JAN 2013 CURRENT AFFAIRS

JUSTICE M.B. SHAH Commission One man commission

ILLEGAL MINING from 2006-2011 Nov 2010

Verma Committee GODREJ COMMITTEE

Sexual Assault CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

PARAM YUVA II INDIAS FASTEST SUPER COMPUTER by CDAC IBM SEQUOIA - FASTEST COMPUTER IN THE WORLD.

GOLDEN GIRL SYSTEM ANDHRA PRADESH Protecting Girl Child and Ensure her Education- Only for 2 children of BPL family -Govt provides periodical financial benefit.

JSY JANANI SURAKSHA YOJANA Reduction in Child Mortality Rate Cash Assistance to Pragnant women ASHA ACCREDITED SOCIAL HEALTH ACTIVIST Community based Health volunteer 8 lakhs volunteers Rs 600 per delivery in RURAL AREAS ** Rs 400 per delivery for urban areas. LATVIA - small ex SOVIAT STATE - becomes 18th country joined in EURO ZONE. 02.01.2014
Losara New Year festival of Ladakh

ONE LINERS DECEMBER 2013

Name the person who on 4 December 2013 was re-appointed as the OPCW Director-General at the 18th Session of the Conference of State Parties - Ambassador Ahmet Uzumcu Name the body that on 6 November 2013 declared that the Category 3 (unfilled) munitions of Syrian Government have been destroyed was named - Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Park Geun-hye, the President of South Korea on 6 December 2013 agreed to join hands to denuclearize North Korea (DPRK) with - the Vice President of US, Joseph Biden An informal Group of Ministers headed by the Union Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar o n 6 December 2013 recommended a bailout package to - Sugar Industry Sri Lankas Board of Investment on 5 December 2013 announced plans to start how many export processing and industrial zones across the country eight Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid revolutionary of South Africa died on 5 November 2013. He was also known - as Madiba in South Africa The Union Cabinet on 5 December 2013 approved the Telangana draft Bill. Telangana will have - 10 districts

 Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013 came into force on - 6 December 2013 The Supreme Court of India has favoured punishment of life imprisonment to people indulging in production and marketing of - adulterated milk The country that was elected as a non-permanent member of United Nation Security Council (UNSC) Jordan Armed Forces Flag Day was observed across India on - 7 December 2013 Who was crowned with the pageant of Miss Earth 2013 at the Versailles Palace, Philippines -Miss Venezuela Alyz Henrich The government has modified the FDI policy allowing unlisted companies to directly list on - stock exchanges abroad Indian freestyle grapplers bagged seven gold, four silver and three bronze medals and has won the team title in the category in the - 2013 Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in Johannesburg World Trade Organization (WTO) today issued a revised draft of the Bali package that would address India's concerns on food security and take through the - Trade Facilitation Agreement The Supreme Court of India on 5 December 2013 said that politicians and businessmen heading sports bodies are causing harm to the games and should leave their running to - Sport persons Committee to formulate a Policy document on Corporate Governance on 6 December 2013 submitted its report to the Union Government of India. The Committee was constituted on 7 March 2012 under - the Chairmanship of Adi Godrej. Name of the Vice President of Sudan, who resigned to pave way for the new Governme nt - Ali Osman Taha Insurance giant Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has decided to stop selling as many as - 34 policies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 8 December 2013 won the state assembly elections in - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The members of the opposition party (Democrat Party) of a country resigned en masse from the Parliament on 8 December 2013 to protest a Government claimed by them as illegitimate Thailand The scientists has decoded the oldest DNA from ever found 400000 year old thigh bone of human family found at - a burial site Sima de los Huesos in Spain's northern Sierra de Atapuerca highlands His Imperial Majesty Akihito, Emperor of Japan and Imperial Majesty Michiko, Empress of Japan were on a visit to India after 1989 7346 crore rupees for the relief and rehabilitation of flood-hit Uttarakhand was sanctioned by the Cabinet

Committee on Uttrakhand that was headed by- Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh Indian National Congress on 9 December 2013 emerged as the winner in the Mizoram Assembly election by winning - 33 seats in the 40 member house Human Rights Day was observed across the world on 10 December 2013 to bring to light the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with a theme - 20 Years Working for Your Rights The Union Cabinet on 9 December 2013 approved the finalization of the reserve price for the auction of spectrum in - 1800 MHz band for all service areas Ranjan Mathai, the former Foreign Secretary of India on 9 December 2013 took over as the - India's High Commissioner to UK The Supreme Court of India on 10 December 2013 ordered red beacons to be provided only on the vehicles of high dignitaries and the people, who hold - Constitutional posts Alstom T&D India on 9 December 2013 bagged two contracts of 151 crore rupees from - Gujarat Energy Transmission Company Ltd (GETCO). Jayanthi Natarajan, Minister of State for Environment & Forests inaugurated a workshop to discuss the Role of Bamboo and Rattan in Pro-Poor Green Development - Asia Regional Workshop on Bamboo and Rattan at New Delhi The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) is an intergovernmental organization established in 1997 with its headquarters - Beijing, China. A US commission has asked Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel to explain the exclusion of Sikhs from the American armed forces for adhering to their religious beliefs, the name of the person who asked this is - Martin R Castro, he is the Chairman of the Commission on Civil Rights India has welcomed the inking of the first disarmament treaty at the - Biological Weapons Convention in Geneva President of India, Pranab Mukherjee visited South Africa in Memorial service of its - anti-apartheid icon and former South African President Nelson Mandela The US has called on China to release the jailed Nobel Peace prize winner five years after he was first detained - Liu Xiaobo The Supreme Court of India on 10 December 2013 set a fresh four month deadline to make functional a ll the 22 CBI courts across the country for the Centre and States ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) the overseas arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) on 9 December 2013 signed an agreement to evaluate - E&P opportunities in Ecuador Scientists in the first week of December 2013 in their report claimed that the super volcano lying beneath Yellowstone National Park in US

 The first Trajectory Correction Manoeuvre (TCM) of Spacecraft of India's maiden interplanetary mission to Mars was carried out successfully on 10 December 2013 and the TCM was fired by - 22 Newton Thrusters The Chairman of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) on 10 December 2013 announced his retirement from active politics - Panruti S. Ramachandran Tech Mahindra Ltd on 10 December 2013 launched its Global Center of Excellence (CoE) with - Hewlett Packard (HP) in Bangalore The World Innovation Summit for Health-2013 (WISH-2013) began in Doha, Qatar on 11 December 2013 with an aim of - practical, innovative and sustainable health solutions The High Level Committee to Review the SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 1992 was constituted under the Chairmanship of - Justice N.K. Sodhi Person who in December 2013 was named as the Person of the Year 2013 by Time Magazine - Pope Francis Waqar Younis, the former captain of Pakistan cricket team was inducted into the - ICC Crickets Hall of Fame A Bank that has been granted the license to start its banking operations in India Doha Bank The West Bengal Assembly on 12 December 2013 adopted a fresh Bill to tackle illegal activities of - Chit Funds in the State India and UAE has signed a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement that would accelerate fresh capital investments of UAE in India The European Union has granted GSP - Plus status to Pakistan. British-based Sahara Force India on 12 December 2013 signed - Sergio Perez as race driver for the team in 2014 and beyond Islamist leader Abdul Kader Mullah of Bangladesh was executed on 12 December 2013. His execution was done at - Dhaka Central Jail The Indian cricketer and a Rising Test batsman on 13 December 2013 bagged the Emerging Cricketer of the Year trophy at the ICC Annual awards announced in Dubai was - Cheteshwar Pujara The Uttar Pradesh Government on 13 December 2013 set-up a high-level committee to look into the issue of deaths of children in relief camps set after the - Muzaffarnagar riots The Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra on 13 December 2013 passed the much - awaited Anti Superstition Bill. A person has sworn in as the Chief Minister of Mizoram for the second successive term on 14 December 2013 is - Lal Thanhawla of Congress party

 Darmar Murugensan, the former Chief Justice of the Delh i High Court will be the next Chairman of the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) The former footballer of India, who died on 14 December 2013 died at a hospital in Guwahati, Assam after a prolong illness was - Babul Phukan An Indian actor, who won the best actor award for his brilliant performance in his film The Lunchbox at the 10th edition of Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) is - Irrfan Khan The Interim President of Egypt, Adly Mansour on 14 December 2013 announced 14 -15 January 2014 as the date for - national referendum on the new draft of the constitution The first lunar rover of China which was carried by an unmanned remotely piloted spacecraft Chang'e -3 was deployed successfully on moon on 14 December 2013. The lunar rover that landed on mood was named - Jade Rabbit (called Yutu in Chinese) India defeated Pakistan 48-39 on 14 December 2013 in the World Kabaddi Cup in the finals played at - Guru Nanak Dev Stadium in Ludhiana, Punjab The Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) met on 12 December 2013 at - Kolkata. International Migrants Day observed on - 18 December 2013 across the world Eminent historian Bipan Chandra on 17 December 2013 was awarded Itihas Ratna from - Asiatic Society Bihar. Proposals of Irans President Hassan Rouhani on fight against extremism and violence were put on the agenda of the - United Nations General Assembly to be ratified as a UN resolution The International Cricket Council today inducted Australia's legendary wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist into its - Hall of Fame during the ongoing third Ashes Test Iranian negotiators halted the ongoing nuclear talks in Vienna with P5+1 group of nations Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany - the move came after Washington blacklisted a dozen companies and individuals for evading US sanctions. Russia is to increase its arms exports worth 50 billion dollars - by 2020 India has rejected to the reference made on Jammu and Kashmir by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in its recently held - session in Guinea The Bengaluru International Airport will be renamed after - Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda, who founded Bengaluru in 16th century South Indias first high altitude cricket stadium was inaugurated at - Krishnagiri in Waynad district of Kerala President Vladimir Putin announced a plan to buy 15 billion dollar of Ukrainian bonds and - slashed Kiev's bill for Russian gas imports

 The US has appealed to India to uphold the Vienna Convention principles and ensure - safety and security of its diplomats stationed in the country Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations was inked in 1961 and is an international accord and defines - a framework for diplomatic relations between independent countries Indias deputy consul in New York, Devyani Khobragade was transferred to Indias Permanent Mission in United Nations in New York - to boost her diplomatic immunity Saab, the Swedish manufacturer won a 4.5 billion dollar contrac t to supply 36 Gripen NG fighter jets to - Brazil by 2020 The Sahitya Akademi Awards 2013 was announced by Sahitya Akademi and - poetry writers have dominated the awards announced in 2013 Odisha Administrative Tribunal quashed the provision of 27 per cent reservation under Odisha Reservation of Posts and Service (Socially and Educationally Backward Classes) Act, 2008 for - Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) candidates in public employment Kuwait will host the Second edition of the Syria Donors conference in the capital Kuwait city in January and it will be chaired by - UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon India's first World Cup winning captain, Kapil Dev will be conferred with the - Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award for the year 2013 The Ariyalur plant of Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited in Tamil Nadu has been honoured with the - National Energy Conservation Award for the year 2012-13 by the Ministry of Power, Government of India Europe on 19 December 2013 launched the Gaia satellite one of the most ambitious space missions in the history

Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill 2013

Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India on 1 January 2014 gave his assent to the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2013. With this accent, the Bill has turned to be an Act. It provides creation of an anti-graft watchdog that will bring under its purview to even the office of the Prime Minister with certain safeguards. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha during the winter session on 18 December 2013. Earlier, the amended Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 17 December 2013. A copy of the Bill, which was signed by Meira Kumar, the Speaker of Lak Sabha was sent to the Law Ministry by the secretariat on 1 January 2014. Further, the same was forwarded for Presidents assent to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. After the signing by the President, the Bill has taken a shape of an Act following certain procedures. For publication of the Act in the official gazette, the Bill will be sent for signing to the Secretary of Legislative Department in the Law Ministry after the assent of the President. The Bill aims to set-up an institution of Lokpal at Centre and Lokayuktas in the states by the law enacted by respective legislatures within one year from the date of its coming into effect. Earlier in 2011, the Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha during its winter session, but was debated in Rajya Sabha till the adjournment of its session before voting. Further, a select committee of Rajya Sabha suggested some changes in the Bill of which maximum were incorporated and approved by the Union Cabinet. Important features of the Act are As per the Act a Lokpal will be at the centre level and Lokayuktas will be at the states levels A Lokpal consist of a Chairperson and a maximum of eight members, of which 50 percent should be of judicial members The Act provides that 50 percent of the total members of the Lokpal should be from SC/ST/OBCs, minorities and women The Chairperson and members of the Lokpal will be selected through a selection committee, which include the Prime Minister of India, Lok Sabha Speaker, Lok Sabhas leader of opposition, the Chief Justice of India or the Judge of the Supreme Court nominated by the Chief Justice. Then the President of India will nominate the eminent Jurist on the basis of the recommendations of the first four members of the selection committee The Prime Minister has been brought under the purview of the Lokpal The jurisdiction of the Lokpal will cover all the categories of the public servant Under its also comes any/all entities, which will receive the donations from a foreign source in excess of

10 lakh rupees in context of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) The Act will provide adequate protection to the honest and upright public servants The Act provide Lokpal the right to superintendence and direct any investigation agency including the CBI on the cases, which will be referred to them from the Lokpal itself The Director of the CBI will be recommended by the high power committee that will be chaired by the Prime Minister of India Director will control the Directorate of Prosecution that is headed by the Director of Prosecution The Central Vigilance Commission will recommend the Director of Prosecution, CBI for appointment Lokpals approval will be required for the transfers of the officers of CBI, who are investigating the cases referred by the Lokpal The Act gives the provisions to attach and confiscate the property that has been acquired by corrupt means even in the case that the prosecution of the case remains pending Clear time lines for preliminary enquiry and trial has been layed in the Act. It also mentions setting-up of special courts towards the end of the trial It mentions that a mandate for setting up the Lokayukta institution through enactment of a law by the State Legislature within 365 days from the date on which the Act was commenced

The top 10 Powerful Supercomputers of the world:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Sequoia at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California - US K Computer at RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science campus in Kobe - Japan Mira at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois - US SuperMUC at Leibniz Supercomputing Centre in Garching - Germany Tianhe-1A at National Supercomputing Center in Tianjin - China Jaguar at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee - US Fermi at CINECA in Bologna - Italy JuQueen at Forschungszentrum Juelich in Julich - Germany Curie thin nodes at CEA/TGCC-GENCI in Bruyeres-le-Chatel - France

10. Nebulae at National Supercomputing Centre in Shenzhen - China - See more at: