefit approximately 27 crore children across the country. A set
of 30 common ailments and health conditions have been identified for screening and early
intervention. The identified common ailments include: Birth defects like down syndrome, congenital
cataract, deafness and heart defect, while deficiency conditions that have been listed are: Anaemia,
malnutrition and goitre, developmental delays and disabilities like hearing impairment and vision
impairment. The services will be provided through dedicated mobile health teams, comprising two
AYUSH doctors (one male and one female), nurse and a pharmacist, located in every block.
Habitations with 100 plus tribal population to get roads
All habitations with a population of 100 tribals and above in 82 Naxal-hit districts will now be
connected with all-weather roads under government's flagship programme PMGSY. At present, the
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), envisages connecting all habitations with a population
of 250 persons and above in tribal areas in Naxal-affected districts. The proposal came after Tribal
Affairs Minister Kishore Chandra Deo pointed out that bulk of the habitations in tribal areas are below
the 250-mark. Government is giving utmost priority to provide road connectivity to tribal districts in the
country as most of these areas are affected by Naxal violence.
Afzal Guru hanged in secrecy, buried in Tihar Jail
In a top secret operation, the 2001 Parliament attack case convict Mohammed Afzal Guru was hanged
and buried inside the Tihar jail complex. All legal procedures were followed in the execution. The
President (Pranab Mukherjee) rejected the mercy petition on February 3 and after that Union Home
Minister Sushilkumar Shinde gave his approval on February 4. The date and timing (of the hanging)
was confirmed by a judicial. The Ministry of Home Affairs had rejected Afzal Gurus petition in 2011
and forwarded it to Pratibha Patil, who was President at the time. Ms. Patil chose not to act, but when
Mr. Mukherjee took over as President in 2012, he returned all pending mercy petitions.
Ratan Tata elected to National Academy of Engineering
Tata Group Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata along with eight Indian Americans has been elected to the
prestigious National Academy of Engineering, which is one of the highest professional distinctions
accorded to an engineer in the US. The National Academy of Engineering in a statement said that
Ratan Tata has been elected as one of the 11 new foreign members of the academy for his
outstanding contributions to industrial development in India and the world. The top American
engineering institute also announced election of 69 new members of which eight are eminent Indian
American engineers.
National commission asked to draft law to protect minority languages
The Union Minority Affairs Ministry has directed the National Commission for Religious and Linguistic
Minorities to prepare a draft legislation to protect and develop minority languages. At the Urdu Day
celebrations organised by Mahfil-e-Nisa at Bangalore on 10th Feb, 2013, Union Minister for Minority
Affairs K. Rahman Khan said there was no specific law in the country for this purpose though it was a
Constitutional guarantee.
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Bandipora district of north Kashmir, is part of a run-of-the-river hydroelectric scheme that is designed
to divert water from the Kishanganga River to a power plant in the Jhelum River basin.
Sahitya Akademi award presented
Sahitya Akademi president Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari has presented the Sahitya Akademi Award-2012
to Jeet Thayil in New Delhi.
Rural Muslim poverty highest in Gujarat, Assam, WB, and UP
United Nations has observed that poverty head count ratio for Muslims is highest in the states of
Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat even as it expressed satisfaction over India's efforts
to meet the millennium development goals in important areas. UNDP country director Caitlin Wiesen
said as far as religious groups are concerned, poverty head count ratio for Muslims is "very high in
states of Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat". Nearly, 50 per cent of agricultural
labourers and 40 per cent of other labourers are below poverty line in rural areas, where households
with primary level and lower education have the higher poverty ratio.
Journalism award for 'The Tribune'
The International Press Institute (IPI)India award for excellence in journalism 2012 was awarded to
the English daily 'The Tribune' for its outstanding journalistic work done in 2011. An investigation by
the dailys Prabhjot Singh that exposed the loot of Punjabs public transport by politicians and
bureaucrats was selected for the award. The awardees were selected by a distinguished jury of
editors and publishers headed by former Chief Justice of India A. S. Anand. The award was a great
recognition of The Tribunes commitment to our nation, he said.
Iron Fist sets desert sky ablaze
The skies of Pokhran came alive with the Indian Air Forces first ever day-night full combat and fire
demonstration, named Iron Fist. President Pranab Mukherjee, the supreme commander of the
armed forces, was the chief guest at the event at Chandan Range near Jaisalmer. More than 200
fighter and transport aircraft, including Sukhoi 30, Mirage 2000, Jaguar, MiG 27, MIG 21, MIG 29,
unmanned aerial vehicles and the Awacs, participated in the demonstration. Indigenous aircraft like
Light Combat Aircraft Tejas and Light Combat Helicopter Rudra also proved their calibre at the show.
The other aircraft displayed were the C130J, the AN-32, the Embraer and the IL-76. The chopper fleet
included Mi-8, Mi-17 1V, and the newly inducted Mi-17 V5 and Mi-35. Another new entrant, the Swiss
Pilatus PC-7 Mk II basic trainer, also graced the sky.
Vyas Samman for Narendra Kohli
Eminent Hindi litterateur Narendra Kohli has been selected for the prestigious Vyas Samman for 2012
for his historical novel Na Bhooto Na Bhavishyati based on Swami Vivekananda and the era he
belonged to. Instituted by the K. K. Birla Foundation in 1991, the award is given annually for an
outstanding literary work in Hindi published during the past ten years. The award carries a cash purse
of Rs 2.5 lakh. Na Bhooto Na Bhavishyati, published in 2004, gives an account of the incredible
impression that Vivekananda cast on the history of the country and its culture.Mr. Kohli, 73, is credited
with re-inventing the ancient form of epic writing in modern prose. He has published 76 books
including short story collections, novels and plays.
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world of those who were always toppling over the edge. The former chairperson of the Central Board
of Film Certification, Sharmila Tagore, presented the award to Mr. Pinto.
March:
Delhi airport wins International Health, Safety Award
The IGI airport in New Delhi, operated by DIAL, has become the first Indian facility to bag the
'International Safety Award' from British Safety Council. This makes Indira Gandhi International airport
(IGI), as the first and the only airport in India to win this prestigious award in field of health and safety.
The award benchmarks health and safety performance of an organisation on an international level to
recognise the leaders in this field. British Safety Council is one of the largest independent
occupational health, safety and environmental organisations in the world. The International Safety
Awards are open to all companies across industries globally and the applicants are adjudged across
12 parameters related to health and safety management. DIAL secured this award with an overall
score of 57 (on 60 Point scale) for the year 2013.
Ansari releases book by Natwar Singh
Vice President Hamid Ansari has released a book written by former External Affairs Minister K Natwar
Singh which is full of anecdotes about Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Lord Mountbatten, Morarji
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Desai and many other personalities. "Walking with Lions: Tales from a Diplomatic Past", published by
HarperCollins India, is a compilation of 50 tales that have appeared in Singh's columns in newspapers
and present a fascinating insight into historical personalities and events.
Hyderabad Metro bags coveted prize
The Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd (HMRL) was adjudged the Best Engineering Project of the year by the
Sixth Annual Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum Conference (GILFC) being held in New York.
The Rs.14,132 crore HMRL was among the three shortlisted projects out of 100 projects initially
selected from across the world as the strategic hundred. The other two short-listed projects for the
final round of competition were Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline (Rs. 37,800 crore) of Azerbaijan and Al
Abdaliyah Integrated Solar Combined Cycle Plant of Kuwait.
Kashmiri film bags Canadian award
In a major accolade for regional cinema, a Kashmiri feature film has won an award at the Canada
International Film Festival 2013, a first for any local movie. Partav, meaning influence, won the Award
of Excellence in the feature film category. It is the first Kashmiri film shot entirely in 35mm digital
format. It is the story of a professor who forsakes everything in his life to devote himself to his literary
pursuits. Dilnawaz Muntazir (35), the director of the film, has been invited to attend the award
ceremony in Vancouver.
Pranab Mukherjee receive top award in Bangladesh
President Pranab Mukherjee has been honoured by Bangaldesh government in recognition of his
contribution to the struggle that led to the birth of this nation 42 years ago. The 'Bangladesh Liberation
War Honour Award conferred on 77-year-old Mukherjee at a time when the trial of the Islamists for the
crimes they committed during the liberation war of the nation in 1971 triggered a mass uprising
against religious fundamentalism. President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of
Bangladesh conferred the award on Mukherjee at the Presidential Palace. Former Indian Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi was posthumously conferred the Bangladesh Swadhinata Sanmanona award in
July, 2011. Congress President Sonia Gandhi had received the award in Dhaka.
Indian schoolgirl in U.K. has IQ higher than Einsteins
A 12-year-old Indian-origin girl in the U.K. has stunned everyone after she scored an incredible 162 in
her IQ test a score even higher than that of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Neha Ramu,
daughter of an Indian doctor couple, achieved a score of 162 on a Mensa IQ test the highest score
possible for her age. The score puts the teen in the top 1 per cent of the brightest people in the U.K.
and means that she is more intelligent than physicist Hawking, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and
scientist Einstein, who are all thought to have an IQ of 160. Neha scored 162 on the Cattell IIIB test,
putting her within the top 1 per cent of people in the country. She took the test for Mensa, a society for
people with high IQs, and achieved a perfect score of 280/280, the maximum possible score for
someone under the age of 18.
Jaitley, Karan Singh, Sharad Yadav to get outstanding parliamentarian award
The parliamentary award committee has selected BJP leader Arun Jaitley, Congress MP Karan Singh
and JD (U) MP Sharad Yadav for the outstanding parliamentarian award for the years 2010, 2011 and
2012 respectively. The awards committee headed by Speaker Meira Kumar made the
recommendation that was accepted by the executive committee of the Indian Parliamentary Group.
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The Indian Parliamentary Group had instituted the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in the year
1994. The award is conferred each year on an outstanding parliamentarian recommended by the
award committee and approved by the executive committee of the Indian Parliamentary Group.
Manik Sarkar sworn in as Tripura CM
Manik Sarkar was sworn in as chief minister of Tripura for the fourth consecutive time. The veteran
CPM leader is heading the seventh Left Front government in the state and fifth in a row. Governor DY
Patil administered the oath of office and secrecy to Sarkar and 11 cabinet ministers at the Raj Bhavan
in Agartala. The Left Front had swept the February 14 polls winning 50 seats in the 60-member
assembly.
Tagore award for Ravi Shankar
President Pranab Mukherjee presented the first annual Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony to late
Pandit Ravi Shankar at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Sukanya Shankar, wife of Ravi Shankar, received the
award. The President said his passing away was a great loss to India and the world. His legacy,
however, lived on and would continue to illuminate the world of music.
First judge from Ladakh
Tashi Rabstan has become the first Buddhist and the first person from Ladakh to become a judge of
the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
Sonia inaugurates first all-women medical college
United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi has used the opportunity of inauguration of the
first womens Government Medical College of independent India at Khanpur Kalan on the occasion of
International Womens Day to reiterate the need to take concrete steps to curb crimes against women
and promised a law in this regard soon. Spread over 88 acres, the Bhagat Phool Singh Government
Medical College for Women is the first women college of the country since Delhis Lady Hardinge
Medical College was established in 1914. The medical college and the hospital have been built in a
record time after its foundation stone was laid by Ms. Gandhi on March 1, 2009. The hospital at the
college was started on September 1, 2011, with 100 beds and a team of 21 doctors. It now has 450
beds and 211 doctors.
Rani Lakshmibai award for Delhi braveheart
Awards and recognitions for my daughter and what she has come to represent fills my heart with the
hope that violence against girls and women will see a rapid decline in the country. The national Stree
Shakti Puraskar 2012 award ceremony, where his deceased daughter was honoured with the Rani
Lakshmibai Award, While there are enough laws in the country to ensure that women are protected,
there has to be effective implementation of these laws and enough personnel to ensure efficiency.The
award presented by the President Pranab Mukherjee was received by the deceased victims mother.
Five other distinguished women Ms. Pranita Talukdar (Assam), Ms. Sonika Agarwal (Delhi), Ms.
Guramma H. Sankina (Karnataka), Ms. Omana T.K. (Kerala) and Ms. Olga Dmello (Maharashtra)
were given awards.
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in favour of retaining the income level suggested by social justice ministry that ran into resistance in
the Cabinet in 2012. It included HRD minister Pallam Raju, social justice minister Selja and MoS in
PMO V Narayanasamy.
Bihar Cabinet nod for 50 % quota for women in cooperatives
Close on the heels of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumars announcement of 50 per cent reservation for
women in cooperatives, the State Cabinet has passed a proposal to that effect. As per the decision, 50
per cent of the seats in all cooperatives, primary agricultural cooperative societies will be reserved for
women. From the quota, two seats each will be reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes, Backward Classes and Economically Backward Classes.
Third anti-submarine warfare corvette launched in Kolkata
In a major step towards indigenisation and making the Navy self-reliant, the third anti-submarine
warfare (ASW) corvette, designed under the ambitious Project-28 (P-28) by the Navys Directorate of
Naval Design, was launched in Kolkata. Aimed at enhancing the Navys underwater warfare
capabilities, the warship, in a first of its kind, will be fitted with indigenous state-of-the-art weapons and
sensors, including a medium range gun, torpedo tube launchers, rocket launchers and close-in
weapon system. Being built by one of Indias leading shipbuilders, Garden Reach Shipbuilders &
Engineers Ltd. (GRSE), it has been named after an island 'Kiltan' in the Lakshwadweep archipelago of
India. The first GRSE-built ASW corvette, Kamorta, is expected to be delivered to the Navy by end of
2013. It was launched on April 19, 2010 and had suffered a delay of nearly one year.
Asia's largest Tulip garden opened to visitors
Asia's largest Tulip garden on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar was thrown open to visitors, marking
the beginning of the new tourism season in the Valley. The 15-hectare garden in the foothills of
Zabarwan Range was officially opened to visitors by Minister for Floriculture Peerzada Mohammad
Sayeed. The state Floriculture department said a total of over 1.5 million tulips, of over 80 varieties are
presently in bloom at the garden. Formerly known as Siraj Bagh, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip
garden was opened in 2008 by the then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.
U.R. Rao inducted into Satellite Hall of Fame
Renowned space scientist Prof U R Rao has been inducted into the highly coveted "Satellite Hall of
Fame", Washington, by the Society of Satellite Professionals International. Rao, a former Indian
Space Research Organisation (Isro) chairman and Department of Space secretary, is the first Indian
space scientist to be inducted into the Satellite Hall of Fame, joining the select group of about 50 Hall
of Fame members. Over 1,000 space scientists, industry leaders, administrators and professionals
attended the glittering event.
Tiger population rises from 268 in 1973 to 1,468 at present
Forty years of tiger conservation efforts in the country seem to have borne fruit with the number of big
cats rising more than five times from 268 in 1973. When project tiger was launched from Corbett's
Dhikala range in 1973, tiger population in the country stood at 268. It has now risen to 1,468. It was on
April 1, 1973 that the then Union Minister Karan Singh launched India's first Tiger Project from CTR's
Dhikala forest range. Currently there are 27 tiger reserves across the country spread over an area of
37,761 sq km which constitutes 1.14 per cent of the country's total geographical area.
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April:
Asha Bhosle receive 'Hridayanath Mangeshkar Award'
Lata Mangeshkar presented Pt Hridaynath Lifetime Achievement Award' to her sister Asha
Bhosle. In 2012, the same award was given by Amitabh Bachchan to Lata Mangeshkar.
Hridaynath Mangeshkar is a composer and singer hailing from Maharashtra. He is better known as
Balasaheb in the industry and is the younger brother of two music icons of India: Lata Mangeshkar
and Asha Bhonsle.
Women constitute only 5.33% of police forces in India
The country has just 5.33 per cent women in police forces despite growing demands for more
representation in law enforcement agencies. According to Home Ministry statistics, out of 15,85,117
personnel working in state police forces, only 84,479 or just 5.33 per cent are women. Besides, there
are just 499 all-women police stations in the country out of a total 15,000 stations. Uttar Pradesh has
2,586 women police personnel which is just 1.49 per cent of the total 1,73,341 personnel while Andhra
Pradesh has 2,031 policewomen, just 2.27 per cent of its total 89,325 police personnel. There are
1,485 policewomen (2.18 per cent) in Bihar out of the total 67,964 police personnel. There are 3,010
policewomen (3.93 per cent) in Madhya Pradesh out of the 76,506 personnel. Maharashtra, Tamil
Nadu and Union Territory of Chandigarh have relatively better representation of women in their police
forces.
Beef exports up 44% in 4 years, India is top seller
The Centre's Pink Revolution to promote meat production and export has led to a 44% increase in
meat consumption and export in four years, but it has failed to regulate the industry. According to data
compiled by the animal husbandry departments of all states, meat from registered slaughterhouses
increased from 5.57 lakh tonnes in 2008 to 8.05 lakh tonnes in 2011. Export earnings from bovine
(beef and cattle) meat expected to touch Rs 18,000 crore in 2012-2013. India became the world's top
exporter of beef in 2012. Uttar Pradesh is the top buffalo meat-producing state with 3 lakh tonnes in
2011. According to the US Department of Agriculture, India became the largest exporter of beef
edging out Australia and New Zealand in May 2012.
Landmark verdict
The Indian pharmaceutical industry and health aid agencies have welcomed the judgment of the
Supreme Court which has upheld the refusal by the Patent Office to grant multi-national pharma giant
Novartis a patent for the beta-polymorphic form of imatinib mesylate sold as Glivec and used in the
treatment of cancer. The judgment in the Novartis case is a victory for patients in India and around the
world. In its initial reaction, international body Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) has
welcomed the verdict. Novartis attacks on the elements of Indias patent law that protect public health
have failed. The Supreme Courts decision prevents companies from abusing the patent system to get
unwarranted patents on existing medicines, to block price-busting generic competition on HIV and
other essential medicines. This confirms that all patent offices in India have to use this interpretation
and the law is now clear and must be strictly applied. The verdict has provided clarity regarding
evergreening of products and it would now be difficult for multi-national companies to establish that a
product is a genuine invention.
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Neelima C. Mishra, P. Madhavan Nair, Professor Sankar Kumar Pal, Deepak Bhaskar Phatak, Dr.
Mudundi Ramakrishna Raju, Rajshree Pathy, Dr. C. Venkata S. Ram, R. Nageshwar Rao, Surender
Sharma, Jaymala Jayram Shiledar, Rama Kant Shukla, Ngangom Dingko Singh, Ajay Kumar Sood, Pt
Suresh Talwalkar, Bajrang Lal Takhar, Rajendar Kumar Tiku and Akhtarul Wasey.
Padma Shri was awarded posthumously to Ram Krishan, Salik Lakhnawi and Manju Bharat Ram.
Umeed, Himayat projects in all rural blocks of J&K
Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh made it clear that two of his ambitious projects
Umeed for empowerment of women and Himayat for capacity building and employment of youth would
be soon extended to all 143 rural development blocks in Jammu and Kashmir. Umeed had been
launched from Khansahab (Budgam), Lar (Ganderbal), Chinani (Udhampur) and Basohli (Kathua) in
2012. Ninety percent of the funding would flow from the Centre and ten percent would be contributed
by the State government. The Andhra-based CAP Foundation has already set up a Himayat Centre at
Sopore. Self-Help Groups (SHGs) would be involved in setting up low-cost toilet units. Each unit would
cost Rs. 10,000. With Rs. 1,400 of the State contribution and Rs. 900 as the beneficiarys
responsibility, The Centre would provide rest of the Rs. 7,700.
Manipuri officer to get top UK military honour
A young Manipuri youth serving as a Lieutenant in the British Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service
(RMAS), Special Forces, has been chosen for a prestigious gallantry award for his bravery during a
fierce gunfight with Al-Qaeda insurgents in Afghanistan in 2011. For his act of bravery and
inspirational leadership during a fierce gunfight, Lt .Khwairakpam Robin Singh will receive the
'Conspicuous Gallantry Cross', a second ranking award on June 19, 2013 in London. He will also get
15,000 pounds as a mark of encouragement and respect for the act of heroism.
Amitabh presented NTR National Film Award
Film star Amitabh Bachchan was presented the NTR National Film Award for 2011 at a glittering
function organised at Hyderabad. The award was given away by Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar
Reddy, producer D. Rama Naidu and senior personalities of Tollywood. The award carried Rs.5 lakh
cash prize, a citation and a memento.
P.J. Kurien elected forum chairman
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson P.J. Kurien has been elected unanimously as the chairman of the
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD). Mr. Kurien was elected at
the 73rd executive committee meeting of AFPPD in Bangkok. He would take over from Yasuo Fukuda,
former Prime Minister of Japan. The AFPPD, established in 1981, is a non-governmental organisation.
India inks nuclear commerce pact with Canada
Around 40 years after India used plutonium from a Canadian heavy water reactor to carry out its first
nuclear test in defiance of world opinion, Ottawa is set to resume nuclear commerce with New Delhi.
India and Canada vaulted the final hurdle in dismantling sanctions imposed after the Pokhran I test by
signing an Appropriate Arrangement Agreement (AAA) that will allow Canada to ship uranium to India.
Canada is home to the second most significant uranium mining industry in the world after Kazakhstan.
India and Canada had signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement in 2010 that allowed them to
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initiate negotiations for supply of uranium. Canada's insistence on having a stringent monitoring
mechanism for use of its uranium by India led to a stalemate in the talks.
Dada Saheb Phalke Award for Pran
Veteran Bollywood actor Pran, who played villain and character roles with lan in such classics as
'Milan' , 'Madhumati' and 'Zanjeer' , has been chosen for the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, the countrys
highest cinema honour. The award will be conferred on the 93-year-old actor on May 3, 2013. In his
six-decades-long career, he has acted in more than 400 films.
Mahadev Rao gets national Hindi award
T. Mahadev Rao, founder secretary of Srijan and Deputy Manager (Official Language) of HPCL-Visakh
Refinery, was conferred with the national Hindi award by the HRD Ministry, Central Hindi Directorate,
for his poetry book Vikalp kee Talaash main (in search of alternative). The award, which carries Rs.1
lakh cash, was given for the year 2009. This is the national Hindi writer award for a non-Hindi
speaking Hindi writer. Dr. Mahadev Rao had written six books, 350 poems, 70 mini stories, 50 short
stories and 130 articles in Hindi.
Supreme Court allows shifting of Asiatic lions from Gujarat to MP
The Supreme Court has allowed translocation of Asiatic lions from Gujarat to Palpur Kuno Sanctuary
in Madhya Pradesh, saying the species faced the threat of extinction and needed a second home
within six months. At present, around 400 Asiatic lions inhabit Gujarats Gir National Park and
Sanctuary. However, a Bench of K.S. Radhakrishnan and C.K. Prasad rejected a plan to introduce
African cheetahs in India from Namibia, ruling that the preservation of the critically endangered native
species such as the wild buffalo and the Great Indian Bustard should be given primacy. Under the
Rs.300-crore programme, the Ministry of Environment and Forests planned to introduce African
Cheetahs in the country.
Ravuri gets Jnanpith Award
Eminent Telugu novelist, short story writer, poet and critic Ravuri Bharadwaja was selected for the
prestigious Jnanpith award for the year 2012 for his contribution to Telugu literature. Mr. Bharadwaja
was chosen by a selection board chaired by noted poet Sitakant Mahapatra. Odiya novelist Pratibha
Ray was also selected for the same award. Mr. Bharadwaja is the third Telugu to be chosen for the
honour, after the late Viswanatha Satyanarayana for Ramayana Kalpavruksham (1970) and C.
Narayana Reddy for Viswambara (1988). The 86-year-old writer has to his credit 37 collections of
short stories, 17 novels, six short novels for children and eight plays. Starting his writing career at the
age of 17, he has the distinction of receiving the State Sahitya Academy Award for Literature twice in
1968 and 1983 and Central Sahitya Academy Award in 1983.
SC cancels 49 mining leases in Karnataka
The Supreme Court has cancelled 49 leases in mines with maximum illegalities in Bellary, Tumkur and
Chitradurga districts, but allowed resumption of activity in mines with fewer illegalities as
recommended by the court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC). The CEC had
categorised mines in the area in three categories: A, B and C. Mines in which there were few or no
irregularities were categorised as A and those with maximum illegalities were placed in category C.
The apex court, while accepting a majority of the recommendations made by the CEC since July 2011
on the mining issues in Karnataka, also said that iron-ore mining on the Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka
border would remain suspended till the demarcation of the boundary between the two States was
completed. A Bench of Justices Aftab Alam, K.S. Radhakrishnan and Ranjan Gogoi passed the order.
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eclectic career, that included a stint as a part-time actor, inspired a whole generation of professional
media women. Currently battling cancer, Ms. Chandiram received the award in New Delhi.
Award for Sreedharan
Principal Adviser of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd and Member, State Planning Board, E.
Sreedharan has been selected by the University Grants Commission for the Vikram Sarabhai Lifetime
Achievement Award for his meritorious service in the field of public transport system. The award
carries a citation and a purse of Rs.. 1.5 lakh, a release here said. Union Minister for Human Resource
Development M.M. Pallum Raju will give away the award at a function in New Delhi on May 29.
May:
India's total population is now 1.21 bn, sex ratio worst in Haryana
India's total population stands at 1.21 billion, which is 17.7 per cent more than the last decade, and
growth of females was higher than that of males. According to the final census released by Home
Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, India's total population as on March 1, 2011 is 1,210,726,932 or 1.21
billion an increase of 181.96 million persons in absolute number of population during 2001-11. There
was an increase of 90.97 million males and increase of 90.99 million females. The growth rate of
females was 18.3 per cent which is higher than males 17.1 per cent. India's population grew by 17.7
per cent during 2001-11, against 21.5 per cent in the previous decade. Among the major states,
highest decadal growth in population has been recorded in Bihar (25.4 per cent) while 14 states and
Union Territories have recorded population growth above 20 per cent. Urban proportion has gone up
from 17.3 per cent in 1951 to 31.2 per cent in 2011. Empowered Action Group (EAG) states have
lower urban proportion (21.1 per cent) in comparison to non EAG states (39.7 per cent). Highest
proportion of urban population is in NCT Delhi (97.5 per cent). Top five states in share of urban
population are Goa (62.2 per cent), Mizoram (52.1 per cent), Tamil Nadu (48.4 per cent), Kerala (47.7
per cent) and Maharashtra (45.2 per cent). Literacy rate in India in 2011 has increased by 8 per cent to
73 per cent in comparison to 64.8 per cent in 2001. While male literacy rate stands at 80.9 per cent
which is 5.6 per cent more than the previous census, the female literacy rate stands at 64.6 per cent -an increase of 10.9 per cent than 2001.
Sarabjit Singh loses battle for life 6 days after he was attacked in Pak jail
Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh died of cardiac arrest in a Lahore hospital after being
comatose for nearly a week following a brutal assault by other inmates of a high-security Kot Lakhpat
jail in Lahore (Pakistan).
Indian-origin woman Asha Patel short-listed for 'best job in world
An Indian-origin woman in the UK has been shortlisted out of 600,000 applicants for the post of
Western Australia taste master, described as one of the "best jobs in the world". Asha Patel, who grew
up in Rushey Mead, Leicester, has been shortlisted along with 24 other people for the job that involves
"eating your way round the state, foraging out the finest produce and uncovering the best bars and
restaurants". The Australian state's tourism website has described it as "one of the best jobs in the
world".
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construction in North Kashmir. In the order, the Court does not permit New Delhi to use the modern
draw down technique for removal of silt deposits in run-of-the-river dams on rivers allocated to
Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960.
Indian sisters become first twins to climb Everest
Two 21-year-old Indian sisters have made history, becoming the first twins ever to conquer Mount
Everest. Tashi and Nancy Malik from Dehra Dun brought off the feat by successfully reaching the
worlds highest peak at 8,848 metres, an official of Nepals Ministry of Tourism and Culture said. The
duo was among the other record-makers, including the first women from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan
who climbed the mountain.
Arunima becomes first amputee to scale Everest
Arunima Sinha, 26, became Indias first woman to conquer Mt. Everest on a prosthetic leg. A former
national volleyball player, Arunima lost her left leg, having been thrown off a moving train for resisting
a chain-snatching attempt by some criminals on April 12, 2011. She sustained serious leg and pelvic
injuries, and to save her life, doctors had to amputate her left leg below the knee. Arunima, a resident
of Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, was air-lifted to Delhis All-India Institute of Medical Sciences
Trauma Centre. She completed her expedition from Kathmandu to the top of the peak in 52 days.
Shashi Kant Sharma is the new CAG
Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma, 61, was appointed as the new Comptroller and AuditorGeneral of India.
Sculptor Hooja passes away
Renowned sculptor Usha Rani Hooja, known for her artistic skills in sculpting the statues installed at
several public places died at Jaipur following a prolonged illness. She was 90.
UN award for Chandys mass contact programme
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandys mass contact programme has won the United Nations Public
Service Award for the Asia-Pacific zone this year. The UN recognises such initiatives in five separate
zones that also include Europe-North America, Middle East, Africa and Latin America-Caribbean. UN
Secretary General Ban ki-Moon is slated to distribute the awards on June 27 in Bahrain, where
programmes connected with the UN Public Service Day, observed on June 23, are being held this
time.
Classical status for Malayalam
Malayalams long wait for classical status is over. The Union Cabinet decided to grant the coveted
recognition to the language, spoken by 3.33 crore Malayalis all over the world. Malayalam now joins
Tamil, Kannada and Telugu, all members of the Dravidian linguistic family, as the fourth classical
language of South India. The decision, it has been clarified by the Ministry of Culture, would be subject
to the final decision on a writ petition pending before the Madras High Court.
Maoists attack Congress convoy in Chhattisgarh
A number of top Congress leaders of Chhattisgarh have been killed or injured in an unprecedented
Naxal attack on 25 May evening. At least a battalion of Naxalites attacked the motorcade of the
Congress workers and leaders in the hilly areas of Darbha, about 400 kilometres south of the State
capital, when the leaders were returning from Sukma after attending an election rally. Mahendra
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Karma, had been killed in the attack. Ex-MLA Uday Mudaliar had also been killed. Preliminary reports
suggest that senior Congress leader Vidyacharan Shukla was severely injured and the chief of
Congress in Chhattisgarh, Nandkumar Patel, and the latters son have been abducted by the
Naxalites. MLA of Konta, Kawasi Lakhma has also been injured.
Tiger reserve status for Rajaji Park
The Union government has given the nod to a proposal to grant the Rajaji National Park in
Uttarakhand the status of a tiger reserve.
Manmohan presents Padma Shri to Japanese Tamil scholar
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented Padma Shri to eminent Japanese Tamil language scholar
Noboru Karashima for his outstanding contribution in the field of literature and education. The 80-yearold Mr. Karashima could not be present for the Padma awards ceremony in New Delhi on April 5, 2013
because of health reasons. The awards were given by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati
Bhavan. Mr. Karashima, presently Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo, had spent several
years in India as a research scholar on South Indian history and epigraphy at the University of
Madras. Besides amazing people with the ease with which he speaks Tamil, Mr. Karashima is also an
acknowledged authority on medieval South Indian inscriptions. The citation read that Mr. Karashima
joined the University of Tokyo faculty in 1964 and occupied the prestigious Chair of South Asian
History at the university in 1974, which he held for 20 years.
Rituparno Ghosh passes away
Acclaimed film-maker Rituparno Ghosh, who charted a new wave in Bengali cinema with his thoughtprovoking work, died after a cardiac arrest, leaving the film world and his admirers stunned. He was
49. The winner of 12 National Awards, Ghosh was suffering from pancreatitis and died of a heart
attack. More recently, Ghoshs 2010 film, 'Abohomaan' (The Eternal), believed to be but not officially
acknowledged as the story of Satyajit Rays troubled mentoring of Mahanagar and Charulata star
Madhabi Mukherjee, won Ananya Chatterjee the best actress National Award.
June:
Great Nicobar biosphere reserve becomes 9th Indian reserve in UNESCO
The Great Nicobar Biosphere island reserve, whose tropical wet evergreen forest hosts a wealth of
animal species and medicinal plants, joins a global list of places named by UNESCO for promoting
sustainable development based on local community efforts and science. The International
Coordinating Council of Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB-ICC) under the United Nations
Organisation for Education, Science and Culture designated the 103,870 hectares Great Nicobar
reserve as protected in Paris. The reserve which encompasses a large part of the island of Great
Nicobar is home to to indigenous Shompen people, semi-nomadic hunters living inland, and the
Nicobarese, who are coastal dwellers dependent on fishing and horticulture. Great Nicobar joins the
reserves at Simplipal (Orissa), Nokrek (Meghalaya), Pachmarhi (Madhya Pradesh), Nilgiri (Tamil
Nadu), the Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu), Sunderban (West Bengal) Nanda Devi (Uttarakhand)
Similipal (Odisha) and Achanakmar-Amarkantak (Madhyapradesh and Chhatisgarh) which are already
on UNESCO's list.
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Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had indicated in his budget speech that the scheme which covered
34 million BPL families would be extended to other categories too.
Kuttanad agriculture to get heritage status
The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) formally declared the Kuttanad below
sea-level farming system as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) at the
International Forum on GIAHS held at Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan from May 29 to June 1. The
Government of Kerala and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) had jointly field an
application to the FAO. N. Anil Kumar, head of the Biodiversity Programme of the MSSRF in Wayanad,
had presented the case before the GIAHS World Forum in Kanasawa in Japan in December 2011.
The global focus on the Kuttanad unique system of farming will be reinforced by the setting up of
proposed international-level institute for below sea-level farming in Kuttanad. Already a Ramsar site,
the bio-diversity of Kuttanad will have to be protected by the State government and its people. The
below sea-level farming practised in Kuttanad is of great interests to countries such as Malaysia,
Bangladesh and the Maldives.
Jaipur consumer rights activist receives international award
A Jaipur-based consumer rights crusader has been awarded the prestigious Rhoda Karpatkin
International Consumer award by the American Council on Consumer Interests for 2013. George
Cheriyan, Director of Jaipur based Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS), was chosen for the award
in view of his contribution to the welfare of consumers on the international level. He received the
award recently at the annual conference of the ACCI held in Portland, Oregon, USA. CUTS is an
international consumer organisation established in 1983 and presently working in more than 30
countries. Mr. Cherian has been heading the CUTS Centre for Consumer Action, Research & Training
(CUTS CART), since 2003.
India ranks 141 of 162 countries in peace index
India ranks low at 141in this years Global Peace Index (GPI) that measured peace in 162 countries,
according to 22 qualitative and quantitative indicators of the absence and fear of violence. The major
indicators that bring down Indias ranking are militarisation, domestic and international conflicts, and
corruption. In the South Asian region, Sri Lanka is one notch above India at rank four while Bhutan is
the most peaceful country. It is followed by Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and
Afghanistan, in that order.
Veteran Congress leader Vidya Charan Shukla dies
Congress veteran Vidya Charan Shukla, who sustained bullet wounds in a Maoist attack in
Chhattisgarh, died at the Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon after suffering from multi-organ failure. He was
84. V C Shukla, a former union minister, was elected to Lok Sabha nine times, the first time in 1957,
he was Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting under the late Mrs Indira Gandhi. He had
sided with VP Singh in the late 80s and joined the Jan Morcha in the run up to the Parliament
elections in 1989. Shukla became a minister in VP Singh government and later switched to
Chandrashekhar to remain a minister in the shortlived JD (S) government.
CRPF unveils first squad of woman commandos
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has introduced its first 30-member all-woman commando
squad. The paramilitary women commando team includes two officers and has undergone a tough
regimen of training at Jodhpur Police Academy in Rajasthan. CRPF director general Pranay Sahay
said the Mahila battalions of the force were the most manifest form of women's empowerment and had
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been able to present an example before the country with their courage, dedication and loyalty. The
group of 30 bravehearts has also achieved the tag of being the world's first all-women paramilitary
pipe band. It made its first public performance at the Kadarpur Group Centre of CRPF. The band,
which got its ceremonial colours April 2012, was led by the Major of Pipes sub-inspector Darshana
Kumari. The band plans may soon be included in the Gunnies Book of Records for being first such
band.
India joins worldwide community of C-17 operators
The Indian Air Force flew its first heavy-lift strategic transport aircraft Boeing C-17 Globemaster III to
home, becoming the newest operator of the leading airlifter. The C-17 will equip the Indian Air Force
with amongst the world's most advanced humanitarian and strategic capabilities. Boeing is the
manufacturer of C-17. Boeing is on track to deliver four more C-17s to the IAF in 2013 and five in
2014. Boeing has now delivered 254 C-17s, including 222 to the US Air Force and a total of 32 C-17s
to Australia, Canada, India, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the UK and the 12-member Strategic
Airlift Capability initiative of NATO and Partnership for Peace nations.
Bhoochetana scheme being replicated in the Philippines
The success of the Bhoochetana, a scheme to boost agricultural productivity in the State, is being
replicated by the Philippines government under the same name. Confirming the Philippines
experiment, Assistant Research Programme Director of the Hyderabad-based ICRISAT (International
Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics), Suhas P. Wani, told that Bhoochetana is being
implemented in the Philippines. ICRISAT is providing information on technical inputs and training to
Filipinos. Bhoochetana is being implemented in three different benchmark localities in the Phillipines,
each covering 10,000 hectares of land. The scheme would be successful and would help boost
production, which in turn will help alleviate poverty and end malnutrition.
First technical varsity for women opened
The countrys first technical university for women was inaugurated by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila
Dikshit. The erstwhile Indira Gandhi Women Institute of Technology has been upgraded as a State
University by the Delhi Government. It is a non-affiliated teaching and research university and has
been set up to facilitate and promote studies, research, technology, innovation and extension work in
emerging areas of professional education among women with focus on engineering, technology,
applied sciences, management and its allied areas.
Amol Rajan becomes U.K.s first non-white editor
A Kolkata-born journalist has written himself into Fleet Street history by becoming the first non-white
editor of a British national newspaper, 'The Independent'. Amol Rajan, 30, has been appointed editor
of the left-wing newspaper creating ripples in Londons all-white Oxbridge media elite. Like all good
Indians, Mr. Rajan is a keen cricket fan and has even written a well-regarded book, 'Twirlymen:
Unlikely History of Crickets Greatest Spin Bowlers'.
Poor barely spend Rs 23/day
While the urban rich thrive on Rs 343 a day and rural rich on about Rs 150, in sharp contrast the
poorest of poor in the country barely survive on Rs 23 a day in cities and Rs 17 per day in villages.
According to the latest data released by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) for 2011-12 (JulyJune), five per cent population on the top end of the spectrum had an average monthly per capita
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expenditure (MCPE) of Rs 10,282 in urban areas and Rs 4,481 in rural areas. While the lower end of
the order had an MCPE of Rs 700.50 in urban areas and Rs 521.44 in rural areas. The National
Sample Survey Offices (NSSO) 68th round of survey is based on samples consisting of 7,496 villages
in rural India and 5,263 urban blocks except some remote areas in Nagaland and Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, during July 2011-June 2012. On an average on the all-India basis, MPCE was around
about Rs 2,630 for urban India and Rs 1,430 for rural India.
Rural posting must for MBBS doctors pursuing post-graduation
The MBBS doctors aspiring to pursue post-graduation will now have to compulsorily undertake a oneyear rural posting before becoming eligible for such a course. In a major decision aimed at improving
rural healthcare in India, the Union government has decided to make it mandatory for all MBBS
doctors to undergo one year rural posting to sit for post-graduation entrance examination. According
to health ministry sources, a proposal to this effect was cleared by the ministry recently and Medical
Council of India (MCI) is in the process of issuing a notification.
Swaminathan award for William Dar
William D. Dar, director general of International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics, has
been selected for the M.S. Swaminathan award for leadership in agriculture for 2013. Named after
eminent agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan, the award is considered the countrys version of the
world food prize. Dr. Dar had been selected by the Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences
(TAAS) for his multi-dimensional and distinguished contributions as an educationist and scientist.
Planning Commission member (science) K. Kasturirangan conferred the award on Dr. Dar in New
Delhi.
International honour for accountant-turned-poet
Poet and civil servant K.K. Srivastava was declared Poet of the Year 2012 by Ohio-based International
Writers and Artists Association (recognised by UNESCO) for his literary achievements. The poet
recently spoke about his latest volume of poems 'Shadows of the Real'. Darkness outside, nothing
has changed neither the source nor the expectation. Out of formlessness it shuffles forward invisibly.
These are the opening lines of one of the poems, 'Depression', from 'Shadows of the Real'.
Banihal-Qazigund rail link opened
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has launched a rail project to connect Kashmir with Jammu and the
rest of the country. First, they inaugurated the newly constructed station at Banihal, the last one in
Jammu, and then the 11.215-km Pir Panjal tunnel, before boarding the train they themselves flagged
off. He travelled through the countrys longest transport tunnel, which links the valley with Jammu and
opens up a new horizon of development in the State, ending its isolation from the rest of the country in
winter. They enjoyed the 12-minute ride to Qazigund with 100 students, mostly girls, of the Banihal
Higher Secondary School, and made the 17.8-km ride back to Banihal, passing through the tunnel, the
second longest in Asia. The Katra-Banihal section, comprising the highest bridge across the Chenab
river, is considered the toughest portion of the Jammu-Srinagar-Baramulla link. It is expected to be
completed by December 2017.
India bans testing of cosmetics on animals
India is the first country in South Asia to ban the testing of cosmetics and its ingredients on animals.
The decision was taken by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Cosmetics Sectional Committee,
chaired by the Drugs Controller General of India and is in line with the European Union's stand. The
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decision follows appeals from various quarters and campaigner for animal rights Maneka Gandhi, to
prevent cruelty to animals. The use of modern non-animal alternative tests also becomes mandatory,
replacing invasive tests on animals. This means that any manufacturer interested in testing new
cosmetic ingredients or finished products must first seek the approval from Indias regulator Central
Drug Standards Control Organisation. A manufacturer will be given approval to test only after
complying with the BIS non-animal standards.
Bimal Jhulka is new I&B secretary
Bimal Jhulka, special secretary and financial advisor in the ministry of external affairs, has been
appointed as secretary in the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry. He succeeds U K Varma
who retires on June 30. He is an IAS officer of the 1979 batch of Madhya Pradesh cadre.
Justice Sathasivam first judge from Tamil Nadu to become CJI
President Pranab Mukherjee appointed Justice P. Sathasivam, seniormost judge of the Supreme
Court, the 40th Chief Justice of India. He succeeds Altamas Kabir, who retires on July 18, and
will have a brief tenure of about nine months. Justice Sathasivam, 64, is the first judge from Tamil
Nadu to become the CJI. Justice M. Patanjali Sastri, who served as CJI from November 1951 to
January 1954, represented the undivided Madras Presidency. Justice Sathasivam never served
as Chief Justice of a High Court as he was elevated directly to the Supreme Court on August 21,
2007, when he was serving as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He will be sworn
in as CJI on July 19, 2013. He is due to retire on April 26, 2014.
July:
Honour for Indian woman scientist
Sunetra Gupta, an India-born chemist and physicist has joined the big league of scientists like Marie
Curie in a first-of-its-kind art exhibition at the prestigious Royal Society here. Ms. Gupta, who was born
in Kolkata and is now a professor at Oxford University, is among an exclusive group as part of the
Women in Science Portrait Exhibition of the greatest women Fellows of the Royal Society together
with newly-commissioned drawings featuring Royal Society Research Fellows. Gupta, a professor of
theoretical epidemiology at the University of Oxfords department of zoology, working on infectious
diseases. Her main area of interest is the evolution of diversity in pathogens.
India launches first ever dedicated navigation satellite
India has successfully launched its first dedicated navigation satellite using the Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle which blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. PSLV C22 lifted off in a perfect text
book launch, carrying IRNSS-1A satellite, painting a dense golden flame in the dark canvas of the sky.
About 20 minutes after its launch, the rocket placed into the IRNSS-1A into its orbit. An elated ISRO
chairman K Radhakrishnan said the IRNSS-1A satellite was precisely injected into its intended orbit.
The data from the satellite would help the country in a range of fields including disaster management,
vehicle tracking, fleet management and marine navigation.
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Developed by India, the IRNSS-1A, the first of the 7 satellites constituting the Indian Regional
Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) space segment, has a mission life of 10 years. IRNSS will be on
lines with Russia's Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), United States' Global
Positioning System (GPS), European Union's Galileo (GNSS), China's BeiDou satellite navigation
system and the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System.
Najeeb Jung is Delhi L-G
Jamia Millia Islamia vice-chancellor Najeeb Jung has been appointed Delhi lieutenant-governor
replacing Tejendra Khanna while former Delhi Police commissioner K K Paul was appointed
Meghalaya governor replacing Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary. President Pranab Mukherjee also
appointed former Punjab Congress chief Virendra Kataria as LG of Puducherry succeeding Iqbal
Singh while Lt Gen (retired) A K Singh replaced Lt Gen (retired) Bhopinder Singh as LG of Andaman
& Nicobar Islands. A K Singh retired earlier in 2013 as the chief of Southern Army Command in Pune
and is from the Armoured Corps.
Himachal is the first smoke-free State
Himachal Pradesh has been declared the first smoke-free State in the country in compliance with
Section 4 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003. The State has achieved
85.42 per cent compliance with the relevant parameters. State government has committed to
eliminating tobacco products and had hiked taxes on bidis and cigarettes from 11 and 18 per cent to
22 and 36 per cent, respectively in the 2013-14 budget.
Govt releases National Cyber Security Policy 2013
With an aim to protect information and build capabilities to prevent cyber attacks, the government has
released the National Cyber Security Policy 2013 to safeguard both physical and business assets of
the country. Minister of Communications and IT Kapil Sibal said the critical infrastructure such as air
defence system, power infrastructure, nuclear plants, telecommunications system have to be
protected otherwise it may create economic instability. In order to create a secure cyber ecosystem,
the policy plans to set up a national nodal agency to coordinate all matters related to cyber security in
the country with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
Uttarakhand launches green GDP to monitor resources
Uttarakhand has become the first state in the country to start tabulating a 'gross environment product'
(GEP), a measure of the health of the state's natural resources, which would be released alongside
GDP figures every year. Chief minister Vijay Bahuguna directed his officials to begin work on
formulation of the new green measure which would give out yearly updates on the status of the state's
glaciers, forests, rivers, air quality, soil etc. These figures could become an important tool for
conservation strategies besides giving indications of the toll economic activity was taking on the
state's environment.
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Rajasthan folk dance Ghoomar ranked fourth in world's most amazing local dance list
According to a website www.cheapflights.com, the folk dance is not only a display of rhythmic talent,
but its graceful performance in conjunction with twirling of colourful and long-flowing skirts also
elevates its aesthetic appeal.The website has ranked Hawaii's Hula dance at number one, and
Japan's Bon Odori dance at number two. Ireland's Irish Step dance has secured the third place and
India's Ghoomar has been ranked fourth as the most amazing local dance.
August:
Rajya Sabha to have Zero Hour daily
The Rajya Sabha will henceforth have a Zero Hour daily, and not on alternate days, as was the
practice, to allow members to raise matters of national importance. This decision was taken at a
meeting called by Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari to explore ways in which the House could be
run smoothly, as the latter has been disrupted frequently since the session began.
Air Force lands heavy-lift aircraft near LAC
The Indian Air Force landed its C-130J Super Hercules transport plane at the worlds highest and
recently-activated airstrip at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) in Ladakh, close to the Line of Actual Control
(LAC) where Indian and Chinese troops had witnessed a three-week long stand-off in April.A C-130J
Super Hercules landed at DBO, the highest airstrip in the world. The Commanding Officer, Group
Captain Tejbir Singh, and the crew of the Veiled Vipers along with senior officer touched down on the
DBO airstrip located at 16614 feet (5065 meters) in the Aksai Chin area,With this enhanced airlift
capability, the IAF will now be in a better position to meet the requirements of our land forces who are
heavily dependent on the air bridge for sustenance in these higher and inhospitable areas, the IAF
said.
Dilip Trivedi is new CRPF Director-General
Dilip Trivedi, a 1978 batch IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has taken over as the new chief of
the Central Reserve Police Force. Mr. Trivedi was till now serving as Special Director-General of the
Border Security Force.
Shortest woman releases biggest book
The worlds shortest woman, Jyoti Amge, whose height is a little below 25 inches, released the biggest
book measuring 30x24 feet, at a function at Jaipur. The religious book written by Jain Muni Shri Tarun
Sagar titled Kadve Pravachan weighs 2,000 kg. About 1,500 kg iron and 100 litres of colour were
used by 10 workers, who came from Ahmedabad and Nasik to make the book. It took them four days
to complete the work. A represent-ative of Limca Book of Records presented a certificate to the Jain
Muni and Ms. Amge.
Ghulam Nabi launches National Teeka Express
Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has launched a mobile health care system in the form of a train
National Teeka Express in Alwar which will help vaccinate children at their doorsteps to protect them
from life-threatening diseases. Under the routine immunisation programme, nurses and mid-wives
collect vaccines from storage points and transport them to various places for vaccination.
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into operation. Arihants reactor achieved criticality the term used to describe the self-sustaining
nuclear reaction which is the first step towards the stable production of power when the boat was
already in the sea. The submarine which is about 111 metres long, 11 metres broad and about 15
metres tall is designed to be propelled by a pressurised water reactor (PWR) that uses enriched
uranium as fuel, and light water as both coolant and moderator. The PWR will generate about 80 Mwt.
The submarine will eventually be fitted with K-15 underwater fired missiles, which can hit targets 700
km away. Five countries already possess nuclear-powered submarines: the U.S., Russia, the U.K.,
France and China. Apart from India, Brazil is also working on naval nuclear propulsion.
India launches first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant
India has launched its first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, joining the elite club of nations with
the capability of designing and building a warship of this size and capability. It is first step towards a
long journey in the area of warship building for the country. Other nations capable of designing and
building a ship of equivalent size are the US, the UK, Russia and France. The launch of warship,
which has a length of 260 metres and is 60 metres wide, is behind schedule by three years. It is set to
go for extensive trials in 2016 before being inducted into the Navy by 2018 end.
Fighter aircraft - Mig-29K, Light Combat Aircraft and Kamov-31 helicopters - will deployed on board
the carrier which will also carry an array of other weapons systems.
National digital repository for schools launched
Union Human Resource Development Minister MM Pallam Raju has launched an initiative to bring
together digital resources for various subjects in different languages in schools. The National
Repository of Open Education Resources, prepared by NCERT, is a digital resource of collection of
documents, audio-visuals, interactive objects etc which are mapped to the concepts, thus enabling
access to a library from which teachers can choose appropriate resource.
Abhilash Tomy gets Kirti Chakra
Lieutenant Commander Abhilash Tomy, who has been conferred Kirti Chakra on the eve of
Independence Day. Lt. Cdr. Tomy became the first Indian to circumnavigate the globe solo and without
halts on the legendary naval sail yacht Mhadei.
Iran seizes Indian ship carrying oil from Iraq
In a development with serious international ramifications, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC) has detained an Indian ship carrying oil in the Persian Gulf. Sources said the ship, named MT
Desh Shanti, was on its way to India from Iraq when it was detained by the IRGC. The ship is owned
by the Shipping Corporation of India. The development has stunned authorities here as it was
transporting oil from Iraq, a country which has overtaken Iran as the second largest supplier of crude
to India after Saudi Arabia. The government-owned ship was detained in international waters in the
Persian Gulf before being coerced into entering Iranian waters.
Manmohan Singh first PM outside Nehru-Gandhi clan to hoist flag for 10th time
Manmohan Singh became the first Prime Minister outside the Gandhi-Nehru family to unfurl the
national tricolour from the ramparts of the Red Fort for the 10th time. Only Jawaharlal Nehru and his
daughter Indira Gandhi have hoisted the flag more than 10 times at the Red Fort. Nehru had hoisted
the national flag 17 consecutive times while Indira Gandhi got the honour 16 times. Gandhi had
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unfurled the flag 11 consecutive times between 1966 and 1977. Manmohan Singh, who assumed
office on May 22, 2009 for the second consecutive term, already has the distinction of being the third
longest serving Prime Minister after Nehru and Gandhi. Manmohan Singh, the country's 14th Prime
Minister, first hoisted the tricolour on August 15, 2004. Nehru was the first Prime Minister to unfurl the
flag from the ramparts of the 17th century Mughal monument on August 15, 1947 after India became
independent.
Shaurya Chakra for CRPF Deputy Commandant
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Deputy Commandant P.R. Mishra, who has engaged in several
fierce encounters with Maoists, has bagged the Shaurya Chakra, a military decoration given for valour
and courage shown in operations during peace time. He is the only officer from the paramilitary forces
to have bagged this gallantry award this Independence Day for displaying exemplary courage in antiNaxal operations.
SP Yadav bags Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Award
The Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Conservation Award has been given to SP Yadav, DIG, NTCA, by
Environment Ministry while the Amrita Devi Bishnoi Wildlife Protection Award-2010 in individual
category was conferred upon Saurabh Gupta and Gaurav Gupta for their contribution in protection of
Wildlife. Dadu Paryavaran Sansthan from District Tonk in Rajasthan has also been given the same
award for its remarkable contribution in protecting endangered wild animals, especially black bucks,
from poachers.
Maharashtra approves anti-superstition ordinance
The angry protests sparked by the brutal murder of renowned rationalist Narendra Dabholkar have
prompted the Maharashtra government to clear an ordinance enforcing the anti-superstition measures
he had championed for years. Mr. Dabholkar had drafted an Anti-Superstition and Black Magic Bill 13
years ago but it repeatedly failed to get through the Assembly. The Bill had proposed that those
indulging in black magic or cashing in on peoples superstitions be jailed for up to seven years. It also
sought to ban a range of practices including animal sacrifice and magical remedies to cure ailments.
The Bill was introduced thrice in the Assembly and underwent 29 amendments but still not passed. It
ran into opposition from the Shiv Sena-BJP and organisations that feared the Bill would target only the
Hindu faith and curb religious freedom.
India is now worlds third largest Internet user after U.S., China
India has bypassed Japan to become the worlds third largest Internet user after China and the United
States, and its users are significantly younger than those of other emerging economies, global digital
measurement and analytics firm comScore has said in a report. India now has nearly 74 million
Internet users, a 31 per cent increase over March 2012. The numbers are lower than other recent
estimates, possibly reflecting comScores methodology that only factors in PC and laptop-based
Internet usage. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) pegged the number of Internet
subscribers in India at 164.81 million as of March 31, 2013, with seven out of eight accessing the
Internet from their mobile phones. China has the worlds biggest online presence; Its Internet users
outnumber Indians by a ratio of 5 : 1.
Consensual sex with girl below 18 yrs no offence under new law
Consensual sex with a girl, who is below 18 years of age, would not amount to an offence under the
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newly enacted Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, a Delhi court has said. The
court rejected the plea of police and Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) that POCSO Act mandates
there must be total prohibition upon teenagers or adolescents from having any kind of sexual
relationship. The provisions of POCSO Act suggest that where physical relationship had taken place
with a girl's consent which is not in the nature of any assault or where consent is not obtained through
unlawful purposes, no offence within its ambit can be said to have been committed.
Lok Sabha passes Food Security Bill
The Lok Sabha has passed the ambitious National Food Security Bill, 2013 that seeks to provide
highly subsidised food grains to nearly 70 per cent of the population of the country. This will legally
entitle 67 per cent of the population (including 75 per cent rural and 50 per cent urban) to get
subsidised grains under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). A beneficiary will be entitled
to 5 kg of rice, wheat or coarse cereals at Rs. 3, Rs. 2 and Re. 1 per kg a month, respectively. The
beneficiaries will be identified by the States based on parameters prescribed by the Union
government.
India's first defence satellite GSAT-7 launched successfully
India's first exclusive defence satellite GSAT-7 was successfully launched by European space
consortium Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, giving a major
push to the country's maritime security. Indian Navy would be the user of the multi-band home-built
communication spacecraft, expected to be operational by September end. The Rs 185-crore GSAT-7,
the country's maiden dedicated spacecraft for defence applications, was launched during a 50-minute
launch window which started at 2am, and it was telecast live by Doordarshan. After a flight of almost
34 minutes, the satellite was injected into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) of 249 km perigee
(nearest point to earth), 35,929 km apogee (farthest point to earth) and an inclination of 3.5 degree
with respect to the equator. The frequency bands of GSAT-7 will help space-based marine
communications. It has coverage over India landmass as well as surrounding seas.
September:
Assam gets countrys first Tele-radiology centre
Assam scripted history in healthcare services by introducing the countrys first Tele-radiology service
with Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad rolling out this new facility at
Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital in Guwahati. The Tele-radiology service will facilitate sending of
images of CT scan and X-Rays done at regional diagnostic centres to any super specialty hospitals
across the country to get them assessed by radiologists of those hospitals. In first phase this services
will be rolled out in 11 districts of the State. The Union Health Minister also inaugurated a Mother and
Child Tracking System(MCTS) call centre which will call each and every pregnant woman and parents
of children to remind them of due date of services by utilising the database being collected through
MCTS.
Haraprasad Das bags Moortidevi award
Haraprasad Das was conferred the Moortidevi Award for 2012 for 'Vamsha, a poetic recreation of the
Mahabharata in contemporary idiom, which has been hailed as a post-modern masterpiece. Das, who
has eleven works of poetry, four of prose, three translations and one piece of fiction to his credit, was
given the award by the Moortidevi Award Selection Board, chaired by oil minister Veerappa Moily.
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commissioner asking the information officer to supply information about personal assets of petitioner
Subhash Khemnar to respondent Dilip Thorat.
Govt to bear babus treatment bill abroad
New Delhi Bureaucrats and their dependent family members can now get complex medical treatment
abroad at State expense and also get their airfare reimbursed under Governments new rules that
comes at a time when it is facing flak over the ailing economy. A member of All India Services, Indian
Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS), can also
be airlifted outside the state in cases of a medical emergency, the new rules by Ministry of Personnel
said. Earlier, reimbursement of cost of medical treatment incurred abroad by All India Services officer
was disallowed.
Ariyalur bags national award in adult literacy
Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu has bagged Saakshar Bharat National Literacy Award for the year 2013
in recognition of its outstanding contribution to continuing adult literacy programme. The award was
presented after a survey before and after the implementation of Saakshar Bharat programme. The
survey was initially conducted in the year 2011, when a total of 1,30,480 persons, mostly adults, were
found to be unlettered in the district.
Food Bill gets Presidential nod
The President gave his approval to the Food Security Bill, aimed at providing subsidised grain to 67
per cent of the population. The law will soon be notified in the gazette, Food Minister K.V. Thomas
said.
Nirbhaya Fund initiative launched
As the nation awaits the sentencing of the four men found guilty in the December 16 gang-rape case,
the Union Ministry of Women & Child Welfare has drawn up a national plan under the Nirbhaya Fund
to provide protection to vulnerable women. Titled 'Shubh', this is the Ministrys first programme
undertaken with financial aid from the Rs.1,000 - crore Nirbhaya Corpus Fund. 'Shubh' is aimed at
mapping vulnerabilities and identifying areas and categories of women who need special protection
measures such as women in prostitution or widowed women. Hundred per cent financial assistance
would be provided to State Governments/Union Territories for 2.6 years of this Plan period to
implement the various components of the scheme in a public-private partnership model
Indian boy rolls into Guinness Book
Rohan Kokane, a 12-year-old Indian roller skating enthusiast, made it into the 2014 edition of the
Guinness Book of World Records released. One of the youngest new record breakers to make it into
the Book is Kokane from Belgaum in Karnataka. The class VII student of St. Xaviers High School is
recognised for being the lowest limbo skater, achieving a roller skating height of just 25 cm over a
distance of 10 m.
AIIMS now at Rae Bareilly and Raiganj
Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has announced that two new All India Institute of Medical
Sciences (AIIMS) would be set up at Rae Bareilly, and Raiganj in North Bengal respectively. Rae
Bareilly will be the seventh institute. At Raiganj, work on construction of the eighth AIIMS is underway.
He said construction work at six AIIMS centres at Bihar (Patna), Chhattisgarh (Raipur), Madhya
Pradesh (Bhopal), Orissa (Bhubaneswar), Rajasthan (Jodhpur) and Uttarakhand (Rishikesh) has
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already started and now work for setting up the seventh and eighth AIIMS is in progress. The Union
Cabinet has approved setting up of around 20 standalone cancer centres and 23 tertiary cancer
centres in the country.
Liberian president conferred Indira Gandhi peace prize
Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been conferred the coveted Indira Gandhi peace prize for
2012 by President Pranab Mukherjee. Sirleaf (74), the first democratically elected woman head of
state of any African country, was honoured for serving as an example and an inspiration for ensuring
the return of peace, democracy, development, security and order in Liberia and for her strong interest
in the consolidation and improvement of ties between both the nations. Sirleaf is the 27th recipient of
the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development which is in recognition of the
values she stood and fought for in the service of India and its people.
First Hawk trainer delivered to Navy
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. has delivered the first Hawk Mk-132 advanced jet trainer aircraft to the
Navy. The Navy will get a total of 17 Hawk Mk-132s out of the 57 additional aircraft that were ordered
from UK vendor BAE Systems in 2010.
Virat Kohli is BSFs brand ambassador
Cricketer Virat Kohli has been appointed brand ambassador of the Border Security Force (BSF) for
his outstanding contribution in the field of sports and his commitment to the paramilitary force on
various occasions. This is for the first time that any central armed paramilitary force has appointed a
brand ambassador.
Ruchira Kamboj named new Permanent Representative to UNESCO
Ruchira Kamboj, currently the Chief of Protocol, has been appointed as the next Permanent
Representative of India to UNESCO, Paris, with the rank of Ambassador. The 1987-batch IFS officer,
Kamboj will succeed V S Oberoi, an External Affairs Ministry release said. Earlier, Vijay Keshav
Gokhale, currently India's High Commissioner to Malaysia, was appointed as the next
Ambassador to Germany. Gokhale is a 1981-batch IFS officer.
In a first, Indian Armed Forces to have separate pay commission
In a first, Indian Armed Forces will have a separate pay commission that will deal with the pay
revision and benefits granted to the defence personnel only. The Central government has agreed
to delink the pay revision of defence personnel from the civilian employees and constitute a
separate pay commission for the military personnel. Its recommendations are likely to be
implemented with effect from January 1, 2016. The panel set up by the PM in July had four IAS
officers as its members and was headed by the Cabinet Secretary. The main demand of the
Armed Forces is granting of Non-functional upgrade in the pay to the armed forces on the lines of
the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the fact that it would be decided only by the IAS
officers did not go down well with the military chiefs.
Anna Hazare wins international award for fight against graft
Social crusader Anna Hazare has won $1,00,000 Allard prize for international integrity, instituted
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by the University of British Columbia's (UBC) law alumnus Peter A Allard. Hazare was presented the
award at a function held in Vancouver for his fight against corruption.
Odisha among least developed States
The Raghuram Rajan panel report has made a case for ending the special category criteria for
providing additional assistance to poorer States, as it ranked Goa and Kerala as the most advanced
States and Odisha and Bihar as the least. The committee headed by then Chief Economic Advisor
Raghuram Rajan (now RBI Governor), which was set up by the government amid the demand for
special category status by Bihar, suggested a new methodology for devolving funds to States based
on a Multi Dimensional Index (MDI). The committee had suggested that the 28 States be split into
three categories least developed, less developed and relatively developed depending on their MDI
scores. Based on the MDI scores, the 10 least developed States are Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The
seven most developed States are Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and
Haryana.
Indias first 5500 HP engine rolled out
Intending to celebrate its golden jubilee on a high mark, Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), Varanasi,
has rolled out the countrys most powerful engine of 5500 HP. It is considered to be the largest
locomotive to be used on a 22-axle load in the world, though several countries have engines more
powerful carrying load on higher axle loads. The WDG5 prototype, introduced in the North Central
Railway as a pilot project, has the capacity to attain a speed of 100 km-per-hour, promising better
throughput. The new engine comes with advanced technologies pertaining to electronic fuel injection
for higher fuel efficiency and emission norms.
Eight Scientists Selected for Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards 2013
Eight eminent scientists on September 26, 2013 selected for Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award for the
year 2013. The awards were announced during the 71st Foundation day of CSIR on September 26,
2013 in New Delhi. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award is country's top most award for excellence in
Science and Technology. The winners are: Biological Science: Dr Sathees Chukkurumbal
Raghavan. Chemical Sciences: Dr Yamuna Krishnan. Engineering Sciences: Dr Bikramjit Basu,
Dr Suman Chakraborty. Mathematical Sciences: Dr Eknath Prabhakar Ghate. Medical Sciences:
Dr Pushkar Sharma. Physical Sciences: Dr Amol Dighe, Dr Vijay Balakrishna Shenoy. The
Award was instituted in 1957 in the honour of late Dr. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, an eminent scientist,
founder Director and principal architect of CSIR. The award carries a cash component of five lakh
rupees. It is given annually to young scientists below the age of 45 who have made outstanding
contributions in any field of science and technology.
Ramasubba Reddy elected IMA president
Renowned psychiatrist Indla Ramasubba Reddy has been unanimously elected as president of Indian
Medical Association (IMA). The IMA members elected him as their president for 2013-14. Dr. Reddy is
a former national president of All India Psychiatrists Association and he was the first Indian to be
elected to SAARC Psychiatric Federation.
Presidents nod for Land Acquisition Bill
The Land Acquisition Bill, passed by Parliament during the monsoon session to replace a 119-year-old
legislation, became a law with President Pranab Mukherjee giving assent to it. The legislation would
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provide just and fair compensation to farmers while ensuring that no land could be acquired forcibly.
The bill was passed by both Houses of Parliament with overwhelming majority. The new law stipulates
mandatory consent of at least 70 per cent for acquiring land for public-private-partnership projects and
80 per cent for acquiring land for private companies.
October:
India-Nepal joint army drills in Uttarakhand
In a boost to military ties, Indian and Nepalese armies took part in a combined training programme in
Uttarakhand, which was recently ravaged by floods and heavy rains. Army Chief Gen. Bikram Singh
and his Nepalese counterpart Gen. Gaurav Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana witnessed the exercise
now under way in Pithoragarh. Based on a pact made during the 7th Nepal-India Bilateral Consultative
Group on Security, the two countries commenced combined training at platoon level in 2011. Troops
shared their experiences and exhibited skill sets during training at the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle
Warfare School at Wirangte in Mizoram and a similar school at Amlekhganj in Nepal.
Slum population up by 25% in 10 years
Newly released census data shows families living in slums have a far better child sex ratio than the
urban Indian average. Over a third of Indias slum dwellers live in unrecognised slums. Over 65 million
people live in slums, up from 52 million in 2001, but slum populations have grown slower than the
average urban population over the last decade. The average household living in a slum is no larger
than an average urban Indian household, with 4.7 family members. The child sex ratio (0-6 years) of
an average slum household is 922 girls for every 1,000 boys, compared to 905 for urban India. The
literacy rate in slums is now up to 77.7% but still lags behind the urban average. With over 11 million
of its residents in slums, Maharashtra has the highest slum population; 4.6 million of them in
identified slums. Andhra Pradesh follows with over 10 million in slums, and West Bengal and Uttar
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the two countries. Chetia - ULFA's founder general secretary - had sought political asylum in
Bangladesh thrice in 2005, 2008 and 2011 after being arrested in Dhaka in 1997.
Mukesh Ambani remains richest Indian with assets of $ 18.9 bn
Energy tycoon and Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani is India's richest man with personal
assets of USD 18.9 billion. According to the China-based Hurun India Rich List, Ambani retained the
top position for the second year even after a wealth decrease of 2 per cent. Ambani is followed by
London-based steel baron L N Mittal with assets of USD 15.9 billion. Mittal's wealth declined 6 per
cent from 2012. Sun Pharmaceuticals' founder Dilip Shanghvi broke into the top three for the first time
with a 66 per cent surge in his wealth. Among others in the top 10 are: Wipro's Azim Premji (4th) with
assets of USD 12 billion, HCL Technology's Shiv Nadar (5th, USD 8.6 billion), Grasim Industries'
Kumar Mangalam Birla (6th, USD 8.4 billion), Godrej Group's Adi Godrej (7th, USD 8.1 billion).
Indian-American Emily Shah crowned Miss New Jersey USA
18-year-old Indian-American Emily Shah has won Miss New Jersey USA 2014 title, following in the
footsteps of Nina Davuluri, who was crowned Miss America recently. Emily would now compete for the
Miss America and Miss Universe titles. Davuluri had won the coveted beauty pageant in September.
Emily was the youngest among more than 130 contestants for the New Jersey pageant.
Kudankulam first reactor resynchronised
The turbine of the first reactor at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), which had been
stalled for conducting a range of tests following the maiden synchronisation, was synchronised again.
Mother Teresa award for V. Shanta
Veteran oncologist and chairperson of Cancer Institute, V. Shanta has been honoured with the Mother
Teresa Memorial Award 2013 by Indian Development Foundation (formerly Indian Leprosy
Foundation). The award, which included a statue of Mother Teresa, shawl and citation, was presented
by M.S. Swaminathan, founder chairman of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation.
India ranks 101 on global gender gap index
India has been ranked 101 out of 136 countries on a global gender gap index. The index, compiled by
Geneva-based World Economic Forum, ranked the countries on the division of resources and
opportunities between men and women in the areas of economy, education, politics, education and
health.
Joint India-Russian military exercise concludes
The joint India-Russian military exercise Indra 2013 conducted at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges,
Bikaner, formally came to an end on October 27, 2013.
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November:
India slips to 106th spot in World Prosperity Index
India has slipped by five places to 106th spot, way below neighbouring Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka
and China in the World Prosperity Index, largely due to poor 'safety and security' environment. In the
'Prosperity Index' ranking of 142 countries compiled by London-based Legatum Institute, India
dropped from 101st position in 2012, while Norway continues to remain at the top.
Kannur declared first zero-landless district in country
Kannur in Kerala has become the first district in the country where every family owns a piece of land.
It is an historic step. Every family of landless poor in the district is going to get three cents of land for
building a house, rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said while declaring Kannur as India's
first landless-free district.
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December:
First museum of customs and excise comes up in Goa
The headquarters of Alfandega - as the customs administration was known in Goa during Portuguese
rule till 1961 when it was liberated and came under Indian control - has been converted into the
country's first museum for customs and central excise and displays some rare items seized from
smugglers since Independence and before. The two-storey Blue Building, as the Portuguese had
named its customs headquarters in Panaji, is a heritage structure built in 1800. The Blue Building got
its name from a major commodity traded during Portuguese rule from its port in Goa, Indigo dye. This
building remained the customs headquarters till 2002 when it was shifted to a new building.
Women in BSF break glass ceiling, march with men for first time
The Border Security Force gave its mahila contingent its due. For the first time in the history of BSF
Day Parade, the BSF mahila contingent marched with Berretta and X95 weapons shoulder to shoulder
with their male counterparts on the occasion of 48th BSF Day held at Chhawla Camp in Delhi.Dressed
in camouflaged disruptive pattern uniform, mahila marching foot contingent consisted of one woman
officer identified as Dr Shafina Sawhney, two SOs and 42 mahila constables. This was accompanied
by an impressive parade and march past by 11 frontiers contingent, camel contingent and camel
band, a BSF routine on its raising day celebrations. The honour for the female combatants has come
five years after the first induction of mahila constables in 2008 followed by induction of sub inspector
in 2009. The force will induct female officers in operational duties for the first time in 2014.
India among 12 nations with most HIV+ adolescents
A new report puts India among 12 high burden countries like South Africa, Nigeria and Tanzania that
are home to the 2.1 million adolescents living with HIV in 2012. A UNICEF report says that AIDSrelated deaths amongst adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 increased by 50% between 2005
and 2012, rising from 71,000 to 110,000 and that many adolescents were unaware that they were
infected. The 2013 Stocktaking Report on Children and AIDSreleased on the occasion of World
AIDS Day says that an estimated 74% of the 2.1 million adolescents live in the 12 high burden
countries.
Shackled Kharvi swims to Guinness record
Gopal Kharvi, a 37-year-old fisherman from Kodikanyana village in Udupi district, created a Guinness
World Record by swimming the farthest distance wearing handcuffs and leg irons. He swam 3.07
kilometres from St. Marys Island to Malpe Beach wearing handcuffs and leg shackles.
Manipurs Sankirtana set to get UNESCO heritage tag
Manipur's famous tradition of ritual singing, drumming and dancing and Bangladesh's traditional art of
Jamdani weaving, that is also famous in India, are set to be declared intangible cultural heritage of
humanity. According to UNESCO, intangible cultural heritage includes oral traditions, performing arts,
social practices, rituals and festivals, knowledge and practices concerning nature. On December 4,
the world inter-governmental committee for the safeguarding of intangible heritage under UNESCO
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will meet at Baku to enlist new entries in the world register, with Manipur's Sankirtana being India's
only entry up for consideration. Sankirtana of Manipur is included in the National Inventory prepared
by India's Sangeet Natak Akademi. Sankirtana is practised primarily by the Vaishnava community of
the plains of Manipur. According to the Akademi that nominated it for world inscription, Sankirtana has
two main social functions.
India 98th best country for business
India has been ranked 98th in the Forbes list of world's best countries for doing business that has
cited poverty, corruption and discrimination against girls among the challenges facing the country.
According to the list compiled by the US publication, among the BRIC economies, Brazil was placed
higher at the 80th position on the list, followed by Russia (91st), China (94th) and India (98th).
Union Cabinet clears Communal Violence Bill
The Union Cabinet has cleared a reworked version of the prevention of Communal Violence Bill,
which seeks to make the definition of a group hit by communal violence as community-neutral and
leaves the prevention and control of communal violence essentially to the states, with the Centre
playing a coordinating role. The new bill makes bureaucrats and public servants accountable for any
acts of commission and omission while handling communal violence. However, bureaucrats who
refuse to obey unlawful orders of their superiors during communal situations cannot be held
responsible for dereliction of duty. The Union Home Secretary recently held consultations with State
Home Secretaries.
Murli Manohar Joshi given Russia's 'Order of Friendship' award
Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi has been awarded Russia's "Order of Friendship" for his
contribution to strengthening ties and cooperation between India and the Russian Federation. Russian
President Vladimir Putin bestowed the award on Joshi and A Sivathanu Pillai, managing director of
BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between the two countries. Lokesh Chandra, a former Rajya
Sabha member who has also served in the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, was given the
Pushkin Medal.
Bipan Chandra honoured with Itihas Ratna
The Asiatic Society, Bihar, has honoured eminent historian Bipan Chandra with Itihas Ratna award
for enriching the technique of secular and scientific writing of history. Secretary of the Society, O.P.
Jaiswal, presented the award to Prof. Chandra on his 85th birthday. Those who have been given the
award include late R.S. Sharma, Irfan Habib and J.S. Grewal.
Poets dominate Sahitya Akademi Awards 2013
An overwhelming number of Sahitya Akademi Awards 2013 have been bagged by poets, including
Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar, Bengali poet Subodh Sarkar and Sanskrit poet Radhakant Thakur.
Famous poets honoured with the prestigious award this year are famous Bollywood poet Javed Akhtar
(Urdu), Subodh Sarkar (Bengali), Anil Boro (Bodo), Sitaram Sapolia (Dogri), Ambika Dutt (Rajasthani),
Radhakant Thakur (Sanskrit), Arjun Charan Hembram (Santali) and Namdev Tarachandani (Sindhi).
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Noted novelists Mridula Garg (Hindi), Manmohan (Punjabi) and R.N. Joe D Cruz (Tamil) are among
those honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Awards.
Gen Bikram Singh to be new Chief of COSC
Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh has been appointed as the new Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee
(COSC) to succeed IAF Chief NAK Browne, who is superannuating on December 31. The official
communication for the appointment of Gen Singh as the new Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee
has been issued. The Chairman, COSC is the senior-most officer of the three Services and is incharge for looking after the joint issues related to them. The senior-most of the three Services chiefs
takes over the post.
Anti-Superstition Bill passed in Maharashtra Council
The Maharashtra State Council has passed the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human
Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Bill, commonly known as the
Anti-Superstition Bill.
EC recognises AAP as State party
The Election Commission (EC) recognised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a State party after the party
fulfilled the eligibility conditions set by the EC for granting the status. The party which made its
electoral debut in the Delhi Assembly elections won 28 of the 70 seats securing about 30 per cent
votes. According to EC rules, to get the ECs recognition as a State party, all the candidates set up
by the party together should get a minimum of eight per cent of the valid votes polled in the entire
State or secure a minimum of six per cent of the total votes polled. The party should also win one
Assembly seat for every 25 seats in that State. The AAP, which was allotted broom as the election
symbol by the Commission, will now have the choice of retaining the broom as its permanent
election symbol or it can design its own poll symbol provided it fits within the rules and regulations of
the Commission.
Sushma Singh takes oath as CIC
The President Pranab Mukherjee has administered the oath of office to former IAS officer Sushma
Singh as Chief Information Commissioner. A panel comprising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, and Law Minister Kapil Sibal appointed Ms.
Singh. Ms. Singh, who is the fifth Chief Information Commissioner of CIC, is the second woman to be
appointed to the post after Deepak Sandhu. The CIC is mandated to resolve appeals and complaints
filed by information seekers, under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, against government
departments or public authorities.
Cabinet nod for FTA in trade and services with Asean
The Union Cabinet has approved a free trade agreement (FTA) in trade and services with the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). The Agreement on Trade in Services and Agreement
is to be signed under the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation (CECA) between India and the
Asean. The CECA between India and Asean was signed in 2003. The Cabinet approved the
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Agreement on Trade Goods under the CECA with the Asean in July 2009. The agreement, approved
by the Cabinet, is aimed at boosting the movement of Indian professionals in the 10-nation Asean.
Member countries include countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Indias largest morgue opens in Goa
With a capacity to accommodate 150 bodies from a calamity site and a live forensic autopsy
auditorium, Forensic Medicine and Toxicology Faculty and Mortuary Block at Goa Medical College
(GMC) in Bambolim, will be the country's first mass disaster medical infrastructure, automatically
making it the largest morgue. The building, with a full-fledged forensic academic institute, will also be
the first to incorporate recommendations of the Justice Verma Committee by allocating a specially
designed 'sexual assault crisis centre' in its premises.
Tejas aircraft finally gets operational clearance
The lightweight multi-role Tejas finally got its initial operational clearance (IOC), after being in the
making for the last 30 years. But it will be ready to go war only after attaining the final operational
clearance (FOC) with full integration of all its weapons and refuelling probe by mid-2015 or so. The
Tejas is capable of flying non-stop to destinations over 1,700 km away. This is known as the Ferry
Range. Its Radius of Action is up to 500 km depending upon the nature and duration of actual combat.
Govt clears quadricycle as a new vehicle
The road transport and highways ministry has cleared "quadricycle" as a new category of vehicle.
Battery-powered or electric four-wheelers will be brought under this category. After incorporating
suggestions and objections, transport minister Oscar Fernandes has approved the proposal.
Worlds biggest sand idol of Jesus on Puri beach
Odishas well-known sand artiste, Sudarsan Pattnaik, has created yet another wonder erecting a 35
feet by 75 feet sand idol of Lord Jesus. Mr Pattnaik used about 1,000 tonnes of sand mixed with
coloured sand in the statue which comprised the sculptures of Lord Jesus, Mother Mary and Santa
Claus. Mr Pattnaik had already created seven world records registered with the Limca Book of
Records.
Cabinet clears constitutional status for Judicial Appointments Commission
The Union Cabinet has given its nod for conferring constitutional status on the proposed Judicial
Appointments Commission (JAC) for appointment and transfer of judges to the higher judiciary. The
government earlier accepted the report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice,
which recommended that the structure and functions of the JAC to replace the present collegium
system. According to the proposal approved by the Cabinet, new Article 124 A of the Constitution will
define the composition of the JAC and Article 124 B will define its functions. The JAC Bill seeks to set
up a six-member body under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of India for recommending names
to the President of individuals with outstanding legal acumen and impeccable integrity and credibility
for judgeship in the Supreme Court and the High Courts. It would also recommend transfer of judges
of one High Court to another. The Constitution (120th Amendment) Bill, 2013, provides for the setting
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up of a Judicial Appointments Commission by inserting Article 124 (A) in the Constitution and
amending Articles 124(2), 217(1) and 222(1).
CISF gets new Director-General
Arvind Ranjan, a 1977-batch IPS officer of Kerala Cadre, has assumed charge as 24th DirectorGeneral of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the forces headquarters in New Delhi. Mr.
Ranjan, who had been serving as the Director-General of the Security Guard (NSG) till now, was
given the additional charge of DG CISF since the retirement of former CISF chief Rajiv in October
2013.
Arup Raha takes over as IAF chief
Air Marshal Arup Raha, an ace fighter pilot, has taken over as the Air Force chief succeeding Air Chief
Marshal NAK Browne. Born on December 26, 1954, he is expected to have tenure of three years as
the Chief of Air Staff. Commissioned on December 14, 1974 in the fighter stream of the IAF, Raha has
held various command, staff and instructional appointments in his 39-year-old career. He has also
served as Air Attach at the Embassy of India in Ukraine.
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