Current Affairs March 2014

Iwao Hakamada- Worlds longest-serving death row-inmate freed by Japan

March31, 2014
TheJ apanesecourt releaseof theWorldslongest servingdeathrowinmate, Mr. Iwao Hakamada (78), as theevidences
usedagainst himwereprobably madeup.
About Mr. Iwao Hakamada
Nationality:J apanese.
J apaneseformer professional boxer.
SentencedtodeathonSeptember 11, 1968for amassmurder (knownastheHakamada Incident).
Convictedof killingacompanymanager andhisfamilyandsettingfiretotheir central J apanhome, wherehewasa
live-inemployee.
Known for:Worldslongest death-rowinmate(48years) certifiedbyGuinnessWorldRecords.
Apart fromtheUnitedStates, J apanistheonlymajor industrializeddemocracy tocarryout capital punishment, apractice
that hasledtorepeatedprotestsfromEuropeangovernmentsandhumanrightsgroups. (J apancarriesout ahandful of
executionseveryyear).
Note: The only crimes that can lead to a death sentence in Japan are murder and treason.
President Pranab Mukherjee re-promulgated SEBI ordinance
March31, 2014
President PranabMukherjeeclearedthe re-promulgation of the SEBI Ordinance that provides powersfor SEBI Chairman
toauthorizeInvestigatingAuthority or anyother officer of theregulator toconduct searchandseizureunder theSEBI Act
andcrack downonPonzi schemes.
SEBI ordinance Securities Laws (Amendment) Bill 2013
Purpose:Toarmtheregulator withmorestringent powerscomesinwakeof thousandsof dupedinvestorsreportedly
takingtothestreetsinSiliguri (West Bengal) protestingtheproliferationof chit fundcompaniesthereandtheRs
2,000-croreSardhaachit fundscam.
SEBI canregulateanymoneypoolingschemeworthRs100croreor moreandattachassetsincasesof
non-complianceanditsChairmancanorder searchandseizureoperations.
Empowersthemarket watchdogtoseek information, suchastelephonecall datarecords, fromanypersonsor
entitiesinrespect toanysecuritiestransactionbeinginvestigatedbyit.
Note: TheSEBI ordinancelapsedonJ anuary15, hasbeenre-promulgatedfor thethirdtimeastheParliament couldnot pass
theSecuritiesLaws(Amendment) Bill, 2013, inthewinter session.
Indias forex reserves near $300 billion mark
March31, 2014
Indiasforeignexchangereserves continuedtheir rallyfor thefourthstraight week, increasedby$1.35billionto298.64
billiondollar onasurgeincurrencyassetseventhoughthereservepositionwiththeIMF slidheavily.
As per the data released by Reserve Bank of India( RBI)
Goldreservesremainedunchangedat $20.978billion.
Foreigncurrency assets(FCAs), amajor part of theoverall reserves, rose$1.58billionto$271.40billion.
FCAsexpressedindollar terms, includetheeffect of appreciation/depreciationof thenon-UScurrenciesviz. the
euro, poundandyenheldinitsreserves.
Thespecial drawingrightsweredownby$16.9millionto%4.462billion, whilethecountrysreservepositionwith
theIMF wasdownbyawhopping$214.7millionto$1.801billion.
MoF: Indias external debt at $426 billion in December, 2013
March31, 2014
Asper thequarterly report of Ministryof Finance(MoF), Indiasexternal debt wasat $426billion includingthe
governmentsdebt of $76.4billioninDecember 2013. Thetotal external debt of $426billionshowedanincreaseof $21.1
billionover theMarch-endlevel.
Reasons for increase of Indias external debt during the period were
Duetolong-termdebt particularly NRI deposits.
A sharpincreaseinNRI depositsreflectedtheimpact of freshFCNR(B) depositsmobilisedunder theswapscheme
duringSeptember-November 2013.
Excerpts of the quarterly report of Ministry of Finance (MoF) on December 2013 figures
Long term debt:$333.3billionshowedanincreaseof 8.1%over March, 2013level.
Short-term debt:Declinedby4.1%to$92.7billion.
Government (Sovereign) external debt: $76.4billion, (17.9%of total external debt)
Theshareof USdollar denominateddebt wasthehighest inexternal debt stock andstoodat 63.6%, followedby
debt denominatedinIndianrupee(19.4%), SDR (7.1%), J apaneseyen(5.0%) andEuro(3.1%).
Thedebt hasremainedwithinmanageablelimitsasindicatedbytheexternal debt toGDPratioof 23.3%, vis-a-vis
21.8%atend-March2013anddebt serviceratioof 5.9%in2012-13.
Indiasforeignexchangereserves provided69%cover tothetotal external debt asof December end, against 72.1%
asof March-end2013.
Indiasexternal debt hasremainedwithinmanageablelimitsduetoprudent external debt management policy of the
Government of India.
Note: Theexternal debt management policy continuestofocusonmonitoringlongandshort-termdebt, raisingsovereign
loansonconcessional termswithlonger maturities, regulatingexternal commercial borrowingsthroughend-use, all-in-cost
andmaturity restrictions, andrationalizinginterest ratesonNon-Resident Indiandeposits.
Parthasarathi Shome panel for tax administration reform set up
March31, 2014
Inabidtobringmorecredibility amongtaxpayersandtostreamlineincometaxprocedures, theUnionGovernment hasset
upaTax Administration Reform Commission(TARC) comprisingofficialsfrompublic andprivatesector agencies.
About Tax Administration Reform Commission (TARC)
Chairman: Dr. Parthasarathi Shome.
Focus: Ontherulesandfeaturesandstructural reformsintaxadministration.
Members: Former chairmenof twotaxboards, Former Chief Financial Officer fromIT serviceprovider TataConsultancy
ServicesandanEx-VicePresident for TaxationfromtheMurugappaGroup.
Purpose: Tobringinmoretransparency inthetaxdepartment andinthecollectionof taxesasacertainamount of distrust
emergedbetweenthetaxdepartment andthetaxpayers.
SEBI extends time to implement FPI regulations to June 30, 2014
March31, 2014
Themarket regulator, SecuritiesandExchangeBoardof India(SEBI) extended the time-frame for implementingnew
Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) regulations bythreemonthstoJune 30, 2014.
About new FPI regulations
SEBI hasdivided FPIs into three categories as per their risk profile andtheKYC (KnowYour Client) requirements. The
newFPI regimemakestheKYC normsandother registrationproceduremuchsimpler ascomparedtoexistingprocess.
Purpose:Tomakeaneasier registrationprocessandoperatingframework for overseasentitiesseekingtoinvest in
Indiancapital markets.
Thenewregulationswill replacetheexistingSEBI normsfor ForeignInstitutional Investors(FIIs) andthenewclass
of investors, FPIs, wouldencompassall FIIs, their sub-accountsandqualifiedforeigninvestors(QFIs).
Designated Depository Participants (DDPs): ThroughwhichFPIscanapplyfor registration, maycontinuetoopen
QFI accountstill May 31, 2014.
Category I FPIs: It wouldenlist thethelowest riskentitiesincludingforeigngovernments andgovernment related
foreigninvestors.
Category II FPIs:It wouldcompriseof broadbasedfunds, appropriately regulatedentities, fundswhoseinvestment
manager isappropriately regulated, university funds, universityrelatedendowments, pensionfundsetc.
Category III FPIs:It wouldcover all othersnot eligibleunder thefirst twocategories.
Note: FPIswill begrantedpermanent registration. At present, foreigninvestorsaregivenonlyoneyear or fiveyear approval
toinvest inthecountry. They will bepermanent unlesssuspendedor cancelledbytheboardor surrenderedbytheFPI.
2014 Ukraine crisis: UN General Assembly rejected Russian annexation of Crimea
March31, 2014
TheUnitedNations (UN) General AssemblyrefusedtorecognizeRussiasannexationof CrimeafromUkraineandpassed a
non-binding Resolution 68/262 that declaredinvalidCrimeasreferendum. Inthe193-nationassembly, theresolution
Supportedby100UnitedNationsmember statesthat declaredinvalidCrimeasMoscow-backedreferendum.
Eleven nations voted against the resolution viz.Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, NorthKorea, Russia,Nicaragua,
Sudan, Syria, VenezuelaandZimbabwe.
NATOandWesternpowersvotedoverwhelmingly infavor.
58 Abstention countries:Afghanistan, China, India andPakistan, manySouthAmericannations, etc.
Morethan20nationsdidnt voteviz. Israel, Iran, etc.
The UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262 isaresolutionadoptedbytheUnitedNationsGeneral Assembly inresponse
tothe2014CrimeancrisisandentitledTerritorial integrity of Ukraine.
Note:TheresolutionwasintroducedbyCanada, CostaRica, Germany, Lithuania, PolandandUkraine.
Kisan Card launched by Axis bank to facilitate easy agriculture lending to farmers
through ATMs.
March29, 2014
Theprivatelender bank, AxisBank launchedanelectronic Kisan Card on the RuPay platform, throughwhichafarmer
canwithdrawuptoRs. 1lakhper dayfromAutomatedTeller Machines( ATMs)
Purpose: TofacilitateeasyagriculturelendingtofarmersthroughATMs.
Electronic Kisan Card
Will beoffer to agrarian customers ontheir cashcredit croploanaccounts.
Helpful for themtoreduce the interest burden astheinterest paymentsstart after withdrawal of themoney.
Provides queuefree, 247 disbursement facility for farmers.
Allowsthemtousetheir loanlimit bywithdrawing cash up to Rs 1 Lakh per day, intherequiredquantum, asand
whenrequired, thereby reducingtheir interest burdenandnegatingtherisk of carryinghigher volumes of cash.
Amnesty International released Global death penalty report 2013
March29, 2014
AmnestyInternational releasedtheGlobal DeathPenalty Report 2013inLondon, withacall
ongovernmentswhostill killedinthenameof justicetoimposeamoratoriumonthedeath
penaltywithaviewtoabolishingit
. Highlights of annual Amnesty International report 2013
At least 22countrieswhicharestill applyingdeathpenalty, consider theabolitionof capital punishment asatop
priority. Also, thenumber of countrieswhichusethedeathpenalty hasreducedinthelast 20years.
Worlds Top executioner:China.
Overall 32countries signedpardonsondeathsentences viz. Afghanistan, India, Indonesia, Iran, J apan, Saudi Arabia,
SouthKorea, theUnitedArabEmirates(UAE), USA, etc.
Countries vindicated convicts:Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, theUAE andUSA.
Nine persistent executioners or The9 Worst Offenders(asthey wereknowntoexecuteeveryyear since2007to
2013): China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, USA, Yemen, Sudan, BangladeshandNorthKorea.
Public executions were known to occur:Iran, NorthKorea, Saudi ArabiaandSomalia.
No executions were reported in Singapore, whileseveral death-rowprisonershadtheir sentencescommutedin
that countryin2013.
Pacific sub-region continued to be a virtually death penalty-free zone, despitethreatsfromPapuaNewGuineato
resumeexecutions.
For thefirst timesince2009, Europe and Central Asia wasanexecution-free zone, withtheonlycountrystill
clingingtothedeathpenalty beingBelarus, althoughthat countrydidnot put anyonetodeathin2013.
Indian figures of annual Amnesty International report 2013:
President Pranab Mukherjee rejected the mercy petitions of 18 prisoners on death row in 2013, the highest
number of rejections by any President in the last 25 years.
Theinternational standardswereviolatedontheexecutionof MohammadAfzal GuruinFebruary2013.
Raisedconcernsabout thefairnessof Afzal Gurustrial viz. hedidnot receivelegal representationof hischoiceor a
lawyer withadequateexperienceatthetrial stage, Afzal Gurusfamily werenot informedintimeof hisimminent
executionandhisbodywasnot returnedtothefamilyfor last ritesandburial.
72newdeathsentenceswereknowntohavebeenimposedthroughout theyear andat least 400peoplewerebelieved
tobeondeathrowat theendof theyear.
About Amnesty International
Type:Non-profit NGO.
Founded:J uly1961byPeter BenensonintheUnitedKingdom.
Headquarters:Global International Secretariat inLondon, UnitedKingdom.
Objective:Toconduct researchandgenerateactiontoprevent andendgraveabusesof humanrights, andtodemand
justicefor thosewhoserightshavebeenviolated.
Mr. Sunil Gavaskar: Appointed by SC as interim BCCI chief for IPL7
March29, 2014
TheSupremeCourt of Indiaappointedbattinglegend, Mr. Sunil Gavaskar astheInterim BCCI President of BCCI to
overseeIndianPremier League(IPL) 2014inplaceof N SrinivasanandalsodirectedhimtorelinquishhisjobasaCricket
Commentator. Theother responsibilitiesof theboardwouldbeperformedbyBCCI vice-president Shivlal Yadav.
Theapexcourt clearedthat theyhavenot passedanyorder preventinganyplayer or anyteamfromparticipatingintheIPL
tournament 2014.
TheypermittedChennai Super KingsandRajasthanRoyalstoplayIPL matches of season7asper theschedule.
Note: TheJustice AK Patnaik bench passedinterimorder intheIPL fixingandbettingcaseandrefusedtopassanyorder
for allowingformer BCCI chief N Srinivasantoparticipateintheactivitiesof ICC.
Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor: New Brand Ambassdar of Earth Hour 2014
March29, 2014
Bollywoodactor ArjunKapoor becamethenational ambassador of theEarthHour 2014that wasobservedonMarch29.
Under theEarthHour initiative, citizens areaskedtoswitchoff all electricity for anhour. Thisyear, it will be
observedSaturdayfrom8.30p.m. to9.30p.m.
Earth Hour campaign:I Will If You Will (IWIYW) toencouragepositiveactionfor theenvironment.
Note: Earth Hourisanannual global event at whichhundredsof millionsof households, businessesandgovernments
aroundtheworldturnoff their lightsfor onehour inorder tocall attentiontotheneedof actiononclimatechange.
(OrganizedbytheWorldWideFundfor Nature(WWF)).
Dendroid -Android Malware targeting Indian Users
March29, 2014
TheIndian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) warnedabout acurrently activeDendroid malware
campaignthat isspreadingacrossIndia, targetingAndroidusers.
About Android Malware Dendroid
BelongstodeadlyTrojan family.
CreatedbymodifyingtherequiredpermissionsbyanycleanAPK (AndroidApplicationPackage) withDendroid
RAT functionalitythat allowsdetailedmanagement of theinfecteddevices.
Onceactivatedinour smart-phone, couldaffect andcontrol all applicationsinour androidphoneandintercept
privateSMSescominginor goingout.
Themalicioustoolkit, Dendroid isabletogenerate a customized malicious APK file that offersmany amazingfeatures
viz.
Candeleteandmodifycall logsandcontacts.
Canopenanywebpageondevicebrowser.
Dialinganynumber.
Recordingcalls.
Interceptingdevicemessages.
Uploadingimages andvideostoremoteserver.
Canopenaninstalledapplication.
AbletoperformDoSattack fromthevictimsdevice.
Canchangethecommandandcontrol server location.
Measures to protect from malicious malware Dendroid
Install applicationsdownloadedfromreputedappstoresonly.
Keepupdatingyour mobileanti-virusandFirewall solutiontoprotect your devicefrommalwareandcyber attacks.
AlwaysCheck applications permissionsbeforeinstallingit.
AvoidusingunsecuredandunknownWi-Fi networks.
Advise by Indian cyber security:Tokeepaneyeondatausage(application-wiseusagealso) andunusual increase
inmobilebillsandkeepaneyeondevicebatteryusage(application-wiseusagealso).
Note: TheCERT-Inisthenodal agencytocombat hacking, phishingandtofortify security-relateddefencesof theIndian
Internet domain.
SEBI: To issue guidelines for FATCA compliance for fiscal year 2014-15
March29, 2014
Tocombat possibletaxevasionbyAmericansthroughIndianentities, theSecuritiesandExchangeBoardof India(SEBI)
plannedtoissuetheForeign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) compliance norms inthefiscal year 2014-15. For
theimplementationof theFATCA, theUSgovernment isrequiredtosignInter-Government Agreement (IGA) with
variouscountries, includingIndia, whereAmericanindividualsandcompanies mayholdaccountsandother assets. Till
now, theUSA hassignedIGAswith22countriesviz. theUK, Switzerland, etc.
Currently, thenegotiations are going on between the India and US for an IGA tobesignedbetweenthetwo
countriesunder theFATCA.
Purpose of FATCA:Tocheck andimposewithholdingtaxonillicit activitiesof somewealthy individualswhouse
offshoreaccountstoevademillionsof dollarsintaxes.
OncethisnewAct andtheIndo-USIGA comeintoeffect, all financial institutionsinIndiawouldneedtocarryout a
detailedduediligenceonall their clientsandreport detailsof their USclientstotheUStaxdepartment (Internal
RevenueService).
Anynon-complianceof theFATCAprovisionswouldresult inpenal withholdingof 30%of thetotal US-source
incomeof suchfinancial institutions.
SEBI wouldexaminetheapplicability of theFATCAprovisionstoall market intermediariesregulatedbythecapital markets
regulator. It wasexaminedbySEBI incoordinationwiththeMinistryof Finance.
Note: FATCAbecamealawin2010, thefinal regulationswereissuedfor it inJ anuary2013andit isset tocomeintoeffect
from1J uly2014, after signingof IGAswithdifferent countries.
India Rating: Extended Basel III deadline to ease pressure on banks
March29, 2014
Asper theratingagency, India Ratings(formerly Fitch), theputtingoff of Basel III bytheReserveBank of India(RBI) till
March2019wouldeasepressureonbanks. Therewereindustry-wideconcernsabout thepotential stressonasset qualityand
consequential impact onperformanceandprofitability of banks. Thus, theapexbank extended deadline for banks to
implement Basel III capital norms up to March 31, 2019, insteadof March31, 2018.
Though, capital injectionwouldremainapriority for banksthroughtherest of thisdecade, asthetotal capital
requiredduringthemigrationtoBasel III hasonlygoneupduetoadditionof anextrayear.
Thegovernmentscommitment tomaintainitsmajority shareholdinginpublicsector banksassuresthemof steady
equityinjections.
Now, thebudgetedamount of Rs11,200croreishigher thanthenewrequirement of under Rs10billionequityby
PSU banksinFY15, injectingthefull amount will helpreducecapital pressuresinsubsequent years.
It canalsohelpmeet part of anyshortfall inthehybridtier 1requirement of Rs13,400crorenowestimatedfor
FY15.
Therevisednormshavealsotightenedthelossabsorptionfeaturesof hybridcapital byeliminatingthetemporary
write-downfeatureinbothhybridtier 1andtier 2instruments.
Theseinstrumentscanbeeither permanently writtendownor convertedintoequitythat improvesthequalityof
capital byincreasinganypotential lossthat investorsmayface.
Note: Basel seriesof normsrefer toabroadsupervisory standardsformulatedbyBasel CommitteeonBankingSupervision
(BCBS) toensurethat financial institutionshaveenoughcapital onaccount tomeet obligationsandabsorbunexpected
losses.
SC awarded compensation for sewer deaths since 1993
March29, 2014
TheSupremeCourt of Indiaawardedacompensation of Rs.10 lakh each for thefamiliesof all themanual scavengers
whohavediedinsewerageworksince1993andalsocriminalizedenteringsewer lineswithout safetygear.
TheChief Justice P. Sathasivam benchstatedthat Sewer deathsenteringsewer lineswithout safetygear shouldbemade
acrimeeveninemergency situations.
Identify thefamiliesof all thepersonswhohavedied in sewerage work (manholes, septic tanks) since 1993and
award compensation of Rs.10 lakh for eachsuchdeathtothefamilymembers.
Orderedall thestategovernmentsandUnionTerritoriestofullyimplement legislationfor eradicatingmanual
scavengingandtakeactionagainst violators, whileissuingdirections for education, employment andrehabilitationof
affectedpeople.
Asper therelevant schemeof theCentral or stategovernments, thechildrenof manual scavengersshouldbeentitled
toscholarships.
Thepeoplewhowereemployedasscavengersbeallotedresidential plot or ready-built houseor financial assistance
for houseconstructionaccordingtotheir eligibility andwillingness,
At least onemember of their familyshall begiventraininginlivelihoodskill andbepaidmonthly stipend.
At least oneadult member shall begivensubsidy andconcessional loanfor takingupanalternativeoccupationon
sustainablebasis.
TheIndian Railways is the largest employer of manual scavengers. It should taketimeboundstrategytoend
manual scavengingonthetracksandpersonsreleasedfrommanual scavengingshouldnot havetocrosshurdlesto
receivewhat istheir legitimatedueunder thelaw.
Note: Manual scavengingisatermusedfor thepracticeof physically removinghumanexcrement fromdrytoiletswithbare
hands, broomsandmetal scrappers. About 95%of themanual scavengersaredalitswhocleantheso-callednight soil,
mostly fromthetoiletsof theupper castes.
Newly acquired IAF aircraft C-130J Super Hercules crashed near Gwalior
March29, 2014
Thenewly-acquiredUS-madeC-130J Super HerculesSpecial Operationstransport aircraft of theIndianAir Forcecrashed
near Gwalior. All thefivemembersof thecrewdiedintheincident.
Recently, IndiahasinductedsixC-130J Super Herculesaircraft, whichwerebought fromtheUSat thecost of aroundRs
6000crore(USD1.1billion) threeyearsago. Theper unit cost of theaircraft comestoaroundRs1,000crore
IAFs C-130J Super Hercules aircraft
AcquiredbyIndiain2010fromtheUS.
Usedinamajor showof stresngthagainst ChinawhenitstroopspitchedtentsinLadakhsDaulat BegOldiesector
in2013.
Maximumloadof 6palletsor 74littersor 16CDSbundlesor 92combat troopsor 64paratroopers, or acombination
of anyof theseuptothecargocompartment capacity or maximumallowableweight.
Poweredbyfour RollsRoyceAE2100engines andDowtysixbladedpropswhichprovidetheaircraft with
tremendouspower.
Canflyat analtitudeof 28,000feet (8,615meters) withthemaximumpayloadof 42,000pounds(19,090kilograms)
andhasatopspeedof 417mph/362ktas(Mach0.59).
Rangeat maximumnormal payloadis2,071miles(1,800nautical miles).
EquippedwithanInfraredDetectionSet (IDS) andanair-to-air receiver refuelingcapability for extendedrange
operations.
Couldperformprecisionlow-level flying, airdropsandlandinginblackout conditions.
Self-protectionsystemsandother featuresareincludedtoensureaircraft survivability inhostileair defenceenvironments.
Third Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) 2014
March28, 2014
TheNuclear Security Summit (NSS) 2014heldat The Hague, Netherlands. Inthethirdeditionof nuclear summit, 58world
leadersparticipatedtoenhancetheglobal nuclear security structure.
Objective: Toprevent nuclear terrorismbyreducingtheamount of dangerousnuclear material intheworld, improvingthe
securityof all nuclear material andradioactivesourcesandimprovinginternational cooperation.
Leadersof 35countriesviz. Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, J apan, Kazakhstan, Morocco, theNetherlands,
Philippines, UAE, theUnitedKingdom, theUnitedStatesof America,Vietnam, etc, agreedtoadopt theNuclear Security
Guidelines. Theseguidelineswill bindandengageIAEA teamstoassessthesecurity of nuclear materials.
Permit international expertstoevaluatetheir securityproceduresfor nuclear material. It guaranteesthat security will
beassessedonthebasisof international standardsandensurestheeffectivenessof themeasurestaken.
New guidelines of NSS 2014
Reducetheamount of dangerousnuclear material (highlyenricheduraniumandplutonium) intheworldthat
terroristscouldusetomakeanuclear weapon.
Improvethesecurityof radioactivematerial (includinglow-enricheduranium) that canbeusedtomakeadirty
bomb.
Improvetheinternational exchangeof informationandinternational cooperation.
Keepthequantitiesof nuclear material aslowaspossibleandtoreducethemwherepossible. Countriesthat use
highly enricheduraniumor plutoniumasfuel for power generationwill limit thequantityinvolvedasmuchastheycan.
Alsocoversother radioactivematerialsviz. low-enricheduranium, cobalt-60, strontium-90andcaesium-137. These
materialshaveuseful applicationsinhospitalsindustry, researchandcanalsobeusedwithordinaryexplosivestomakea
dirtybomb.
Note: Theleadersof thecountriesrefusedtoadopt theNuclear SecurityGuidelines, viz. China, Russia, Brazil, India,
Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Argentina, Thailand, SouthAfrica, Malaysia, Nigeria, Singapore, Egypt, Pakistan,
Azerbaijan, J ordanandGabon.
Indias spices export registered 41% increase in April-Dec 2013
March28, 2014
Asper thedatareleasedbytheSpices Board at Kochi, theIndiasspicesexport inrupeetermsregisteredanincreaseof
41%inthecurrent financial year (April-Dec 2013). Thetotal volumeof 1,93,625tonnes seedspicesvaluedatRs.1,906crore
hasbeenexportedagainst 1,09,067tonnesvaluedatRs.1,008croreinthepreviousyear.
Seedspicebasket hadregistered78%increaseinvolumeand89%invalue.
Cuminregisteredaprominent increaseof 89%involumeand83%invalue.
Mint andmint productsviz. mint oils, menthol andmenthol crystalstoppedtheitem-wiselist.
Value-addedproductsviz. spiceoils, oleoresins, etc, fetchedRs. 1,242crorebyexporting8,665tonnes.
Pepper andcardamom(small) markedanincreaseof 41%and23%respectively.
Note: Indianspicesexport isoncoursetotouch$3billionby2016-17.
Internet transition to speedier Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)
March28, 2014
TheInternet transitionfromthecurrent Internet Protocol IPv4 to the next-generation Internet protocol IPv6 isset to
speedupin2014aswebaddressesunder thesystemIPv4cometoanend. IPv6addressesarelonger andmorecomplexthan
thefamiliar 192.168.0.1-styleIPv4addresses.
Why the internet transition from IPv4 to IPv6 is taking place?
Withthegrowthof theInternet, thenumber of unusedIPv4addresseswill eventually runout soonbecauseeverydeviceviz.
computers, smartphones, gameconsoles, etc, that connectstotheInternet requiresanaddress. IPv4provides only4.3billion
addressesi.e. not enoughastheInternet continuestogrowexponentially. ThenewInternet addressingsystemInternet
Protocol version 6 (IPv6) isbeingdeployedtofulfill theneedfor moreInternet addresses.
Switchover from IPv4 to IPv6 will bring about many changes viz. NomoreNAT (NetworkAddressTranslation),
Auto-configuration, Nomoreprivateaddresscollisions, Better multicast routing, Simpler header format, Simplified,
moreefficient routing, Truequality of service(QoS), alsocalledflowlabeling, Built-inauthenticationandprivacy
support, Flexibleoptionsandextensions, Easier administration, etc.
About Internet protocol (IP)
A protocol bywhichdataissent fromonecomputer toanother ontheInternet.
Eachcomputer (knownasahost) ontheInternet hasat least oneIPaddressthat uniquely identifiesit fromall other
computersontheInternet.
Current versions of Internet Protocol (IP):IPv4andIPv6.
IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6)- Latest version of the Internet Protocol (IP)
Provides anidentificationandlocationsystemfor computersonnetworksandroutestrafficacrosstheInternet.
Address:128-bit longwritteninhexadecimal andseparatedbycolons.
Moreefficient andmoresecurethanIPv4.
Provides for trillionsof IP numbersor addresses.
Permit automatic setupandquality control.
IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version 4)
Fourthrevisionof theInternet Protocol (IP) usedtoidentify devicesonanetwork throughanaddressingsystem.
Operatesonabest effort deliverymodel, inthat it doesnot guaranteedelivery, nor doesit assureproper sequencing
or avoidanceof duplicatedelivery.
Usesa32-bit addressscheme.
Provides only4.3billionaddresses(i.e. not enoughastheInternet continuestogrowexponentially.
Universal Account Number (UAN)- will be provided by EPFO from Oct 2014
March28, 2014
TheEmployees Provident FundOrganization(EPFO) will providepermanent account numberstoits over fivecrore
subscribersfromOctober, 2014.
EPFOisastatutorybodyof theGovernment of Indiaunder theMinistryof Labour andEmployment. It administers
acompulsorycontributoryProvident FundScheme, PensionSchemeandanInsuranceScheme. (Headquarters: New
Delhi).
Permanent or Universal Account Number (UAN)
Purpose:Toprovidegreat relief tothoseworkersinorganizedsector whofrequently changejobs, particularly, inthe
constructionsector.
Will facilitatesubscriberstoavoidfilingProvident Fund(PF) account transfer claimsonchangingjobs.
Subscriber wouldnot beissuednewPF account number onjoiningnewemployer.
TheUAN wouldbeoneaccount number whichwouldbeallottedtoasubscriber for variousschemesrunbythe
EPFOfor hisor her entireserviceperiodwithdifferent employers.
Theroadmapfor implementingtheUAN programmewill bepreparedbyCentre for Development of Advanced
Computing (C-DAC).
Benefit:UAN will helptoreducetheworkloadof theEPFOtoagreat extent asit receives over 12lakhclaimsfor
transfer of PF account onchangingof jobsbyitssubscribers.
Note: TheC-DAC isthepremier researchanddevelopment organizationunder theUnionMinistryof Communications&
InformationTechnology for carryingout R&DinIT, Electronicsandassociatedareas
Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020-Launched by WHO-India to protect Vulnerable Rhinos
March28, 2014
WHO-Indialaunched Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020programmetoprotect andincreasethepopulationof the
one-hornedrhinoceros(Rhinocerosunicornis). IVR 2020isapartnershipamongtheGovernment of Assam, theInternational
RhinoFoundation, theWorldWideFundfor Nature, theBodolandTerritorial Council, andtheU.S. Fish&WorldWildlife
foundation.
Purpose:Toattainapopulationof 3,000wildone-hornedrhinosinsevenof Assamsprotectedareasbytheyear 2020.
Procedure to protect & increase the population of Rhinos
Thehornsof rhinoswill betrimmedbeforetheir translocationtoLaokhowa-Burachapori WildlifeSanctuaryin
Nagaondistrict of thestate.
Thetrimmingwill bedoneinawaythat anydamageisnot donetotheir internal organsandthetrimmedhornswill
growbacktotheir original shapewithinfour tofivemonths.
Thisactionof trimmingwill alsoprotect themfromthepoachers, whohunt themjust totakeawaytheir horns.
Note: RhinosarelistedasvulnerableontheIUCNRedlist of ThreatenedSpecies. Toachievethetargetednumber, the
programmeneedsanincreaseby600over theexistingpopulationavailableinthestateinnext 8years. It meansanannual
increaseof about 3%.
Jammu and Kashmir- First state to declare all Election booths as No Smoking Zones
March28, 2014
J ammuandKashmir becamethefirst stateinthecountrytodeclareall electionboothsintheLok Sabhapolls2014asno
smokingzones. It will bemandatoryfor all electionboothstodisplaythewarningNoSmokingArea Smokinghereisan
offence.
InreferencetoSection-4 of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibitionof Advertisement andRegulation
of TradeandCommerce, Production, Supply andDistribution) Act 2003that prohibitssmokingat all publicplaces, the
Chief Electoral Officer declaredall electionboothsasNo-SmokingZones.
Note: Thedirectionswereissuedinthebackdropof arequest madebytheJ&K Voluntary Health Association.
WHO declared South-East Asia region polio-free
March28, 2014
TheWorldHealthOrganization(WHO) declaredSouth-East Asia region as polio-free region.Thecertificationisbeing
hailedasahistoric milestoneintheglobal fight toeradicatethedeadlyvirus. It cameafter, whenWHO certified India
officially polio-free after the country went three years with no new cases of the illness.
Indiaembarkedontheprogrammetoeradicatepolio19yearsagoin1995, whenthediseaseusedtocripplemore
than50,000childreninthecountryeveryyear. SinceJ anuary2011, Indiahasbeenpoliofreenation.
Southeast Asiaisthefourthof sixWHOregionstoofficially eradicatethedisease, whichmeans80%of theworlds
populationnowlivesinapolio-freearea.
Other WHO Regions that are certified as polio-free:theRegionof theAmericas(1994), theWesternPacific
Region(2000) andtheEuropeanRegion(2002).
Though, thediseaseisstill endemic in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.
Sri Lanka, MaldivesandBhutanhavebeenfreeof thevirusfor morethan15years.
Member states in the WHOs Southeast Asia Region:Bangladesh, Bhutan, SouthKorea, India,Indonesia,
Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, ThailandandTimor-Leste.
Thepolio-freetagdoesnot meantheendof poliovaccination. Now, nationswill havetoworktowardsintroducing
theinjectablepoliovaccineandtheeventual phasingout of oral poliovaccines.Thesecountrieswill introduceadoseof
IPV bytheendof 2015aspart of their commitment totheglobal polioendgameplanwhichaimstoensureapolio-free
worldby2018.
Note: Polio- aviral diseasethat mainly affectschildrenunder fiveyearsold. Thevirusistransmittedthroughcontaminated
foodandwater, andmultipliesintheintestine. It cantheninvadethenervoussystem, causingparalysisinoneinevery200
infections.
Scientists discovered how to avoid a speeding ticket
March27, 2014
TheresearchersfromUniversity of Leicester foundthat thedriverscouldescapedetectionbydrivingsofastthat their
number plateswouldappear invisibletospeedcameras.
Thecar wouldneedtobetravellingat about 192millionkm/ hr tomakethenumber plateinvisible.
Thisspeed equates to one sixth of the speed of light and no man-made vehicle is capable of going anywhere
near this speed.
Thefastest man-madeobject theHelios Probe isonlycapableof travellingatonefivethousandthof thespeedof
light.
Mechanism to avoid a speeding ticket
ThecalculationsarebasedontheDoppler Effect thephysical effect wherethefrequencies of light or soundwaves
emanatingfromanobject increaseor decreasewhenit movestowardsor awayfromus.
Withlight, thisprocesscreatesredshift wherethefrequency of light fromanobject travellingawayfromthe
observer isshiftedtowardstheredendof thecolour spectrum.
Thefaster anobject istravelling, thebigger theshift infrequency.
It wouldtheoreticallybepossiblefor thelight fromafast-movingcar number platetobeshiftedout of thefrequency
rangewhichspeedcamerasareabletodetect.
Assumption:Thecamerawouldbeabletodetect asimilar frequencyrangeasthehumaneye roughly 400terahertz
at thered endof thespectrumto790terahertz attheviolet end.
Generally, Car number platesareyellow( frequency of around515terahertz).
Towork out thenecessaryspeedof thecar for thenumber platetobeshifted past the400terahertz boundaryof the
visiblespectrum, theresearchersutilizedtheequationusedbyastronomerstocalculatehowfaststarsaretravellingaway
fromtheEarth.
Theyfoundthecar wouldneedtobetravelingat 53millionm/sec equal toonesixthof thespeedof light.
Note: ThestudypublishedintheJ ournal of PhysicsSpecial Topics.
Kolkata- Worlds 7th most riskiest city
March27, 2014
Asper theWorlds Riskiest Cities 2014 report, Kolkata emergedastheworlds7thmost riskycity, theonlyentryfrom
India, whenit comestobeingunder threat fromall typesof natural disasters.
Excerpts of the Worlds Riskiest Cities 2014 report
BasedonSwiss Res risk modelling expertise andthelatest hazardinformation.
Focus:Onthemost severenatural disastersconfronting616of theworldslargest urbanareasandassessesthe
potential impact theyhaveonlocal residentsandthewider economy.
Most risky city in the world for all types of natural disasters:Tokyo.
Manilla thesecondriskiest cityfollowedbythePearl River DeltainChina, Osaka, J akarta, Nagoya, Kolkata,
Shanghai, LosAngelesandTehran.
Stormsendanger mostly urbanareasonthecoast. Thedanger of windstormsismost acuteinthemetropolitanareas
of easternAsia.
Acrossthe616citiesassessed, river floodingposesathreat toover 379millionresidents. Over 283million
inhabitantscouldpotentially beaffectedbyearthquakesand157millionpeopleareat risk fromstrongwinds.
Winter storms in Europe:London(2.2million), Paris(1.1million), theRhine-Ruhr areainGermany (1.0million)
andAmsterdam- Rotterdam(0.9million) areattopfour spots.
For thefirst time in human history more people live in cities than in rural areas. TheUnitedNations expects68%of the
worldspopulationtobelivinginurbanareasby2050.
BofA-ML pricks poll bubble: Indias growth depends on global cycle
March27, 2014
Asper theAmericanbrokerageBank of America-Merrill Lynch (BofA-ML) report titled, Will markets be third time
lucky? Three big ifs: Polls, the El Nino, and the dollar,theglobal economiccycledrives growthfar morethanwhorules
inIndia.
Excerpts of report Will markets be third time lucky? Three big ifs: Polls, the El Nino, and the dollar
TheBJ PledNDA hasafightingchanceinaround425seatsout of the543seats.
OnBihar, theentryof LJ PinNDA foldisparticularly sweet for BJ PsinceLJ Pwaspart of theNDA in2002beforeit
left thealliance.
Inboththepast twoLok SabhaElections(2004& 2009), themarket behavedirrationally: in2004it lost 15.9%
evenasgrowthwaspickingupandin2009it rallied15%ontheresult dayjust beforegrowthbegantofall.
Onboththeoccasions, themarket didnot get thepoll outcomescorrectly.
TheIndian market should look more at the global economic cycle and its impact on growth than who rules in
India after Lok SabhaElections2014.
Warnedthat after talkingtoover 20equity andfixedincomeinvestorsinSingapore, theforexmarket playerswould
beplayingit safeandsquareoff their positionsbeforethepolls.
Thereal test for theinvestorswill beimpact of thethreebigifsfacingthecountry-thepolls, theEl NinoandtheUS
dollar.
Note: BofA-MListhecorporateandinvestment bankingdivisionof Bank of America. (Headquarters:NewYork, United
States& Founded: J anuary1, 2009).
WHO: Air pollution top environmental health risk
March27, 2014
Asper thenewestimateof WorldHealthOrganization(WHO), Air pollutionistheworldssinglelargest environmental
healthriskthat caused7milliondeathsin2012, 80%of whichwerefromheart attacksandstroke.
Excerpts of the UN health agency World Health Organization (WHO) report
Air pollutionrangesfromcookingfirestoautofumes.
Biggest pollution-related killers:heart disease, stroke, pulmonarydiseaseandlungcancer.
Hardest-hit regions:SoutheastAsiaviz. India andIndonesia, andtheWesternPacific, rangingfromChinaand
SouthKoreatoJ apanandthePhilippines.
Indoor air pollution:Theglobal deathtoll is4.3milliondeaths, causedbycookingover coal, woodandbiomass
stoves.
Outdoor pollution: Theglobal deathtoll is3.7million, withsourcesrangingfromcoal heatingfirestodiesel engines.
Outdoor air pollutioncausedbycar exhausts, power stations, emissionsfromagricultureandindustry, heatingin
peopleshomes(Group1carcinogenic, acancer causingagent inthesamecategoryastobaccosmoke, UV radiationand
plutonium).
Note: Its first time, WHOhasdirectedalink betweenair pollutionandheart disease, respiratoryproblems andcancer. The
latest figuresof 2012aremorethandoubles fromthepreviousestimatesof deathscausedbyair pollutionin2008.
25th Arab summit 2014: Rejected Israel as Jewish state
March27, 2014
TheArabSummit refusedtorecognizeIsrael asaJ ewishstateandcondemnedtheIsraeli illegal settlementsestablishedon
thePalestinianterritories.
Highlights of 25th Arab Summit 2014
Took placeinKuwait city, Kuwait.
Spokeout against theIsraelscontinuedsettlement activitiesandattemptstoJ udaiseJ erusalemanditsviolations
againstAl-AqsaMosqueasvoidandcontrary tointernational law.
StressedontheArabs support to the Palestinian struggle andcalledontheUN SecurityCouncil toshoulder its
responsibilities towardsthePalestiniancause.
Tointensifyall effortstoestablishanindependent Palestinianstatewithitscapital inEast J erusalemandinvitedthe
UN SecurityCouncil totakethenecessarystepstoresolvetheArab-Israeli conflict andendtheIsraeli occupationof the
Palestinianterritories andholdit responsiblefor thepeaceprocess failure.
StressedonArabsolidaritywiththeSyrianpeopleandtheir legitimatedemandstoliveinastatebasedonfreedom
andequality.
Invitedtheinternational communitytoput anendtothewar inSyriaandeliminatethesufferingof theSyrian
people.
About Arab League
Regional organizationof ArabcountriesinandaroundNorthAfrica, theHornof Africa, andSouthwestAsia.
Official language:Arabic.
Administrative center:Cairo.
Represents21statesandabout 350millionpeople.
Objective:todrawcloser therelationsbetweenmemberStatesandco-ordinatecollaborationbetweenthem, to
safeguardtheir independenceandsovereignty, andtoconsider inageneral waytheaffairsandinterestsof theArab
countries.
Soon, Kotak Mahindra Bank link current accounts to Twitter
March27, 2014
Theprivatelender bank, Kotak Mahindra launchedanewcurrent account product that will enabletheaccount holdersto
undertake21servicesviz. chequebook requisitioning, checkinglast fewtransactions, etc, andusingtheir Twitter accounts.
For theactivity of listedservice, thebank customershavetousethededicatedhashtags(#).
Theaccount christenedJifi, alsoinvolvesahost of loyalty-basedrewardpointsaccruedfrommerchant
transactionscarriedout usingtheaccount, referralsmadeandsharingandcommenting of tweets/updates.
Therewardpoints, classifiedastransactional andsocial, canberedeemedfor discountswithselect onlinemerchants
or alsotransferedtofriends.
Theaccount canbeopenedbyaself-inviteeither viaFacebook or ane-mail, thebank said, addingthat existingaccount
holderscanalsoget anewaccount opened.
Note: Thebank hasintegratedall their systems withtheir corebankingsoftwareandcanseamlessly throwuptherequired
result intotheaccount holdersTwitter handleasadirect message.
RBI simplified foreign portfolio investment norms
March27, 2014
TheReserveBank of India(RBI) simplifiedforeignportfolioinvestment normsbyputtinginplace an easier registration
process and operating framework toattract inflows.
Theportfolioinvestor registeredinreferencetoSEBI guidelinesisknownbyRegistered Foreign Portfolio Investor
(RFPI).
Registered Foreign Portfolio Investor (RFPI)
Purchaseandsell sharesandconvertibledebenturesof Indiancompaniesthrougharegisteredbroker onrecognized
stock exchangesinIndiaaswell aspurchasesharesandconvertibledebentures, whichareofferedtopublic intermsof
relevant SEBI guidelines, it said.
Alsoacquiresharesor convertibledebenturesinanybidfor, or acquisitionof, securitiesinresponsetoanoffer for
disinvestment of sharesmadebytheCentral Government or anyStategovernment.
Wouldbeeligibletoinvest ingovernment securities andcorporatedebt, subject tolimitsspecifiedbytheRBI and
SEBI fromtimetotime.
All investmentsmadebythat FII/QFI inlinewiththeregulationsprior toregistrationasRFPI shall continuetobe
validandtakenintoaccount for computationof aggregatelimit.
Might offer cash or foreign sovereign securities with AAArating or corporate bonds or domestic government
securities, ascollateral totherecognizedstock exchangesfor their transactionsincashaswell asderivativesegment of
themarket.
Note: Theexistingportfolioinvestor classviz. Foreign Institutional Investor (FII) and Qualified Foreign Investor (QFI)
registeredwithSEBI includedunder RFPI.
Historic MS-DOS and Word for Windows source code available to the public
March27, 2014
Thesoftwaregiant, Microsoft releasedthesourcecodesof MS-DOSandWordfor Windowsincollaborationwiththe
Computer History Museum (CHM) inSiliconValley. ThesourcecodefromMS DOS 1.1 and 2.0, aswell asMicrosoft
Word for Windows 1.1a, ismadepublicunder anon-commercial licensethat forbidsre-publicationelsewhereontheWeb.
Purpose:Tounderstandhowsoftwarehasevolvedfromprimitiverootstobecomeacrucial part of our civilization.
Theseimportant piecesof sourcecodeandhistorywill bepreservedandmadeavailable to the community for
historical and technical scholarship.
Userscandownloadthecodefor MS-DOSandWordfor WindowsfromCHMHistorical sourcecodeseries.
MS-DOSsecuredMicrosoftsmonopoly of thePCmarket for morethan20yearsandthemassivesuccessof Word
for WindowswouldgoontocultivateMicrosoftsOfficesuite, whichhasgeneratedhundredsof billions of dollarsfor
thecompany.
BothMS-DOS1.1and2.0arewritteninAssembly Language (ASM) andtheMicrosoft Wordfor Windows 1.1ais
writteninC language.
Thesesourcecodeswill behelpful for theproject workof university. Wecanhack thecodeandthenloadit upina
Windowsemulator but cant redistributeit.
About the Computer History Museum
Headquarters: MountainView, California.
Non-profit organization:Theworldsleadinginstitutionexploringthehistoryof computinganditsongoingimpact
onsociety.
Dedicatedtothepreservationandcelebrationof computer historyandishometothelargest international collection
of computingartifactsintheworld, encompassingcomputer hardware, software, documentation, ephemera, photographs
andmovingimages.
Note: Thesourcecodesareavailablefor educational andnon-commercial purposesonly.
Japanese architect Mr. Shigeru Ban won the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2014
March27, 2014
TheJ apanesearchitecture, Mr. Shigeru Ban (56) wonthePritzker ArchitecturePrize2014for hisuniqueapproachinusing
materialsviz. paper tubes, bambooandshippingcontainers.
About Mr. Shigeru Ban
Knownfor his creative and inexpensive designs for disaster relief shelters.
Purpose:Tobuildaninexpensiveandeasy-to-construct-and- dismantlestructures.
Designedarangeof buildingstohelpvictimsof natural disastersandrefugees inplacesviz. Rwanda, Turkey, India,
China, Haiti,J apan, etc.
Usescardboardtubestomaketemporaryhousingindisaster zones.
Notable work:theseven-storiedwoodenoffice-buildinginZurich, andthechurchmadeof cardboardtubesand
colour glassesinChristchurch, NewZealand.
Pritzker Architecture Prize
Establish: 1979.
Awarded for:A career of achievement intheart of architecture.
Sponsor:Hyatt Foundation.
Prize:$100,000, acitationandabronzemedallion.
Note:Mr. BanwouldbetheseventhJ apanesearchitect toreceivetheprizewhenit isgivenawayonJ une13, 2014in
Amsterdam
Malaysia Airlines MH370 incident
March26, 2014
TheMalaysia Airlines flight MH370disappearedfromair trafficcontrol screensoff Malaysiaseast coastearly onMarch8,
asit flewfromKualaLumpur toBeijingwith239peopleonboard.
Asper therecent analysisof satellitedata, Inmarsat andUK Air AccidentsInvestigationBranch(AAIB) haveconcludedthat
flight MH370endedinthesouthern Indian Ocean. Thesearchfor missingMalaysiaAirlinesflight MH370hasresumed
after weather conditionsinthesouthernIndianOceanimproved.
About Malaysia Airlines MH370 Flight Incident
Flight MH370toBeijingtook off fromKualaLumpur.
It divertedfromitsplannedflight pathandcontact betweentheplaneandgroundcontrollersceasedlessthananhour
after take-off; nodistresssignal or messagewassent.
After thelast contact withair trafficcontrollers, all on-boardcommunicationsceasedwhentheplanestransponder
wasswitchedoff.
Planesmovementspickedupbydifferent countries militaryradar andsatellitesafter this, providingincomplete
informationabout itscourse.
NodebrisfromtheBoeing777-200ER hasbeenrecovereddespiteaninternational searchinvolvingthenavies and
air forcesof several Asiannationsaswell astheUnitedStates.
Manycountriesviz.
A multinational searcheffort hasfocusedonseassome2,500kmtothesouthwest of theAustraliancityof Perth.
Now, sophisticatedanalysisof satellitedatahasnarroweddownthesearcharea but thisisstill avast areaof the
IndianOcean.
Sixcountriesviz. Australia, NewZealand, theUS, J apan, ChinaandSouthKorea aresendingaircraft or shipsto
thesearcharea.
Thereasonsfor thelossof theflight remainamystery.
Nirbheek- Indias first gun for women
March26, 2014
A 6-shot cylinder revolver, Nirbheek istheIndiasfirst gunfor womentodefendthemselves. This0.32borelight weight
revolver isdesignedandmanufacturedtogivetributetoDecember 2012gang-rapevictimNirbhaya.
About Indias handgun for women Nirbheek
Manufacturer:OrdnanceFactoriesBoard, Kanpur.
Unit cost:Rs.122,360.00
Feed system:6-shot Cylinder.
Weight:525g.
Length:177.8mm.
Uses.32 caliber bullets withaneffectivefirerangeof 50ft.
Hasatitanium-alloy bodyandwoodenhandle.
DesignedbyarmsexpertsasanIndianhybridof aWebley & Scott andSmith&Wesson.
Bank of India (BoI) launched Instant Money Transfer (IMT) scheme
March26, 2014
TheBank of India(BoI) launchedanInstant Money Transfer (IMT) schemeandbecamethefirst state-runlender toallow
withdrawal of fundstoindividualsfromitsATMswithout anaccount inthebank. Inother words, theIMT schemeallows
customers to withdraw cash without using either debt card or credit card at BoIsIMT-enabledATMs.
Mechanism of Instant Money Transfer (IMT) scheme
Initiation by Sender for IMT: Byprovidingreceiversmobilenumber, four digitssender code, theIMT amount
andauthorisesthetransactionfromeither banksATMor banksinternet banking.
Thesender provides receiversname, addressandmobilenumber tothebank either onSMSor Internet banking.
Thereceiver receives thenotificationof IMT onhismobilephone, alongwithafour-digit SMS Pin.
Thesender separately communicates thefour-digit sender code to the receiver.
After gettingthesetwopiecesof information, onefromthesender andtheother onSMS, thereceiver walksintothe
banksnearest IMT-enabledATMandwithdraws cash by punching in the mobile number, sender code, and SMS
Pin.
Thereceiver wouldreceivespartial details for cashwithdrawal onhis/ her mobilephoneandpartial detailsby
customer.
Thesender will be charged of IMT fee of Rs 25 for every IMT transaction, heor sheissuestoareceiver or
beneficiary.
Monthly withdrawal limit prescribed for IMT transaction:Rs.25,000for receiver, andper transactionlimit of
Rs.10,000.
Instant Money Transfer (IMT)
Aninnovativedomesticmoneyremittancefacility.
Purpose:Toextendtheservices acrossbanksbranches, sothat theIMT sent fromtheaccount-holder of onebank,
canbewithdrawnfromother bankATM.
Allowsthecustomer tosendmoneytoareceiver onlybyusingthereceiversmobilenumber throughthebanks
ATMandretail internet bankingfacility.
Thereceiver canwithdrawmoneyfromaBank of IndiasATMwithout usingacard.
Thefacility canbeinitiatedbythebanks customer over banks ATM and retail Internet banking.
Canalsobecancelledbythesender beforeitsexpiryandwithdrawal.
Fromthedateof issue, valid for 14 days only. After 14daysthetransactionexpiresandthesender iscreditedback
withtheIMT amount.
Deadly Ebola Virus detected in Guinea
March26, 2014
Thedeadly Ebola virus detectedinthesamplesof aviral hemorrhagic fever that haskilledmorethan50peopleintheWest
African nation of Guinea markedthefirst ever humanoutbreak of thediseaseinthecountry. Therearefearsthat thevirus
mayhavebeenspreadacrosstheborder intoSierraLeone. UNICEF hasset upDoctorswithout BordersinGueckedoutotry
tostopthediseasefromspreading.
At present, Guineaisalsograpplingwithepidemicsof measles, choleraandmeningitis.
Andanoutbreak of deadly epidemic Ebolacanbedevastatingfor thecountry, astheyhaveweakmedical infrastructure.
About deadly Ebola virus (EBOV)
Order:Mononegavirales.
Family:Filoviridae.
Genus:Ebolavirus.
Causesanextremely severediseaseinhumansandinnonhumanprimates intheformof viral hemorrhagic fever.
Ebolahaemorrhagic fever (EHF) isaviral haemorrhagic fever andoneof themost virulent viral diseasesknownto
humankind.
Distinct strains of the Ebola virus:Bundibugyo, IvoryCoast, Reston, SudanandZaire.
Transmissiontohumanscancomefromwildanimalsor fromdirect contact frominfectedhumanblood, fecesor
sweat, or bysexual contact andtheunprotectedhandlingof contaminatedcorpses.
Signs and symptoms:Severefever andmusclepain, weakness, vomitinganddiarrhea. Then, organsshut down,
causingunstoppablebleeding.
Betweentwo and 21 days after becoming infected, patientsbegintofeel weak andexperienceheadaches, muscle
achesandchills. Theylosetheir appetiteandfeel lethargic, sufferingfromstomachcramps, diarrheaandnausea. A
so-calledhemorrhagicfever setsin, accompaniedbysevereinternal bleeding. Thisconditionaffectsthegastrointestinal
tract, spleenandlungs, eventually leadingtothedeath.
Thevirusiscalleda molecular shark inhealthpublications.
AccordingtotheWorldHealthOrganization, thedeadly fever hasafatalityrateof upto90%.
No cure or vaccine for the virus.
OccursmostlyinremotevillagesinCentral and West Africa, near tropical rain forests.
Note: Theonlywaytolimit thepossibility of infectionandanepidemic of thisdeadly diseaseistotakepreventative
measures. Theseincludeestablishinghygienepractices inhospitals, wearingprotectivelatexglovesandhavingadequate
quarantinemeasures inplace.
Ukraine crisis 2014: G8 Summit in Russia cancelled
March26, 2014
TheUSandtopeconomicpowershavecancelledtheG8Summit tobuildpressureonRussiaagainst itsmilitaryactionin
Ukraine.
Theleadersof Canada, France, Germany, Italy, J apan, theUnitedKingdom, theUS, thePresident of theEuropeanCouncil
andthePresident of theEuropeanCommissiontook thedecisioninTheHaguethat theG8Summit scheduledinSochi in
June, 2014 wouldbereplacedbya G7 meeting in Brussels, without Russianinvolvement.
TheG-7countriesstatedthat theywill suspendtheir participationintheG-8until Russiachangescourseandthe
environment comesbacktowheretheG-8isabletohaveameaningful discussion.
Note:RussiawasaddedtotheG7clubof theUS, J apan, Germany, Italy, France, CanadaandBritainin1999asarewardfor
choosingthepathof democracy after thecollapseof Communism.
Mr. Govind Mishra selected for Saraswati Samman 2013
March26, 2014
TherenownedHindi author, Mr. Govind Mishra will receiveSarawasti Samman2013for hisbook Dhool Paudho Par
publishedin2008. TheawardwouldmakeMr. Mishra thesecondHindi author toreceivethehonour after notedIndianpoet
Mr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan.
About Saraswati Samman
Establish:1991bytheK. K. BirlaFoundation.
Cash Price:Rs10lakh, acitationandaplaque.
Annual awardfor outstandingproseor poetry literaryworksinanyIndianlanguagelistedinScheduleVIII of the
Constitutionof India.
Note: In1991, Mr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan becamethefirst Hindi author toreceivethe Saraswati Sammanfor his
autobiography infour volumes.
MoD got EC nod for appointment of new Navy chief
March25, 2014
TheElectionCommissiongaveitsnodtotheMinistry of Defense(MoD) for theappointment of thenewNavy chief. The
permissionwassought bytheMoDinviewof theModel Codeof Conduct inforcefor theLok Sabhaelections.
Selection process of Indian Naval Chief:TheDefenseMinistryshortlistsalist of at least threecandidates. The
AppointmentsCommitteeof Cabinet (ACC) headedbythePrimeMinister will select themost suitableperson. Other
membersof theACC: DefenseMinister andMinister of Department of Personnel.
Note: TheIndian Naval Chief Admiral DK Joshistenurewouldhavenormally endedin2015, but heresignedinthewake
of submarineINSSindhuratnaaccident onFebruary, 2014. ViceAdmiral RK Dhowan took over astheActingChief till
regular Naval Chief isappointed.
SC directed Centre to withdraw all orders making Aadhar mandatory for any service
March25, 2014
TheSupreme Court of India hasdirectedtheUnionGovernment towithdraw all orders that makes the Aadhaar card
mandatory for availing any service and alsodirectedtheUniqueIdentificationAuthority of India(UIDAI) not toshare
anyinformationpertainingtoanAadhaar cardholder withanygovernment agencywithout theprior permissionof thecard
holder.
Theapexcourt statedthat theproject not onlyviolatestheright toprivacy but thebiometrics, whichisthe
foundationof theproject, isanunreliableanduntestedtechnology.
Note: TheJ usticeBSChauhanbenchgavetheir rulingonthepetitionsthat challengedtheConstitutional validity of Aadhaar
cardwiththoseopposingthemegaproject sayingit wasnot backedbyanystatuteandcompromiseswithnational security.
Study: Cosmic inflation no longer theory
March25, 2014
ThescientistsfromtheBackground Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization 2 (BICEP2 )foundout theprimordial
gravitational waves, thefirst direct evidenceof cosmic inflation theory. Thedatarepresent thefirst imagesof gravitational
waves, or ripplesinspace-time. Thesewaveshavebeendescribedasthefirst tremorsof theBigBang. Thedatahighlights
adeepconnectionbetweenquantummechanicsandgeneral relativity.
Purpose: Tofindaresidual marker for inflation theideathat thecosmosexperiencedanexponential growthspurt inits
first trillionth, of atrillionthof atrillionthof asecond.
About theBICEP2 study on cosmic inflation
Experimental Location:South Poles dry atmosphere(oneof thedriest andclearest locationsonEarth, perfect for
observingthefaint microwaves fromtheBigBang).
Studiedthe13.5 billion-year old residual energy of theBigBangcalledtheCosmic MicrowaveBackground
(CMB).
Purpose:Todetect gravitational waves, asthesewavesareof purelygravitational energycapableof stretchingor
squeezingthespace-timecontinuum.
Gravitational wavessqueezespaceasthey travel, andthissqueezingproducesadistinct patterninthecosmic
microwavebackground. Gravitational waveshaveahandedness, muchlikelight waves, andcanhaveleft- and
right-handedpolarizations.
DetectedaB-modepolarizationsignal i.e. considerablystronger thanmanycosmologistsexpected.
Theswirly B-mode pattern isauniquesignatureof gravitational wavesbecauseof their handedness. Thisisthefirst
direct imageof gravitational wavesacrosstheprimordial sky.
Scientistsanalyzedtheir datafor morethanthreeyearsinaneffort toruleout anyerrors. They alsoconsidered
whether dust inour galaxy couldproducetheobservedpattern, but thedatasuggest thisishighly unlikely.
Outcome:Thestudyopenedthedoor for physiciststoexploreaunifiedtheory of natureinnewlight.
Inother words, intheory, thisswirling polarization pattern couldonlybecreatedfromgravitational waves. Andthat is
what BICEP2found.
Key terms:
Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB):A fieldof microwaveradiationthat permeatestheuniverse. It consistsof
electric (E) andmagnetic (B) fields, calledmodes.
B-mode:A twistingor curl patterninthepolarizedorientationsof theancient light
Cosmic inflation:Theexpansionof spaceintheearlyuniverseat aratemuchfaster thanthespeedof light.
Cosmic inflationindicatesthat theuniverseexpandedat manytimesthespeedof light afractionof asecondjust
after theBigBang. Thesenewly-discoveredgravitational wavesareripplesinspace-timeburieddeepinthecosmic
microwavebackgroundradiation, ancient light that permeatedtheknownuniverse380,000yearsafter theuniversecame
intoexistence.
Note:BICEP2isfundedbytheNational ScienceFoundation(NSF). NSF alsorunstheSouthPoleStationwhereBICEP2
andtheother telescopesusedinthisworkarelocated.
Aditya Puri committee recommendation: Give customers a free copy of credit profile
March25, 2014
Asper theAdityaPuri committeerecommendations, customersshouldbegivenafreecopyof their credit profileasit would
helpinpromotingfinancial disciplineamongloanseekers.
Excerpts of the recommendations made by Puri committee
HeadedbyAditya Puri (Chairman of HDFC Bank).
Recently submittedreport of theCommittee to recommend Data Format for Furnishing of Credit Information
to Credit Information Companies (CICs) toRBI.
Onissuesrelatingtocredit information viz. increasingitscoverage, format of reportsandbest practicestobe
followedbycredit institutions, Credit InformationCompanies(CICs) andtheRBI.
Providecustomerswithafreecopyof their Credit InformationReports(CIRs) that wouldhelptocreateawareness
about theneedtohavecredit discipline, enablecustomerstocorrect their behaviour andimprovetheir scorewell before
theyplantoavail freshcredit of anykind.
Helptodetect identity theft at anearlystage.
Lowusageof credit informationbymember institutionsandother specifiedusersneedstobeaddressedbyrequiring
CICstopopulatetheir databaseswithrequisitecredit informationsothat enquiries byspecifiedusersyielddesired
information
Reducetheinformationasymmetrybetweenlendersandborrowersand providesafilliptothegrowthof credit
especially amongthedisadvantagedsectionsof society.
Usecommondataformatsandacommondataqualityindexthat couldassist credit institutionsindeterminingthe
gapsindata.
CICsshouldhaveacommonclassificationof credit scoressotheyareeasier tounderstandandinterpret.
Stuart Oliver won first edition of Tata T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship
March25, 2014
TheBritishracer, Mr. Stuart Oliver wontheTata T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship (Indiasfirst truckracing
championship) at theBuddhaInternational Circuit, Greater Noida. Mr. Oliver representedCastrol Vecton team intherace
andtook 30:26.848minutestocomplete15lapsof the2.5kmlooponthe5.1km-longtrack.
About T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship
Two races:a5-lapSprint Raceanda15-lapMainRace.
ChampionAwardgrantedtothewinningdriver onthebasisoncombinedpointsfromboththeraces.
TheTeamChampionshipwasawardedonthebasisof thecombinedscoresof thetwodriversof therespectiveteams
fromboththeraces.
Theseriesused12heavily-modifiedTataPrimatruckshaving370horsepower andreachingatopspeedof 110
km/hr.
Top three winners:Stuart Oliver (Castrol) , MathewSummerfield(Cummins) and DaveJ enkins(Tata
Technologies).
Lal Bahadur Shastri: Lessons in Leadership- Anil Shastris book launched by Dalai Lama
March25, 2014
TheTibetianspiritual leader Dalai Lama launchedabook onthelifeof Former PrimeMinister Lal Bahadur Shastri inNew
Delhi. Thebook titledLal Bahadur Shastri: Lessons in Leadership isabiographical account co-authoredbyformer
PMssonAnil Shastri andcolumnist PavanChoudhary.
Lal Bahadur Shastri wasthesecondPrimeMinister of theRepublic of Indiaandaleader of theIndianNational
Congressparty. Heledhislifewithgreat simplicityandhonesty andwasagreat sourceof inspirationfor all the
countrymen.
About the book Lal Bahadur Shastri: Lessons in Leadership
Highlightstherichvaluesandprinciplesof Former PM Lal Bahadur Shastri whichmayhavemoral lessonsfor
masses.
Andalsohisexemplaryleadershipthat helpedthenationtoovercomechallengesviz. theacutefoodshortage, social
unrest, hostileneighbors, etc.
Containsanaccount of howFormer PM Lal Bahadur Shastri handledquestionsof governanceandpoliticsevenas
hedealt withcrisesviz. the1965war withPakistan.
Note: ThesloganJai Jawan, Jai Kisan (Honor theSoldier, Honor theFarmer) wasgivenbyour honorablePMLal
Bahadur Shastri.
Kirti Chakra gallantry awards 2014
March25, 2014
ThePresident of India, Mr. PranabMukherjeepresentedgallantry awardstodefensepersonnel for their distinguished
servicesat Rashtrapati BhavaninNewDelhi.
Kirti Chakra awards: Lt Commander AbhilashTomy, Major MaheshKumar andWing Commander Darryl Castelino.
Wing Commander Darryl Castelino: Awardedposthumously for hisroleinoperationRahat inUttarakhandwhere
hischopper crashedwith20personnel onboardafter hehadhelpedinrescuinglivesof morethan80people.
Major Mahesh Kumar (Punjab Regiment):Awardedfor hisgallant actsincounter-insurgency operationsin
J ammuandKashmir wherehekilled4terroristsinthreeseparateincidents.
Caption Abhilash Tomy:Awardedfor completingworldvoyageonhissail shipnon-stopandwithout anyexternal
support in151days.
Param Vishist seva medals (15): Lt GenAshok Singhof Infantary, Air Marshal J aswinder SinghChauhanof Air Force
andViceAdmiral NiranjanKumar Nadella, etc.
Two Uttam Yudh seva medals and 10 Shaurya Chakra awards were also conferred to the defence personnel.
Note: Kirti Chakraisthesecond highest peace time gallantry award i.e. awardedfor valour, courageous actionor
self-sacrificeawayfromthefieldof battle.
RBI: Unclaimed bank money to be used for depositors education
March25, 2014
TheReserveBank of India(RBI) hasdecidedtoutilizeunclaimedbank depositsthat areestimatedat Rs. 3,650crorefor
educationandawarenessof depositors. Theapexbank hasannouncedtheDepositor Education and Awareness Fund
Scheme, 2014 for thispurpose.
What are unclaimed bank deposits that to be credited for fund?
TheamountstobecreditedtotheFundshall bethecredit balanceinanydeposit account maintainedwithbanks
whichhave not been operated upon for ten years or more, or anyamount remainingunclaimedfor tenyearsor more.
Deposit accountsviz. savingsbank deposit accounts, fixedor termdeposit accounts, recurringdeposit accountsand
current deposit accounts.
Anyamount payableinforeigncurrencyunder aninstrument or atransactionthat hasremainedunclaimedfor 10
yearsor more.
Incaseof demandfromacustomer or depositor whoseunclaimedamount/deposit hadbeentransferredtothefund,
banksshall repaythecustomer/depositor, alongwithinterest if applicable.
Note: RBI statedthat thefundwouldbeutilizedfor promotionof depositors interest byimpartingnecessary educationand
awarenessabout thebankingsector.
Environmentalist Ms. Almitra Patel
March24, 2014
Environmentalist Ms. AlmitraPatel isthemember of SupremeCourt Committeefor SolidWasteManagement of India. She
hasaverystrongtechnical backgroundandexperienceinseveral engineeringfields, goodpara-medical knowledgeandona
widevariety of pollution-relatedissues.
About Ms. Patels work in the field of environment & solid waste management practices
HonoraryTreeWardenfor Karnataka.
Founder Member of Swabhimana.
Fought asuccessful battleagainst poor solid waste management andfiledaPublic Interest Litigation(PIL) toforce
theUnionGovernment toput inplaceeffectivesolidwastemanagement rulesinthecountry.
Designedandsupervisedconstructionof 41low-cost homes, 22poultryshedsand2largeschool buildings.
Designedandbuilt agender-friendly low-cost toilet toprevent blockageof sewers.
Convener, INTACHWasteNetwork.
HonoraryAdvisor / supporter / mentor of numerousstudents, entrepreneurs, individualsandNGOsinthefieldsof
Environment, SolidWasteManagement andWasteWater Management.
Award(s):EconomicTimes Achiever of theYear for Environment inKarnataka, GoldenJ ubileeAwardfor
Environment fromBangaloreCityCorpn, KempegowdaAward-winner for Environment, etc.
Publications:VacuumConcrete, TrackDownYour InductionFurnaceLiningProblems, Strategies for Slum Free
cities: A DiscussionPaper, etc.
Note: Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules 2000 applytoeverymunicipal authority that would
beresponsiblefor thecollection, segregation, processing, transportationanddisposal of solidwaste.
GEAC revalidated 10-GM crops for field trails
March24, 2014
TheGenetic Engineering Approval Committee(GEAC) revalidatedthefieldtrialsfor 10varietiesof Genetically Modified
(GM) foodcropsviz. wheat, rice, maize, cotton, sorghum, etc.
Thepanel hasallowedmulti-national seedcompanies viz. Mahyco, BASF India and Monsanto India togoahead
withwider or phase-II fieldtrialsfor thesegenetically modifiedcrops.
Thecompanies desiringtogofor confinedfieldtrialswill havetoapprovedfirst bytherespectiveStategovernments
becauseagricultureisaStatesubject under Constitutional provision.
Revalidationof GM cropsvarieties wasrequiredduetothelapseof validityperiodonaccount of Stategovernments
not allowingfieldtrial.
TheGEAC hadgivenitsclearanceinthose10caseswaybackin2011and2012.
Functions of Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC)
Topermit theuseof GMOsandproductsthereof for commercial applications.
Toadopt producersfor restrictionor prohibition, production, sale, import & useof GMOsbothfor researchand
applicationsunder EPA.
Toapprovefor conduct of largescalefieldtrials, evaluationof largescalefieldtrial dataandfinal approval for
releaseof transgenic cropintotheenvironment.
Toauthorizelargescaleproductionandreleaseof GMOsandproductsthereof intotheenvironment.
Toauthorizeagenciesor personstohavepowerstotakepunitiveactionsunder theEPA.
Note: Thecommitteeunder thechairmanshipof additional secretaryintheMinistry of Environment andForests(MoEF) Mr.
HemPandedidnot takedecisiononanynewcasesinitsmeetingonFriday. It will meet againonApril 25, 2014totakea
call on70freshapplications.
Ukraine crisis2014: EU signed pact with Ukraine as crisis with Russia continues
March24, 2014
TheEuropeanUnionleaderssignedanagreement withUkraine, forgingcloser economic andpolitical ties, asthecrisiswith
Russiacontinues. TheEUAssociationAgreement withUkraineisdesignedtogivethecountrysinterimleadershipunder
PMArseniyYatsenyuk economic andpolitical support.
Key elements of the pact: tofoster corereformsandeconomic growth, co-operationinenergyandenvironment protection,
sustainabledevelopment, toenhanceforeignandsecurity policy, respect for humanrights, etc.
Govt. sold 9% stake in Axis Bank via SUUTI & raised Rs. 5500 crore
March24, 2014
TheCentral Government sold42.26millionshares or 9%of AxisBankssharecapital throughatrust fund, Specified
Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India (SUUTI), by a block deal inapricerangeof Rs.1,313-1,341per share.
Purpose: Togarner over Rs.5, 500crorethroughthesaleof 4.2croresharesor 9%stake.
TheSUUTI hold20.72%stakeinthebank, offloaded9%shareholdingthroughmultipleblock deals(i.e. largely
took placeontheBombayStock Exchange) andraisedaroundRs5,603crorebysellingAxisBank stakeat Rs1,334a
share.
After thisstakesale, SUUTI will havealock-inperiodof six-month, whichmeansSUUTI cant sell stakeinAxis
Bank for sixmonthsafter thisblock deal.
Bankers for the deal:J PMorgan, CitigroupGlobal MarketsandJ M Financial.
Block deal: A tradewithaminimumquantity of 5lakhsharesor minimumvalueof Rs.5croreexecutedthroughasingle
transactiononthisseparatewindowof thestock exchange.
Outcome of Axis Bank stake sale held through SUUTI
Thegovernment raisedRs.5,557crorei.e. nearly doublesthebudgetedamount of Rs3,000crore.
LIC hasemergedasthesinglelargest investor pickingupover 85lakhsharesfor anestimated1,116crore.
Other major buyersof thesharesviz. CitigroupGlobal MarketsMauritius, GoldmanSachsSingapore, etc.
ThestakesaleinAxisBank wasapart of divestment programmeof thegovernment inFY14. It issecond biggest
divestment in FY14 by government after IOC stakesaleonMarch14, 2014. Thegovernment garneredRs5,340croreby
selling5%stakeeachinIOC toONGC andOil Indiaat Rs220asharethroughoff-market transaction.
Note: Axis Bank isthethirdlargest privatesector bank of IndiainwhichGovernment of India holds 20.7 % share by
assets. Thesharesaleispart of thegovernmentscampaigntoraiserevenuesandmeet itsrevisedfiscal deficit target of 4.6
% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) inthefinancial year endingonMarch31, 2014.
RBI Deputy Governor KC Chakrabarty gave early resignation
March24, 2014
Dr. Kamalesh Chandra Chakrabarty (62), theDeputy Governor of RBI, resignedfromthepost against hisscheduled
termend, duetohispersonal reasons. HistermwasscheduledtoendonJ une30, 2014.
Mr. ChaktabartyisalsotheChairmanof theBharatiyaReserveBank NoteMudranandalsoheadstheAdvisory
Committeeof Collegeof Agricultural Banking(CAB).
About Mr. KC Chakrabarty
First RBI topofficial toquit beforeretirement inthelast twodecades.
AppointedasRBI DeputyGovernor for athree-year termonJ une15, 2009andwassubsequently givenatwo-year
extension. HisextendedtermwastocometoendonJune 15, 2014.
Knownfor hisstrongviewsonuseof Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) asatool for monetarymanagement, was
involvedinverbal duel last year withthethenSBI ChairmanPratipChaudhuri, whowanteditsabolition.
Current portfolio at RBI: SecretarysDepartment, Department of BankingSupervision, Financial Stability Unit,
HumanResourceManagement Department, RajbhashaDepartment, Department of CurrencyManagement, Deposit
InsuranceandCredit GuaranteeCorporation, Customer ServiceDepartment andtheRural PlanningandCredit
Department.
RBIsnominee on the Financial Stability Board. (FSB- aglobal bodyestablishedtodevelopandpromote
implementationof effectiveregulatory, supervisoryandother financial sector policies).
Previous jobs:WorkedinBank of Baroda, Chairmanof theIndianBank andthenPunjabNational Bank before
beingappointedasDeputyGovernor of RBI.
Gyan Correa bagged the Gollapudi Srinivas National Award 2013
March24, 2014
Thedebutant director of Gujarati movieThe Good Road, Mr. Gyan Correa hasbeenselectedfor the17thGollapudi
SrinivasNational Award2013. TheawardwouldbepresentedtothewinnersonAugust 12, 2014inChennai.
Gollapudi Srinivas National Award
Institutedinmemoryof lateGollapudi Srinivasa, whodiedwhiledirectinghisfirst filmPremaPustakam(Book of
Love) onAugust 12, 1992.
Cash Prize:Rs.1.50lakhandamemento.
Note: Gujarati movie The Good Roadisthefirst ever Gujarati filmselectedtorepresent IndiaattheOscarsandalso
wontheBest Gujarati filmawardat the60thNational FilmAward.
Indian Journalist Mr. Shubranshu Choudhary won Google Digital Activism Award 2014 for
regional news service
March24, 2014
IndianJ ournalist Mr. Shubhranshu Choudhary wontheGoogle Digital Activism Award 2014 inBarbicanCentrein
Londonfor hisworkinusingmobilephonestobringlocal newstoremoteIndianregionsintheir nativelanguagei.e. known
byCGNet Swara (Voice of Chhattisgarh).
CGNet Swara (Voice of Chhattisgarh)
A mobile-phoneservicethat allowsIndiancitizenstoreport onlocal issuesaswell aslistentoother reportsintheir
languageusingbasicor featurephones.
EmpowerstribalsinChhattisgarhandconnectsthemtotheworldoutsidebyusingvariousdigital means.
Voice-basedportal freelyaccessibleviamobilephone.
Launchedaspart of theKnight International Journalism Fellowships, aprogrammeof theInternational Centre
for J ournalists.
About Mr. Choudhary
A Knight International J ournalismFellow.
Foundedahyper local mobilenewsplatformCGNet Swara in2004inChhattisgarhstate.
Previously, workedwithBBC andGuardianandwasalsoareporter at theHindi-daily Deshbandhu.
Note: TheGoogleDigital ActivismAwardisapart of theIndexFreedomof ExpressionAwards, organizedby
London-based international organisation Index on Censorship, recognisesthebravest journalists, artistsandactivists
fromaroundtheworldinfour diversecategories: advocacy, arts, digital activismandjournalism.
G D Birla award for scientific research 2013: Physicist Prof. Rajesh Gopakumar
March24, 2014
Physicist Prof. Rajesh Gopakumar (46) tobehonouredwith23rd G D Birla award for scientific research for 2013. At
present, Mr. Gopakumar workingasatheoritical physicist at HarishChandraResearchInstitute, Allahabadandhasmade
important contributionsontopicsinquantum field theory and string theory.
About G D Birla award for scientific research
Established:1991K K BirlaFoundationtorecognisesignificant scientific researchundertakenbyIndianscientists
belowtheageof 50, workinginIndia.
Cash Prize:Rs. 1.5lakhandacitation.
Tata Power And Wipro Emerged As Most Ethical Companies in India
March24, 2014
As per the study of Ethisphere Institute (USA), Wipro Limited andTata Power Company emergedastheonlyIndian
entitiesinthe2014list of Worlds Most Ethical Companies.
2014 Worlds Most Ethical (WME) Companies
Assessment isbasedontheEthisphereInstitutesEthicsQuotient framework. Ethisphere that has preparedalist of
144companiesof different sectorsviz. AerospaceandDefense, Agriculture, Automotive, Banking, Computer Services,
Chemicals, Electronics, etc.
Key categories that are taken into account while scoring the companies:Ethicsandcomplianceprogramme
(25%), reputation, leadershipandinnovation(20%), governance(10%), corporatecitizenshipandresponsibility (25%)
andcultureof ethics(20%).
OnlythreeIndian global firms that are headed by an India-origin individuals areinthelist viz. Satya
Nadella-ledsoftwaregiant Microsoft Corporation, IndraNooyi-ledbeveragescompany PepsiCoandShantanu
Narayen-ledsoftwaremajor AdobeSystems.
Indian Entities:Wipro LimitedandTata Power. (WiproandTataSteel also baggedthe2012and2013list of WME
companies).
Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Google, etc, areinthelist.
WME honoreesnot onlypromoteethical businessstandardsandpracticesinternally, theyexceedlegal compliance
minimumsandshapefutureindustrystandardsbyintroducingbest practicestoday.
Provides acomprehensivesamplingof definitivecriteriaof corecompetencies, rather thanall aspectsof corporate
governance, risk, sustainability, complianceandethics.
Note: TheEthisphereInstituteisanindependent center of research, best practicesandthought leadershipthat promotesbest
practicesincorporateethicsandcomplianceandenables organizations toimprovegovernance, mitigaterisk andenhance
relationshipswithemployees, businesspartners, investorsandthebroadregulatorycommunity.
Scientists develop an artificial heart
March23, 2014
ThescientistsfromtheHarvard Medical School, Boston developedanartificial heart that canbeat inanimals. This
discoverycouldbehelpful inrepairingdamagedheartsenablingmillionsof peoplearoundtheworldlivelonger, healthier
lives.
Steps taken by scientists to develop artificial heart that beats in animals
Inorder todeveloptheartificial heart similar tonatural heart, scientistsdevelopedanewfamily of hydrogelusingastretchy
humanproteinknownastropoelastin.
LedbyDr. Ali Khademhosseini of theHarvardMedicalSchool.
Hydrogelarenatural proteinthat aresoft andcontainalot of water viz. humantissues. Theycanbetunedtoattain
chemical, biological, mechanical andelectrical propertieswhichareessential for regenerationof anyhumantissue.
Though, existent hydrogel didnot havetheneededelasticity asthenatural humanheart has.
Inorder toovercomethis, thescientistsusedastretchyhumanproteincalledtropoelastin togivethenewly
developedhydrogel themuchneededresilienceandstrengththat isimportant inkeepingintact theelasticity of the
natural heart.
After developing the hydrogel, then scientists developed the artificial cells.
Tomakesurethecellsformtheright structure, scientistsused3-D printing and micro engineering techniques to
createpatternsinthegels. Thesepatternscoaxthecellstogrowthewaytheresearcherswant themto.
Thesenewly developedhydrogel aremicropatternedandelastic andcanbefurther usedascardiacpatches.
Thiselastic natural hydrogel canbeusedfor theregenerationof other tissuesviz. blood vessels, skeletal muscle,
heart valves and vascularized skin.
Note: At present, thebest treatment optionfor patientswithmajor heart damageisanorgantransplant.
HSP90- New molecule discovered to kill malaria parasite without harming human red
blood cells
March23, 2014
TheresearchersfromtheUniversity of GenevadiscoveredanewmoleculeHSP90 (Heat Shock Protein 90)that couldbe
effectivefor thetreatment of malaria. HSP90hasthepotential tokill malariaparasitewithout harminghumanredblood
cells.
Malaria is a life-threatening blood disease causedbyaparasitethat istransmittedtohumansbytheAnopheles mosquito.
It ispreventableandtreatabledisease.
Parasite species that cause malaria in humans:PlasmodiumfalciparumandPlasmodiumvivax.
Themost severeformof malariaiscausedbyinfectionwithPlasmodium falciparum. Theeradicationof this
parasiteisevenmoredifficult asit becomesresistant totreatments.
About the newly-discovered molecule HSP90 (Heat Shock Protein 90)
LedbyDidier Picard fromtheUniversity of Geneva(UNIGE), Switzerland.
Purpose:Todetermineif therewasadifferencebetweenthehumanformandtheparasitic formof HSP90that could
exploit for therapeutic purposes.
Usedultra-sophisticated computerized modelling tools tocharacterisethevarioustri-dimensional conformations
of theparasitesHSP90.
A chaperoneproteinthat assistsother proteinstofoldproperly, stabilizesproteinsagainst heat stressandaidsin
proteindegradation.
Stabilizesanumber of proteinsrequiredfor tumor growth(thatswhy, Hsp90inhibitorsareinvestigatedas
anti-cancer drugs).
Playsacentral role for several factors involved in the life cycle, survival andresistanceof thepathogen.
Participatesinthematuration of the pathogen in human red blood cells.
Duringhighfever protectsparasitic proteinsintheplasmodium.
Capableof bindinginhibitory substances, completely absent initshumanalter ego.
Capabletokill theparasitesviz. Plasmodium falciparum, etc, without affectingtheinfectedredbloodcells.
Note: ThestudypublishedintheJournal of Medicinal Chemistry.
5 Indian languages reinstated in S. African schools curriculum
March23, 2014
TheSouthAfricangovernment reestablishedthefiveIndianlanguagesasofficial subjectsinstate-runschools, whichwere
removedfromtheofficial curriculuminSouthAfricanstateschoolsin1994.
Five Indian Languages that are reinstated:Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, TeluguandUrdu.
Initially, theselanguageswill beofferedasanoptional thirdlanguagefor learnersonlyinKwaZulu-Natal province,
whereabout 70%of theIndian-originpopulationresides.
Theclassesof theselanguageswill berecognizedasofficial subjects up to matric level (thefinal year of the
schoolingsysteminthecountry).
Though, thesubjectswill onlybeofferedatschoolswherethenumber of learnersmakesit aviableoptiontohire
specialist teachersinthelanguageconcerned.
Note: ThefiveIndianlanguagesHindi, Tamil, Gujarati, TeluguandUrdualongsideArabic arereferredasEastern
languages.
U.S. India Energy Dialogue 2014 to advance clean energy access: Promoting Energy
Access through Clean Energy (PEACE)
March23, 2014
IndiaandtheUSA signedaMemorandumof Understanding(MoU) tocreateajoint implementationcommitteetoregularly
monitor andboost thePEACE (Promoting Energy Access through Clean Energy) initiativeinNewDelhi. Thisnew
initiativePEACE waslaunchedin2013under theIndia-USEnergy Dialogue.
Objective: Toharnesscommercial enterprisetobringcleanenergyaccesstoun-servedandunderservedIndianvillages,
capturelessonslearned, anddevelopbest practices. Reliableandcost-effectiveoff-gridcleanenergysolutions can
significantly improvethequalityof lifeandeconomicconditionsinrural householdsandcommunities.
Focus Areas of Promoting Energy Access through Clean Energy (PEACE)
Sharingbest practicesandinstitutional andother approaches.
Finance.
Technologyinnovation, standards, testing, andcertification.
Skill development andinformationsharing.
Under the U.S.-India Energy Dialogue 2014, both the Governments finalized an initial plan of activities viz.
TocreateanewPACEsetter fund tosupport thedevelopment of early-stage, innovativecleanenergysolutions
for un-servedandunderservedpopulationsinIndia.
Tocooperateonastudytorecommendthedesignof asmart micro-grid pilot totest andvalidateabusinessmodel
for scalingupsmartmicro-gridscommercially.
Will workwithstakeholderstodevelopaquality assurance framework, includingcontrol standardsand
performancebenchmarks, that canserveconsumersbetter intermsof safety, reliability, performanceandcost
comparison, andfacilitatethedelivery of highquality productstothemarket.
Off-Grid Alliance:Toestablishanallianceof businesses, not-for-profit organizations, andgovernment tostrengthen
Indiasoff-gridecosystem, bringexistingeffortstoscale, andattract newbusinessesandcommercial enterprises.
Note: Theimplementationof PEACE will beunder theNewTechnology andRenewableEnergy (NTRE) WorkingGroupof
theU.S.-IndiaEnergy Dialogue.
Lok Sabha election 2014: EC ropes in Aamir Khan as national icon
March23, 2014
TheElectionCommissionsignedupBollywoodactor Aamir Khan asitsnational iconintherun-upto2014Lok Sabhapoll.
Aamir Khanwill spreadawarenessabout theimportanceof votingandwill urgepeopletocast their votes.
Purpose:ToencouragemoreandmorepeopletovoteintheGeneral Elections2014.
Mr. Khan joined the league of four other national icon Indiancricket teamcaptainMahendraSinghDhoni,
boxer MC MaryKom, badmintonaceSainaNehwal andformer President Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam.
Note: Thenational iconswill reachout topeoplethroughprogrammes viz. systematic voter educationandelectoral
participation(SVEEP) that aimsatincreasingvoter turnout asalsoqualityof electoral participationintermsof informedand
ethical voting.
RBI extended 80:20 scheme to import gold to five private banks
March23, 2014
TheReserveBank of India(RBI) extendedthe80:20schemestoimport goldtofiveprivatebanks.
Under RBI 80:20 scheme
Banks have been allowed to import gold:HDFC Bank, AxisBank, KotakMahindraBank, IndusIndBank andYes
Bank.
Objective:Tomakeeasyoninwardconsignment of thegold.
Nominatedagenciescouldimport goldwithaconditionthat 80%kept for domestic useand20%of theconsignment
will beexported.
Doesnot requireanysimplificationof exportsof goldinthepast threeyearsbytheseprivatebanks.
Thesefiveprivatebankscanimport goldwithinprescribedlimits.
Allowedmorebankstoimport goldandit will raiseconsignmentsupto40tonnesper month70tonnesper month
Indiausedtosend.
Previously, only6banksand3state-runtradingagencies wereallowedtoimport goldprovidedthat eachhadsimplified
export of goldinpast 3years. .
Note: After oil import, Goldimport isthe2ndbiggest import that hadpushedthecurrent account deficit (CAD) toarecord
highinthelast year.
Hockey to become 60-minute game from Sept. 1, 2014
March23, 2014
Tomakehockey excitingandviewer-friendly, theInternational Hockey Federation (FIH) introducedmajor changesinthe
structureof thesport viz. reduced the 70-minute game to 60 minutes, comprisingfour 15-minutequartersinsteadof two
35-minutehalves. After thefirst andthirdquarterstherewill beatwo-minutebreakwhiletheexisting10-minutehalf-time
will remainunchanged.
New format of Hockey
Purpose:Toimprovetheflowandintensityof hockey, increasefanexperienceandprovidemoretimefor game
presentationandanalysis.
Playedin4-quarter format.
Match duration:60minutes4quarters: Eachquarter will beof 15minutes.
40 sec timeout:After penalty corner awardedandafter agoal scored.
Two-minute breaks:After thefirst andthirdquarters. Theexisting10-minutehalf timewill remainunchanged.
Commentatorswill beallowedmoretimetoprovideanalysisbetweenplays.
Additionally, coachesandplayerswill seeimprovement intheir performancewiththeadditional opportunities to
re-hydrateandre-strategise.
Thenewregulationswill comeintoeffect fromSeptember 1, 2014.
Will beusedintheupcomingChampionsTrophy, WorldLeagueRound2, WorldLeagueSemi-Final andFinal, all
continental Olympic qualifyingeventsaswell asthe2016RioOlympics.
Thenewformat wouldmakethegamefaster andmoreexcitingwhileallowingorganizersandbroadcasterstodevelopmore
engagingfanexperiences, bothat thevenue, onTV andonline.
Note:Thefour-quarter model hasbeentriedandimplementedbyboththeEuroHockey LeagueandtheHockeyIndia
League.
Study: Sea Anemone is genetically half-animal and half-plant
March23, 2014
ThescientistsfromtheUniversity of Vienna discoveredthat sea anemones,thewater-dwelling predatory creatures, are
technically half plant and half animal.Beforethisresearch, seaanemonesareclassifiedasanimals.
As per the new research, Sea Anemones
An oddball:half-plant andhalf-animal (atleast whenit comestoitsgeneticcode).
Seacreaturesgeneslookmorelikethoseof animals, but theregulatorycodethat determines whether thosegenes
areexpressedresemblesthat inplants.
Moresimilar toplantsrather tovertebratesor insectsintheir regulationof geneexpressionbyshort regulatory
RNAscalledmicroRNAs.
Showsacomplexlandscapeof generegulatoryelementssimilar tothefruit flyor other model animals.
Thissuggeststhat thisprincipleof complexgeneregulationwasalready present inthecommonancestor of human,
flyandseaanemonesome600millionyearsago.
Inother words, thestudyshowsthat theseaanemoneshowsagenomiclandscapesurprisingly similar tohumangenome, but
alsodisplaysregulatorymechanismssimilar toplants.
About Sea Anemone
Kingdom:Animalia.
Phylum:Cnidaria.
Class:Anthozoa.
Bright coloursanddaisy-likeshape.
Flowersof thesea. Despitetheir pretty looks, theyarepredatoryanimals, usingtheir stingingtentaclestocatchtheir
prey.
Life span:Approx60-80years.
Note: ThestudypublishedTuesdayinthejournal GenomeResearch.
India Human Development Survey (IHDS) 2011-12
March23, 2014
Asper theIndia Human Development Survey (IHDS) survey, 4out of 10womeninIndiastill havenosayintheir
marriage, 8out of 10needpermissiontovisit adoctor, 6out of 10practisesomeformof headcoveringandtheaverage
Indianhouseholdgivesover Rs.30,000indowry.
Excerpts of the latest data of India Human Development Survey (IHDS) 2011-12
Sample size: 42,000households.
Coverseconomicdataonincomeandexpenditure, development dataoneducationandhealth, andsociological data
oncaste, gender andreligion.
Average wedding expense:Groom: Rs81,952, Bride Rs1,26,724.
Average dowry: Rs.30, 000.
Marriage:48%women(over 25) weremarriedbefore age 18 (asopposedto60%in2004-5) and59%women(over
25) withanysayinmarriage.
Around41%of womenstill havenosayintheir marriage.
Say in marriage:Best states: Tamil Nadu(94%), Assam(90%), APandKerala 86%, Worst States: Rajasthan
(20%), UP(24%), MP& Orissa- 29%.
Mean age at marriage - 17.8.
Knew their husband before marriage (over 25): 18%.
Woman practice head/face covering:Highest: Rajasthan 96%, Bihar 91%, Haryana& MP 88%, Lowest: T.N
6%, AP 13%, Northeast 15%.
81%womenneedpermissiontovisit doctor.
60%of women, including59%of forwardcasteHindusand83%of Muslimwomen, practicesomeformof `purdah
or `ghunghat.
Most expensive weddings:Kerala& Delhi.
Thepracticeof marryingacousinor relative, morecommoninthesouththanthenorth, isbecominglesscommon,
but over 20%inAndhraPradeshandKarnatakastill marryrelatives.
About India Human Development Survey (IHDS)
ConductedbytheNational Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER).
Largest householdsurvey. (After thegovernmentsNationSampleSurvey Organization(NSSO) surveys.
NCAER istheonlyindependent bodythat conductssuchlarge-samplepanel surveys.
Outcome of the survey: Thedatashowsthat withthegrowinglevel of education, urbanizationandwomenempowerment
programmetheconditionof womenisslightly improvinginthesociety.
Ekhon Nedekha Nadir Xipaare- Assamese thriller film bagged Audience Choice Award
2014 in North Carolina film festival
March23, 2014
TheAssamesethriller movie, Ekhon Nedekha Nadir Xipaare (alsoknownasAs the river flows) baggedtheAudience
ChoiceAward2014inNorthCarolinafilmfestival.
Thefilmhasalsobeenselectedfor theupcoming14thannual NewYorkIndianFilmFestival NorthAmericasoldest and
most prestigiousdestinationfor featurefilms, documentaries, andshortsfromandabout theIndiansubcontinent tobeheld
fromMay5-10, 2014.
About the Assamese movie Ekhon Nedekha Nadir Xipaare
Writer & Director:Bidyut Kotoky.
Produced by:National FilmDevelopment Corporationof India.
Starring Actors:SanjaySuri, BiditaBag, Victor Banerjee, Nakul Vaid, Raj Zutshi, NavedAslamandPreeti
J hangiani.
Inspiredbythekidnappingof activist SanjoyGhosh, whowasfirst abductedin1997fromtheislandMajuli in
AssamsupposedtobebytheUnitedLiberationFront of Asom(ULFA) andsubsequentlykilled.
Themovieisasocio-political Assamesethriller set intheriver islandof Majuli.
Ukraine crisis 2014: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed treaty to make Crimea part of
Russia
March23, 2014
RussianPresident Mr. Vladimir Putinandtheleadersof CrimeasignedatreatyinMoscowtomakeCrimeapartof Russia
again. Though, Mr. Putinstatedthat hehasnoplantoseizeanyother regionsof Ukraine.
Asper theresolutionapprovedbythenewrepublicslegislature, CrimeahasalsodecidedtoswitchtoRussiantime
bymovingtheclock forwardtwohoursbyMarch30, 2014.
Though, peninsulawill keeptheexistingUkrainianbudget andtaxcodesuntil Crimeaformulatesitsownrelated
regulations.
About newly-proclaimed Republic of Crimea
Formerly knownastheAutonomous Republic of Crimea.
Capital:Simferopol.
Official languages:Russian, CrimeanTatar andUkrainian.
Prime Minister of Crimea:SergeyAksyonov.
Officially currency:RussianRuble(though, Ukrainian Hryvnias will continuetocirculatetill J anuary2016).
Electionstothegovernment bodiesof CrimeaandSevastopol shall beconductedonSeptember, 2015. Till then,
current Parliament of CrimeaandtheCouncil of Ministersof CrimeaalongwiththeLegislativeAssembly of thecityof
Sevastopol will continuetheir work.
Ukrainiancitizens andnoncitizenspermanentlylivinginCrimeaandSevastopol will automatically berecognizedas
Russianunlessthey expresstheir wishtomaintaintheir current citizenshipwithinamonth.
Note: After thedissolutionof theSoviet Union, CrimeastayedwithUkrainein1991astheRepublic of Crimeabefore
Ukrainelater changeditsnameastheAutonomous Republic of Crimea.
Ukraine crisis 2014: Russia suspended from G-8 Countries Club over its incursion into
Crimea
March23, 2014
TheGroupof Eight countrieshavesuspendedRussiafromeliteclubof worldpowersamidheightenedtensionsover Ukraine
andRussiasincursionintoCrimea.
Despitethissuspensionof RussiafromG8Nationslist, theUSandEuropeanUnionalsoannouncednewsanctions
against Moscowover itsactionsintheCrimeanPeninsula.
TheGroupof Sevennations(worldsleadingindustrial democracies) suspendedpreparationsfor aG-8summit that
Russiaisscheduledtohost inJ uneinSochi.
Note: Despitestronginternational objections, Russian President Vladimir Putin approvedadraft bill for theannexationof
Crimea, oneof aflurryof stepstoformally takeover theBlack Seapeninsula.
Ms Aditi Khanna became first women President of Indian Journalists Association
March23, 2014
Ms. Aditi Khanna becamethefirst womenPresident of IndianJ ournalistsAssociation(IJ A) inLondon. At present, Ms.
KhannaistheLondoncorrespondent for PressTrust of India.
Apart fromMs. Khanna, Ms. RupanjanaDuttaappointedasthegeneral secretaryof IndianJ ournalistsAssociation(IJ A).
Presently, Ms. Duttaisanassociateeditor of AsianBusinessPublicationsLtd.
Note:IndianJ ournalistsAssociation(IJ A) establishedinMay1947.
US FDIC sued 16 world largest banks for manipulating LIBOR rates
March23, 2014
TheUSregulator, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) filedalaw-suit on16worldslargest banks, asthese
global financial institutions areaccuseof conspiringtomanipulatetheLIBOR interest rate.
TheUSregulator statedthat themanipulationcausedsubstantial lossesto38USbanksthat wereshut downdueto
insolvency duringandafter the2008financial crisis.
Theseglobal financial institutionsbrokecertainswapcontractsandseparately planedtorigtheLIBOR ratetowhich
thecontractsweresigned.
Banks that have been sued in setting the daily Libor rate:Bank of America, CitigroupandJPMorgan Chase of
the United States, GermanysDeutscheBank andWestLB, BritainsHSBC, BarclaysandLloydsbanks, Japans
NorinchukinBank andBank of TokyoMitsubishi, Credit SuisseandUBSof Switzerland, Royal Bank of Scotland,
Royal Bank of Canada, andRabobank of theNetherlands.
About LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) interest rate
Therateat whichbanksinLondonlendmoney toeachother for theshort-terminaparticular currency. Inother
words, its aninterest rateat whichbankscanborrowfunds, inmarketablesize, fromother banksintheLondon
interbank market.
Worldsmost widelyusedbenchmark for short-terminterest rates.
A newLibor rateiscalculatedeverymorningbyfinancial datafirmThomsonReutersbasedoninterest rates
providedbymembersof theBritishBankersAssociation.
Note: FDIC isanindependent agencycreatedbytheU.S. Congresstomaintainstability andpublic confidenceinthe
nationsfinancial systembyinsuringdeposits, examiningandsupervisingfinancial institutionsfor safetyandsoundnessand
consumer protectionandmanagingreceiverships. (Headquarters:Washington, D.C.).
RBI cautioned banks to protect ATMs and systems as Windows XP support ends on April 8,
2014
March23, 2014
TheReserveBank of India(RBI) hascautionedbankstotakeimmediatestepstoimplement appropriatesystemsand
controlsif their systemsandATMsarestill workingonWindowsXP, asMicrosoft will stopissuingupdatesandpatchesfor
bugsinitsWindowsXPoperatingsystem(OS) fromApril 8, 2014.
If theupdatesandpatchesfor bugsarestopped, thentheprobabilityof attacksonsystemsbasedonWindowsXPOSmay
increaseandit maybedifficult todefendsuchattacksintheabsenceof Microsoft support.
Potential risks users will face as staying with Windows XP after April 8, 2014
After thedeadline, Microsoft will nolonger providesecurityupdatesor technical support for WindowsXPthenthepotential
risksusersfaceare
Security:Without critical WindowsXPsecurity updates, our PCmaybecomevulnerabletoharmful viruses, spyware,
andother malicioussoftwarewhichcansteal or damageour businessdataandinformation.
Lack of Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Support:Manysoftwarevendorswill nolonger support their
productsrunningonWindows XPastheyareunabletoreceiveWindowsXPupdates. For example, thenewOfficetakes
advantageof themodernWindows andwill not runonWindows XP.
Hardware Manufacturer support:Most PC hardwaremanufacturerswill stopsupportingWindowsXPonexisting
andnewhardware. Thiswill alsomeanthat driversrequiredtorunWindows XPonnewhardwaremaynot beavailable.
Note: Thecustomersandpartnerswill havetomigratetoamodernoperatingsystemviz. Windows 8.1 toreceiveregular
securityupdatestoprotect their computer frommaliciousattacks. It will enhancesecurity, broaddevicechoicefor amobile
workforce, higher user productivity, andalower total cost of ownershipthroughimprovedmanagement capabilities.
Lok Sabha elections 2014: EC issued detailed guidelines for political ads on social
networking sites
March23, 2014
InabidtocurbpaidnewsintheLok Sabhaelections2014, theElectionCommissionissueddetailedguidelines tosocial
networkingsitesonpostingof electionrelatedmatters. Theguidelineswill beapplicabletoarangeof Internet-basedsocial
mediaviz. Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia, etc.
As per the Election Commission guidelines, the social networking sites have
Tomaintainexpenditureincurredbythepolitical partiesandindividual candidatesonadvertisementssothat they
canbeproducedtotheCommissionwhenrequestedfor.
Toensurethat contentsdisplayedbythemduringtheelectoral processwasnot unlawful or maliciousor violativeof
themodel codeof conduct.
Toget theapproval andthenpublishtheelectionadvertisements. Toobtaincertificatefor contentsof political
advertisementsbeforeputtingtheminpublicdomain. If unlawful commentsarepresent, violatingtherule, theEC would
takeactiontoremovethem.
Inother words, thecontent managersof social networkingsiteshavetomakesurethat candidatesdonot post anything
violativeof themodel codeof conduct.
Note: Theguidelinesareissuedaspartof theECseffortstoaddresstheproblemof paidnews.
RBI hiked trade related remittance limit from Rs.2 lakh to Rs.5 lakh per transaction
March22, 2014
TheReserveBank of India(RBI) hikedthetrade related remittance limit from Rs.2 lakh to Rs.5 lakh per transaction
withimmediateeffect andalsoincreasedthenumber of transactionhandledbyexchangehouses. Thehikeinper transaction
isonthereviewof thepermittedtransactionsunder theRupee Drawing Arrangements (RDAs). Thesechangeshavebeen
includedintheMemorandumof Instructionsfor OpeningandMaintenanceof Rupee/ ForeignCurrencyVostroAccountsof
Non-resident ExchangeHouses.
Note: Vostroaccount (alsoknownasaloroaccount) isoneinwhichthedomestic bank actsascustodianor managesthe
account of aforeigncounterpart
Mr. Nandan Nilekani resigned as UIDAI chairman
March22, 2014
Mr. NandanNilekani resignedaschairmanof UniqueIdentificationAuthority of India(UIDAI) andformally joined
Congress. Infosysco-founder Mr. Nilekani will contest Lok SabhapollsfromBangalore. Mr. NandanNilekani declaredthat
hisandwifeRohinisassetswereworthRs.7,700crore
Note:BangaloreSouthhasbeenahostileterrainfor Congresswhichhadbeentastingdefeat sincethelate1970s, barringin
1989whenformer chief minister lateR. GunduRaohadwon.
DoT issued new guidelines to tackle the threats of Cyber attack
March22, 2014
Under theUnionMinistryof CommunicationsandInformationTechnology, theDepartment of Telecommunications (DoT)
issuedguidelinestotacklethethreatsof cyber attacksandhackingof websites.
As per new guidelines issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), all Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
Mustadopt newsecurity measuresfor thoseusingfixed-linebroadband. TheISPsmust advisecustomerstotake
necessaryprecautionstoprotect modemsfrommalwareattacksandhackingattempts.
Mustassist customerstochangethedefault passwordof Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) modemtoa
strongpasswordat thetimeof installationof modemtoavoidunauthorizedaccesstomodem. (At present, theADSL
modemsaresuppliedbyvendorswithdefault set upof user IDandpasswordasadmin. Thepasswordisnormally
installedbybroadbandserviceproviders).
Shoulddisableprotocol portsonthemodemswhichotherwisemaybeusedashackingpointstoplant malwares.
Tell their customerstocheck their onlinedaily usage, andif anyunexpectedhighusageof dataisnoticed, theymay
bringit tothenoticeof theISPconcerned.
Mustimplement all theguidelinesbyMay2014toensuresecurity of almost 1.5crorefixed-linebroadbandusers.
Consumersshouldalsoupgradetolatest firmwareor softwareandISPsshoulddisseminatethemessagetocustomersatthe
timeof installationandatregular intervals. Alongside, customersshouldalsobeadvisedtoswitchoff their modemwhennot
inuse.
Note: AnADSL modemisaversionof theregular DSL modem, that giveshigher downloadbut lower uploadspeeds.
SIPRI: India is the worlds largest arms importer
March22, 2014
Asper thereport publishedbytheSweden-basedStockholmInternational PeaceResearchInstitute(SIPRI), Indiabecome
theworldslargest armsimporter over 2004-13anditsimport of weaponsystems isthreetimesmorethanPakistanand
China.
As per the report of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Indianimportsof major weaponsroseby111%inthelast fiveyearscomparedto2004-08. Itsshareof total global
armsimportsincreasedfrom7to14%.
Worldstotal armssaleshadincreasedby14%from2009to2013.
Worlds top five Global arms importers: India (14%), China(5%), Pakistan(5%), theUnitedArabEmirates(4%)
andSaudi Arabia(4%).
Major suppliersof armstoIndiain2009-13: Russia(accountingfor 75%of imports) andtheUS(7%).
Worlds top five Global arms suppliers between 2009 and 2013:theUnitedStates(29%of global exports),
Russia(27%), Germany (7%), China(6%) andFrance(5%).
ImportsbyEuropeannationsdecreasedby25%between2004-2008and2009-13.
Britainwasthelargest importer of major weaponsinEurope(received12%of deliveries), followedbyAzerbaijan
(12%) andGreece(11%).
ArmsexportstoAfricabetween2004-08and2009-13jumped53per cent. Thethreelargest importersintheregion
wereAlgeria, MoroccoandSudan.
Note: SIPRI isanindependent international instituteinSwedeni.e. dedicatedtoresearchintoconflict, armaments, arms
control anddisarmament. It providesdata, analysisandrecommendations, basedonopensource, topolicymakers,
researchers, mediaandtheinterestedpublic.
The SIPRI Arms Transfers Database
TheSIPRI ArmsTransfersDatabasecontainsinformationonall international transfersof major weapons(includingsales,
giftsandproductionunder licence) tostates, international organizationsandarmednon-stategroupssince1950. It istheonly
publicly availableresourceprovidingconsistent dataonarmstransfersfor thislengthof time.
Thedatabasecanbeusedtotracktransfersof major weaponsandtoanswer suchquestionsas:
Whoarethemainsuppliersandrecipientsof major weapons?
Howhaverelationsbetweendifferent suppliersandrecipientschangedover time?
Wheredocountriesinconict get their weapons?
Howdostatesimplement their export control regulations?
Wherearepotentially destabilizingbuild-upsof weaponsoccurringtoday?
What major weaponshavebeenexportedor imported?

The trend in international transfers of major weapons, 19502013 (Source: www.sipri.org)

Changes in major arms exports since 20042008 by the 10 largest exporters in 200913 (Source: www.sipri.org)
Rani-ki-Vav and GHNP nominated by India for UNESCOs World Heritage Site Status
2014
March21, 2014
IndianominatedRani-ki-VavandtheGreat HimalayanNational Park(GHNP) for UNESCOsWorldHeritageSiteStatusfor
2014. TheWorldHeritageCommitteewill conveneinDoha, Qatar, inJ une2014toreviewthenominationandtakeafinal
decision.
Process to confirm World Heritage status
Onlycountriesthat havesignedtheWorldHeritageConventionandpledgedtoprotect their natural andcultural heritage, can
submit nominationproposalsfor propertiesontheir territory tobeconsideredfor inclusioninUNESCOsWorldHeritage
List.
The nomination process for selecting World Heritage site:
Tentative List:Countriescreateaninventory of potential monumentsandnatural sitesandincludetheminthe
TentativeList.
The Nomination File:Theconcerndepartment inparticular countryselectsafewsitesandnominatesthemfor final
inscription, everyyear totheWorldHeritagecentre. Thecentresendsit totheAdvisorybodies, theInternational Council
onMonumentsandSites(ICOMOS) andtheWorldConservationUnion(IUCN) for evaluationmandatebytheWorld
HeritageConvention.
Advisory Bodies:UNESCOappointsadvisorycommitteestoevaluatethenominations.
World Heritage Committee:Onceasitehasbeennominatedandevaluated, theintergovernmental WorldHeritage
Committeemeetstodecidewhichsiteswill beinscribedontheWorldHeritagelist.
About Rani-ki-Vav
Location:Patan, Gujarat.
ConstructedbyQueenUdayamati of theSolanki dynasty.
The11thcenturystepwell andisoneof thefinest examples of stepwellsinGujarat.
Thewell issubterraneanstructurewithaseriesof steps, boardlandings, pavilionsandsculptedwallswhichprovides
accesstowater indeepwater. It isof sevenstoreyswithfiveexist andtherearemorethan800elaboratesculptures
whicharesurvived. Thisisaprotectedmonument under theArcheological Survey of India.
About Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP)
Location:KulluregioninHimachal Pradesh.
Established:1984anddeclaredasNational Parkin1999.
Area:452sqmi.
Knownfor itsbiodiversity andhasmorethan25forest types, 800kindsof plantsandishometomorethan180bird
species.
Habitat tonumerousfloraandmorethan375faunaspeciesthat comprises nearly around31mammals, 181birds, 3
reptiles, 9amphibians, 11annelids, 17mollusksand127insects.
Indian soldiers of World War I to be honoured by UK
March21, 2014
TheUnitedKingdom(UK) will honour theIndiansoldiers, whoparticipatedinWorldWar-I (WW-I) aspart of BritishIndia,
throughaseriesof eventstocommemoratethe100thanniversary of theconflict of WorldWar I that wasstartedin1914.
Events will beorganisedintheUK, Indiaandaroundtheworldandwill seetheparticipationof representatives from
everycountrywhosesoldierstook part inthehistoric war. Thetributewill includepublicationof regimental diaries.
TocommemorateIndian involvement in thewar that began in 1914, theBritish High Commission in Indiaand the
Delhi-basedUnitedServiceInstituteof Indiawouldholdevents.
In the World War I, about 10-lakh Indian soldiers had fought on behalf of the British empire and over 70,000 Indian
servicemendied.
About World War I (1914-1918)
A global war centredinEuropethat beganon28J uly 1914andlasted until 11November 1918. At thestart of thewar, these
werethemajor players(morecountriesjoinedthewar later):
Allied Forces (a.k.a. the Allies):France, theUnitedKingdomandRussia.
Central Powers:GermanyandAustria-Hungary.
Result of the First World War
Alliedvictory.
Endof theGerman, Russian, Ottoman, andAustro-Hungarianempires.
Formationof newcountriesinEuropeandtheMiddleEast.
Transfer of Germancoloniesandregionsof theformer OttomanEmpiretoother powers.
Establishment of theLeagueof Nations.
ATPIndian Wells 2014: Novak Djokovic won BNP Paribas Open by defeating Roger
Federer
March21, 2014
TheWorldNo.2Tennisplayer, Novak Djokovic wontheBNPParibasOpensinglestitle2014bydefeatingRoger Federer
by3-6, 6-3,7-6inCalifornia.
Other winners of BNPParibas Open 2014
Womens singles title: Flavia Pennetta (Italy) defeatedAgnieszkaRadwanska(Poland) by6-2, 6-1.
Womens doubles title: HsiehSu-Wei (ChineseTaipei) & PengShuai (China) defeatedCaraBlack(Zimbabwe) andSania
Mirza(India) by7-6(5), 6-2.
Mens doubles title: UnitedStatespair BobBryan& MikeBryandefeatedAlexander Peya(Austria) & BrunoSoares
(Brazil) by64, 63.
Note: TheIndian Wells Masters, also known by its current sponsored name the BNP Paribas Open, isanannual tennis
tournament heldinIndianWells, California, UnitedStates.
HR 5171 A- the largest ever yellow hypergiant star discovered
March21, 2014
Theastronomersof Oliver Chesneauof theCotedAzur Observatory(Nice, France) discoveredthelargest Yellow star HR
5171 A inour MilkywayGalaxy.
Technique used by astronomers:Interferometrythat helpstocombinethelight collectedfrommultipleindividual
telescopes, effectivelycreatesagiant telescopeupto140metresinsize.
About HR 5171 Astar
AlsoknownasV766 Centauri, HD 119796 and HIP 67261.
A yellowhypergiant star intheconstellationCentaurus.
ObservedbytheEuropeanSouthernObservatorys(ESO) VeryLargeTelescopeInterferometer (VLTI).
About 12,000 light-years away from Earth andcanbevisibletothenakedeyeinthenighttimesky.
1,300 times wider and 1,000,000 times brighter than Sun.
50timesbigger thanredsupergiant BetelgeuseintheOrionconstellation.
Thestar isinabinarysystembystudyingthedatacontributedbyseveral observatoriesanddeterminedthesystemas
aneclipsingbinarystar systemwiththesmaller companionstar orbitingthelarger V766Centauri onceevery1300days.
Thisnewdiscovery highlightstheimportanceof studyingthesehugeandshort-livedyellowhypergiants, andcouldprovidea
meansof understandingtheevolutionaryprocesses of massivestarsingeneral.
Note: Yellow hyper-giantsareextremely rareandapproximately adozenareknowntoexist intheMilkyWay. Ingeneral,
theyareveryunstablebecauseof thestageof their life. Themost well-knownisRho Cassiopeiae intheCassiopeia
constellation.
ESPNcricinfo Awards 2013: Sachin Tendulkar- Cricketer of the Generation
March21, 2014
IndianCricketer SachinTendulkar hasbeenvotedthecricketer of thegenerationbya50-member juryof current andformer
cricketersandjournalists. Theawardismeant tohonour themost outstanding cricketer between the years 1993 and 2013.
Theawardceremony wasorganizedinMumbai toalsomarkthe20thanniversarycelebrationsfor thecricket website.
Winners of ESPNcricinfo Award 2013
Test batting award:Shikhar Dhawan(India) for hisrollicking187ondebut againstAustraliainMohali in2013.
ODI bowling award:ShahidAfridi (Pakistan) (hewoninthesamecategoryfor 2009).
Test bowling title:Mitchell J ohnson(Australia).
Debutant of the Year (new category):MohammedShami (India) whotook 17wicketsinhisfour Testsin2013, and
30ODI wickets.
Contribution to Cricket Award:Mr. TarakSinha(headcoachof theSonnet Cricket ClubinDelhi).
Cricket for Good award:Rahul Dravid(India) for hismentorshipof junior andparalympicathletes inIndiainhis
associationwiththeGoSportsFoundation.
Statsguru Award:SouthAfricansAB deVilliers(SouthAfrica) andDaleSteyn(SouthAfrica).
Batsman of the Year, Best Test Batsman, and Most Consistent Batsman:AB deVilliers(SouthAfrica).
Bowler of the Year and the Best Test Bowler:DaleSteyn(SouthAfrica).
Note: TheESPNcricinfoAwards2013recognizedthebest individual performancesincricket, inTests, ODIsandTwenty20.
Thewinnersarevotedonbyanindependent jury of former cricketers, commentatorsandESPN cricinfossenior writers.
Thiswasthe7theditionof theESPNcricinfoAwards.
Great Eared Nightjar spotted first time in Kollams Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary
March21, 2014
Asper theannual birdsurvey at theShendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, a
broodof thehighlyelusivenocturnal forest bird, theGreat EaredNightjar
wasspottedfirst timeinKollam, Kerala. Earlier, it wasrecordedfromthe
Siruvani foothillsinTamil NaduinMay1995.
(TheGreat EaredNightjar (Eurostopodus macrotis bourdilloni) belongs
tothenightjar family. It getsitsnamefromthetwoerect earliketuftsof
feathersonitshead, behindtheeyes).
About the Kollams Bird survey at Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary
Led by the team of the nature lovers forum Warblers and Waders.
For thesurvey, thesanctuarywasdividedintosixsub-divisionsviz. Kattilappara, Kallar-Rockwood, Umayar,
Rosemala, Dharbhakulam, andPandimotta.
194birdspecieswererecorded.
Objective:Toupdatethechecklist of birdsinthesanctuaryandstudytheir status, abundance, anddistributionin
different habitats.
Noteworthy bird species recordedviz. PaintedBushQuail, Sri LankanFrogmouth, White-BelliedBlack
Woodpecker, Great IndianPiedHornbill, BlackBaza, Blue-BeardedBee-eater, Red-WingedCrestedCuckoo,
Great-earedNightjar, Lesser FishingEagle, MountainHawk Eagle, BootedWarbler, BlueRockThrush, MalayBittern,
BrownFishOwl, Black-cappedKingfisher, Thick-billedWarbler, SpeckledPiculet, WayanadLaughingThrush, andthe
Nilgiri WoodPigeon.
Highest birdpresenceof 124specieswasrecordedatKattillapparaandthelowest of 51at Dharbhakulam.
Important birdsrecordedduringprevioussurveysbut absent thistimeweretheOsprey, Lesser Coucal, Long-tailed
Nightjar, Grey Heron, andtheHair CrestedDrongo.
Note: TheShendurneyWildlifeSanctuary( establishedin1984andlocatedinKollamDistrict, Kerala) isrichinbiodiversity
andtheWarblersandWadershasbeenconductingbirdsurveysthereinassociationwiththeKeralaForest Department since
1995. It isaprotectedareaintheWesternGhats, Indiaandcomesunder thecontrol of Agasthyamalai BiosphereReserve.
RapiDot Diagnostic Kit developed by Indian researchers to detect virus in shrimps
March21, 2014
TheMangalore-basedCollegeof Fisheries developedadiagnostic kit for the
detectionof whitespot virusinshrimps. Thetechnology developedwithfunding
assistancefromtheDepartment of Biotechnology, Ministry of Scienceand
Technology, NewDelhi.
About RapiDot Diagnostic Kit
Thistimetestedtechnology developedbytheDepartment of Aquacultureof thecollege.
Basedonmonoclonal antibody activity (preparingclonesof theantibody or cellsthat arereleasedbythebodywhen
thevirusenters), andisconsideredtobeapioneeringwork.
Thisfarmer-level kit isideal for diagnosisandwill cost farmersRs.40-50.
Withinfiveminutesof placingthesampleonthecassetteof thekit, thediseasecanbedetected.
It is100 100xsensitiveand20timescheaper thanI stepPCRtest.
Thekit canbepreservedfor four monthsinarefrigerator.
Whitespot diseasescauseanestimatedlossof Rs.500crorestotheshrimpcultureindustryinIndia.
At present, thetest developedbytheJ apanesecostsRs.400.
Tohelpfarmersonalargescale, thetechnology transferredtoaFrenchmultinational company, VirbacAnimal HealthCare.
Note: Shrimpisasmall shellfishthat hasalongbodyandlegsandthat iseatenasfood.
Mr. Khushwant Singh: Noted writer & journalist passed away
March20, 2014
Prolific author andjournalist Mr. Khushwant Singh (99) passedawayduetocardiac arrest inNewDelhi. Hewasbest
knownfor histrenchant secularism, hishumour, andanabidinglovefor poetry.
About Mr. Khushwant Singh
Born:February2, 1915inHadali, BritishIndia(current SargodhaDistrict, Pakistan)
Founder editor of Yojanafrom1951-1953.
Member of theRajyaSabha(1980to1986).
Award(s):Rockfeller Grant, PadmaBhushan, PadmaVibhushan, Sahityaacademy fellowshipaward, etc.
Books:TraintoPakistan, I Shall Not Hear theNightingale, Delhi, A Historyof theSikhs, etc.
Alsowroteautobiography, Truth, Love and a Little Malicethat waspublishedbyPenguinBooksin2002.
Editor of several literaryandnewsmagazines, viz. TheIllustratedWeeklyof India, TheHindustanTimesandThe
National Herald, etc.
Union Government mulls to build 200 low cost airports
March19, 2014
TheGovernment of India(GoI) announcedtobuild200 low cost airports inthenext 20years.
Objective:Toexpandconnectivity toTier-II andTier-III cities.
Benefit:Thedevelopment of low-frillsairportswill significantly reducethecost of operations.
Plan of Aviation ministry:Tobuild15Greenfieldairports, besideconstructinglow-cost airports.
TheAirportsAuthorityof Indiahasplanstoinvest Rs.1,500crorefor developingnon-metroairports.
At present, thenon-metroairportsaccountsfor just around30%of thecountrystotal air traffic, but thepercentage
isexpectedtojumpto45%withinthenext fewyears.
Note: TheUnionGovernment alsoplannedtoinvest over $120billion inthedevelopment of airport infrastructure,
improvement inconnectinginfrastructure, development of worldclassair navigationservicesinfrastructureandother
relatedactivities toimprovetheair connectivity.
Indian firm VNLs solar-powered WorldGSM mobile tower architecture launched in
Ghana to deliver affordable services in villages
March19, 2014
TheIndiantelecomequipment-maker, Vihaan Networks Ltd (VNL) launchedits solar-poweredWorldGSM mobile
tower architecture, anenvironment-friendly andcost-effectivemobilesystem, todeliver affordableservicesinvillages.
Objective: Topromoteaccesstoelectronic servicesviz. broadcasting, theInternet, multimediaserviceandbasictelephony
inunservedareasof rural Ghana
This innovative green mobile tower solution is very useful in Africa, particularly in villages and remote locations.
About Vihaan Networks Ltd (VNL)
Objective:Toprovidemobileservices torural communitiesinthedevelopingworld.
Founded:2005.
BasedinGurgaon, IndiaandKista, Sweden.
Provideeco-friendly, cost-effectiveserviceinvillages.
Their WorldGSM technology isthefirst micro-telecomapplication, acompleteGSM systemoptimizedfor the
massiverural opportunity.
Note: WorldGSM runsexclusively onsolar power andrequiresnodiesel generator backup. It isalsodesignedfor simple
deliveryanddeployment bylocal, untrainedworkers all resultinginzeroOPEX, dramatically lower CAPEX, andnear zero
maintenance.
Former SC judge Mr. BN Srikrishna appointed as chairman of Financial Planning
Standards Board India (FPSB)
March19, 2014
RetiredSupremeCourt judge, Mr. BN Srikrishna appointedastheChairman of Financial Planning Standards Board
India (FPSB). HesucceededMr. Dhirendra Swarup.
About Mr. BN Srikrishna
RetiredSupremeCourt J udge.
ServedastheChief J usticeof KeralaHighCourt.
AlsoservedastheChairmanof theFinancial Sector LegislativeReformsCommission(FSLRC) andheadedtheSixth
Central PayCommission.
Note: FPSB Indiaisapublic-privateenterpriseandaprofessional standardssettingbodythat proactively guides
development andpromotionof standardsfor financial planningprofessionalstobenefit andprotect thepublic. (Founded:
2005& Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra).
Sahitya Akademi Award 2013
March19, 2014
ThePresident of SahityaAkademi, Dr.ViswanathPrasadTiwari presentedprestigiousSahityaAkademi Award2013at the
annual Festival of Letters inNewDelhi.
Sahitya Akademi Award 2013 to
Famous poets: RabindraSarkar (Assamese), SubodhSarkar (Bengali), Anil Boro(Bodo), SitaramSapolia(Dogri),
ChinuModi (Gujarati), AmbikaDutt (Rajasthani), Radhakant Thakur (Sanskrit), ArjunCharanHembram(Santali),
NamdevTarachandani (Sindhi) andJaved Akhtar(Urdu) .
Novelists: Mridula Garg (Hindi),Manmohan (Punjabi) andR.N. Joe D Cruz (Tamil).
Renownedfilmmaker Dr. Makhonmani Mongsaba.
Books of essays:C.N.Ramachandran(Kannada), TukaramRamaShet (Konkani), SatishKalasekar (Marathi), and
Katyayani Vidmahe(Telugu).
Books of short stories:TemsulaAo(English) andMohi-ud- DinReshi (Kashmiri).
Travelogues:Makhonmani Mongsaba(Manipuri) andManBahadur Pradhan(Nepali).
M.N.Paloor (Malayalam) for hisautobiography, Sureshwar J ha(Maithili) for hismemoirsandBijoyMisra(Odia)
for hisplay.
Note: SahityaAkademi Awardisaliteraryhonor inIndiatorecognizeandpromoteexcellenceinIndianwritingandalso
acknowledgenewtrends.
Airbus launched new subsidiary Airbus India
March19, 2014
TheFrenchcompany Airbus launcheditswhollyownedsubsidiaryinIndiacalledAirbus India.
About Airbus India
FifthcountrysubsidiaryoutsideEuropefor theAirbus.
Objective:TorestructuretheAirbusoperationsinIndiaandconsolidateit totapthegrowingIndianaviationmarket.
Will includestrategy, customer servicesandprocurement teamsunder oneorganization.
Wouldalsoset upcustomer centresinDelhi and Mumbai.
New Chief Executive Officer:Mr. SrinivasanDwarakanath.
Chairman:Mr. CharlesChampion.
WouldmanagethecompanysIndianfootprint spreadacrossseveral sites.
Plantoset upaMaintenanceRepair andOverhaul (MRO) capability.
Note: Airbusistheworldsleadingcommercial aircraft manufacturer andisownedbytheAirbusGroupandhassubsidiaries
intheUnitedStates, India, J apanandChina.
SC to Law Commission: Regulate provocative speeches
March19, 2014
TheSupremeCourt (SC) directedtheLawCommissiontolook intotheissueof hatespeechesbeingmadebyleadersof
political, social andreligiousoutfitsandconsider framingguidelinestoregulatesuchprovocativestatements.
ThejusticeBS Chauhan bench directedtheLawcommissiontodraft guidelinesregardinghatespeechesby
politiciansbeforeelectionsandgiveitsrecommendationtotheUnionGovernment.
Theapexcourt passedanorder onaPIL filedbyanNGO, Pravasi Bhalai Sangathan, allegingthat thereisaneed
for guidelinesashatespeechesdestroythefabric of democracyandviolatetheprovisionsof theConstitution.
ThePIL hadnamedMaharashtra and Andhra Pradesh asrespondentsasthetwostateswitnessedincidentsof
allegedhatespeeches. It hadreferredtotheallegedhatespeechesmadebyMaharashtraNavnirmanSenaChief Raj
Thackerayandclaimedthat noFIR wasregisteredagainst theminthestate.
ThePIL statedthat inAndhraPradesh, All IndiaMajlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeenleader AkbaruddinOwaisi hadallegedly
madehatespeechesandwasarrestedfor them. Though, after beingreleasedonbail, hehadagainmadesimilar speechesin
Nanded, Maharashtra, it alleged.
Karnataka won the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2013-14
March18, 2014
KarnatakawontheVijay Hazare Cricket Trophy 2013-14 bydefeatingRailwaysbyfour wicketsat theEdenGardensin
Kolkata. For thefirst time, KarnatakawontheVijayHazaretrophy. Its Karnatakashat-trick title, astheyalready wonthe
Ranji Trophy andIrani Trohyinthisseason(2014).
Note: Vijay Hazare Trophy, also known as the Ranji One Day Trophy, wasstartedin200203asalimited-over domestic
competitioninvolvingstateteamsfromtheRanji Trophy plates. It isnamedafter thefamousIndiancricketer Vijay Hazare.
SBI Life Insurance to appeal against the order of IRDAto refund Rs.275 crore
March18, 2014
ThePrivatesector lifeinsurer, SBI Life Insurance wouldappeal against theorder of InsuranceRegulatoryand
Development Authority (IRDA) torefundRs.275croretothepolicy holdersof Dhanaraksha Plus Limited Premium
Paying Term (LPPT), agroupinsurancepolicy.
Why IRDAdirected SBI Life Insurance to refund Rs.275.29 crore to policy holders within six months?
Theinsuranceregulator, IRDA chargedSBI Lifeof violationof variousnormsbymis-sellingthepolicyandpayment of
higher commissiontoagents. Theorder wasissuedafter anenquiry that disclosedSBI LifeInsurancewaschargingthe
secondyear premiumalongwiththefirst year premiumonitsDhanarakshaPlusLimitedPremiumPayingTerm(LPPT).
IRDA spottedthat 99.99%of thetotal premiumprocuredunder theLPPT product wassourcedbycorporateagents
of thelifeinsurer belongingtoSBI Group. Theinsurer haspaid40%of first year premiumasfirst year commission
and7.5%of secondyearspremiumassecondyear commission.
Though, thesinglepremiumversionof product beenofferedtothepolicyholders, theactual commissionpayable
wouldhavebeenonly2%.
Thus, it canbeconcludedthat thelargescalesaleof LPPT assinglepremiumpayment policy hasonlyfacilitated
higher commissionpaymentstoinsuranceintermediariesinvolvedwhoarepredominantlySBI anditsassociatebanks.
It relatestopolices issued during FY9, FY10 and FY11.
Thus, IRDA directedSBI LifeInsurancetorefundRs.275.29croretopolicy holderswithinsixmonths, asthe
amount wascollectedfromtheminviolationof norms.
Note: SBI LifeInsuranceisajoint venturebetweencountrysbiggest lender, StateBank of India(SBI) andBNPParibas
Cardif.
Assam and Nagaland became first States to get Plastic Photo Identity Card
March18, 2014
NagalandandAssamwill bethefirst twostatestobeissuedplastic Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) for theupcoming
Lok Sabhaelections. Thenewplastic EPICshavemanyscientific featuresviz. ahologramwithcodeddetails of thevoter to
prevent duplication, forgingandtampering.
Plastic PhotoIdentityCardwill beissued through common service center of Union GovernmentsInformation
Technology department.
TheElectionCommission(EC) The Election Commission (EC) declared the most expenditure sensitive states in
the country: Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, AndhraPradesh, Karnataka, PunjabandTamil Nadu.
Andalsoset-upflyingsquad, static surveillanceteamandelectionexpendituremonitoringcommitteestocurbthe
useof moneypower duringelections.
Note: Currently, votersusinglaminatedPhotoIdentityCardfor votingpurposewhichwasnot secureaswell. It couldbe
easily clonedandtamperedbut PVC isquitedifficult totamper andcloned, evenit isveryhandy
EC sets up multi-agency grid to curb use of black money in polls
March18, 2014
TheElectionCommissionset upamulti-agency gridof revenueandsecurity intelligenceagenciestocurbtheuseof black
moneyinLok Sabhaandassembly polls.
Theintelligenceagenciesincludetheofficialsfromincometaxintelligenceandinvestigations, Financial Intelligence
Unit (FIU), Directorateof RevenueIntelligence, Central Economic IntelligenceBureau, NarcoticsControl Bureauand
thesecurity forcesof Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Border Security Force (BSF), CISF andtheRailwayProtection
Force.
Theofficials-in-chargeof intelligenceintheserespectivedepartmentswill meet twiceaweek attheEC headquarters
(NirvachanSadan) toupdateit about suspectedfinancial movements.
Theseagencies will compiletheir respectiveinformationinastandardformat sothat thepoll panel isupdatedabout
theuseof illegal moneyandother inducementsinthepolls.
After thesemeetings, acomprehensivereport wouldbepreparedsharedwiththerespectiveChief Electoral Offices
of variousstatesandUnionTerritories.
Additionally, theintelligencewingof theBSF will trackthemovement of cash, fakecurrencyanddrugsfromthePakistan
andBangladeshborderswhilethesamewouldbedonebytheSSB alongtheNepal andBhutanborders.
Presidents Standard and Colours Award to 112 Helicopter Unit & No. 4 Base Repair Depot
March18, 2014
ThePresident of IndiaandtheSupremeCommander of Indiandefenseforces, Mr. PranabMukherjeeawardedthe
prestigiousPresidents Standard to112Helicopter Unit andPresidents Colours toNo. 4BaseRepair Depot of IndianAir
Forceat Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Winners:
Standard Award:WingCommander ManishSharma, CommandingOfficer of 112Helicopter Unit.
Colour Award:GroupCaptainS ShrinivasCommandingOfficer of 4BaseRepair Depot (BRD).
ThePresidentsStandardisawardedtooperational UnitsandColoursareawardedtonon-flyingformationsbasedontheir
past recordandachievementsduringpeaceaswell ashostilities.
TheBangalore-based 112 Helicopter Unit isapremier trainingestablishment for pilots, flight engineersand
gunners. TheUnit hadbeenawardedwiththetwoVir Chakras, oneYudhSevaMedal andtwoVayusenaMedals.
The4 BRD specializesinrepairingandoverhaulingturbo-jet aeroengines. The4BRDhasbeenawardedwithfive
Vishisht SevaMedalsandnumerouscommendations.
Note:Presidents standard and colours Award isoneof thegreatest honorsbestoweduponanAir ForceUnit or Squadron
inrecognitionof exceptional servicerenderedbyit tothenation, bothduringwar andinpeace.
Ms Soma Mondal appointed first Women director of NALCO
March18, 2014
MsSomaMondal appointedasthefirst femaledirector (commercial) of NavratnaPublic Sector Unit (PSU) National
Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO).
Previously, Ms. Mondal wasworkingwiththecompanyasexecutivedirector (marketing) at Nalcoscorporateoffice.
Note: NALCOisapublicsector enterpriseof theGovernment of India. It isAsiaslargest integratedaluminiumcomplex,
encompassingbauxitemining, aluminarefining, aluminiumsmeltingandcasting, power generation, rail andport operations.
U & Me Against Dengue National Campaign launched
March18, 2014
A national campaignhasbeenlaunchedagainst thedenguediseasetitledU & Me Against Dengue insixIndiancities
withajoint partnershipof privateandpublicfirm.
National campaign- U & Me Against Dengue
J oint effort of AIIMS, IMA, NDMC, RotaryBloodBank, MortienandNGOSAHAYOG.
Will spreadawarenessamongpeoplehowtostopviral infectionof denguemosquitoandwhat preparationweshould
takefor it.
Launchedawebsiteand 247toll-freedenguehelpline 1800-200-0801toknoweachandeverythingabout this
deadly diseaseviz. precaution, symptoms, cureandmedicationetc.
Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan: Canara Banks Brand ambassador
March18, 2014
Thepublicsector lender, CanaraBank announcedcricketer Shikhar Dhawanasitsbrandambassador.
Objective: Togear upfor thenext phaseof bankingwithaspecial focusonthecountrysyouth.
CanaraBank isnot thefirst public sector lender tonameacricketer asitsbrandambassador. For example- Cricketer Rahul
DravidhasbeenBank of Barodasbrandambassador since2005.
9969777888-Mumbai police launched free SMS helpline for women travelling alone
March18, 2014
TheMumbai Police launchedafreeSMS service for ensuring safety of womentravelingaloneor inoddhours. Under
Travel Safe When Alone initiative, anywomenbeforetakinganautorickshawor taxi couldmessagetheregistration
number of thevehicletoadedicatedhelplinenumber 9969777888.
Objective:Thismessageservicewouldact asadeterrent whichwoulddiscouragetaxi andautodriversfromtaking
tocrime.
Theserviceisveryuseful indetectingacase, incasethewomantraveller goesmissing.
Policewill keepthetrackof thevehiclesthat thewomanistakingandwouldget her locationthroughGPS.
Theserviceisjointly startedbytheMumbai PoliceandMTNL i.e. free-of-cost.
Mr. Amitabh Kant appointed as new DIPP Secretary
March17, 2014
Mr.AmitabhKant appointedasSecretaryof Department of Industrial Policy andPromotion(DIPP). HesucceededMr.
SaurabhChandra.
Mr. Kant isa1980batchKeralacadreIndianAdministrativeService(IAS) officer.
At present, heisCEOandMDof Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation.
ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen: Indian cricketer Virat Kohli reclaimed the number
one position
March16, 2014
TheIndiancricketer Virat Kohli reclaimedthenumber onepositionintheICC Player Rankingsfor ODI Batsmen. Hewas
abletoclaimthefirst positionbygaining12pointsduringtheAsiaCupbyscoring189runsinthreeinningswith136
against Bangladesh. HeisfollowedbySouthAfricanODI captainAB deVillers, whowasat thefirst positionbeforetheAsia
Cup.
Top position in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player Rankings for
Test Batsman:A.B. deVilliers(SouthAfrica)
Test Bowlers:D.W. Steyn(SA)
ODI Bowlers:SaeedAjmal (Pakistan)
Twenty20 Batsmen:B.B. McCullum(NewZealand)
Twenty 20 Bowlers:S.P. Narine(West Indies)
Note: IntheOne-DayInternational (ODI) bowlers, Indiaspinner RavindraJ adejajumpedfour placestofifthinthebowlers
rankings.
ICICI Bank launched portable POS machines
March16, 2014
Theprivatesector lender, ICICI Bank launchedportablehand-heldmachines(or portablePOSmachines) toavoid
inconveniencearoundenteringsecret PIN number for cardtransactionsinhotels.
TheICICI Merchant ServicesisanalliancebetweenICICI Bank andelectronic commerceandpayment servicescompany
First Data.
Plan: Toreplace25,000machineslocatedinthehospitality sector enterpriseswiththeportablehand-heldmachines.
Function of portable machine: A customer will bepresentedthemachineat
thetableinorder toauthorizeatransactionrather thanthecurrent practiceof
goingtothecashcounter wherethePoint-Of-Sale (POS) machinesare
generally kept.
Note: Asper thenewPINrule, theReserveBank of India(RBI) hasaskedfor
thesecret PIN tobeenteredfor all cardpaymentsat merchant establishments.
Toprevent fraudandenhancesecurity, Businessesviz. fuel stations, hotels,
hospitalsandrestaurantswouldhavetobuytheportable, GPRS-enabled
devicestooffer conveniencetoclients.
Indias industrial output raised marginally by 0.1% in Jan 2014
March16, 2014
Indiasindustrial output recordedmarginally 0.1%growthinJ anuary, 2014after contractingfor threemonthsinarow.
Themarginal improvement intheIndexof Industrial Production(IIP) wasmainlyonaccount of higher power
generationandminingsector output, whilemanufacturingdeclined.
Though, thecumulativegrowthof theindustrial productionduringthe10-monthperiodfromApril toJ anuaryof this
financial year wasflat comparedtoanover 1%growthinthesameperiodof 2012-13.
Indias consumer inflation falls to 8.10% in Feb 2014
March16, 2014
Indiasannual Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) fallsto8.10%inFebruary2014, i.e. 25-monthlowonaccount of lower food
prices.
Asper theConsumer PriceIndex (CPI) data, inflationfell for thethirdconsecutivemonthandeasedto25-monthlowof 8.10
percent inFebruarymainly onaccount of adropinfoodprices. Inother words, overall inflationinthefoodbasket, including
beverages, slowedto8.57%inFebruaryfrom9.9%inthepreviousmonth.
Therateat whichvegetablepricesincreasedeasedto14.04%asagainst 21.91%inJ anuary. Retail inflationalsoslowedin
protein-richitemsviz. eggs, fishandmeat to9.69%inFebruaryasopposedto11.69%inJ anuary.
Note:A Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) measureschangesinthepricelevel of amarket basket of consumer goodsand
servicespurchasedbyhouseholds.
Indian aid to Bhutan: Rs 4,500 crore Assistance Package to improve the livelihood of
Bhutanese
March16, 2014
Asper the11thfiveyear planof Government of India(GOI), Indiawill contributeRs.4500
croresAssistancePackagetoBhutan. Thepackagewill helpthelandlockedcountryto
implement major projectsover the11thFiveYear Planthat will improvethelivelihoodof its
people.
Indias assistance to the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2013-2018) to Bhutan
Project TiedAssistance(PTA)- Rs. 2800crore.
Small Development Projects- Rs. 850crore.
Development Subsidy or ProgramGrant-Rs. 850crore.
Inaddition, GOI agreedtoprovideasRs. 500CroreasEconomicStimulusPackage, toboost theBhutaneseeconomy and
helptheRGOB totackletheliquidityshortage.
IPL7 (2014) to be held in UAE, Bangladesh & India
March16, 2014
TheIndiaPremier League(IPL) 2014season7 will beheldintheUnitedArabEmirates(UAE), BangladeshandIndia.
Dueto16thLok SabhaelectionsinIndia, theIPL tournament partlyshiftedout of thecountryandwill returntoIndiafor the
final phaseof matches.
2014 Pepsi IPL season 7
Start onApril 16, 2014andconcludeonJ une1, 2014.
BeginintheUAE, movetoBangladeshandfinally cometoIndiafor thefinal set of matches.
Theinitial phaseof thetournament wouldbeplayedout at threevenuesintheUAE AbuDhabi, Dubai and
SharjahfromApril 16to30.
Thesecondhalf hasbeententatively kept inBangladeshbut couldbeheldinIndiaif theBCCI managestoget the
governmentsclearance.
Note: IPL isaTwenty20cricket championshipleagueinIndia. (Headquarter: Mumbai).
Ms Michelle Bachelet: Chile President for second term
March16, 2014
MsMichelleBachelet (62) sworn-inasthePresident of Chilefor secondtime. Sheisthefirst personsince1932towinthe
presidencyof her countrytwiceincompetitiveelections. Previously, MsBachelet servedasChileanPresident from
2006-2010.
Succeeded by: SebastinPiera.
Note: Under Chilesconstitution, shewasbannedfromrunningfor asecondconsecutiveterm, eventhoughher popularity
ratingsremainedhigh.
Oxadiazoles New class of Antibiotics discovered
March15, 2014
ThescientistsfromtheUniversity Of Notre Dame, discoveredanewclassof antibiotics, Oxadiazoles, tofight deadly
bacteriaviz. Methicillin-Resistant StaphylococcusAureus(MRSA) andother drug-resistant bacteriathat threatenpublic
health.
Over 1.2millioncompoundsscreenedandfoundedoxadiazole for drug-resistant bacteriaMRSA.
Thenewclassof antibiotic, Oxadiazole, worksbyinhibitingPBP2awhichisaproteinthat bindspenicillin. It also
interfereswiththebiosynthesis of thecell wall whichallowsMRSA toresist thedrugs.
Theoxadiazolesarealsoeffectivewhentakenorally. At present, thereareonlythreedrugsavailablethat are
effectiveagainst MRSA, andonlyoneof themmaybetakenorally. onlyonemarketedantibiotic for MRSA that canbe
takenorally.
Inother words, Oxadiazoles cantreat antibiotic resistant infectionsviz. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus
Aureus(MRSA), etc.
TheresearchwaspublishedintheJ ournal of theAmericanChemical Society.
Note: MRSA isabacteriumthat developedresistancetopenicillinandcertainother groupsof antibiotics. It mostlyappears
asaskininfectionwhichcanproduceboils, abscesses, stys, carbuncles, blisters, impetigo, andrashes. Theinfectionbecomes
moreproblematicwhenit spreadstoother organs. Whentheantibiotic resistant bacteriaspreadtointernal organs, theresults
canbelife-threatening
Nokia unable to resist Android Technology for long, lastly adopts it with Nokia-X, to remain
in Competition
March15, 2014
TheFinnishhandset maker NokialauncheditsfirstAndroid-basedsmart phone, theNokia X inIndiaat Rs.8, 599. The
NokiaX handset comeswith4GB of in-built storage, andcanbeexpandedupto32GB viamicroSDcard.
Nokia X
RunonthenewNokiaX softwareplatformi.e. basedonGooglesAndroid.
BasedontheAndroid Open Source Project (AOSP), andispoweredbyMicrosoft andNokiaservices.
Offersdual-SIM(GSM+GSM) support withdual standby.
Poweredby1GHz dual-coreQualcommSnapdragonS4processor, alongside512MB of RAM.
Features: 4-inchIPSLCDdisplay witha480800pixel resolution, translatingtoapixel density of 233ppi,
3-megapixel rear camera.
SupportsBluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, AGPS, EDGE, GPRS and 3G connectivity options.
Backedbya1500mAh battery, whichcandeliver upto13hoursof talktimeandupto672hoursof standbytimeon
2Gnetwork.
Canrun75%Androidappswithout anymodifications.
AOSP doesnt come with proprietary Google code, thus, Googleappsviz. PlayStore, GoogleMaps, etc, will not
beavailableonNokiaX (but appscanbeuploadedfromthirdpartystore(likeMicrosoft appstore).
Allowsconsumersachoiceof AndroidappsalongwithsignatureMicrosoft offerings fromNokia.
WouldbundletheNokiaStorefor apps, throughwhichconsumerswill beabletoaccessseveral third-partyapp
storesviz. 1MobileMarket andSlideME Market for downloadinganyapp.
Also, bundledinitsownsearchtool Bing, Here Maps, OneDrive with 10 GB virtual storage space, Skype and
Mix Radio services.
Theappscanbesideloadedor movedtothememorycardtokeeptheinternal storagefree.
Theother twophonesof NokiasAndroidsmartphone, theNokia X+ and the Nokia XL, will beavailableinIndiawithin
twomonths.
Note: NokiaX+offersmorememoryandstorageandNokiaXL packsa5-inchscreen, 5megapixel rear-facingand2
megapixel front-facingcamera.
Dubais largest non oil trading partner in 2013-14 India
March15, 2014
Asper thereport releasedbytheDubai Department of Economic Development, Indiahasonce
againemergedasthelargest nonoil tradingpartner of Dubai in2013-14. Theexportsand
re-exportsfromIndiahavealsomarkedsignificant riseinthisperiod. Thebilateral tradebetween
thetwocountriesin2013-14crossed$37billioni.e. 10%of theoverall trade.
Intermsof bilateral tradewithDubai, IndiawasfollowedbyChina, US, Saudi ArabiaandUK.
Update on Khobragade case: US court dismissed visa fraud charges against Indian diplomat
Ms. Devyani Khobragade
March15, 2014
TheUSCourt ruledthat theIndian diplomat Ms. Devyani Khobragade hadfull diplomatic immunity atthetimeof
indictment onvisafraudandunderpayingher maid.
Asper thejudgment, Ms. KhobragadewhoservedasConsular officer intheUSfromOctober 2012toJ anuary2014
wasat apositionof consular immunity asper theViennaConvention.
TheCourt haddroppedall chargesagainst her claimingthat thedaywhenthechargewasreturnedtoher, she
definitely haddiplomatic immunity.
Thisorder waspassedbyUSDistrict J udgeMs. ShiraScheindlinsupportingher diplomatic immunity ina14-page
order.
Ms. Khobragadehaswondismissal of theindictment against her for visafraud, withaU.S. judgerulingshehadfull
diplomatic immunity. Though, prosecutorsarenot barredfrombringingnewchargesinfuture.
Note: Ms. Devyani wasemployedastheDeputyConsul General for Political, Economic, Commercial andWomensAffairs
at theConsulateGeneral of IndiainNewYork, whereshewasarrestedfor anallegedcaseof visafraudandmakingfalse
statementsinconnectionwiththevisaapplicationfor anIndiannational employeewhowasdomestic helper inher home.
Later on, shereleasedona$250000bondafter shepleadednot guilty inacourt.
SC to Lower Courts: Complete trial in criminal cases involving law makers within one year
March14, 2014
Inabidtoexpediteproceedingsagainst sittingMPsandMLAsincriminal cases, theSupremeCourt setsadeadlinefor
lower courtstocompletetrial incasesinvolvinglawmakerswithinayear of framingof charges.
Theapexcourt statedthat all suchproceedingsinvolvinglawmakersmust beconductedonaday-to-daybasisin
order toexpeditethetrial.
Asthetrial iskept pendingfor years, lawmakerscontinuetoenjoymembershipof thelegislativebodydespitebeing
chargedinaheinousoffence.
Justice R M Lodhabenchstatedthat thetrial courtswill havetogiveexplanationtotheChief J usticeof the
respectivehighcourt if thetrial isnot completedwithinayear.
Though, theperiodcanbeextendedbytheChief J usticeof thehighcourt, if heissatisfiedwiththereasongivenby
trial judgefor not completingthetrial withinthisperiod.
Note: ThecourtpassedtherulingonaPIL filedbyanNGOPublic Interest Foundation, seekingitsdirectionfor
expeditioustrial incasesinvolvinglawmakers.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: 15 bird species from India are in critically
endangered list
March14, 2014
TheInternational Unionfor Conservationof Nature(IUCN) RedList of Birds2013marked15speciesof birdsfromIndiaas
critically endangered(CR).
Critically Endangered (CR):Thehighest risk categoryof theIUCNRedList of threatenedspecies, comprising
thosethat arefacinganextremely highrisk of extinctioninthewild.
Bird species falling under the Critically Endangered category in India:-
Migratory wetland species:BaersPochard, SiberianCraneandSpoon-billedSandpiper.
Non-migratorywetlandspecies: White-belliedHeron.
Grassland species:Bengal Florican, Great IndianBustard, J erdonsCourser andSociableLapwing.
Forest species:Forest Owlet.
Scavengers:IndianVulture, Red-headedVulture, White-backedVultureandSlender-billedVulture.
Himalayan Quail and Pink-headed DuckarenowconsideredExtinct for all practical purposes.
Uplisted (facing greater danger) species in 2013 IUCN list from
Least Concern to Near Threatened:River LapwingandRiver Tern.
Least Concern to Vulnerable:Long-tailedDuck.
Cause:Declineof thesespecies duetodestructionof wetlandsandriverinehabitats.
Major reasons of decline of bird species in India
Drastic modification, fragmentation, degradationandlossof habitat, environmental pollution(bothindustrial and
duetoincreasedpesticideusage), poachingandlandusechanges, etc.
Changesincroppingpatternduetovariousreasons, includingimplementationof irrigationschemes, increased
pesticideusage, livestock-grazing, highlevelsof disturbanceanddevelopmental activitiesviz. miningandhydel projects
resultedinmarginal fall intheir population.
Drastic lossof grasslandhabitat over thepastdecades hasseverely threatenedspecies viz. Great IndianBustard,
Bengal FloricanandJ erdonsCourser.
Destructionof deciduousforestsincentral IndiahasleadtothedeclineinForest Owlet numbers.
Destructionof forestsinthefragileWesternGhatsandHimalayacontinuetoendanger theexistenceof manyother
species.
Useof chemical componentsasinthecaseof diclofenacseffect of vulturespecies.
About IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Headquarters:UnitedKingdom.
Founded:1964.
Parent organization:International Unionfor Conservationof Nature(IUCN)
Worldsmost comprehensiveinventory of theglobal conservationstatusof biological species.
Objective:Tohavethecategoryof everyspeciesre-evaluatedeveryfiveyearsif possibleor at least everytenyears.
Powerful tool toinformandcatalyzeactionfor biodiversity conservationandpolicychange, critical toprotectingthe
natural resourcesweneedtosurvive.
Provides informationonpopulationsizeandtrends, geographicrangeandhabitat needsof species.
Evaluatesspeciesin9categories throughacriteriaviz. rateof decline, populationsize, areaof geographic
distribution, anddegreeof population, distributionfragmentation, etc.
Categories: Extinct (EX), Extinct intheWild(EW), Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered(EN), Vulnerable(VU),
Near Threatened(NT), Least Concern(LC), DataDeficient (DD) andNot Evaluated(NE).
China launched a trial programme for private firms to set up banks
March14, 2014
For thefirst time, theChinaBankingRegulatoryCommission(CBRC) approvedatrial programtoestablishfiveprivately
ownedbanksasthegovernment seekstoeaserestrictionsonthestate-controlledbankingindustryandalsomovetoliberalize
deposit ratesinthenext twoyears, asregulatorsgrapplewiththerisingpressureonthebankingsector fromanewly
boomingonlinefinanceindustry.
Thefirst batchof thefivebankswill beopenedinthecitiesof Tianjin, Shanghai, Zhejiang Province and
Guangdong Province asapilot project.
Tenprivatecompanies viz. Internet giantsAlibaba and Tencent havebeenselectedtotakepart inthepreparation
work for settingupthebanks.
Eachof thebankswill beco-sponsoredbyat least twoprivatecapital providers
Thebankswill operateindependently andwill assumeresponsibility for risksandlossesaswell asprofits.
Theprivatebankswill needtohaveadequatenet capital, aspecific businessstrategy andamechanismtoprevent
risksfromspreadingandtoprotect depositors interests.
Financial services of privatebankswill beorientedtowardssmall andmicrobusinessesaswell asresidential
communities.
Notimetablehasbeengivenfor whenthey needtobeoperationally ready.
Note: AlibabaGroupisoneof thebiggest e-commercecompanies andTencent HoldingsLtdisChinasmost popular online
gamesprovider.
Study: Volcanoes helped species survive ice ages
March14, 2014
Asper thestudy of aninternational teamof researchers, thesteamandheat fromvolcanoesallowedspeciesof plantsand
animalstosurvivepasticeages.
About the study of Volcanoes
BasedonAntarctica. (Asit hasat least 16volcanoes whichhavebeenactivesincethelast iceage20,000yearsago).
Studiedtensof thousandsof recordsof Antarctic speciesthat arecollectedover decadesbyhundredsof researchers
andfoundtherearemorespeciesclosetovolcanoes, andfewer further away.
Examineddiversity patternsof mosses, lichens andbugswhicharestill commoninAntarcticathesedays.
Around60%of Antarcticinvertebratespeciesarefoundnowhereelseintheworld.
Volcanic steamcanmelt largeicecavesunder theglaciers, andit canbetensof degreeswarmer intherethanoutside.
Cavesandwarmsteamfieldswouldhavebeengreat placesfor speciestohangout duringiceages.
Outcome:Thestudyhelpsscientiststounderstandhowspeciessurvivedpast iceagesinother icyregions, including
inperiodswhenit isthought therewaslittleor noice-freelandontheplanet.
Mysterious four new man-made Ozone-Killing gases discovered
March13, 2014
Thescientists from the University of East Anglia, UK discoveredtracesof four newman-madegasesintheatmosphere
that arecapableof destroyingtheozonelayer andintensifyingglobal warming. Scientistsstatedthat thenewgasesare
manmadebecausetheywerenot seenintheatmosphereuntil the1960s.
About four new man-made Ozone-Killing gases
Threeof thegasesareChlorofluorocarbons(CFCs) andoneisaHydro- Chlorofluorocarbon(HCFC), whichcanalso
damageozone.
Thefour newgaseshavebeenidentifiedasCFC-112, CFC112a, CFC-113a, HCFC-133a.
CFC-113a:Anagrochemical intermediatefor themanufactureof pyrethroids. (atypeof insecticideoncewidely used
inagriculture).
CFC-113a and HCFC-133a:Intermediariesintheproductionof widely usedrefrigerants.
CFC-112and112amayhavebeenusedintheproductionof solventsandusedtocleanelectrical components.
Of thefour speciesidentified, CFC-113 seemstobemost worrying, asit isaninsecticidecomingfromaverysmall
but growingemissionssourcesomewhereasyet unidentified.
CFC andHCFC gaseshavebeenfoundtodamagetheozonelayer, whichisessential tofilter ultraviolet raysthat can
causecancer inhumans.
Asper estimate, about 74,000tonnesof thesegaseshavebeenreleasedintotheatmosphere.
Thestudywaspublishedinthejournal NatureGeoscience.
Note: Theozonelayer protect theplanet fromdamagingultraviolet raysthat cancauseskincancer andeyecataracts.
CAPRISA discovered potent antibodies to neutralize HIV
March13, 2014
TheCenter for theAIDSProgramof ResearchinSouthAfrica(CAPRISA) discoveredantibodies that arecapableof neutralizing
HIV strains. It isaremarkablediscovery of potent antibodies that couldneutralizeandkill multiplestrainsof HIV.
ResearchersstudiedhowaSouthAfricanwomansbodyreferredtoasCAPRISA 256(or CAP256) respondedtoher
HIV infectionbymakingpotent antibodies.
Thesepotent antibodies are also called as neutralizing antibodies because of their ability to kill multiple
strains of antibodies.
Thepotent antibodiesweremadebytheresearchersbyfirst identifyingtheantibodiespresent inthebloodof the
CAP256andthenduplicatingtheseantibodiesbycloningit inthelab.
Theclonedantibodieswerethenusedtoelucidatethepathwayfollowedbytheimmunesystemtomakethesepotent
antibodies.
ThisdiscoverycouldleadtonewHIV vaccinestrategiesthat enablestostimulatetherareprecursorsof these
protectiveantibodies
Thestudypublishedinthescientific journal, Nature.
What are neutralizing antibodies?
All HIV infectedpeoplerespondtoHIV bymakingantibodies. Inmost patients, theseantibodiesarenot abletokill awide
rangeof HIV(duetolack of neutralizationbreadth). Though, inafewinfectedpeople, they naturally makeantibodies that
kill (neutralize) manydifferent kindsof HIV (i.e. theyarebroadly neutralizingantibodies). Previously, theseantibodies
havebeenshowntobeeffectiveinpreventingandtreatingHIV infectioninanimals, but thishasnever beforebeenshownin
humans.
About Center for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA)
AnAIDSresearchcenter basedinDurban, SouthAfrica.
Established:2002under theNational Institutesof HealthprogramcalledComprehensiveInternational Programof
ResearchonAIDS(CIPRA).
Mission:TopromoteHIV preventionandresearchitsepidemiology.
Note: TheSouthAfricanconsortiumworkedjointly withUSpartnersbasedattheVaccineResearchCenter of theNational
Instituteof Allergy andInfectiousDiseases, part of theNational Institutesof Health, andColumbiaUniversity inNewYork.
Indian-origin kid Kush Sharma won epic spelling bee
March13, 2014
AnIndianAmericanstudent KushSharma(13) wontheepic spellingbeeattheCentral LibraryinKansasCityinMissouri
andsecuredaberthintheScrippsNational SpellingBeeinWashingtonscheduledfor May2014.
Note: IndianAmericanshavedominatedthecontest over theyears. NewYorkstudentArvindMahankali wonthe2013
ScrippsNational SpellingBee.
Annual Health Survey: Some states showed improvement
March12, 2014
Asper thesecondupdateof theAnnual HealthSurvey (AHS), all major healthindicatorsinthecountrysworst-performing
Statesareshowingagradual improvement over theyearsbut inter-Statevariationspersist.
About 2nd update of Annual Health Survey (AHS)
Objective:Tomonitor theperformanceandoutcomeof varioushealthinterventionsof theGovernment including
thoseunder National Rural HealthMission(NRHM) at closer intervalsthroughbenchmark indicators
In284districtsof ninestatessurvey wasconducted.
States:Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, J harkhand, Odisha, MadhyaPradesh, ChhattisgarhandAssam.
Thesestatesaccount for about 48%of thetotal populationinthecountry.
Highlights of the Annual Health Survey (AHS)
(a)Crude Birth Rate (CBR) andCrude Death Rate (CDR):-
MinimumCBR: Bageshwar (14.7) inUttarakhand.
MaximumCBR: Shrawasti (40.9) inUttar Pradesh.
CBR inrural areasof districtsishigher thanthat inurbanareas.
Minimum CDR:Dhemaji (4.5) inAssam.
Lowfemaledeathrateshavealsobeenobservedascomparedtomaledeathrates.
(b)Infant Mortality Rate (IMR):-
MinimumIMR: Rudraprayag(19) inUttarkhand.
MaximumIMR: Shrawasti (103) inUttar Pradesh.
Districts achieved the MDG -4 National target of 28 by 2015:Purbi Singhbhum& Dhanbad(J harkhand) and
Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh&Almora(Uttarakhand).
Four districtsviz. Bokaro& Ranchi (J harkhand) andBageshwar & Nainital (Uttarakhand) areincloser vicinity to
achievetheMDG-4National target.
IMR inrural areasof districtsissignificantly higher thanthat inurbanareas.
(c)Neo-Natal Mortality Rate (NNMR):-
MinimumNNMR: Rudraprayag(11), Uttarkhand.
MaximumNNMR: Balangir (75) inOdisha.
Rural NNMR indistrictsissignificantly higher thantheurban.
(d)Under Five Mortality Rate (U5MR):-
MinimumU5MR:Pithoragarhdistrict (24), Uttarakhand.
MaximunU5MR: Kandhmal district (145), Odisha.
Districts achieved the MDG -4 National target of 42 by 2015:Pithoragarh, Almora, Rudraprayag, Chamoli,
Nainital & Bagheswar (Uttarakhand) andPurbi Singhbhum(J harkhand).
10districtsviz. Dhanbad, Bokaro, Kodarma, Hazaribagh& Giridih(J harkhand) andKota(Rajasthan) and
Champawat, UdhamSinghNagar, Dehradun& Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) areincloser vicinitytoachievetheMDG-4
National target.
Rural U5MR indistrictsissignificantly higher thantheurban.
(e) Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR):-
MinimumMMR: KumaonHQ(183) inUttarakhand.
MaximumMMR: FaizabadMandal (451) inUP.
(f) Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB)
MinimumSRB: Pithoragarhdistrict (764), Uttarakhand.
MaximumSRB: Moradabaddistrict (1034), Uttar Pradesh.
Terms:
Crude Birth Rate (CBR)denoteslivebirthsper 1000populationandCrudeDeathRate(CDR) denotesnumber of
deathsper 1000population.
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)denotesthenumber of infant deaths(agebelowoneyear) per 1000livebirths.
Neo-Natal Mortality Rate (NNMR)measures thenumber of infant deaths(agebelow29days) per 1,000livebirths.
Under Five Mortality Rate (U5MR)denotesthenumber of childrenwhodiedbeforereachingtheir fifthbirthday
per 1,000livebirths.
Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR)measurestheproportionof maternal deathsper 1,00,000livebirths.
Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB)definedasthenumber of femalelivebirthsper 1,000malelivebirths.
Outcome of the survey: Theseindicatorswouldproviderequisiteinputsfor better planningof healthprogrammes andpave
thewayfor evidencebasedinterventionstrategies.
Mr. Pankaj Mishra: Indian author won Windham Campbell Literature Prize 2014
March12, 2014
Indianauthor Mr. Pankaj Mishra wontheprestigiousDonaldWindhamCampbell Literatureprize2014inthenon-fiction
category. TheawardsareannouncedbyThe Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library atYaleUniversity.
Mr. MishraMishraisanIndianessayist, memoirist, travel writer andnovelist whoseworkexpandsour understandingof the
encounter betweenWesternandNon-westernculture.
Besidesthenovel, The Romantics, hehaspublishedfour worksof non-ction: Butter ChickeninLudhiana: TravelsinSmall
TownIndia, AnEndtoSuering: theBuddhaintheWorld, Temptationsof theWest: HowtoBeModerninIndia, Pakistan,
Tibet, andBeyondandFromtheRuinsof Empire: TheIntellectualsWhoRemadeAsia.
2014 prizewinners of Donald Windham Campbell Literature Prize in
Fiction:AminattaForna(SierraLeone), NadeemAslam(Pakistan), andJ imCrace(UnitedKingdom);
Non-fiction:Pankaj Mishra (India)andJ ohnVaillant (UnitedStates/Canada);
Drama:KiaCorthron(UnitedStates), SamHolcroft (UnitedKingdom) andNolleJ anaczewska(Australia).
Thewinners inthethreecategoriesviz. fiction, non-fictionanddramawill receiveacitation and an unrestricted award of
$150,000 each inrecognitionof their achievementsandtosupport their ongoingworkat aceremony atYaleUniversity on
September 15, 2014.
Mizoram clinched 68th Santosh Trophy 2013-14
March12, 2014
Mizoramclinchedthe68thSantoshTrophyfor Football bydefeatingRailwaysby3-0at Siliguri ,West Bengal andwonRs.5
lakhprizemoney, whiletherunnersupRailwaysreceivedRs.3lakh. ThisisthemaidenSantoshTrophyfor Mizoramand
thiswasalsothefirst appearancefor theminthefinal match.
Railwayswonits last SantoshTrophy in1966.
About Santosh Trophy
Founded:1941.
Annual Indianfootball tournament.
Trophynamedafter thelateMaharajaSir ManmathaNathRoyChowdharyof Santosh(that isnowinBangladesh).
Akron: Indian-American owned firm developing zero pressure tyre for US army
March12, 2014
AnIndian-Americanownedengineeringfirm, Akron
(Ohio-basedAmericanEngineeringGroup(AEG)) has
receiveda$1millionPhase-II project grant fromtheUS
Department of Defensetodeveloptyresthat will continue
runningevenafter beingshreddedbyroadsidebombsor
gunfire.
Note:
AnIndian-Americanengineer Mr. Abraham Pannikottu isdevelopingauniquecarbonfibrehoopdesignzero
pressuretyrefor theUSmilitarythat couldkeepmilitaryvehicles torunfaster andlonger after anattack.
Hisgroupisalsoworkingonnewinnovativeproductsviz. USnational football leaguehelmet andimplantable
cost-effectivetitaniumhipandknee.
Thecompanyhaspatentspendingfor theZeroPressureTyretechnology.
AEG Zero Pressure tyres will:
Continuetorunevenafter beingshreddedbyroadsidebombsor gunfire.
Withstandaminimumof 50mphspeedsfor 300milesonceitspunctured.
Workbetter at carryingheavier loadsandcanquicklymovesoldiersout of dangerousway.
TheAEGprototypedissipatesheat andhasthetyreflexibility andstrengthtosupport theheavymilitarypick-up
weight whileprovidingarelatively smoothride.
Note: In2006, PentagonhonouredMr.Abraham Pannikottu andhisgroupfor designinganairlesstyrefor theStryker
armouredvehicle. Thisawardwasfor exceptional performancethat exemplifiesthegoal of bringinginnovativetechnologies
tothesoldier.
Govt. banned trucks from carrying protruding rods
March11, 2014
TheUnionGovernment bannedvehicles fromcarryingironandsteel rods, pipesor any
protrudingmaterial beyondthebodyframe. TheMinistryof RoadTransport and
HighwayshasdeletedtheprovisionintheCentral Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR),
1989 that allowedprotrusionsuptoonemetre.
Why the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has banned trucks from carrying protruding rods?
Asper thesection 93 of CMVR 1989 rule, goodsvehicleswereallowedtocarrypolesor rodsor indivisibleloaduptoone
metrebeyondthevehicles bodyframe. Andthat wasblatantly violatedbysuchvehicles asthey hardlyusedsufficient signs
towarnmotorists.
Asper thereportsin2012, approx 9,087peoplewerekilledand29,573wereinjuredinaccidentsrelatedtoloadviz.
ironandsteel rods/pipe, protrudingout of vehicles.
Recently, theSupremeCourt tooorderedtheUnionGovernment for anexplanationonaPIL seekingabanontrucks
andtrailerscarryingironrodsprotrudingdangerously andparkedwithout anyblinkerstowarnvehicles comingfrom
behind.
Thus, theMinistryof RoadTransport andHighwaysamendedtheCMVR, 1989andbannedvehiclesfromcarryingany
object protrudingout of thevehicles bodyframe, evenif it islessthanametre.
64th National Basketball Championship held in New Delhi
March11, 2014
The64th National Basketball Championship heldat theThyagaraj Indoor StadiuminNewDelhi.
Winners:
Chhattisgarhwonthewomenstitleafter beatingIndianRailwaysby81-77.
Tamil NaduwonthemenstitlebydefeatingPunjabby74-57.
Harish Sharma Most Valuable Player Award:RikinPethani (Tamil Nadu) andKavitaKumari (Chhattisgarh).
ServicesfinishedthirdinthemenscategorywhileDelhi womenbeat Maharashtratosecurethirdposition.
Note: ThewinnersreceivedRs.1Lakh, whilethefirst andsecondrunners-upreceivedRs. 75,000/- andRs. 50,000/-.
China hiked military budget by 12.2% for 2014
March11, 2014
ThePeoples Republic of China announcedtoraiseitsmilitarybudget for 2014by12.2%to$132billion. Thehikein
defensespendingwouldseek todevelopmorehigh-techweaponsandtobeef upcoastal andair defenses.
It wouldalsoallowBeijingtocreateamodernforcethat will project power not onlyacrossthedisputedwatersof
theEastandSouthChinaSeasbut alsointothewesternPacificandIndianOceans.
Goal:Tobecomeadominant militarypresenceinthePacific, withanavyabletoproject power acrosstheregion.
Thishike in defense spending would create tension among Chinas neighbors viz. India, J apan, SouthKorea,
Taiwan, Vietnam, etc.
Thebudget spikecomesasAsiareactsnervously toastringof recent movesbyChinatoassert itssovereigntyin
disputedterritory, expanditsmilitaryreachandchallengethetraditional dominanceof U.S. forcesintheAsiaPacific
region.
FromIndiaspoint of view, Chinasdefensespendingisfar higher than$36billionallocatedinlast monthsinterim
budget that amountedto10%hike.
Note:Chinasmilitaryspendingisthesecondlargest intheworld, behindthat of theUnitedStates.
12th Meeting of the FSDC Sub-Committee at New Delhi: Set up a High Powered Inter
Regulatory Committee to explore ways to comply with Basel-III capital norms
March11, 2014
At the12th sub-committeemeetingof theFinancial StabilityandDevelopment Council (FSDC), headedbyRBI Governor
RaghuramRajan, heldat NewDelhi, it wasdecidedtoset upaHighPoweredInter Regulatory Committeetoexploreways
of enablingbankstomeet theserequirements.
Objective: Tofindwaysfor thebankingsector tocomplywithBasel-III capital norms.
Discussions during the 12th Meeting of the FSDC Sub-Committee:
Theimplementationof non-legislativerecommendationsof FSLRCandsettingupof arepository for investorswith
asingleviewof all financial asset classes.
Thewaysfor settingupaneffectiveresolutionregimefor thefinancial sector. Issuesof greater harmonisationof
regulationsacrosssectorsfor similar activitieswerealsotakenup.
Thereport of theworkinggrouponResolutionRegimes inIndia, chairedbyRBI DeputyGovernor AnandSinha
andEconomicAffairsSecretaryArvindMayaram.
Listed below is the present structure of FSDC along with its Sub-committee and various Working Groups/Technical
Groups constituted under the aegis of the Sub-committee:
1) Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC):
Apex-level bodyconstitutedbygovernment of India
Ideatoconstitutesuchasuper regulatorybody wasfirst givenbyRaghuramRajanCommitteein2008
Objective(s) of Financial Stability andDevelopment Council (FSDC):
Financial Stability
Financial Sector Development
Inter-Regulatory Coordination
Financial Literacy
Financial Inclusion
Macroprudential supervisionof theeconomyincludingthefunctioningof largefinancial conglomerates
CoordinatingIndiasinternational interfacewithfinancial sector bodies liketheFinancial ActionTaskForce(FATF),
Financial StabilityBoard(FSB)andanysuchbodyasmaybedecidedbytheFinanceMinister fromtimetotime.
Composition of Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC):
Chairperson: TheUnionFinanceMinister of India
Other Members:
Governor ReserveBank of India(RBl),
FinanceSecretaryand/ or Secretary, Department of EconomicAffairs(DEA),
Secretary, Department of Financial Services(DFS),
Chief EconomicAdvisor, Ministry of Finance,
Chairman, SecuritiesandExchangeBoardof India(SEBI),
Chairman, InsuranceRegulatoryandDevelopment Authority (IRDA),
ChairmanPensionFundRegulatoryandDevelopment Authority(PFRDA),
J oint Secretary(Capital Markets), DEA, will betheSecretaryof theCouncil,
**TheChairpersonmayinviteanypersonwhosepresenceisdeemednecessaryfor anyof itsmeeting(s).
2) Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) Sub-Committee:
TheFSDC Sub-committeehasalsobeenset upunder thechairmanshipof Governor, RBI. It meetsmoreoftenthan
thefull Council. All themembersof theFSDC arealsothemembersof theSub-committee. Additionally, all four Deputy
Governorsof theRBI arealsomembersof theSubCommittee.
ExecutiveDirector, RBI (inchargeof financial Stability) istheMember Secretary, whiletheFinancial StabilityUnit
(FSU) of RBI istheSecretariat for theSub-committee.
3) Working Groups/Technical Groups under FSDC Sub-Committee:
3.1) Inter regulatory technical group (IR-TG): For inter-regulatorycoordinationamongthefinancial sector
regulators. TheGroupisheadedbyEDinchargeof Financial Stability, RBI andmembersbeingED/CGM level officers
of theother regulators.
3.2) Technical Group on financial inclusion and financial literacy:ChairedbyDG, RBI inchargeof financial
stability andhasrepresentativesfromall regulators(at thelevel of ED/CGM) aswell asfromDEA andDFS(at thelevel
of J oint Secretary).
3.3) Inter regulatory forum for monitoring financial conglomerates (IRF-FC): HeadedbytheDeputyGovernor,
RBI (in-Chargeof theDepartment of BankingSupervision) andother Membersaresenior representatives of all the
sectoral regulatorsat thelevel of ExecutiveDirectors(RBI, SEBI, IRDA andPFRDA).
3.4) Early Warning Group:Tocoordinatetheresponseof GOI/Regulatorsinthetimeof acrisissituation. It is
chairedbyDG, RBI in-chargeof Financial MarketsDepartment. It hasJ oint Secretarylevel representativefromDEA &
DFSasmembers. It isrepresentedbyMember/EDlevel officersfromfinancial sector regulators.
3.5) Working Group on resolution regime for financial institutions:Toexaminetheexistingresolutionregime/
framework for theentirefinancial sector asawholeandidentify thecurrent gapsinthenational resolutionregime/
framework vis--vistheFSB KeyAttributes. Withthisbackground, theGroupwouldrecommendchangesinthelegal
framework tofacilitatetherequiredresolutionregimeincludingcrossborder resolution. WasconstitutedinJ anuary2013
under theCo-Chairmanshipof Shri AnandSinha, DG, RBI, andSecretary(DEA). TheFinancial sector regulatorsatthe
level of ExecutiveDirector/General Manager/J oint Director/Principal Legal Adviser aremembersof thisgroup.
4) Macro Financial and Monitoring Group (MFMG):ChairedtheChief EconomicAdviser. It hasrepresentationfromall
theDepartmentsof theMinistryof Finance. It aimsat keepingtrackof themacroeconomic andfinancial developments,
identifyingvulnerabilities, andprovidingearly warningsignals.
Stree Shakti Puraskar 2013
March11, 2014
ThePresident of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee awardedStree Shakti Puraskar tosixillustriouswomenonInternational
WomensDayfor their distinguishedservicesfor theupliftment of women. TheGovernment of Indiahasinstitutedsix
national awardsareknownasStreeShakti Puraskar.
Theseawardsareinthenameof thefollowingeminent womenpersonalitiesintheIndianhistory whoarefamousfor
their personal courageandintegrity:- Rani Lakshmibai, Rani RudrammaDevi, Kannagi, Rani GaidinliuZaliang, Rani
Ahilyabai Holkar andMataJ ijabai.
Awardees are-
Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award:Dr. VartikaNanda(Delhi) for creatingawarenessonwomensissuesthroughmedia.
Rani Lakshmibai Award:Ms. Manasi Pradhan(Odisha) for her workinthefieldof womensempowerment.
Rani Rudramma Devi Award:Dr. MVenkaiah(AndhraPradesh) for her contributioninthefieldof womens
health.
Mata Jijabai Award:Ms. BinaShethLashkari (Maharashtra) honoredfor her achievement inthefieldof education
andtraining
Kannagi Award:T RadhaK Prashanti (AndhraPradesh) for her achievement inthefieldof providingsupport to
orphans, visually impaired, handicappedanddestitutewomen.
Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Award:Dr SeemaSakhare(Maharashtra) for her contributioninthefieldof womensrights,
gender issues, legal counselingandinstitutional support towomenandgirls.
About Stree Shakti Puraskar
Category:WomenActivism(Individual).
Objective:Torecognizerecognizesthespirit of courageof awomenindifficult circumstances, whohasestablished
thisspirit of courageinher personal or professional life.
Instituted:1991.
Awarded by Government of India.
ConferredbythePresident of Indiaonoccasionof International WomensDayi.e. 8thMarcheveryyear atNew
Delhi.
Cash award:Rs. 300,000.
Alsorecognizespioneeringcontributionof anindividual inempoweringwomenandraisingwomensissues.
Phantom- Worlds first 3D model of human fingerprint developed by Indian-American
scientist Mr. Anil Jain
March11, 2014
AnIndian-Americanscientist, Mr. Anil Jain from
MichiganStateUniversity built theworldsfirst
three-dimensional (3D) model of ahumanfingerprint
knownasPhantom.
About Phantom 3D model of human fingerprint
A methodthat takesatwo-dimensional imageof afingerprint andmapsit toa3-Dfinger surface.
Inhealthcare, a3Dheart or akidneymaybecreatedbecauseof knowndimensionsandtheycanbeput inascanner andthe
imagingsystemmaybecalibrated.
Objective: Tohaveaprecisefingerprint model withknownpropertiesandfeaturesthat canbeusedtocalibrateexisting
technology usedtomatchfingerprints.
Wouldhelptoimprovetheoverall accuracyof fingerprint-matchingsystemsthat leadstobetter security inapplications
rangingfromlawenforcement tomobilephoneunlock.
Developedtoboost theaccuracyof fingerprint-matchingsystemsandtoimprovesecuritytechnology.
About Indian-American scientist Mr. Anil Jain
HasaB.TechdegreefromIIT Kanpur andMSandPhDdegreesfromOhioStateUniversity.
SixUSpatents on fingerprint matching andhaswrittenanumber of booksonbiometricsandfingerprint/facial recognition.
Receivedanumber of prestigiousawardsfor contributionstopatternrecognitionandbiometrics.
Note: The3Dmodel doesnt havethefeel or textureor areal finger, but it couldadvancethetechnology of fingerprinting
sensingandmatching.
Mr. Vince Chhabria to be first Indian-American judge in California
March11, 2014
Indian-Americanattorney, Mr. Vince Chhabria (44) will becomeCaliforniasfirst federal judgeof SouthAsiandescent.
At present, Mr. ChhabriaservesastheDeputyCityAttorney at theSanFranciscoCityAttorneysOffice. Hehasrepresented
SanFranciscoindefenseof itshealthinsurancelaw, adoptionrightsof same-sex couplesandother major cases, haswon
Senateconfirmationfor afederal judgeship.
Appointed by: UnitedStatesPresident BarackObama.
Succeeded: SusanIllston.
Punjab Cabinet approved the Backward Class quota for Jat community
March10, 2014
ThePunjabCabinet approvedtheBackwardClass(BC) statusfor theJ at andJ at Sikhsof theState. Now, J atsandJ at Sikhs
arethe69thand70thcommunitytobeincludedinthecategory.
As per the Punjab Cabinet decision
Quotabenefit will alsobeextendedtoeconomically weaker personsfromthegeneral category.
Thesereservationswouldbeinadditiontothequotaalready inplaceandwouldnot affect theexistingquota
sections.
A commissionwill beset uptowork out modalities for theimplementationof theCabinet decision.
Thegrant of BC statustotheJ atsandJ at Sikhswill enablethemtoget reservationingovernment jobs.
Note: Recently, theUnionCabinet decidedtoextendOBC statustoJ atsof Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar
Pradesh, MadhyaPradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, UttarakhandandDelhi. Though, J atsandJ at Sikhsof Punjabhadbeenleft out of
theUnionCabinetsdecisionbecausethePunjabgovernment hadfailedtobringthecommunityintheStateBC list.
Ukraine Crisis 2014: Impact of Ukraine Crisis on India
March10, 2014
Theongoingpolitical crisisinUkrainewill effect Indiaduetofollowingreasons:
Immediate impact on India: Themilitarystand-off situationof Indiawouldgoworsenbecause
Ukrainianmilitaryfacilityprovides enginesfor militaryhelicoptersof Russianorigin(that
account for aquarter of theworldsmedium, medium-heavy andheavylift helicopters) and
Indiahascontractswithmanysourcingnaval engines, fromwhereIndiagetsitsentirefleet of
mediummilitarytransport aircraft modernized.
Business and economic factors-Theconflict betweenRussiaandUkraine
Wouldweaker rupeeagainst dollarsthat will benegativefor stocksandfor theIndianeconomy.
Internationaloil andgaspriceswouldgoupthat will adversely effect India, asIndiawill havetospendmoredollars
tobuyBrent asit isdependent onimportsfor itsenergyneeds. Thiswill pressuretherupeeandmayleadtoariseinthe
current account deficit.
TheFDI inflowintoIndiamaybeaffectedadversely.
Strategic reasons-If themilitarysituationinUkrainegoworsethantherelationsbetweentheUSandRussiawouldbe
deteriorate, thenatthat situationIndiawill beunder pressuretotakeaclear position, asChinahastakenaclear positionand
supportedRussia.
Note: Russiaisakeyfriendof Indiaandhashelpedrepeatedly at thecrucial timeviz. Becauseof Russiaspro-activehelp,
Indiawonthe1971war against PakistanandliberatedBangladesh, etc.
Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup Cricket Tournament 2014
March9, 2014
Sri Lankawonthe12theditionof AsiaCupCricket Tournament 2014bydefeatingdefendingchampionPakistanat Mirpur
in Bangaldesh byfivewickets. Sri Lankaequaledtherecordof Indiaafter winningtheAsiacupfor thefifthtime.
Man of the match: LasithMalinga(Sri Lanka)
Man of the series: LahiruThirimanne(Sri Lanka)
About ACCAsia Cup 2014
InternationalmensOneDayInternational cricket tournament.
First tournament:1984.
Most successful Teams:Sri Lanka(5titles) & India(5titles).
Current champion:Sri Lanka(5thtitle).
Host:Bangladesh.
Title sponsors:AriseIndia.
Powered by: CycleAgarbathis.
2014 Ukraine crisis: Crimean MPs vote to join Russian Federation sparks outrage
March9, 2014
TheParliament of Crimea askedMoscowtoallowtheregiontoaccedetoRussiaandmoveforwardsthedateof a
referendumontheregionsstatusfromMarch30toMarch16, 2014. Inother words, CrimeanParliament requestedto
MoscowtomakeCrimeathepart of Russia.
TheauthoritiesinCrimeavotedtoacceleratesecessionfromUkraine, unanimously backingalawthat declaredthe
territorytobepart of theRussianFederation.
Voters in Crimea had to choose between two options:StayinUkraineor joinRussia. (Previously, theParliament
plannedtoseek greater autonomy for CrimeawithinUkraine).
Ukrainesinterimprimeminister opposedthereferendumof Crimeanparliament tojoinRussia. (Thecurrent
Crimeanconstitutioncameintoeffect in1999andArticle135of theUkrainianconstitutionprovidesthat theCrimean
Constitutionmust beapprovedbytheUkrainianparliament).
RussianPresident Mr. Vladimir Putinstatedthat RussiahadnoplanstoannexCrimea.
Note: Crimea isanautonomousrepublic inthesouth-easternregionof Ukraineandhasitsownconstitution. Crimeas
peopleare58%ethnicRussians, 24%Ukrainians, and12%Tatars, descendantsof theTurkicpeoplethat ruledthepeninsula
until theRussianTsarsannexedit in1783. (Capital: Simferopol).
What is the cause of public protest against the President Viktor Yanukovych?
Theimmediatecauseof anti-government protestsstartedover President Mr. Viktor Yanukovychsdecisionto
abandonadeal withtheEuropeanUnioninfavour of aidandnatural gasagreementswithRussia.
Causes of protest:OppositiontotheEuromaidanmovement, OppositiontotheYatsenyuk Government andthe
VerkhovnaRadasvotetorepeal languagelawthat protectedminority languages.
Effect of Protest:Theanti-government protestsledtothedownfall of thegovernment of President Viktor
Yanukovych andset thenewgovernment.
Inbrief, the2014Ukrainianrevolutionwasanti-Yanukovychwhoispro-Russia. Those who protested wanted close
Ukraine-EU relations and not Ukraine-Russia partnership.
USAs move on Ukraine crisis:-TheU.S. hassuspendedmilitaryengagement withRussiaandopinedto expel Russia from
G-8 but Germanydidnt favour the expulsion. Western leaders haveshownconsensus on suspending theG8 summit to
be held at Sochi thisyear, if Russiadoesnt stopitsinterference.
What the Ukraine government did to resolve Ukraine crisis?
Inorder toresolvethepolitical crisisinUkraine, UkrainePrimeMinister Mr. Mykola Azarov resignedandthedeputy
PrimeMinister Mr. SerhiyArbuzov becametheactingPrimeminister of Ukraine.
Toeasethetwomonthlongprotest, theparliament repealedaset of anti-protest lawsandamassamnesty was
grantedtoall thedemonstratorsinthestreets, eventheoneswhohaveseizedgovernment buildingsbyforce.
InthecrisistalksbetweenthePresident andoppositionleaders, it wasagreedthat Parliament wouldholdavoteof
no-confidenceinthegovernment, andtoworktowardspotentially reinstatingaconstitutionthat boostedparliamentary
powersandcurtailedthoseof thePresident.
About Ukraine
Capital:Kiev.
Currency:Ukrainianhryvnia.
Prime minister:ArseniyYatsenyuk.
Ms. Sheila Dikshit: Former Delhi Chief Minister appointed as Kerala Governor
March8, 2014
Former Delhi chief minister Ms. SheilaDikshit (75) appointedastheGovernor of KeralabythePresident Mr. Pranab
Mukherjee. Ms. Dikshit succeededMr. Nikhil Kumar, aformer Delhi PoliceCommissioner. Shebecamethe22ndGovernor
of Kerala. MsDixit formerly servedastheChief Minister of Delhi from1998to2013.
MsDikshit wasdefeatedinher ownconstituency, NewDelhi,InDecember 2013electionstotheLegislativeAssembly of
Delhi, byMrArvindKejriwal
President PranabMukherjeealsoapprovedasecondtermfor Uttar PradeshGovernor B.L. J oshi.
Two additional attempts and two-year age relaxation for all categories of candidates in
UPSCs Civil Services Exams
March7, 2014
TheUnionGovernment approvedtwoadditional attemptsalong-withaconsequential agerelaxationtoall categoriesof
candidatesfor theCivil Services ExamconductedbyUnionPublic ServiceCommission(UPSC). Thenew rules are
effective from Civil Services Examination 2014.
TheUPSCconductsthecivil serviceexamstoselect membersof theIndianAdministrativeService(IAS), IndianPolice
Service(IPS) andIndianForeignService(IFS) amongothers.
As per the revised norms, the Ministry of Personnel stated that from this year :-
Unreserved(or general category) category candidateswill get six attempts until 32 years of age.
Thereisnorestrictiononthenumber of attemptsbycandidatesbelongingtoScheduledCastes(SCs) andScheduled
Tribes(STs). But theagelimit for suchaspirantshasbeenextendedbytwoyearsfrom35to37years.
TheOther BackwardClasses(OBC) candidatewill get nineattemptsuntil 35yearsof age.
Physically handicapped candidates in the general and OBC categories will beeligiblefor nine attempts as
against thesevenat present. They will alsoget agerelaxationsof 42yearsfor general and45yearsfor OBC candidates.
Thereisnocaponthenumber of attemptsbyphysically handicappedcandidatesintheSC andST categorieswhile
therewill beanagelimit of 47yearsfor themasagainst thepresent 45years.
Till 2013, anunreservedcandidateispermittedamaximumof four attemptswiththeagelimit for suchcandidatestotakethe
examinationbeing30years.
Note: TheCivil Services Examination (Preliminary), 2014, istentatively scheduledfor August 24, 2014. The
examinationsareconductedinthreestages: Preliminary, mainsandinterview.
Hockey India (HI) accorded status of National Sports Federation (NSF) status
March7, 2014
Hockey India(HI) hasaccordedwiththestatusof aNational SportsFederation(NSF) for governingthesport of hockey
(bothmenandwomen) inIndia. It will represent IndiainInternational events.
TheMinistry of YouthAffairsandSportsdeclaredHockeyIndiaasthesolebodyresponsibleandaccountablefor theoverall
management, direction, control, regulation, promotionanddevelopment of thesportsdisciplineinIndia.
Hockey Indiawill havetofollowtheguidelinesof theGovernment andNational SportsDevelopment Codetoget assistance
andcontinuedrecognition.
How Hockey India got National Sports Federation (NSF) status?
ToberecognizedasaNational SportsFederation, anyinstitutionor bodyneedstoberecognizedbyitsinternational body.
Hockey IndiasrecognitionwasmandatorybyInternational HockeyFederation(FIH), aswell astheIndianOlympic
Association(IOA).
Since2009, HI hasfulfilledboththecriteriaastheFIH, AsianHockeyFederation(AHF) andIOA haveconsideredit
asthesolebodyresponsiblefor thegovernanceof thegameinIndia.
Since2012, HI andFIHhavejointly organizedmajor tournamentsviz. theFIH Olympic Qualifiers, FIHWorld
LeagueRound2, FIH J unior MenWorldCupandFIHWorldLeagueRoundFinal inIndia.
HI hasalsobeenconductingnationalsinall thecategoriessince2011.
Note: Earlier, theSportsMinistryhadderecognizedit for not adheringtogovernment guidelines.
India at Risk Mr. Jaswant Singhs book launched
March7, 2014
Former External AffairsMinister, Mr. J aswant Singhreleasedabook titled, India at Risk Mistakes, Misconceptions
and Misadventures of security policy.Thebook ison60yearsof Indiansecurityissues.
About the book India at Risk
Throwsalight onvariouseventsthat took placeduringhisappointmentsasminister of External AffairsandMinister of
Defenceviz. hijackingof IC 814toKandahar-1999, theKargil war, theOperationParakaram2011, etc.
Alsoincludeshistoryeventsviz. Indo-Chinawars, theIndo-Pak war, Kargil, theEmergency, etc.
FromKandahar toPakistan, Mr Singhrevealswhat really happenedasIndiafacedgravesecurity challenges.
Overall, thebook brings forththemistakes, misconceptionandmisadventuresof Indiansecuritypolicy for past60yearsand
wayforward.
About Mr. Jaswant Singh
BelongstotheBharatiyaJ anataParty.
During the NDAregime (1998 to 2004):Hadmany portfoliosinthenational cabinet viz. Finance, External Affairs
andDefense.
From 2004 to 2009:Leader of OppositionintheRajyaSabha.
From 199899:DeputyChairmanof thePlanningCommissionof India.
Knownfor hismoderatepolitical views, heisaself-describedliberal democrat eventhoughtheBharatiyaJ anata
Partyisoftendescribedasaright-wingnationalist organization.
At present, Mr. Singh representing Darjeeling parliamentary constituencyinthe15thLok Sabha.
India at Riskishiseleventhbook inEnglish. Inaddition, hehaswrittenelevenbooksinDingal, twoinHindi and
oneinFrench.
National anthem:ShchenevmerlaUkraina.
After its independence in 1991 from the former Soviet Union, Ukrainehasswungbetweenitsdesirefor
integrationintotheEuropeanUnionandkeepingfriendly tieswithRussiathat continues tobeitslargest singletrading
partner that it dependsonfor cheapenergyresources.
In1997, RussiaandUkrainesignedanagreement onthedivisionof theBlack SeaFleet, with81%goingtoRussia
alongwithSevastopol andother militaryinstallationsintheCrimea. Inreturn, MoscowcompensatedKievwithalarge
sumof moneyaswell aswritingoff alargeamount of Ukrainiandebt. RussiaalsopaysUkraineanannual fee.
Note: Euromaidan Protest whichattractedaround300,000peopleonKievsIndependenceSquare, knownastheMaidan,
thelargest sincethe2004OrangeRevolution. ActivistsseizedKievCityHall.
3rd BIMSTEC summit 2014 held in Myanmar
March8, 2014
The3rdBIMSTEC (Bayof Bengal Initiativefor Multi-Sectoral Technical andEconomicCooperation) Summit heldat Nay
Pyi Taw, Myanmar.
About BIMSTEC summit 2014
Theme:Partnershipfor Harmony andProsperity.
Attended by:Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, BhutanandNepal.
Chaired by:Myanmar.
Objective:Tocreateanenablingenvironment for rapideconomicdevelopment throughidentificationand
implementationof specificcooperationprojectsandthesectorsof tradeandinvestment, technology, energy, transport
andcommunication, tourism, fisheries, agriculture, cultural cooperation, environment anddisaster management, public
health, people-to-peoplecontact, povertyalleviation, counter-terrorismandtransnational crimeandclimatechange.
Next Summit will bechairedbyKathmandu, Nepal.( TheBimstec summit takesplaceeveryfour years).
Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) signed by countries on the establishment of the BIMSTECs:
Permanent Secretariat
Cultural IndustriesCommission(BCIC) andBIMSTECCultural IndustriesObservatory(BCIO)
Centrefor Weather andClimate
Resolutions taken by BIMSTEC members to
Enhancecooperationinenvironmental protectionandsustainabledevelopment.
Enhancecooperationinthefieldof agriculture, includingcrops, livestock andhorticulturebesides fisheries.
Finalizeanagreement ontradeingoodsby2014withintent topromoteregional commerce
ConcludetheAgreement onServicesandInvestments
Workonagreementsondisputesettlement andcooperationincustomsmattersunder theFreeTradeArea
framework.
Deviseaframework for establishment of theBIMSTECTechnology Transfer Facility.
Increasecooperationinexpandingtheskill andtechnology baseof member countries.
Note: BIMSTECisaninternational organizationcomprisingBangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutanand
Nepal asmember countries.
Ex-Surya Kiran Drills VI- Joint military exercise of India and Nepal underway at
Sailahandi
March8, 2014
Thearmiesof IndiaandNepal arejointly conductingthemilitaryexercise, knownas
Ex-Surya Kiran Drills VI, atSaljhandi inRupandehi district, Nepal.
About Indo-Nepal joint military exercise- Ex-Surya Kiran Drills VI
Inthetwo-week longexercise, boththearmieswill worktoupgradetheir practical andprincipleaspectsof jungle
warfare, anti-insurgency operationsandrescueoperations.
Objective:Totraintroopsincounter terrorismoperationsandtoenhancedefensecooperationandmilitaryrelations
betweenthetwonations.
Theexercisealsoincludesadetailedtraininginorganizationandconduct of disaster response, management and
rescueoperation. Thetwosideswill alsoshareexperiencesoncounter-terrorist operations.
Note: Thelast Indo-Nepal J oint MilitarySuryaKiran-VwasconductedatPithoragarhdistrict, Uttarakhandin2013.
Stri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna- special health scheme for women launched by NMDC
March8, 2014
TheNorthDelhi Municipal Corporation(NMDC) launchedStri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna- aspecial healthschemefor
womentobringservicescloser for thoselivinginrural areasandunauthorizedcolonies.
Stri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna- a special health scheme for women
Healthcampsandmassawarenessdrives will beheldinvariousareasof northDelhi andmedical serviceswill be
providedthroughvariousnodal centres, hospitalsandmobiledispensaries.
For unauthorizedcolonies andrural areaswhichdonot havetransportationfacilities, 20mobiledispensarieswill be
providedtobringservicescloser for them.
Inthehealthcamps, screeningswill bedonefor different kindsof cancers, anemiaandmalnutrition, etc.
Forty-eight pointsareidentifiedwherepublic conveniencesfor womenwill bedeveloped.
Anamount of Rs2,100will beextendedto1%of thesafai karamcharisasperformance-basedreward
Indian acid attack victim Ms. Laxmi won International Women of Courage Award
March8, 2014
Indianacidattack victim, Ms. Laxmi wontheprestigiousInternational Women of Courage Award fromtheUSFirst Lady
MichelleObamafor successfully leadingthecampaignagainst acidattacksonwomeninIndia.
About acid attack victim Ms. Laxmi
Incident with her:In2005, whenshewas16yearsold, anacquaintancethrewacidonher facewhileshewaitedat a
busstopinNewDelhi anddisfiguredher permanently.
After thisincident, shebecamethe standard-bearer in India for themovement toendacidattacks.
Maderepeatedappearancesonnational television, gathered27,000signaturesfor apetitiontocurbacidsales, and
took her causetotheSupremeCourt of India.
Owingtoher petition, SupremeCourt orderedtheIndiancentral andstategovernmentstoregulateimmediately the
saleof acidandtheParliament tomakeprosecutionsof acidattackseasier topursue.
About International Women of Courage Award
Establish:2007.
Presented by:UnitedStatesDepartment of Stateannually.
Presented to:Womenaroundtheworldthat haveshownleadership, courage, resourcefulnessandwillingness to
sacrificefor others, especially for better promotionof womensrights.
2014 awardees: Ms Laxmi (India),Dr. NasrinOryakhil (Afghanistan), Ms. FatimataTour(Mali), Ms. Roshika
Deo(Fiji), BishopRusudanGotsiridze(Georgia), Dr. MahaAl Muneef (Saudi Arabia), Ms. Oinikhol Bobonazarova
(Tajikstan), J udgeIrisYassminBarriosAguilar (Guatemala), Ms. RuslanaLyzhychko(Ukraine) andMs. Beatrice
Mtetwa(Zimbabwe).
Shyamala Gopinath Committee recommendations: Interest rates on FDs offered by Post
Offices hiked by 0.2%
March8, 2014
TheUnionGovernment decidedtohikeinterest ratesonfixeddeposit schemesofferedbypost officesbyupto0.2%. The
decisiontohikeinterest ratesistakenontherecommendationsof Shyamala Gopinath Committee.
As per the Shyamala Gopinath Committees recommendations
Theinterest rateonfixeddepositsfor oneandtwoyearshasbeenincreasedto8.4%fromthepresent 8.2%.
Fixeddepositsof threeandfiveyearswill earn0.1%higher rateat 8.4%and8.5%.
Theinterest rateonfive-year recurringdepositswill be8.4%from8.3%.
TherateonNational SavingsScheme(NSC) with5and10year maturitiesalsoremainunchangedat 8.5%and8.8
%.
Therateonfive-year Monthly Income Scheme (MIS) remainsthesameat 8.4%. Thesavingsdeposit ratesarekept
unchangedat 4%.
Though, theinterest rateonPublic Provident fund(PPF) hasbeenkept unchangedat 8.7%.
Thenewinterest ratesonsmall savingsschemeswill comeintoeffect fromApril 1, 2014.
16th Lok Sabha elections 2014 to be held from April 7, 2014 in 9-phases
March8, 2014
TheChief electioncommissioner Mr. VS Sampath announcedtheschedulefor the2014Lok Sabhaelections.
Some Unique features of 16th Lok Sabha Elections:-
For thefirst time, Voterswill beabletoexercisetheNone Of The Above (NOTA) optionfor candidatesinthe
upcomingLok Sabhapolls.
Electoral strengthin2014is81.45crore(814.5million), thelargest intheworld
Use of COMET (Communication Plan for Election):DuringtheElections, theElectionCommissionof India
wouldbeusinganSMSbasedalert systemcalled COMET. ThissystemwouldsendSMSmessagestothelakhs of
government officialsonelectionduty. COMET wouldalsosendalertstothelocal policeincaseof disturbances atany
pollingstation.
It wouldcollect dataviamobilephonesabout officials, scheduledeventsviz. staff reachingthepollingstation, mock
polls, start/endof polling, voting%, number of voters, etc.
As per the schedule of the 16th Lok Sabha election 2014
9-phasegeneral electionswill beginfromApril 7andendonMay12, 2014.
Nine phases of polls:April 7, 9, 10, 12, 17, 24, 30, May7andMay12.
It will bethreephasepoll inJ harkhand, Chhattisgarh, Assam, MadhyaPradeshandMaharashtra, twophasesin
AndhraPradesh, Manipur, Odisha, RajasthanandTripura. All theremainingStatesandtheUnionTerritories will havea
singlephasepoll.
Theelectionstothe294-member AndhraPradeshAssemblywill beheldonApril 30andMay7alongwiththe
respectiveLok Sabhaconstituencies intheState.
TheLok Sabhahasstrengthof 543(excludingtwonominatedmembers) andtheterm of thepresent 15th Lok
Sabha ends on May 31, 2014.
Counting of votes will be held on May 16, 2014
Forbess 2014 billionaires list: Bill Gates reclaims title as worlds richest person
March7, 2014
Microsoft Co-founder, Mr. Bill Gates regainedthetitleof theworldsrichest personintheForbes 2014billionairelist. Mr.
Gateshastoppedthelist for 15of thelast 20years, withanet worthof $76billionandMexicostelecommunications mogul
Mr. Carlos Slim Helu isat secondplace.
As per the Forbes 28th annual ranking of the worlds billionaires 2014
TheUSleadsthelist of billionairesintheworldwith492billionaires, followedbyChina(152) andRussia(111). Thelist has
newbillionairesfromAlgeria, Lithuania, TanzaniaandUganda.
Total number of billionaires in the world:1,645withcombinednet worthof $6.4trillion.
Top 5 billionaires:Mr. Bill Gates, Mr. CarlosSlimHelu, Mr.AmancioOrtega, Mr. WarrenBuffett, andMr. LarryEllison
(OracleCorpchief).
Highest ranked women on the list:Christy Walton (9),withanet worthof $36.7billionandLiliane Bettencourt
(11)hasworth$34.5billion.
Worlds youngest billionaire:Ms. PerennaKei fromHongKong.
WhatsAppfoundersJ anKoumandBrianActonjointheranksof SiliconValleyswealthiest for thefirst time.
From Internet field:Facebook Incfounder MarkZuckerberg(21), Amazon.comIncsJ eff Bezos(18) andGoogle
IncfoundersLarryPageandSergey Brinranked17thand19
th
.
Business Tycoon, Mr. Mukesh Amabani:Indiasrichest personfor the7thyear inarow. Mr.Ambani isranked40th
globally withnet worthof $18.6billion.
Indiahas56billionairesinall withacollectivenet worthof $191.5billion.
Note: TheForbeslist of billionairesisanannual rankingof theworldswealthiest people, compiledandpublishedbythe
AmericanbusinessmagazineForbes. Thelist onlyrepresentseachpersonsvaluationonasingleday, duetodaily
fluctuationsamongexchangeratesandstock valuations.
Indian shuttler Arvind Bhat clinched German Open Grand Prix Gold title
March7, 2014
Indianshuttler, ArvindBhat (34) defeatedDenmarksWorldNo. 25Hans-KristianVittinghustoclinchthemenssinglestitle
of the$120,000GermanOpenGrandPrixGold. Thisisthefirst time an Indian has won a German Open title inany
category. ( Indianchief national coachPullelaGopichandhadreachedthefinal wayback in1999.)
About Arvind Bhat
Badminton player from Bangalore.
World Ranking: 87.
Coach: PrakashPadukone.
WonsixInternational titlesviz.eScottishOpen2004, SyriaInternational 2007, CzechInternational 2007, etc.
Participatedinthe2010AsiangamesinGuanzhou, ChinaandwasintheIndianteamfor SudirmanCup2011.
Maulana Azad Sehat Scheme and Nalanda Project launched by Union Ministry of
Minority Affairs
March6, 2014
TheUnionMinistry of MinorityAffairslaunchedtwonewinitiatives for thewelfareof Minorities. TheseareMaulanaAzad
Sehat SchemeandNalandaProject, aFaculty Development Programfor Minorities Higher Educational Institutions.
Maulana Azad Sehat scheme
Sehat Cardwouldbeissuedtoeverystudent of theInstitutionfinancially aidedbyMAEF.
PreventiveHealthCheck-upCampswouldbeorganizedbytheInstitutetwiceinayear, throughGovernment/Private
Hospitals/NursingHomes.
All findingsof thePreventiveHealthCheckupswill beenteredintheSehat Cardof thestudent bytheDoctors.
Inexceptional anddeservingcasesfor seriousailments, thepoor studentsbelongingtonotifiedminorities wouldbe
providedfinancial assistancefor treatment inGovernment/RecognizedHospitals.
Serious ailmentsviz. Kidney, Heart, Liver, Cancer, Brain, KneesurgeryandSpinal surgeryor anyother life
threateningdiseaseswouldbecovered.
Dispensary/Health Care Centreistobeset upintheeducational institutions (School) toprovidedaily medical
facilitiestothestudentsstudyingintheeducational institutionsfunded/aidedbyMAEF.
About Nalanda Project- a Faculty Development Program for Minorities Higher Educational Institutions.
Objective:Tohelpfacultylearnnewwaystoachieveexcellenceandtogrowasfaculty members.
SupportedbyAligarh Muslim University, apremier Minority University of worldfame.
Facultydevelopment includeseducation, collaboration, resourcesandsupport.
Facultydevelopment isanessential element of institutional effectivenessinhigher education. It hasbecomea
priorityat manyacademic institutionsasawaytoimprovethequality of academic programsandtorespondtoemerging
faculty, student, programandindustryneeds.
Facultywhoengageinprofessional development experiencesbenefit alsointermsof increasedvitality, informed
pedagogy, teachinginnovationsandscholarly teaching.
Benefit:Througheducational programsandworkshops, faculty canlearntheskillsnecessarytoreachexcellenceina
changingacademicenvironment.
RBI extends date of exchanging pre-2005 notes to Jan 1, 2015
March6, 2014
TheReserveBank of India(RBI) grantedanadditional ninemonthsfor thepublic toexchangecurrencynotesprintedbefore
2005, includingRs. 500andRs. 1,000denominations, andset adeadlineof January 1, 2015. Theapexbank statedthat the
public cancontinuetofreelyusethesenotesfor anytransactionandpeoplecanunhesitatingly receivethesenotesinpayment,
asall suchnotescontinuetoremainlegal tender.
RBI hasadvisedbankstofacilitatetheexchangeof thesenotesfor full valueandwithout causinganyinconvenience
tothepublic.
Post-2005noteshaveaddedsecurityfeaturesandhelpincurbingthemenaceof fakecurrency.
At present, currencynotesareissuedindenominationsof Rs5, Rs10, Rs20, Rs50, Rs100, Rs500andRs1,000.
Note: Earlier, RBI statedthat after March31, 2014, it will completely withdrawall bank notesfromcirculationissuedprior
to2005andfromApril 1, 2014, thepublic will berequiredtoapproachbanksfor exchangingthesenotes.
Oscar Awards: 86th Academy Awards
March6, 2014
The86thAcademyAwardsceremony, presentedbythe
Academy of MotionPictureArtsandSciences(AMPAS) at
theDolbyTheatreinHollywood, LosAngeles.
Best Motion picture:12YearsaSlave.
Best Director:AlfonsoCuarn(Gravity).
Best Actor:MatthewMcConaughey (DallasBuyersClub).
Best Actress:CateBlanchett (BlueJ asmine)
Best Supporting Actor: J aredLeto(DallasBuyersClub).
Best Supporting Actress:LupitaNyongo(12YearsaSlave).
Best Writing Original Screenplay: HerbySpikeJ onze.
Best Writing Adapted Screenplay:12YearsaSlavebyJ ohnRidley.
Best Animated Feature Film:Frozen.
Best Foreign Language Film:TheGreat Beauty(Italy) inItalian PaoloSorrentino
Best Documentary Feature:20Feet fromStardom.
Best Visual Effects:Gravity
Best Film Editing:Gravity.
Best Costume Design:TheGreat Gatsby.
Best Cinematography:Gravity.
Best Sound Mixing:Gravity.
Best Sound Editing: Gravity.
Most awards: Gravity(7).
Mexican Open 2014
March6, 2014
Winnersof theMexicanOpen2014
Mens singles: Fourth-seededGrigor Dimitrov of BulgariadefeatedSouthAfricanKevinAndersonby7-6(7-1),
3-6, 7-6(7-5).
Womens singles:SlovakiaDominika CibulkovbeatAmericanChristinaMcHaleby76(73), 46, 64.
Mens doubles:SouthAfricanKevin Anderson andAustralianMatthew Ebden beat FelicianoLpez (Spain) and
MaxMirnyi (Belarus) by6-3, 6-3.
Womens doubles:Kristina Mladenovic (France) andGalina Voskoboeva (Kazakhstan) beat CzechRepublic
playersPetraCetkovskandIvetaMelzer by63, 26.
Note: TheMexicanOpenisajoint professional tennistournament playedonoutdoor hardcourts, andheldannually inlate
Februaryat theFairmontAcapulco PrincessinAcapulco, Mexico.
1857 revolt: Remains of martyrs of 1857 Uprising exhumed in Punjab
March6, 2014
Theskeletal remainsof theIndian soldiers, whowerekilledbytheBritishtroopsfor participatingintheFirst War of
Independence in 1857, areexhumedat Ajnala well in Amritsar district, Punjab. Thesewereour freedomfighterswho
sacrificedtheir livesduringtheFirst War of Independencein1857.
Kalian Wala Khuh: Martyrs placewheretheremainsof over 250Indiansoldiersdumpedunceremoniously by
theBritishinadeepwell atAjnalainthewakeof the1857uprising.
Neither theIndianGovernment nor theGovernment of Punjab, attemptedtoextract thebodiesof themartyrsand
performthelast ritesandrestorethehonour of thesoldiersof thefirst freedomstruggle.
Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Committee(agurdwaraintheborder townof Ajnala) exhumedtheremainsof Indian
soldierswhowereexecutedbytheBritishauthoritiesfor participatinginthe1857mutiny.
Theexerciseisbeingdonetoperformlast ritesof thesesoldiersafter160years.
Thewell that wasdugwaspreviously knownaskalianwala khu (well of theblack people) hasbeenrenamedas
Shaheedanwala khu (well of themartyrs).
What British authorities did with the Indian soldiers of the 26th Bengal Native Infantry (in Lahore) in 1857, when
they revolted against the East India Company?
Inthe1857mutiny, around500soldiersof 26th Native Infantry RegimentrevoltedatMianMir Cantonment inLahore.
TheymarchedtowardsAjnalafromLahoreafter hearingthereportsof theSepoymutinyinMeerut whereHinduand
Muslimtroopsrebelledagainst theEast IndiaCompany over thecartridges for their rifles beinggreasedwithanimal fat.
Whensoldiersweremovingaheadtojointherevolt, theyhadanencounter withtheBritishtroopsonthebanksof
theRavi, where220soldiersattainedmartyrdomandtheir bodieswerethrownintotheriver.
Theremaining280soldierswerearrestedandwereconfinedintheovercrowdedbarrackslocatedatAjnalatehsil
complex.
Later, theBritishkilledthesesoldierstooandburiedtheminKalian Wala Khuh.
Indias First War of Independence (Indian Rebellion of 1857)
AlsoknownastheSepoyMutiny, theRevolt of 1857, theUprisingof 1857, etc.
A violent revolt against theBritishrule.
Immediate cause of Revolt:Theintroductionof Enfieldgreasedrifleswhosecartridgesweresaidtohaveagreased
cover madeof beef andpork sparkedoff therevolt. It antagonizedbothHinduandMuslimsoldiers.
TheIndianRebellionof 1857beganasamutiny of sepoysof theEastIndiaCompanysarmyon10th May 1857, in
thetownof Meerut. It soonescalatedintoother mutiniesandcivil rebellionslargely intheupper Gangetic plainand
central India, withmajor hostilitiesconfinedtopresent-dayUttar Pradesh, Bihar, northernMadhyaPradesh, andthe
Delhi region.
Leaders of 1857 revolt:Mangal Pandey, Rani Lakshmi bai, Bahadur ShahII, BegumHazratMahal, BabuKunwar
Singh, NanaSahebPeshwa, Bakht Khan, etc.
Outcome of revolt: Britishvictory - Suppressionof therebellion, Endof theMughal andMarathaEmpires, Endof
Company ruleinIndiaandTransfer of ruletotheBritishcrown.
Workdays for tribals under MGNREGA raised from 100 to 150
March5, 2014
TheUnionCabinet raisedthenumber of workdaysunder itsflagshiprural employment guaranteeprogrammeMNREGA
(MahatmaGandhi National Rural Employment GuaranteeAct 2005) from100 days to 150 days for tribals. Thedecision
will comeintoeffect fromApril, 2014.
MNREGAs objective:Toenhancelivelihoodsecurityof rural householdsfor creatingdurableassetsand
discouragingmigration.
Focus:Onwater conservation, water harvesting, drought proofing, landdevelopment, floodcontrol andrural
connectivity amongothers.
Under MNREGA, eligibility for additionally working days for tribals:-
Asper therural jobscheme, thosetribalswhohavereceivedlandrightsunder theForest RightsAct, 2006will be
eligiblefor additional 50daysof wageemployment
Thebeneficiarieswouldbethosewhohavecompleted100workdaysinthat particular financial year.
Todistinguishthiscategoryfromregular MGNREGA workers, they will begivenajobcardof adifferent color.
Benefit: Thishikeintheworkdayswill benefit approx 14lakhfamiliesinIndia.
Earclip-type Wearable PC- Japanese researchers testing tiny ear computer
March5, 2014
J apaneseresearchersaretestingtinyear computer that iswornontheear andcanbecontrolled
withtheblink of aneyeor theclick of atongue.
About Earclip-type Wearable PC device
Invented by:Engineer KazuhiroTaniguchi (HiroshimaCity University, J apan).
Tiny personal computer:17-gramwirelessdevicehasmicrochipanddatastoragethat enablesuserstoload
software.
Inother words, thedeviceisabattery-poweredandcomeswithbuilt-instorage: userscanuploadsoftware, appsand
filestotheir ear-wornclip.
DesignwasinspiredbyIkebana Japanese flower arrangements, alsoknownaskadoor wayof flowers.
Features:Bluetoothcapability andequippedwithaGPS, compass, gyro-sensor, battery, barometer, speaker and
microphone.
Wornontheear andcanbecontrolledwiththeblink of aneyeor theclick of atongue.
CanbeconnectedtoanyBluetooth-enableddeviceandcanbeprogrammedtoregister certainmovements
Usesinfrared sensors that monitor tiny movements inside the ear andcanrecognizeeverytimeawearerseyes
andmouthmove.
Useful for rock-climbers, hikers, cyclists, people with disabilities, etc.
Expectedtobeavailableinthemarket fromDecember, 2015.
Indian golfer Rashid Khan won SAIL-SBI Open golf title 2014
March5, 2014
Indiangolfer, RashidKhan(23) wontheSAIL-SBI golf title2014against theBangladeshi Siddikur Rahmanat theDelhi
Golf ClubcourseinNewDelhi. ThiswasRashidsfifthcareer titleandfirst international win. Owingtothiswin, Mr. Rashid
becamethe18thIndiantowinaninternational tournament.
It wasthethirdyear insuccessionthat anIndianwontheSAIL-SBI Open.
AnirbanLahiri wontheSAIL-SBI openfor 2013and2012.
SAIL-SBI Open tournament
Location:India.
Established:2008, playedannually.
Prize:$300,000.
A Golf tournament ontheAsianTour.
Co-sanctioned bytheAsianTour andProfessional Golf Tour of India(PGTI).
Sponsors:Steel Authorityof IndiaLimited(SAIL) andStateBank of India(SBI).
Winner of Delhi Golf Culb 2014:RashidKhan.
About Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI)
Formed:2006.
Official bodyof professional golf inIndia.
Objective:Topromoteprofessional golf inthecountry, aswell astogiveplayersanopportunity tobeinvolvedin
thedecisionmakingonall aspectsof thegame.
Mr. Chandi Prasad Bhatt: Eminent Gandhian and environmentalist selected for Gandhi
Peace Prize 2013
March5, 2014
ThenotedGandhianandenvironmentalist, Mr. Chandi PrasadBhattselectedfor theGandhi PeacePrizefor 2013.
About Mr. Chandi Prasad Bhatt
Born:1934.
IndianGandhianenvironmentalist andsocial activist.
Founder of theDasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh inGopeshwar, whichlater becamethemother organizationtotheChipko
Movement.
Knownfor hiswork onsubalternsocial ecology, andconsideredoneof Indiasfirst modernenvironmentalist
Oneof thepioneersof theChipkomovement for whichhewasawardedtheRamanMagsaysayAwardin1982.
Awards: PadmaBhushan, PadmaShri, Greenlegend-GreeniesEcoAward-2010, RamanMagsaysayAward, etc.
Note: Gandhi PeacePrizeisanawardthat isbestowedtoindividualsandorganizations for their contributions towardssocial,
economic andpolitical transformationthroughpeaceandother Gandhianmethods.
Roger Federer won Dubai tennis championship
March5, 2014
Roger Federer wontheSingles titleat theDubai DutyFreeTennisChampionshipafter defeatingTomasBerdychby3-6, 6-4,
and6-3inthefinal. Thisisthesixthtitlefor Roger Federer inDubai andalsothe78thcareer title.
Note: IndoPak duoof RohanBopannaandAihsanul HaqQureshi baggedthedoublestitlebydefeatingDaniel Nestor and
N. Zimonjic by6-4, 6-3instraight sets.
South Africa won ICC Under-19 World Cup 2014
March5, 2014
For thefirst time, SouthAfricawontheICC Under-19Cricket WorldCupbydefeatingtwo-timeformer championsPakistan
bysixwicketsat theDubai International Cricket Stadium.
Man of the match Mr. CorbinBorsch(SouthAfrica)
Player of the tournament SouthAfricancaptainMr.AidenMarkram.
ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2014
Thiswasthetentheditionof thetournament.
Sixteeninternational U-19cricketingteamsparticipated.
HeldinDubai (UnitedArabEmirates).
Top five cricket teams in the Under-19 cricket world cup:SouthAfrica, Pakistan, England, AustraliaandIndia.
IndiansidewascaptainedbyVijayHari Zol.
Note:Thenext ICC Under-19Cricket WorldCupwill beheldin2016inBangladesh.
Assam: First Indian state to observe Child Protection Day on March 4, 2014
March4, 2014
Assambecamethefirst stateinthecountrytoobserveChildProtectionDaywiththesupport of AssamStateCommissionfor
Protectionof ChildRights(ASCPCR) incollaborationwithUnited Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF).
Thedaywasobservedtohighlight issuesrelatedtochildrenviz. quality education, importanceof protectionof
children, childtrafficking, childmarriage, etc.
Note: Internationally ChildProtectionDayisobservedon19November everyyear.
Lt Gen P.R. Kumar appointed as the NewArmy DGMO
March4, 2014
Lt Gen PR Kumar appointed as Director General Military Operations (DGMO). Hetook thechargefromLt GenVinod
Bhatia. Lt Kumar isanaviator andwasholdingtheresponsibility of theDirectorateGeneral of ArmyAviation.
Note: TheDGMOisanimportant officecontrollingtheoperationsof theArmyandisalsoresponsiblefor immediate
resolutionof border conflictswithPakistanandissoonexpectedtobeassignedthesametask withChinaaswell.
Raunaq- music album written by Mr. Kapil Sibal launched
March4, 2014
BollywoodActor, Mr. SalmanKhanlaunchedthemusicalbumtitledRaunaq writtenbytheUnionMinister of
CommunicationsandInformationTechnology, Mr. Kapil Sibal.ThisalbumwascomposedbymusicmaestroAR Rahman.
About Raunaq album
ComposedbyA. R. Rahman andlyricsarepennedbyMr. Sibal.
Label:SonyMusic.
Consistsof sevencompositions.
Songs sung by artists from the music industry:LataMageshkar (Laadli), ShreyaGhosal (Kismat se), J onita
Gandhi (AaBhi J aa) andRahman(Laadli andBoondein).
ThealbumisKapil Sibalsthesecondlyrical attempt after theBollywoodmovieBandook.
Regardingthemusicalbum, Mr. Sibal statedthat thesesongsareareflectionof thecurrent social scenarioof Indiaand
reflectshisviewof theworldthat howthingstouchedhim.
Ambedkar Awakening Indias Social Conscience Dr. Narendra Jadhavs book launched
March4, 2014
TheVicePresident of IndiaMr. M. HamidAnsari releasedabook Ambedkar: Awakening Indias Social Conscience
authoredbyDr. NarendraJ adhav. Thisbook isthefirst ever intellectual biography of Dr. BabasahebBhimraoAmbedkar, a
dalit iconandchief architect of theIndianconstitution.
Dr. Jadhav is a member of the planning commission and a well-known economist, policy maker, educationist, social
scientist andbest-sellingauthor andholdsaPhDinEconomicsfromIndianaUniversity, USA.
Indias first electric bus launched in Bangalore
March4, 2014
Asaninitiativeof theBangaloreMetropolitanTransport Corporation, Indiasfirst electric zero-emission bus officially
launched in BangalorebytheKarnatakaTransport Minister R Ramalinga Reddy.
Features of India first electric zero-emission bus
Air-conditionedandhasthecapacity toseat around41passengers.
Takes5hourstobechargednormally andhalf that timefor afast charge.
Thezero-emissionChinese-madeBYDbus(K9D) ispoweredbyfour ferrousbatteries, eachproducing540voltsof
electricity.
Maximum speed:96km/hr.
Cost:Rs2.7crore. ((VolvoRs88lakh).
Nooil required.
Runs for 250 km with 6 hours of charging.
Poweredbyferrousbatteries andisexpectedtoeliminatepollutioncausedbyregular fossil fuel-drivenvehicles.
Thebuswill plybetweenMajestic andKadugodi (Routeno335E) for thefirst threemonths, between7amand7pm. The
farewill besimilar toVolvobuses.
Govt. okayed Rs 1,000 minimum monthly pension under EPS-95
March4, 2014
TheUnionGovernment approvedtheproposal toensureRs1,000minimummonthly pensionunder aschemeof retirement
fundbodyEPFO. Thegovernment wouldprovideanadditional amount of aroundRs1,217croretoensuretheminimum
pensionof Rs1,000starting2014-15.
Thedecisiontoprovidetheentitlement under Employees PensionScheme-95, runbytheEmployees Provident
FundOrganization, wastakenbytheUnionCabinet initsmeetingheldinNew Delhi.
Benefit of this scheme:Withimmediateeffect. approx 28lakhpensionersincludingfivelakhwidowswill get
benefit. (Thereare44lakhpensioners).
Note: Pensionerswill get thebenefit witheffect fromApril 1, 2014.
500 endangered languages will be documented by CIIL
March4, 2014
TheCentral Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) will commenceonamegaproject todocument almost 500endangered
languagesinIndia, eachspokenbylessthan10000people.
Objective:Tobringout dictionaries andalsodocument andpreservetheethnicknowledgesystemenshrinedinthe
languages, includingfolklore. It alsointendstoframegrammar rules. Expertswouldgivesuggestionsfor the
revitalizationof theselanguages.
ApprovedbytheMinistry of Human Resource Development.
Thedecisiontodocument endangeredlanguageswastakenbytheCIIL duringatwo-day workshopon
Endangered tribal languages in south India.
TheCIIL will collaboratewithuniversitiesandinstitutes.
About 70languagesfromdifferent partsof thecountrywouldbestudiedinthefirst phaseand500wouldbetaken
upinaspanof 10years.
Thestudyanddocumentationof eachlanguagewouldcost betweenRs. 6lakhandRs. 8lakh.
About Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL)
AnIndianresearchandteachinginstitutebasedinMysore, part of theLanguageBureauof theMinistryof Human
ResourceDevelopment.
Found: 1981.
Objective: To protectsanddocumentsMinor, Minority andTribal Languages.
EstablishedtocoordinatetheIndianlanguagesthroughscientific studies, promoteinter disciplinaryresearchtocontributeto
mutual enrichment of languagesandthuscontributetowardsemotional integrationof thepeopleof India.
Turkish president Abdullah Gul approved the bill on restricting the judicial powers
March4, 2014
TheTurkishPresident Mr.Abdullahapprovedthebill onrestrictingthejudicial powers. Thebill will givemorecontrol tothe
J usticeministryincomparisontotheSupremeBoardof J udges andProsecutors. It isanindependent bodythat dealswiththe
appointment of thejudiciary.
Objective:Tocurbtheindependenceof thejudicial powers.
TheTurkishparliament alsoclearedthebill puttingrestrictionsoninternet. Thelawwouldpermit thetelecommunication
authority toclosethewebsitesfor violationof privacy. Though, theauthority wouldstill needcourtsapproval within24
hours. Theauthority wouldalsohavetoobtainacourt order toaccessrecordsof user activity.
New Corporate Social Responsibility rules for companies notified by Union Ministry of
Corporate Affairs
March4, 2014
TheUnionMinistry of CorporateAffairsnotifiednewCorporateSocial Responsibility (CSR) rulesfor companies. They will
applytocompanieswithat least Rs5crorenet profit, or Rs.1,000croreturnover or Rs.500crorenet worth. Aspart of the
newCompaniesAct, thesenewCSRruleswouldcomeintoeffect fromApril 1, 2014.
Objective: For expandingthescopetoincludemoreactivitiesbut at thesametimeclarifyingthat contributiontostate
government fundsandfundingof political partieswill not beconsideredCSRactivities.
Excerpts of the actions that are considered as CSR activities:
Livelihoodenhancement andrural development projects, promotingpreventivehealthcareandsanitationaswell as
makingsafedrinkingwater available, working towards protection of national heritage, art andcultureincluding
restorationof buildingsandsitesof historical importanceandworksof art, settinguppublic librariesandpromotionand
development of traditional artsandhandicrafts.
Toreduce inequalities faced by socially and economically backward groups.
Measuresfor thebenefit of armedforcesveterans, war widowsandtheir dependents, settinguphomesandhostels
for womenandorphans, settingupof oldagehomes, daycarecentresandsuchother facilitiesfor senior citizens.
Control ecological balance, protection of flora and fauna, animal welfare, agro- forestry, conservationof natural
resourcesandmaintainingquality of soil, air andwater.
Trainingtopromoterural sports, nationally recognizedsports, ParalympicssportsandOlympic sports, contributions
or fundsprovidedtotechnologyincubatorslocatedwithinacademic institutions whichareapprovedbythecentral
government.
Provisions of new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) rules for companies:
The companies
Fallingunder rangearerequiredtospend 2 % of their 3 year average annual net profitonCSRactivitiesineach
financial year, beginningfromthenext fiscal year 2014-15.
Hastodeclare its CSR policy. Thispolicy shouldmentionplans/ activities/programmes or projects. Theseworks
shouldnot beapart of routinebusinessactivities.
CanundertakeCSR activitiesasper theapproval of thecompanysboardanddecisionof itsCSRCommitteein
accordancewithitsCSR policy.
Arepermittedtospend only 5% of the total CSR expenditure for manpower required for CSR activities ina
singlefinancial year. Themanpower wouldincludecompanysownpersonnel andthoseof theimplementingagencies.
Canalsocarry out CSR activities with a Society or a registered trust.
Rulesalsodefinethemanner inwhichCSR committeeshouldformulateandmonitor CSRpolicy, roleof boardof
directors.
A Company ispermittedtocollaboratewithother companies inpursuingtheir CSRactivitiesbut theyneedtoshow
their CSRreportsseparately.
SurplusfromCSR activities cannot becomeapart of theprofit of thecompany.
Anytypeof contributions to any political party will not be treated as CSR activities.
Spendingfor thebenefit of thecompanysownemployeesalsocannot beapartof CSRactivity.
All CSR activities will have to be within India.
Thenewruleswill beapplicable to the foreign companies registered in India.
Note: Notificationshavebeenissuedfor Section135andScheduleVII of theCompaniesAct, 2013that relatetoCSR
spendingbycompanies.
Sourav Kothari won the National Billiard Championship title
March4, 2014
Mr. SouravKothari wontheNational BilliardChampionshipsheldinLucknowbybeatingAlok Kumar by5-3. It isthefirst
maidentitlefor SauravKothari sinceheturnedprofessional in2007.
SouravKothari andAlok Kumar bothplayfor PetroleumSportsPromotionBoard(PSPB). ThirdpositionwassecuredbyB.
Bhaskar bybeatingDhruvSitwala.
Indias first post office savings bank ATM inaugurated in Chennai
March4, 2014
TheUnionFinanceMinister P. ChidambaraminauguratedtheIndiasfirst post office savings bank ATMat theHeadPost
OfficeinThyagaraya Nagar, Chennai.
About Post office savings bank ATM
TheATMwouldrunonatrial basisfor sixmonths.
Objective:Tomakethedepartment technology-oriented.
Part of anInformationTechnology (IT) modernizationproject of theDepartment of Posts.
Rs4,909crorehadbeenallocatedfor theIT modernisationof Department of Postsintheinterimbudget for
2014-15.
Note: ByMarch31, 2014, atotal of 700morepost officeswill becoveredandall 26,840post officeswill befunctional
under CBSinanother twoyears.
India and ADB inked an agreement to improve key road connectivity in Chhattisgarh
March4, 2014
TheGovernment of India(GoI) andAsianDevelopment Bank (ADB) signedanagreement for a$300millionloantohelp
improveroadconnectivity alongkeycorridorsintheStateof Chhattisgarh.
Objective:Toimprovemorethan900kilometersof Stateroads, inlinewiththeChhattisgarhRoadMaster Plan,
involvingupgradationof roadssectionsandstrengtheningculvertsandbridges.
Theloanwill befundedfromADBsordinarycapital resources. It hasaprincipal repayment periodof 20years, and
annual interest set inaccordancewithADBsLIBOR-basedlendingfacility.
TheGovernment of Chhattisgarhwill providecounterpart financeof about $128milliontocover theestimatedtotal project
cost of $428million.
Mr. Dinesh Sarraf appointed next ONGC chief
March4, 2014
Mr. DineshK Sarraf appointedthenewChairmanandManagingDirector (CMD)of Oil andNatural GasCorp(ONGC).
Previously, hewastheManagingDirector of ONGCsoverseasarm, ONGCVidesh(OVL). Mr. Sarraf replacedMr. Sudhir
Vasudeva.
Planet bonanza: NASA announces discovery of 715 new worlds
March3, 2014
TheNASAsKepler missionannouncedthediscoveryof 715newplanets. Thesenewly-verifiedplanetsorbit 305stars,
revealedmultiple-planet systemsmuchlikeour ownsolar system. Thisdiscoverymarksasignificant increaseinthe
number of knownsmall-sizedplanetsmoreakintoEarththanpreviously identifiedexoplanets, whichareplanetsoutside
our solar system.
About the discovery of 715 new planets
Technique used by scientists:Verificationbymultiplicity that reliesinpart onthelogic of probability.
Usedtheplanet-huntingKepler telescope. It observed150,000starsandhasfoundafewthousandof thosetohave
planet candidates.
Nearly 95%of theseplanetsaresmaller thanNeptunethat isalmost four timesthesizeof Earth.
Four of thenewplanetsarelessthan2.5timestheradiusof Earth, andtheyorbit their host sunsinthehabitable
zone theregionaroundastar wherewater cankeepaliquidstate. Inother words, it isdefinedastherangeof distance
fromastar wherethesurfacetemperatureof anorbitingplanet may be suitable for life-giving liquid water.
Oneof thesenewhabitablezoneplanetsknownasKepler-296f - orbitsastar half thesizeand5%asbright asour
sun. Kepler-296f istwicethesizeof Earth, but scientistsdonot knowwhether theplanet isagaseousworld, withathick
hydrogen-heliumenvelope, or it isawater worldsurroundedbyadeepocean.
Thislatest discoverybringstheconfirmedcount of planetsoutsideour solar systemtonearly 1700.
Key terms:
Exoplanet (or extrasolar planet):A planet outsidetheSolar System.
Habitable zone: Theregionaroundastar wherewater cankeepaliquidstate
Kepler space telescope mission
Launchedin2009, withthesolepurposeof findingnewstarsandplanets. Inother words, theKepler spacetelescope
sought tofindEarth-likeworlds orbitingdistant starsintheConstellationLyra.
OrbitsaroundtheSun, 40millionmilesfromEarth.
Namedafter 17thCenturyastronomer Mr. J ohannesKepler.
Outcome of the discovery: Thestudyindicatesthat theplanetsinthesemulti-systemsaresmall andtheir orbitsareflat and
circular, resemblespancakes, not our classical viewof anatom.
Indian Navy Chief Mr. DK Joshi resigned after accident on Indian sub Sindhuratna
March3, 2014
TheIndian Naval Chief Admiral DK Joshi (59) resignedinthewakeof submarineINSSindhuratnaaccident. TheDefense
Ministryhasacceptedhisresignation.
ViceAdmiral RK Dhowan took over astheActingChief till regular Naval Chief isappointed.
What is the issue behind the resignation of Navy Chief Mr. DK Joshi?
Recently, IndiasRussian-built submarine, INS Sindhuratna wasat seaoff Mumbai for routinetrainingandworkup
(inspection) whensmokewasreportedinthesailors accommodation. Inthat accident, sevensailorswereinjuredand
twoofficersweredead. Thecauseof thefireremainsunknown.
Thisaccident wasthe10thinvolvinganIndianNavy warshipandthethirdinvolvingasubmarineinthelast seven
months.
InAugust 2013, theNavylost another Kilo, INSSindhurakshak, inafirethat guttedtheboat andkilledall 18crew
onboard.
Duetotherepeatedaccidentsof naval vesselsandsubmarines, Mr. J oshi took themoral responsibility andresigned
formthepost of Naval Chief.
He became the first Indian naval chief to resign.
Note: INS Sindhuratna (S59) isaSindhughosh-classdiesel-electric submarineof theIndianNavy.
Mr. Ibrahim Mahlab: New Prime Minister of Egypt
March3, 2014
Mr. IbrahimMahlabsworn- inasnewPrimeMinister of Egypt. Heisaformer member of Hosni Mubarakspolitical party.
Mr. MahlabreplacedMr. Hazemel-Beblawi, whowasinterimPrimeMinister of Egypt since2013. Previously, hewasthe
housingminister inthepreviousadministration. Mr. MahlabwouldheadEgyptssixthgovernment sincethe2011uprising
that toppledtheautocratic President Hosni Mubarak. Heisexpectedtoleadaninterimgovernment at least until theelection
of anewpresident.
Indias Largest Solar Power Plant launched in Madhya Pradesh
March3, 2014
Welspun Solar MP project, thelargest Solar Power Plant of IndialaunchedatBhagwanpur in Neemuch, Madhya
Pradesh.
About Welspun Solar MP project
The151-megawatt photovoltaic plant.
Worlds2ndlargest &AsiasLargest solar project (SinglePlant).
Constructed by:WelspunEnergy Ltd(WEL).
Location:Neemuch, MadhyaPradesh.
Inaugurated by GujaratChief Minister NarendraModi.
Set upatacost of Rs. 1100croreon305hectaresof land.
Supply power at Rs. 8.05akWh.
ThisProject will raiseIndiansolar capacity by7%.
About Welspun Energy Ltd (WEL)
Biggest developer of solar photovoltaic projectsof India.
Headquarters:NewDelhi.
Objective:Todevelop1,000MWof windpower projectsby2014.
Theenergyarmof WelspunGroupisanindependent power producer withplanstobuildgridconnected750MWof solar
power & 1GWof windpower plantsacrossIndia.
ICICI Bank launched branch on wheels in Odisha
March3, 2014
ICICI Bank Ltd. launchedBranch on Wheels inOdishaasparttheir financial inclusionplanstoprovidebankingservices
inremotevillagesinthestatewhicharedevoidof bankingfacilities.
ICICI Bank is the first private sector bank to launch Mobile Branch with ATM
About Branch on Wheels mobile branch with an ATM.
First-of-its-kindinitiativebyanyprivatesector bankinIndia.
Objective:Toprovidebasic bankingservicestotheremoteunbankedvillages inthestate.
Thebranchwouldbeoperatedonavan. It will bestationedat specifictimingsof thedayinpre-identified, unbanked
villagesat specifiedlocations.
WouldbeequippedwithaGPStrackingsystem, laptopswith3Gconnections, LEDTV, asafe, aprinter, public
announcement system, anUV Lampthat detectsforgedcheques, anotecounting-cum-authenticationmachinethat
identifiesfakecurrency notesandauniquelow-weightATM.
Offersawiderangeof bankingproductsandservicesviz. savingsaccounts, loans, cashdeposit/withdrawal, account
balanceenquiries, statement printingandfundstransfer/DD/POcollections, amongothers.
Note: OdishaisthethirdstatewhereICICI Bank hasexpandeditsBranchonWheels network after Maharashtrain
September 2013andChhatisgarhinFebruary2014.
M-Pesa launched in Odisha
March3, 2014
Telecommajor, VodafoneIndiaandICICI Bank announcedthelaunchof mobilecommerceinitiativecalledM-Pesa service
inOdisha.
About M-Pesa service
A mobilemoney transfer andpayment servicethat allowscustomerstotransfer moneytoanymobilephone, remit
moneytoanybank account, makeutility payments, rechargeof mobile, DTHpayment andearninterest ondeposits.
Empowerstheun-bankedandunder-bankedsections of thepopulationgainaccesstofinancial servicesthroughthe
mobilephone.
Thisservicewill nowbeavailableacross202Tehsils, 24Districtsthrough1350specially trainedauthorizedagents
including73VodafoneexclusivestoresinOdisha.
Apart fromOdisha, M-Pesa hasbeenrolledout inDelhi, Mumbai, West Bengal, Punjab, UPEast, UPWest, Bihar,
J harkhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Assam& NorthEast andHaryana. It will bemadeavailableacrossthe
countryinaphasedmanner.
CCEAnod for hiking fixed cost of Urea
March3, 2014
TheCabinet CommitteeonEconomicAffairs(CCEA) approvedRs350/tonne increaseinthefixedcost for ureaplantsin
referencetotheGroupof Ministersrecommendations. For ureaplants, thefixedcost includessalaryandwageexpenses,
contract labour, repair andmaintenance, andsellingcosts. Thismovewouldleadtoincrease in subsidy by about Rs. 900
crore. Though, it wouldnot haveanyimpact onureaprices.
Under theNew Pricing Scheme (NPS) III, thefixedcost of ureaproducedbyplantswhichare30yearsoldor morebyRs.
150/tonneandfor all other plantsbyRs350/tonne. Theminimumfixedcost wouldbeRs2,300/tonne.
TheCCEA alsoapprovedmodificationintheNew Investment Policy for thesoil nutrient toboost itsdomesticproduction.
The New Investment Policy:
Droppedtheguaranteed buyback provisionthat assuredbuyback of ureafor 8yearsfromstart of production.
Insertedaprovisionof bank guaranteeof Rs. 300crorefromcompanies keentoset ureaplantsunder thispolicy.
Government will providesubsidy onsaleof ureaproducedfromthenewplants.
Note: InIndia, Ureaproductionisstagnant at 22milliontonnesandthegapof 8milliontonnesismet throughimports. To
date, about 4milliontonnes of ureahasbeenimported.
CCEAapproves opening of 54 new KVs in 12 FYP
March3, 2014
TheCommitteeonEconomicAffairs(CCEA) approvedtheopeningof 54newKendriyaVidyalayas(KVs) duringthe12th
FiveYear Plan. TheKVsareconsideredasmodel schoolsintermsof physical infrastructure, teachingresources, curriculum
andacademic performance.
New Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs)
Will belocatedin53districtsin17States.
Objective:Tocater totheeducational needsof childrenof transferableCentral Government employeesincluding
defenseandpara-militarypersonnel byprovidingacommonprogrammeof education.
Cost of the project:Rs. 927.40crore.
ThesenewKVswhenfully functional will providequality educationtoapproximately 54,000studentsinadditionto
12lakhsstudentsalready studyinginthepresent KVs.
TheCCEA alsoapprovedsettingupof 3500model schoolsinbackwarddistrictsinthecountrytoprovidequality education.
Note: At present, thereare1094functional KendriyaVidyalayasincludingthreeinMoscow, Kathmandu and Tehran.
Venom GT- worlds fastest car recorded 435 km/hr (270 Miles/hr)
March3, 2014
TheUScar manufacturer Hennessey developedtheworldsfastest car VenomGT with
atopspeedof anincredible435km/hr. Thefirmset anewrecordfor thefastest car inthe
worldduringatest runat theKennedySpaceCentreinFlorida.
VenomGT beat thepreviousbest recordof 431km/hr set byBugatti VeyronSuper Sport.
About Venom GT
BasedonLotusExigewitha7.0-litre.
927kwtwin-turboV8wedgedbetweenitsaxles.
Though, Venombroketherecordof Bugatti, thecarsspeedrecordwill not beratifiedbyGuinnessWorldRecords,
asHennessey onlycompletedonerun.
Toreplacetherecordof Bugatti thebook requirescarsthat runintwodirections toaccount for variablesincludinggradients
andwinddirection.
Note: TheBugatti Veyron EB 16.4isamid-enginedsportscar, designedanddevelopedbytheVolkswagenGroupand
manufacturedinMolsheim, FrancebyBugatti AutomobilesS.A.S.
Eminent painter Mr. Prokash Karmakar passed away
March3, 2014
TheveteranIndianpainter Mr. ProkashKarmakar (81) passedawayinKolkataduetoagerelatedillness. Thepainter was
best knownfor hislandscapesandnudes.
About Mr. Prokash Karmakar
Born:1933inKolkata.
Inspiredbytheworksof Picassoandother mastersof the19thcenturyImpressionism.
Works:Permanent collectionsof theNational Galleryof ModernArt, Lalit KalaAkademi inDelhi andLucknow
Academy of FineArtsinKolkata.
Awards:Lalit KalaAkademi National Award, RabindraBharatiUniversityAward, BirlaAcademy of ArtandCulture,
Calcutta, etc.
HisOfficial Website: http://www.prokashkarmakar.com/
Hispaintingsreflect hisperceptionandinterpretationof nature(bothorderly andchaotic), life(bothrural andurban), and
form(fromsoft tosharp), without referencetoreligion.
India and Israel inked pacts on bilateral security relations
March3, 2014
TheUnion Ministry of Home Affairs (Government of India) andIsrael signedthreepactsto
strengthentheeffortsinthewar against terror andbeef upbilateral securityrelations.
ThepactsareMutual Legal Assistance Treaty in Criminal Matters, Agreement on Protection of Classified Material
and Agreement on Cooperation in Homeland and Public Security.
Theagreementsarebasedontheshareddeterminationtoprotect their citizens, their assetsandtheir interests.
ThepactsweresignedbyAdditional SecretaryintheHomeMinistry Rajiv SharmaandAmbassador of Israel inIndiaAlon
Ushpiz andoneagreement byDirector intheMinistry of DefenseAmir Kain.
Dr. Janumaddi Hanumath Shastry: Veteran Telugu litterateur passed away
March3, 2014
Thewell-knownTelugulitterateur, Dr. Janumaddi Hanumath Sastry (90) passedawayinKapadatownof AndhraPradesh
duetooldage-relatedillness.
About Dr. Janumaddi Hanumath Sastry
Born: RayadurginAnantapur district onSeptember 5, 1926.
Awards: KavitrayaJ ayanthi Puraskaram, theGadicherlaaward, Sarvadhari Ugadi Puraskaram, etc.
Authored books: MaaSeemaKavulu, ManaDevathalu, Rasavadghattalu, BellaryRaghava, Mokshagundam
Visweswarayya, C.P. BrownCharitra, Dr.Ambedkar, Ganapati, etc.
For hiscontributiontoTeluguliterature, hewasconferredwithadoctoratebyTeluguUniversityHyderabad.
Deliveredover 150talksonAIR andwroteover 2,000articles for variousmagazines.
OrganizedC.P. Brownbicentennial celebrationsinNovember 1998.
India Saudi Arabia signed defense cooperation deal
March3, 2014
IndiaandSaudi ArabiasignedaMemorandumof Understanding(MoU) ondefense
cooperationfor greater exchangeof informationandtraininginNewDelhi. Theagreement
wassignedbySaudi ArabiasMinister of Statefor ForeignAffairsNizar BinObaidMadani
andIndiasMinister of Statefor DefenceJ itendraSingh.
Thetwosidesalsoagreedtostrengthencooperationintheareaof radioandtelevision, asalsoinfieldsof media
coverageandtraining, besides agreeingtoactivatetheagreement signedbetweenSaudi PressAgency(SPA) andthe
PressTrust of India(PTI).
Thepactsweresignedinthepresenceof Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mr. Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who
wasonathree-day visit toIndia. (Mr. Al SaudisalsoSaudi ArabiasDeputyPrimeMinister andDefenceMinister).
Saudi ArabiaisIndiasfourthlargest partner withbilateral tradeof over $43billionin2012-13. Saudi Arabiaisalso
Indiaslargest crudeoil supplier accountingfor about 20%of total importsin2012-13.
Note:Saudi Arabiaisthe6thlargest market intheworldfor Indianexportsandisdestinationof morethan4.08percent of
Indiasglobal exports.
FNCCI & CII agree to organize Nepal-India Economic Summit every year
March3, 2014
TheFederation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and industry (FNCCI) andtheConfederationof IndianIndustry(CII)
haveagreedtoorganizeNepal-IndiaEconomicSummit everyyear alternatively inthetwocountries.
Thiswasdecidedat ameetingof President of FNCCI, Mr. Suraj VaidyaandtheincomingPresident of CII, Mr.
AjayaS. ShriraminKathmandu.
TheSummit wouldbeaneffectiveplatformtodiscussthepromotionof bilateral economicandtraderelations
betweenthetwocountries.
Thetwobusinessorganizationshavealsoagreedtoplayastrategic rolefor developinghydropower projectsthat
havebeenlongpendinginNepal.
Theprivatesector hasalsoprincipally agreedtomakeajoint studytofindout variousareasfor improvement for newtrade
treatybetweenthetwocountries.
MTDC and Mehair launched seaplane service
March3, 2014
The Maritime Energy Heli Air Services (MEHAIR) jointly with Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation
(MTDC) launched theIndias first seaplane service from mainland at Mumbai,throughwhichtouristswill betakenby
twoAmphibianaircraft totourist spotslikewater bodieswheretherearenorunways. Thefirst servicewill takeoff onMarch
10, 2014fromMumbai toAambyValleyCity.
About Indias first seaplane service
First of itskindinmainlandIndiathat will link MumbaisJ uhuairport withtourist destinationsof thestate.
Will belaunchedwithaCessna206Amphibianaircraft. Another Cessna208will beinductedintoservicebyApril,
2014. Boththesemodelscanaccommodate4to9passengers.
First phase:MEHAIR will roll out itsservicetodestinationsviz. AmbayValley lake, Gangapur Dam(Nashik), Mula
Dam(Meherabad/Shirdi), PawnaDam(Lonavla), VarasgaonDam(Lavasa) andDhoomDam(Panchgani
/Mahabaleshwar).
Second phase: MEHAIR will connect Mumbai withKonkancoast viz. Ganpatipule, Harihareshwar, Tarkarli and
MurudJ anjira.
MEHAIR hasplans toroll out 25seaplanesover thenext fiveyearsoperatinginmost of themajor statesof the
country.
What are Sea-planes?
Sea-planesaresmall aircraftsthat cantouchdownonlandaswell asonwater, anddonot requirecapital-intensive
infrastructurefor operations.
Thus, theyareconsideredideal for high-endtravel todestinationsthat arefar byroadandarenot equippedwith
airports.
Theyrequireeither a1-kmlongairstripor awater body, whichisonekmlongandat least 10feet deep.
Note: In2011, Mehair pioneeredthelaunchof seaplaneinIndia, theservicehasbeenoperational intheAndamanand
Nicobar Islands.
Global Ayurveda Festival Kerala 2014
March3, 2014
The second edition of Global Ayurveda Festival Kerala 2014 (GAF) heldat Queenof ArabianSea, Kochi inKerala.
About Global Ayurveda Festival Kerala 2014
FivedaysInternational Expowithmorethan350stalls.
Chief Guest:MauritiusPresident Mr. Rajkeswar Puryaag.
Theme:AyurvedainPublic HealthandCommunicableDiseases.
Focus:Onthestrengthsof Ayurvedainpublichealthinthecontext of growingburdenof newagecommunicable
diseases.
Other sub themes:Mental HealthandAyurveda, Clinical ResearchinAyurveda, Cosmetology inAyurveda,
Nutritionandavariety of other relatedtopics.
Thebi-annual Ayurvedafest organizedbytheCentrefor InnovationinScience& Social Action(CISSA), jointly
withtheStateof Government andtheAyurvedaFraternity of Kerala.
First ever AyurvedaParamedicsConference.
Note: CISSA isanon-profit, non-governmental organizationof scientistsandcitizenscombiningrigorousscientific analysis,
innovativepolicy development andeffectivecitizenadvocacytobuildacleaner, safer andhealthier world.
Braigo- a low-cost Braille printer invented by Indian-origin boy Shubham Banerjee
March3, 2014
TheIndian-origin, Master ShubhamBanerjee(12) inventedBraigo, alow-cost Brailleprinter byusingtoyconstructionLego
piecesinUSA.
About Braigo, a low-cost Braille printer
A mash-upof BrailleandLEGO.
Cost:$350.
DesignedfromtheLegoMindstormsEV3set.
Modifiedarobot model tomakeafunctional printer at afractionof thecost of other machines inthemarket. (Basic
model Brailleprintersretail for about $2,000online).
Programmedtoproducetheletters:A toZ inBraille. It takesabout sevensecondstoprint eachletter.
Userscantypeinletters, andtheBraigosneedlewill hammer out thetranslatedmessageinraiseddotsonpaper.
Future Plan:ToprogrammeBraigo toprint thenumbersoneto10.
What is Braille printer?
Brailleprinters, alsoknownasembossers, areusedtomake copies of electronic documents on paper in a format that is
readable by blind people.
Working:Receivesdatafromcomputer devicesandembossesthat informationinBrailleontopaper throughtheuse
of solenoidsthat control embossingpins. Typically print onheavyweight paper anduseupmorepagesfor thesame
amount of informationthanpagesprintedonaregular printer.
Slower andnoisier.
Inter-point printersareBrailleprintersthat embossBrailleonbothsidesof apage.
Note: LEGOMindstormsEV3isaremarkably powerful andfunctional roboticskit peopleof anyagecanusetobuildsome
impressiveandcomplicatedprojects.
Presidents rule imposed in Andhra Pradesh
March2, 2014
President Mr. PranabMukherjeeapprovedtheTelenganaBill andontherecommendationof theUnionCabinet imposed
PresidentsRuleinAndhraPradesh.
Why Presidents rule imposed in Andhra Pradesh?
Duetotheresignationof Mr. N. KiranKumar Reddy fromtheCMpost of Andhra(toprotest against thepassageof
AndhraPradeshReorganisationBill tocreateaseparateStateof Telangana), thePresidents rule imposed in Andhra
Pradesh,astheStatewaswithout aChief Minister andnopartycameforwardtoformthegovernment.
President Mr. PranabMukherjeegavehisnodtoplaceunder suspendedanimationtheAndhraPradeshassembly
whosetermisslatedtoendonJ une2, 2014.
After Presidentsassent totheTelanganabill, appointeddayyet tobepublishedintheGazetteeof India.
About Presidents Rule (Article 356 of the Constitution of India)
Purpose:Todeal withthefailureof theConstitutional machinery of anIndianstate.
Inpractice, Presidentsrulehasbeenimposedunder different circumstancesviz.StateLegislatureisunabletoelect a
leader asChief Minister, Breakdownof acoalition, Electionspostponedfor unavoidablereasons, etc.
ThePresident ontheadviceof thegovernor or onhisownattainstheright todissolvethestategovernment andits
council of ministers, therebyimposepresident rule. Theparliament must approvethepresident ruletocomeintoeffect.
After theimplementationof president rule, thegovernor headsthestateandtakesall thepower.
When Presidents rule is imposed, the assembly is either dissolved or kept in suspended.
Excerpts of the Telangana Bill:
Telanganawill have10districtsandtherest of AndhraPradesh13districts.
Hyderabadwill remainthejoint capital of TelanganaandresiduaryAndhraPradeshfor tenyears.
TheBhadrachalamdivisionwill continuetobewithKhammamdistrict whichwill bepart of Telangana.
NTPCwill construct a4,000MWpower project inTelanganatosolvetheelectricity problemintheregion.
A petroleumuniversity will beconstructedinSeemandhraregionwhileseatsfor Semmandhrastudentsin
educational institutesinTelanganawill bereservedfor tenyears.
Article 371 Dwill continuefor thebothstatestoensureequitableopportunities for educationandpublic
employment.
Telangana comprises 10 districts: -Hyderabad, Adilabad, Khammam, Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar, Medak,
Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Rangareddy andWarangal.
Note:Till now, Indiaconsistsof 28statesand7unionterritories. Soon, Telanganawill becomethe29thstateof India, asit
got approval fromPresident of India
Zero AIDS Discrimination Day launched on March 1
March1, 2014
For thefirst time, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) launcheditsZero Discrimination Day
onMarch1inBeijing, China, tosupport thosewhoareinfectedbyHIV/AIDS.
About Zero Discrimination Day 2014
Motto: Tocall thepeopleeverywheretopromoteequal rightsforAIDSvictimsandcelebrateeveryonesright toliveafull
lifewithdignitynomatter what theylook like, wherethey comefromor whomthey love.
Transformative Symbol:Butterfly.
Vision:ZeronewHIV infections, zerodiscriminationandzeroAIDS-relateddeaths.
Aninitiativeof UNAIDSadvocateandNobel laureateMs. Daw Aung Suu Kyi.
Offersanunprecedentedopportunity for raisingawareness; for speakinguptosupport peoplewhohavebeen
discriminatedagainst; for promotingdiversity; andfor becomingchampionsof tolerance, compassionandpeace.
Discriminationagainst HIV/AIDSvictimsisaseriousbarrier preventingtheprovisionof equal services.
Note: Discriminationisnot onlyaviolationof humanrights, it isillegal, immoral, hurtful anddehumanizing. Discrimination
canhappenanywhere: atwork, at school, at home, atthehealthfacilityandinthecommunity. Discriminationdoesnt just
hurt individualsor groupsof people, it hurtseveryone.
Chennais Ennore Port officially renamed as Kamarajar Port
March1, 2014
TheEnnorePort Limitedof Chennai officially renamedasKamarajar PortLtd. after theveteranCongressleader andformer
Chief Minister of Tamil NaduMr. KumarasamiKamarajar. Mr. Kamarajar wasknownfor hispioneeringefforts
includingintroducingthefreenoon-meal schemefor childreninschoolsbesidesheraldingthestatesindustrialization.
About Kamarajar Port
Location:Ennore, Chennai.
Owned by:Kamarajar Port Limited.
Opened: 2001.
The12thmajor port of Indiaandthefirst port inIndiawhichisapublic company.
TheCentreholdsastakeof about 68%andtheremaining32%isheldbytheChennai PortTrust.
Category-I Mini Ratnastatus.
Havesixcargohandlingberthswithatotal capacityof 30milliontonneper annum.
Hasthepotential tobecomethefirst intermsof cargohandling.
Note: Mr. Kamarajar wasthechief minister of Tamil Naduduring19541963andaMember of Parliament during
19521954and19691975. Hewasknownfor hissimplicity andintegrity.
Freedom fighter Maulana Hasrat Mohanis postage stamp released by Vice President of
India
March1, 2014
TheVicePresident of India, Mr. M. HamidAnsari releasedthecommemorative postage stamp of Freedom fighter
Maulana Hasrat MohaniinNewDelhi.
About Freedom fighter Maulana Hasrat Mohani
Born:J anuary1,1875inMohan, UnitedProvince, BritishIndia.
Died:May13,1951inLucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Pen name:Hasrat Mohani.
Eminent poet whousedtoGhazal poetry apurelygenreof lovepoetry for political subjectsandgaveit anew
turn.
Wasagreat freedomfighter andnever acceptedBritishruleover India.
Great admirer of Lokmanya Tilakandalwaysusedtorefer himasTilak Maharaj, eveninhispoetry.
In1908, hewassentencedtotwoyearsrigorousimprisonment byBritishgovernment for publishinganarticlein
Urdu-e-Mu-alla against BritishpoliciesinEgypt. Hewasreleasedin1910andre-startedUrdu-e-Mu-alla.
Second person in Indian HistorywhodemandedComplete Independence (Azadi-e-Kaamil) in1921ashe
presidedover anannual sessionof All IndiaMuslimLeague. (First personwasSwatantryaveer Savarkar, who
demandedCompleteIndependence in1900).
In1919, Maulana Mohammad Ali J auhar and his brother MaulanaShaukatAli along with some other
Muslim leaders viz. Dr. Mukhtar AhmedAnsari, Raees-ul-MuhajireenBarrister J anMuhammadJ unejo, Maulana
Hasrat Mohani, MaulanaAbul Kalam Azad and Dr. Hakim Ajmal Khan formedanAll India Khilafat
Committee at Lucknow.
Indian-origin men win Heinz Awards in US
March1, 2014
Indian-originmen, Professor Abraham Verghese and Mr. Sanjeev Arora areamongthefiverecipientswhowonthe19th
Heinz awards2013andwill behonoredinPittsburghonApril 3, 2014. Eachwinner will receiveacash award of $250,000
eachaswell asamedallioninscribedwithanimageof lateUSsenator J ohnHeinz.
19th Heinz Awards 2013: Category and its recipients
Arts and humanities Professor Abraham Verghese, adoctor andauthor basedat StanfordUniversity Medical
School, USA wasgiventheawardinrecognitionof hisbest-sellingauthorship. Inhisfirst book, MyOwnCountry, he
wroteextensively aboutAIDSinrural areasof Tennesse. HebelongstoKerala.
Public policy Dr. Sanjeev Arora,professor of medicineat theUniversity of NewMexicoinAlbuquerque, was
recognizedfor revolutionizingcommunityhealthcareusingvideoconferencingtechnology. HebelongstoKota,
Rajasthan.
Environment Professor Jonathan Foley, director of theInstituteontheEnvironment at theUniversity of
Minnesotawherehehasconductedresearchontheglobal environment andhowtoimprovetheefficiency of food
production.
Human condition Mr. Salman Khan, founder of onlineKhan Academy inMountainView, Calif., aneducational
nonprofit that offersfreetutorialsandexercises tostudentsaroundtheworld.
Technology, the economy and employment LeilaJ anah(anentrepreneur basedinSanFrancisco, USA) was
honoredfor foundingthenonprofitsSamasourceandSamaUSA that usesanInternet totrainandemploypeoplein
impoverishedcommunities aroundtheworld.
About Heinz Awards
Establishedin1993byMs. Teresa Heinz, thechairwomanof theHeinz FamilyFoundationinhonor of her late
husband, Senator H. John Heinz III, thePennsylvaniaRepublican.
Headquarters:Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania(separatefromtheinternational foodcompany).
Annually awardedbytheHeinz Family Foundation.
TheHeinzAwardscelebratestheaccomplishmentsandspirit of theSenator byrecognizingtheextraordinary
achievementsof individualsintheareasof greatest importancetoSenator John Heinz, whodiedinamidair aircraft
collisionin1991.
Awards recognize outstanding individuals for their contributions in five areas: ArtsandHumanities,
Environment, HumanCondition, Public Policy, andTechnology, theEconomyandEmployment.
Dr. Madan Babu won the Protein Science Young Investigator Award for 2014
March1, 2014
AnIndian-bornscientist, Dr. M Madan Babu wontheProteinScienceYoungInvestigator Awardfor 2014atCambridge,
UK. Hegot theawardfor hiseffort inthefieldof biological systemandtounderstandintrinsically disorderedproteinsand
generegulationclearly. MRC Laboratoryof Molecular Biology, CambridgeUK
Hebecamethefirst scientist fromMRCLaboratoryof Molecular Biology towonthisaward.
At present, Dr. BabuheadsthegrouponRegulatoryGenomicsandSystemsBiology at theMRC Laboratoryof
Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
About Protein Science Young Investigator Award
Recognizesanimportant contributiontothestudyof proteinsbyascientist still intheearlystagesof anindependent
career.
GivenbytheProteinSociety.
TheSocietyrepresentsaglobal communityof researchersdedicatedtotheunderstandingof proteins.
German Chancellor Ms. Angela Merkel awarded Israels highest civilian honor
March1, 2014
TheGermanChancellor Ms. AngelaMerkel awardedthePresidential Medal of Distinction (Israelshighest civilianhonor)
bythePresident of Israel, Mr. ShimonPeres. Shewasawardedwiththismedal for her firmcommitment tothesecurity of
Israel alongwithher fight against anti-Semitismandracisminparticular througheducation.
About Presidential Medal of Distinction (Israels highest civilian honor)
Themedal featurestheNorthStar (tosymbolizethe(right path) andaseven-branchedmenorahor J ewish
candelabrum thesymbol of Israel inscribedwiththephraseFromhisshouldersandupward, fromtheBookof
Samuel 9:2.
OpentoIsraeli citizensandnon-citizens.
Awardedeveryyear bythePresident toapersonfor his/her extraordinarycontributiontothecountry.
Past recipients of the medal:U.S. President BarackObama, former U.S. president Bill Clinton, Israel Philharmonic
Orchestradirector ZubinMehta, humanrightsactivist ElieWiesel, etc.
Note: Anti-Semitism isahostilebelief or behavior towardsJ ewsasareligiousor racial groupandthetermwascoinedin
1879bytheGermanagitator, WilhelmMarr todesignatetheanti-J ewishcampaignsunderway incentral Europeatthat time.
Thepersonwhoholdsthepositionof ant-Semitismisknownasanti-Semite.
National Lok Adalat to be held in Nagpur on April 12, 2014
March1, 2014
Duetolargenumber of pendingcases, theDistrict Legal ServicesAuthority isorganizingaNational LokAdalat atNagpur
onApril 12, 2014.
TheNational LokAdalat will beconductedat all levelsright fromtheSupremeCourt, HighCourts, it benchesupto
theTalukaCourts.
Themechanismof LokAdalatsavailablefor disposal andresolutionof disputeswill beusedtoclear pendingcases
at theearliest bysortingout suitableones.
IntheNational LokAdalat, casesviz. criminal compoundablecases, negotiableinstrument act CasesU/S138, motor
accident claimpetitions, accident informationreport (AIR), statetransport casesandmatrimonial andfamilycourtscases
will betakenintoaccount.
NTPC to set up Kajra Thermal Project in Bihar
March1, 2014
NTPCwill set upa1,320MWthermal power project atKajrainLakhisarai district of Bihar. A Memorandumof
Understanding(MoU) signedbetweenNTPC, Bihar StatePower GenerationCompany Limited(BSPGCL) andLakhisarai
BijleeCompany PrivateLimited(LBCPL) at PatnainBihar.
Estimated cost of the project:ApproxRs. 9200crore.
Theplant wouldhavetwounitsof 660MWeach.
Note: Inthejoint venture, NTPCwouldhave74%stakeandtherest wouldbewithBSPGCL.