Bulletin September, 15 (English)€¦ · 02/09/2016 · and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan can be availed through the portal mylpg.in. At present, the scheme will be available

VAID’S ICS LUCKNOW B-36, Sector-C, Aliganj, Lucknow Cont.9415011892/93

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SEPTEMBER, 2015

Vaid’s ICS Lucknow B-36, Sector –C, Aliganj, Lucknow

Ph: 0522-2326249/ Mob: 9415011892/93 website: www.vaidicslucknow.com

http://www.vaidicslucknow.com


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Content

Pages 1. National Events 3

2. International Events 7

3. Science & Technology 10

4. Economy 12

5. Environment 15

6. Sports 19

7. Awards 22

8. Appointments 23


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NATIONAL EVENTS RGI released Census 2011 on Population by Religious Communities The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RGI) on 25 August 2015 released the data on Census 2011 on Population by Religious Communities. The distribution is total population by six major religious communities namely, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain besides Other Religions and Persuasions and Religion not stated. As per the Census 2011, the Total Population in 2011 was 121.09 crores. Here is the list of Population by Religious Communities based on Census 2011: Religion Population

Hindu 96.63 crores (79.8%)

Muslim 17.22 crores (14.2%)

Christian 2.78 crores (2.3%)

Sikh 2.08 crores (1.7%)

Buddhist 0.84 crores (0.7%)

Jain 0.45 crores (0.4%)

Other Religions & Persuasions

0.79 crores (0.7%)

Religion Not Stated 0.29 crores (0.2%)

Proportion The proportion of Hindu population to total population in 2011 has declined by 0.7 percentage point (PP) while the proportion of Sikh population has declined by 0.2 PP and the Buddhist population declined by 0.1 PP during the decade 2001-2011. The proportion of Muslim population to total population has increased by 0.8 PP. There has been no significant change in the proportion of Christians and Jains. Growth Rate The growth rate of population in the decade 2001-2011 was 17.7 percent. The growth rate of population of the different religious communities in the same period was- Hindus at 16.8 percent; Muslim at 24.6 percent; Christian

at 15.5 percent; Sikh at 8.4 percent; Buddhist at 6.1 percent and Jain at 5.4 percent. The Muslim population grew at a faster rate than the Hindu population, but the gap between the two growth rates is narrowing fast. The data shows that between 2001 and 2011, Hindu population grew by 16.76 percent, while population of Muslims grew by 24.6 percent. The population of both communities grew much faster during the 1991-2001 with Hindus at 19.92 percent and Muslims at 29.52 percent. The Muslim community has registered a moderate 0.8 percent growth to touch 17.22 crore between 2001 and 2011, up from 13.8 crore between 1991-2001, while Hindus population showed a decline by 0.7 percent at 96.63 crore during the period. Though there is the decadal increase in share of Muslim population, however, their growth rate is lower than the previous decade 1991-2001. Union Government launched SAHAJ scheme for online release of new LPG connections Union Government on 30 August 2015 launched a scheme named SAHAJ for online release of new LPG connections for the consumers. The scheme launched by Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan can be availed through the portal mylpg.in. At present, the scheme will be available in 13 cities of the country, namely Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna and Pune. It will be launched pan-India within the next few days. SAHAJ facility will enable the prospective customers to post online request for a new connection by filing Know Your Customer (KYC) form, uploading photographs and bank account details. After submission, the customer will receive the registration number to know the connection status. It also provides the facility to choose the mode of payment, which may be online or offline mode of payment for connection. Electronic subscription voucher will be mailed to the


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customer and physical delivery of the Gas cylinder, regulator with hose pipe will be made by the distributor. Union Government announced One Rank One Pension scheme for ex-servicemen The Union Government on 5 September 2015 announced One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme for ex-servicemen. The scheme was pending for nearly four decades. Though the scheme was announced in February 2014, it was not implemented till date as the modalities of the scheme were not finalized. What is OROP? In simple terms, OROP implies that uniform pension be paid to the armed forces personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement. At present, ex-servicemen receive differential pensions as it is calculated on the basis of their salary at the time of their retirement. Differential payments occur as the salaries of personnel are frequently revised on the basis of pay commission’s recommendations. For example, personnel who retired in 1990 receive fewer pensions compared to their juniors who retired in 2006 though they retired at the same rank with same length of service. Features of OROP scheme • Pension will be re-fixed for all pensioners retiring in the same rank and with the same length of service as the average of minimum and maximum pension in 2013. • The benefit will be given with effect from 1 July 2014 to the ex-service men of all the three forces. • Those drawing pensions above the average will be protected. • In future, the pension would be re-fixed every 5 years. • Arrears will be paid in four half-yearly installments. • All widows, including war widows, will be paid arrears in one installment. • Personnel who voluntarily retire will not be covered under the scheme.

• The estimated cost to the exchequer would be 8000 to 10000 crore at present, and will increase further in future. To resolve further issues related to the implementation of the scheme especially those of inter-service issues of three forces, the government also announced to form a one member judicial committee that will give its report in six months. Union Government inaugurated New production facility for producing prosthetic systems The Union Minister for Social justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot on 8 September 2015 inaugurated the new production facility for producing affordable lower limb prosthetic systems. The facility was launched under the Make In India initiative with an estimated cost of 6 Crores rupees. For this, Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) signed the Transfer of Technology (ToT) and Technical & Consultancy Services agreement with multinational company Ottobock for mass manufacturing of new generation Lower limb prosthetic systems for PwDs (Persons with Disabilities). With this new production unit, ALIMCO will be able to produce technologically advanced prosthetic system which will improve the independence and mobility of lower limbs amputees from all section of society in the country. Camp conducted by ALIMCO • During the launch, ALIMCO conducted successful camp at Kanpur Dehat District. In that camp, government distributed artificial limbs and aids to 692 pre-identified beneficiaries. They were provided aid and assistive devices, prosthetics valuing over 60 Lakh rupees. • 20 specially indentified beneficiaries having more than 80 percent disability were handed over battery operated motorized Tricycle fitted with Utility Box costing 37000 rupees each. • Major cost of this high end product was borne by the Ministry and amount of 2.4 lakh rupees


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was graciously provided through MP LAD fund. Union HRD Ministry launched National Web Portal for Apprenticeship Training Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani on 10 September 2015 launched the National Web Portal for promotion of National Apprenticeship Scheme for Graduates, Diploma holders and 10+2 pass-outs vocational certificate holders. The Union Ministry also released a Logo and a Slogan Sashakt Yuva, Samarth Bharat for the National Web Portal. The Union Ministry implements the apprenticeship training scheme for one year through Board of Apprenticeship Training (BOATs)/Board of Practical Training (BOPT) located at Mumbai, Chennai, Kanpur and Kolkata. Highlights of the National Web Portal • This portal will enable door step delivery of service, streamlines processes and saves time for students. • It will also offer security for women at workplace and ensure grievance redressal for the apprentice. • It will enable viable contract for students and industry partnership. • The web portals of regional BOATs/BOPT have been integrated and data of all the regional BOATs/BOPT has been transferred to the National Web Portal. • It will now ensure seamless connectivity with all stake holders including students, establishments and technical institutions across the country for transparent administration through e-Governance. Union Cabinet approved Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission for overall development of rural areas Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 16 September 2015 approved

the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM). The Mission approved with an outlay of 5142.08 crore rupees is a bid to transform rural areas to economically, socially and physically sustainable spaces. The mission aims to create 300 Rurban growth clusters over the next 3 years, across the country. Main elements of Rurban Mission Development of Rurban growth clusters, which have latent potential for growth, in all States and UTs to trigger overall development in the region. These clusters are essentially Smart Villages. Rural growth clusters would be developed by provisioning of economic activities, developing skills & local entrepreneurship and providing infrastructure amenities. Further, these clusters would be well delineated areas with planned layouts, which would be duly notified by the State/UTs. These plans would be finally integrated with the District Plans/Master Plans as the case may be. The States would prepare Integrated Cluster Action Plans for Rurban Clusters in accordance with the Framework for Implementation prepared by the Union Ministry of Rural Development. The clusters will be geographically contiguous to Gram Panchayats with a population of about 25000 to 50000 in plain and coastal areas and a population of 5000 to 15000 in desert, hilly or tribal areas. Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) launched by Union Government To transform the lives of people living in the areas which are affected directly or indirectly by mining, the Union Government on 17 September 2015 launched the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY). The programme is meant for the welfare of areas and people affected by mining related operations, using the funds generated by the District Mineral Foundations (DMFs).


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DMFs were created under the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015 in all the districts of the country affected by mining related operations. The objective of PMKKKY • To implement various developmental and welfare projects/programs in mining affected areas that complement the existing ongoing schemes/projects of State and Central Government • To minimize/mitigate the adverse impacts, during and after mining, on the environment, health and socio-economics of people in mining districts • To ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods for the affected people in mining areas by including all aspects of living, to ensure substantial improvement in the quality of life. The aspects include a) High priority areas like drinking water supply, health care, sanitation, education, skill development, women and child care, welfare of aged and disabled people, skill development and environment conservation will get at least 60 % share of the funds.


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INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

North, South Korea agreed to resume family reunions North Korea and South Korea on 7 September 2015 agreed to resume family reunions that were halted since February 2014. The resumed reunions will take place between 20 October and 26 October 2015 in North Korea's Mount Kumgang resort. A decision in this regard was taken at the working-level Red Cross meeting of both the countries at the border village of Panmunjom in North Korea. The meetings were an outcome of the bilateral agreement reached on 25 August 2015 that aimed at defusing tensions along the border. The decision to resume reunions will benefit thousands of Koreans who were separated due to the division of the Korean peninsula in to two separate countries in the aftermath of the 1953 war. G20 launched W20 to enhance role of women in business The G20 grouping on 6 September 2015 launched the W20 (Women20) in Ankara, Turkey. The focus of the W20 is to enhance the role of women in business. Though the grouping was created in April 2015 it was formally launched on the sidelines of the G-20 Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. G20 is a group of major economies formed to bring together systemically important industrialized and developing economies to discuss key issues in the global economy. The mandate of W20 is to advance and realize recent G20 commitments on • Achieving women’s full economic and social participation (Los Cabos Leaders’ Declaration, 2012). • Enhancing women’s financial inclusion and education (St Petersburg Leaders’ Declaration, 2013).

• Reducing the participation gap between women and men in G20 countries by 25 per cent by 2025, taking into account national circumstances (Brisbane Leaders’ Declaration, 2014). It is in addition to the existing official engagement groups of the G20-B20 (Business20), C20 (Civil society20), L20 (Labour20), T20 (Think20) and Y20 (Youth20). Gulden Turktan was appointed as the first president of the group. She is one of the founders and President of the Women Entrepreneurs' Association in Turkey (KAGIDER), and is currently a member of its Executive Board. Ruling People’s Action Party won Singapore general elections for record 12th time The Ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) on 12 September 2015 won the general elections to the Parliament of Singapore. The party is headed by the incumbent Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. In the elections to the unicameral legislature, while the PAP won 83 seats, the opposition Worker’s Party ended up with just six seats, one less than it held in the outgoing parliament. The PAP won the elections for record 12th time since independence from Malaysia in 1965. Also, it was the first elections held after the death of Lee Kuan Yew, father of Prime Minister Lee, who was the Prime Minister of the country between 1959 and 1990. Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923-23 March 2015) is considered as the founding father of modern Singapore as he transformed the city-state from a small port city and a malaria-infested backwater to a wealthy global hub. Michel Kafando reinstated as president of Burkina Faso Michel Kafando was on 23 September 2015 reinstated as the president of Burkina Faso in the capital Ouagadougou.


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The reinstatement was a result of an agreement reached between the RSP and the national army. Kafando had been the interim president of the country, since November 2014, after the fall of Blaise Compaore regime. He, along with the country’s Prime Minister Yacouba Isaac Zida, was detained and overthrown from the position by the Regiment of Presidential Security (RSP) on 17 September 2015 in a coup. During the one week interregnum, the RSP declared General Gilbert Diendere as the chief of the newly established National Democratic Council (NDC) to oversee the governance in the country. However, the RSP and Diendere had to step down as they faced stiff opposition from the national army, citizens and international players including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). In the ensuing unrest after the coup, ten people were killed and scores were injured during their clash with the RSP. About RSP It is an autonomous secret service organisation responsible for security to the President. For long time, it has been considered as loyal to Blaise Compaore who ruled the country for 27 years after seizing power in a coup in 1987. Nepal adopted first democratically-framed constitution Nepal on 20 September 2015 adopted its first democratically-framed constitution with the promulgation of the charter by the president Ram Baran Yadav. It is called as a democratically-framed constitution as it was conceptualized, developed and adopted by a representative Constituent Assembly. The adoption is considered as historic as it puts an end to the 7-year long altercations among political parties about the nature of the Constitution that began with the abolition of the 239-year old monarchy in 2008.

Further, it also believed that the new constitution will bring fresh air in the Nepalese society plagued by devastating earthquake of April 2015 that killed around 9000 people. However, the acceptance of the constitution was not unanimous. Few members of the Constituent Assembly mainly royalists’ politicians voted against the constitution, on the voting day of 16 September 2015, as it favoured the republican form of government over the monarchy. Further, members of the lowlands belonging to Madhesi and Tharu communities abstained from voting as they were dissatisfied with the federal-provincial demarcation and constituency delimitation in the terai region. Their dissatisfaction was with the fact that the Pahadi or hill community, who constitute 50 percent of the population, got 100 seats in the parliament while the other half, Madhesi of plain region got only 65 seats. Alexis Tsipras-led Syriza party won Greece elections Alexis Tsipras-led Syriza party on 20 September 2015 emerged as the largest party in the general elections to the Greece’s Parliament. It secured 35 percent of total votes resulting in 144 seats in the 300-seat Parliament. Syriza is expected to form a coalition government with Independent Greeks Party, a partner in the previous government as well. It is the second election victory for Syriza in just nine months since the formation of its first government at the national government in January 2015. The snap polls were called after Syriza lost its majority in August 2015 in the Parliament. Some of its members left the party as they were opposed to the European Union sponsored 86 billion US dollar bailout package for which Tsiparis agreed to. The present victory for Syriza is expected to give another opportunity for Greece to effectively deal with its long standing financial crisis and emigrants influx from Syria.


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GSLV-D6 successfully launched GSAT-6 communication satellite Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-D6 was successfully launched on 27 August 2015. It was launched from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. GSLV-D6 inducted 2117 kg GSAT-6, an advanced communication satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The satellite is intended to provide S-band communication services in the country. Key Features of GSLV-D6 • It is the ninth flight of GSLV. It is also the fifth developmental flight of GSLV. • This is the third time the indigenously developed Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) is being carried on-board during a GSLV flight. The flight is significant since it intends to continue the testing of CUS. • It is configured with all its three stages including the CUS similar to the ones successfully flown during the previous GSLV-D5 mission in January 2014. GSLV-D5 successfully placed GSAT-14 satellite carried on-board in the intended GTO very accurately. Importance of Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) A Cryogenic rocket stage is more efficient and provides more thrust for every kilogram of propellant it burns compared to solid and earth-storable liquid propellant rocket stages. The cryogenic stage is technically a very complex system compared to solid or earth-storable liquid propellant stages due to its use of propellants at extremely low temperatures and the associated thermal and structural challenges. Oxygen liquifies at -183 deg C and Hydrogen at -253 deg C. The propellants, at these low temperatures, are to be pumped using turbo pumps running at around 40,000 rpm. About GSAT System • The GSAT or Geosynchronous satellite is a constellation of communication satellites developed by the Indian Space Research

Organisation (ISRO) with an objective to make India self-reliant in broadcasting services. • Satellites are called GSAT because they function in a geosynchronous orbit around the Earth. • It is designed to inject 2 ton class of communication satellites into GTO. • The first satellite in the series GSAT-1 was launched in April 2001. • Till date, 12 satellites were launched and only six among them are operational.


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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NASA developing space shotgun as part of its Asteroid Redirect Mission The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is developing a space shotgun to test the strength of asteroids and other space rocks. It was announced in the third week of September 2015 by Brooklyn-based Honeybee Robotics that is involved in the development of the technology. The space shotgun is intended to determine whether mass is sturdy enough for sampling and it is part of NASA’s Asteriod Redirect Mission. Features of Asteriod Redirect Mission (ARM) • It is NASA’s first-ever robotic mission to visit a large near-Earth asteroid, collect a multi-ton boulder from its surface, and redirect it into a stable orbit around the moon. • Once an asteroid is in a stable orbit, astronauts will explore it in the deep space and return with samples. • The samples will lead to new scientific discoveries about the formation of our solar system and beginning of life on Earth. • A spacecraft as part of the mission will be launched by 2020 and the astronauts will return with samples in 2020s. • The mission also will demonstrate planetary defense techniques to deflect dangerous asteroids and protect Earth if needed in the future. • It is part of NASA’s plan to advance the new technologies and spaceflight experience needed for a human mission to the Martian system in the 2030s. Indian Railways developed prototype of Hybrid Vacuum Toilet Indian Railways on 18 September 2015 announced that it has developed a prototype of Hybrid Vacuum Toilet. It is hybrid because the

design is based on both vacuum toilets and biotoilets. It was developed by the Development Cell of the Indian Railway Board and is considered as the first of its kind to be used in any railways in the world. At present, the technology is only seen aircrafts. It was installed in the Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani train on trial basis. Features of Hybrid Vacuum Toilet • The prototype was built by modifying the standard flushing protocol of a vacuum toilet so as to create water seal and additional post flush cycles. • The vacuum toilet evacuates its discharge into a biodigester tank is fitted underneath the coach. • The biodegester tank contains anaerobic bacteria that convert human fecal matter into water and small amount of gases before discharging the same on the ground or track. Significance of the technology It will result in saving very precious natural resource as it uses water to the tune of at least 1/20th of the quantity (500 ml) that is used in the current design of biotoilets or conventional toilets (15-20 litres) per flush. Further, it will eliminate the need to create separate ground handling installations to evacuate holding tanks that contain untreated human fecal matter. Three Gulbarga varsity researchers derived soluble melanin from a micro organism Three scientists, principal investigator Dayanand Agsar, co-investigator M. B. Sulochana and research scholar D. N. Madhusudhan, of Gulbarga University made a major breakthrough in simplifying the production of the melanin. The team of scientists derived the water-soluble melanin from a new micro organism Tyrosinase from Actino bacterium. At present, the melanin being used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry is either derived from chemical formulations or derived


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from micro-organisims other than Tyrosinase and is insoluble in water. The three scientists worked under the major research project funded by the Department of Biotechnology of the Union government. The trio’s findings were also published in the prestigious Biomed Research International in April 2014 and the Journal of Cluster Sciences of the Springer publications in March 2014. About melanin Melanin is a pigment produced in the skin of almost all organisms on earth. It is produced by the oxidation of the amino acid tyrosine, followed by polymerization. There are three basic types of melanin, viz., Eumelanin, Pheomelanin and Neuromelanin. It is used widely by pharmaceutical companies for treatment of a type of skin cancer, melanoma. It is also widely used in the cosmetics industry in the production of Skin Protection Factor (SPF) creams. Four new isotopes discovered by researchers at Manipal University Researchers from the Manipal Centre of Natural Sciences at Manipal University, Karnataka in collaboration with researchers at GSI, Germany claimed to have discovered four new atomic nuclei to be added to the Chart of the Nuclides. The claim was made in a paper published on 2 September 2015 in the journal Physics Letters B. The paper was published by H. M. Devaraja from the Manipal Centre of Natural Sciences at Manipal University. The collaborators focused on the development of new methods of synthesis for the super heavy elements. The nuclei are one isotope each of the elements berkelium (Bk, atomic number 97) and neptunium (Np, atomic number 93) and two isotopes of the element americium (Am, atomic number 95). The researchers used a new, highly sensitive method to create and detect the nuclei.


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ECONOMY Forward Markets Commission to be merged with SEBI with effect from 28 Sept 2015 Union Government on 28 August 2015 notified the merger of commodities market regulator Forward Markets Commission (FMC) with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Its merging will be effective from 28 September 2015. For this purpose, the government repealed the Forward Contracts Regulation Act (FCRA) 1952 and made a way to shift the Regulation of Commodity Derivatives Market to SEBI under Securities Contracts Regulation Act (SCRA) 1956. An official press release said, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his Budget speech, had announced the merger of FMC with the capital market regulator SEBI to strengthen the regulation of commodity futures market. A unified regulator for commodities and capital markets will help streamline monitoring of commodity futures trading and curb wild speculations. Union Cabinet approved Sovereign Gold Bonds Scheme to reduce dependence on physical gold The Union Cabinet on 9 September 2015 gave its approval for the Sovereign Gold Bonds Scheme. The purpose of the scheme is to reduce the demand for physical gold and to shift part of the estimated 300 tons of physical bars and coins purchased every year for investment into Demat (Dematerialised) gold bonds. Features of Sovereign Gold Bonds Scheme • Bonds will be issued on payment of money and would be linked to the price of gold. • The sell would be restricted to resident Indian entities and each entity cannot buy more than 500 grams per person per year.

• The bonds will be issued in denominations of 2, 5 and 10 grams of gold or other denominations. • The cap on bonds that may be bought by an entity would be at a suitable level, not more than 500 grams per person per year. Government to provide additional 50 days work to farmers under MGNREGA in drought-hit areas Union Government on 14 September 2015 decided to provide additional 50 days of unskilled manual work in the financial year 2015-16 in drought-hit areas under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme. The additional days will be provided to bring relief to farmers in view of deficit monsoon in various parts of the country. At present, 100 days of work is provided to rural job card holders under the MGNREGA, in such rural areas where drought or natural calamities has been notified. The drought areas will be notified in consultation with states. The decision was taken after monsoon deficit reached 16 percent across the country, which could affect kharif crops and rural income. The move of the Union Government will allow state governments to provide additional wage employment to rural poor in the drought affected areas. Earlier, Government had announced diesel subsidy scheme for farmers to help save standing crops. It has also announced appropriate input support measures to rejuvenate water-stressed horticulture crops in drought-hit areas. It has also decided to provide assistance for additional interventions for production of fodder for mitigating adverse impact of drought on livestock in drought-hit blocks. Apart from this, the Union Government has made flexible allocation under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and other centrally sponsored schemes. It has put in place crop contingency plan for 600 districts.


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RBI declared SBI and ICICI Bank as Domestic Systemically Important Banks The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 31 August 2015 declared State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank as Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs) in line with the D-SIB Framework released by the RBI on 22 July 2014. These banks have been identified as D-SIBs based on the methodology provided in the D-SIB Framework and data collected from banks as on 31 March 2015. Further, these banks have been put under associated bucket structure as required under the D-SIB Framework and each bucket corresponds to the higher loss absorbency requirements that they would be required to hold from January 2016. As a result, SBI has been put under Bucket 3 with additional Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) requirements as a percentage of Risk Weighted Assets (RWAs) placed at 0.6percent. On the other hand, ICICI Bank has been put under Bucket 1 with additional CET1 requirements as a percentage of RWAs placed at 0.2 percent. Framework for dealing with D-SIB Framework for dealing with D-SIB was issued by the RBI on 22 July 2014 as required under the October 2010 recommendations of the Financial Stability Board (FSB) following the 2008 global financial crisis. In its recommendation FSB called all member countries to put in place a framework to reduce risks attributable to Systemically Important Financial Institutions (SIFIs) in their jurisdictions. As part of the framework, D-SIBs were placed in four buckets depending upon their Systemic Importance Scores (SISs) in ascending order and will be required to have additional Common Equity Tier 1 capital requirement ranging from 0.20% to 0.80% of risk weighted assets. The additional CET1 requirements applicable to D-SIBs will become effective from 1 April 2016 in a phased manner and would become

fully effective from 1 April 2019. The additional CET1 requirement will be in addition to the capital conservation buffer. In case a foreign bank having branch presence in India is a Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB), it has to maintain additional CET1 capital surcharge in India as applicable to it as a G-SIB, proportionate to its RWAs in India. How to identify a D-SIB? In order to identify a D-SIB, the D-SIB Framework specifies a two-step process of identification of D-SIBs. In the first step, the sample of banks to be assessed for systemic importance has to be decided. The selection of banks in the sample for computation of SIS is based on analysis of their size as a percentage of annual GDP. In line with this, RBI adopted an assessment methodology primarily based on the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) methodology for identifying the G-SIBs with suitable modifications to capture domestic importance of a bank. The indicators used for assessment are: size, interconnectedness, substitutability and complexity. Based on the sample of banks chosen for computation of their systemic importance, a relative composite systemic importance score of the banks will be computed. RBI proposed marginal cost of funds methodology to calculate Base Rate The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 1 September 2015 proposed a new methodology to calculate Base Rate (Base Rate). It is based on marginal cost of funds methodology. The new methodology is aimed at bringing uniformity among BRs of banks so that they will be more sensitive to any changes in policy rates of the RBI like Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR), etc. At present, banks are following different methodologies in computing their BR like on the basis of average cost of funds, marginal cost of funds or blended cost of funds (liabilities).


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Under the proposed methodology, the components of BR will include cost of funds, negative carry on CRR/SLR, un-allocable overhead costs and average return on net worth. The new methodology is expected to come into effect from 1 April 2015. Base Rate • It is defined as the minimum interest rate of a bank below which it is not viable to lend. • It was introduced on 1 July 2011 by the RBI. • It replaced the benchmark prime lending rate (BPLR), the interest rate which commercial banks charged their most credit worthy customer.


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ENVIRONMENT Study titled the Future of Forests: Emissions from Tropical Deforestation, 2016-2050 released The Washington-based Center for Global Development (CGD) on 24 August 2015 released a report on the future of tropical deforestation from 2016-2050 with and without carbon pricing policies. The study says that in next 35 years, an area of tropical forest equivalent to the size of India will be deforested. If current trends continue, tropical deforestation will add 169 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by 2050, the equivalent of running 44000 coal-fired power plants for a year. Highlights of the study • In the absence of new forest conservation policies, 289 million hectares of tropical forest will be cleared from 2016-2050—an area about the size of India and one-seventh of Earth’s tropical forest area in the year 2000. • It projects that this tropical deforestation will release 169 GtCO2 to the atmosphere from 2016-2050—one-sixth of the remaining carbon that can be emitted if the rise in Earth’s temperature is to be likely held below 2 °C. • It estimates that a universally applied carbon price of 20/tCO2 dollar from 2016-2050 would avoid 41 GtCO2 of emissions from tropical deforestation while a carbon price of 50/tCO2 dollar would avoid 77 GtCO2. These prices correspond to average costs to land users of 9/tCO2 dollar and 21/tCO2 dollar respectively. • It corroborates the conclusions of previous studies that reducing tropical deforestation is a sizable and low-cost option for mitigating climate change. • In contrast to previous studies, it was projected that the amount of emissions that can be avoided at low-cost by reducing tropical deforestation will increase rather than decrease in future decades. • It says that 89% of potential low-cost emission reductions are located in the 47 tropical

countries that have already signaled their intention to reduce emissions from deforestation in exchange for performance-based finance. It suggests that if all tropical countries implemented anti-deforestation policies as effective as those in the Brazilian Amazon post-2004 then 60 GtCO2 of emissions would be avoided. The study CGD’s study is based on 8 million observations of historical forest loss spanning 101 tropical countries. In the study, the spatial projections of future deforestation incorporated topography, accessibility, protected status, potential agricultural revenue, and a robust observed inverted-U-shaped trajectory of forest cover loss with respect to remaining forest cover. NGT passed directions to prevent pollution of Yamuna River Seeing the festive season soon, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on 16 September 2015 passed slew of directions to prevent pollution in River Yamuna. In its direction, bench headed by the NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued ban on immersion of idols except those made from bio-degradable materials. Main Directions given by NGT • It allowed immersion of those idols, which are made from bio-degradable material and not with plastic or plaster of Paris. • Those idols will be immersed in which the colours used are environment-friendly. • Favouring designated sites for immersion of idols, the tribunal directed Irrigation Department of the Delhi government and Uttar Pradesh to hold a meeting with the Vice Chairman of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to immediately identify such sites. • It directed the concerned authorities to notify and publicise about immersion of idols on ghats to enable the people know about identified sites for immersion.


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• It also ordered all the public authorities including the Delhi government to provide mobile toilets or bio-toilets near the ghats. • It also warned that commercial/construction activity with machines should not be carried, except for floriculture and silviculture (regeneration of forests) would be allowed to be carried on by any of the authorities, particularly DDA. • DDA has been asked to ensure maintenance of nearly 63.56 hectare of river banks/flood plains which have been developed as biodiversity parks. World's longest Continental Volcanic Chain discovered in Australia The team of scientists led by Rhodri Davies, an earth scientist at Australian National University, have discovered the longest chain of continental volcanoes of the world in Australia, stretching almost 2000 km along Australia's east coast. The findings were published in the journal Nature on 14 September 2015 with the title Lithospheric controls on magma composition along Earth’s longest continental hotspot track. The 1240-mile-long (2000 kilometres) chain of fire spanned most of eastern Australia, from Hillsborough in the north, where rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef, to the island of Tasmania in the south. This track is three times the length of famous Yellowstone hotspot track on the North American continent. Findings The volcanic chain includes 15 ancient volcanoes that researchers already knew about, but they have now shown that these 15 volcanoes formed from the same hotspot in the Earth's mantle over the past 33 million years, as the Australian continent moved northwards. This type of volcanic chain is named as a Cosgrove Hotspot Track and they are unusual as they do not form over a tectonic plate boundary, where most volcanoes are found. Instead they form over hotspots caused by magma plumes almost 3000 km below the Earth's surface.

This newly discovered Cosgrove hotspot track is now located under the sea a little to the northwest of Tasmania, which means that there's no risk of them erupting anymore. The groups of volcanoes are around 700 km apart. The researchers also found that some areas of the Australian continent are too thick to let the heat of the mantle plumes rise close enough to Earth's surface for it to melt and form magma. It is the only place where Earth's solid outer layer, called the lithosphere, is thinner than 130 km that volcanoes formed. First-ever Census on India’s Leopard presented Lead scientist of the tiger census Yadvendradev V Jhala in first week of September 2015 presented first ever data on India’s leopard. The team shows availability of around 7910 of leopards across India, except the northeastern region of India. Based on the data covered, the team estimates leopard population to be around 12000 to 14000. The very first leopard count of India was presented by Jhala at Wildlife Institute of India's annual research seminar in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Process undertaken to count India’s Leopard population The leopards of India were counted in the similar manner as the tigers were counted. They were counted alongside the 2014 tiger census. In the process, the team counted the pictures of leopards which were captured using camera-trapping and other evidences of their presence. The exercise covered 350000 square kilometer of forested habitat across the Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains along with central India and landscape in Western Ghats. The lead Scientist Jhala says that the species is well distributed across India, which means that the animal is quite healthy. Their population according to the study


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• Madhya Pradesh – an estimated population of 1817 • Karnataka - an estimated population of 1129 • Maharashtra - an estimated population of 905 • Chhattisgarh - an estimated population of 846 • Tamil Nadu - an estimated population of 815 • Uttarakhand - an estimated population of 703 • Kerala - an estimated population of 472 • Odisha - an estimated population of 345 • Andhra Pradesh - an estimated population of 343 • Uttar Pradesh - an estimated population of 194 • Rajasthan - an estimated population of 171 • Goa - an estimated population of 71 • Bihar - an estimated population of 32 • Jharkhand - an estimated population of 29 Over 3 Trillion trees currently thrive on Earth: Study As per the new study conducted by a team of researchers, there are over 3 trillion trees on the earth. The study was published in the journal Nature on 2 September 2015 with a title Mapping tree density at a global scale. The study was conceived by TW Crowther and HB Glick. As per the study, the global number of trees is approximately 3.04 trillion, an order of magnitude higher than the previous estimate. The previous estimate was 400 billion trees and that rough count was based on satellite images peering down from space. Crowther and colleagues used 429775 ground-based measurements along with satellite measurements and computer models to get a more accurate figure. Findings of the Study • Out of 3 trillion trees, approximately 1.39 trillion exist in tropical and subtropical forests, with 0.74 trillion in boreal regions and 0.61 trillion in temperate regions. • Based on projected tree densities, it is estimated that over 15 billion trees are cut down each year. That is a net loss of 10 billion trees a year. At that rate, all of Earth's trees will be gone in about 300 years.

• The global number of trees has fallen by approximately 46 percent since the start of human civilization. Before human civilization, Earth had about 5.6 trillion trees. • The Biome-level trends in tree density demonstrate the importance of climate and topography in controlling local tree densities at finer scales, as well as the overwhelming effect of humans across most of the world. Low-cost device to monitor air quality unveiled by UNEP in Nairobi The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 31 August 2015 unveiled a low-cost device to monitor air quality in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. It costs around 1500 US dollars per unit. It is a low-cost device in the sense that it is expected to cost up to 100 times less than existing solutions. Key features of the monitoring device • It is capable of collecting all the vital parameters of air quality. • It has built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) that enables it to connect to the UNEP Live platform that monitors air quality from 2000 stations located across the world on real-time basis. • It can measure the concentration of particulate matter ranging from 1 to 10 microns in diameter (PM 1 - PM 10), including PM 2.5, considered by the WHO to have the greatest effect on human health. • It also records the concentration of sulphur and nitrogen oxides and can be extended to measure other gases such as ozone. Importance of the device Each year, air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths around the world, with outdoor pollution responsible for more than half of that total. Further, around 88 percent of deaths related to outdoor pollution occur in low- and middle-income countries that lack basic infrastructure related to air quality monitoring that are mostly preventable.


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Hence, the device is expected to play a pivotal role in generating environment related data that will be helpful to policymakers and pubic in general in improving air quality.


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SPORTS AB de Villiers broke Sourav Ganguly's record of fastest 8000 ODI runs South African skipper AB de Villiers on 26 August 2015 became the fastest batsman to reach 8000 One Day International (ODI) runs. He achieved the fete during the third ODI against New Zealand in Durban which South Africa won by 62 runs to claim the series, 2-1. De Villiers, who went past 8000 runs in just his 182 innings, broke the previous record held by former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly achieved the fete in 200 innings and Sahin Tendulkar, the leading run-scorer in ODIs achieved it in 210 innings. De Villiers currently holds the record for the fastest half-century, fastest century and the fastest 150 in ODIs. Indian women hockey team qualified for Olympics after 36 years Indian women hockey team qualified for Olympics after 36 years. India’s latest participation in Olympics was in 1980 that was held in Moscow, Russia. The decision in this regard was announced by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on 29 August 2015. The present qualification will allow India to participate in the 2016 Summer Olympics scheduled to be held in August 2015 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is also the first time when the Indian women team made it to the Olympics through the qualification system. In 1980 Olympics, the Indian side finished fourth after losing to the Soviet Union in the bronze medal match. Further, it was also the first participation for women hockey team in the mega event. Now, Indian hockey team is headed by Ritu Rani. Fifteenth IAAF World Championships in Athletics concluded in Beijing

Fifteenth IAAF World Championships in Athletics was held between 22 August and 30 August 2015 at the Beijing’s National Stadium in China. While Kenya topped the medal table with 16 medals, Jamaica stood second with 12 medals. India could not win a single medal in the championships. Highlights of Fifteenth World Athletics Championships • Kenya was at the top with overall 16 medals including 7 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze medals. Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot (women’s 1000m), Ezekiel Kemboi (men’s 3000m steeplechase), Nicholas Bett (men’s 400m hurdles), David Lekuta Rudisha (men’s 800m), Julius Yegom (men’s Javelin throw), Hyvin Kiyeng Jepkemoi (women’s 3000m steeplechase) and Asbel Kiprop ( men’s 1500m) were the gold medalists. • Jamaica was at the second position by winning 12 medals including 7 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals. Usain Bolt won 3 golds by winning 100m and 200m events and by being part of 4*400m relay. Jamaica won gold medals in 4*100m relay (men and women) and women 4*400m relay. Men 4x400m relay was won by the USA. • The USA was at the third position with 18 medals overall including 6 medals in each category. About IAAF World Championships in Athletics • It is a biannual event organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). • It is the most prestigious event in the realm of athletics at the global level. • Till now, 15 championships took place beginning from the inaugural event in 1983. • On an average, around 200 countries participate in the event. India won three-match test series against Sri Lanka India on 1 September 2015 won the three-match cricket test series against Sri Lanka, 2-1.


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In the third and final match of the series, India defeated the host with an emphatic 117-run. With this win, India also ended a 22-year long drought of a win over Sri Lanka on Sri Lankan soil. Series Report 1st Test: Played at Galle International Stadium, Galle between 12 August and 15 August 2015. Sri Lanka won the match by 63 runs. Dinesh Chandimal of Sri Lanka was declared Player of the match. 2nd Test: Played at P Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo between 20 August and 24 August 2015. India won the match by 278 runs. Kannaur Lokesh Rahul of India was declared Player of the match. 3rd Test: Played at Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo between 28 August and 1 September 2015. India won the match by 117 runs. Cheteshwar Pujara of India was declared Player of the match. The match also saw test debut of two players namely Naman Ojha of India and Kusal Perera of Sri Lanka. • Player of the series - Ravichandran Ashwin of India Some other facts of the series • 135-run partnership between Captain Angelo Mathews and debutant Kushal Perera in the third test, is the second-highest stand in the fourth innings in Sri Lanka's Test history. • It was Virat Kohli's first test series win as a Test captain. • The first match at Galle saw the batting collapse of young Indian side in the fourth innings on Independence Day after being in total control for most of that match. • The second match will be remembered for being the last Test of Kumara Sangakkara, the gentleman cricketer from Sri Lanka, and a role model for many around the world. • India won a memorable series victory in Sri Lanka after a gap of 22 years. Shane Watson retired from Test cricket Australian all-rounder Shane Watson announced his retirement from Test cricket on 6

September 2015. He announced his retirement immediately after his calf injury cut short his one-day international tour of Britain. He stated that he will continue his international career in the One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals. 34-year-old Watson's 10-year Test career came to an end at the Ashes opener at Cardiff, which England won by 169 runs. His 30 and 19 with the bat and failure in taking a wicket made him to lose his place for the rest of the series. Shane Watson and his Test cricket career Shane Robert Watson nicknamed Watto is an Australian professional cricketer who plays as a right-handed batsman and a right-handed fast medium bowler. He debuted for the Australian cricket team in 2002, playing his first One Day International against South Africa. He debuted in the test cricket on 2 January 2005 against Pakistan at Sydney. He captained his country in one test and nine one-day internationals. He batted in 109 innings of 59 test matches and scored 3731 runs of which 176 was his highest score. He also bowled in 93 innings of those matches and took 75 wickets. Watson's retirement follows Australia Test captain Michael Clarke's move to retire from all forms of cricket in the wake of the Ashes series defeat in England. Leander Paes, Martina Hingis won US Open Mixed Doubles Title 2015 Leander Paes and Swiss Martina Hingis on 11 September 2015 won the US Open Mixed Doubles Title 2015. This fourth seeded Indo-Swiss pair defeated unseeded Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam Querrey 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 in a tricky final which lasted for one hour and seventeen minutes. The pair fired 32 winners and staved off four of five break points during the 77-minute affair. This is 17th Grand Slam crown for Paes. With this victory, they became the first team since 1969 to win three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles in the same season at the US Open. They defeated Daniel Nestor and Kristina


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Mladenovic in the Australian Open final 2015 and beat Alexander Peya and Timea Babos in the Wimbledon title match 2015 itself. The only other team to win three majors in the same year were Marty Riessen and Margaret Court 46 years ago. With the mixed double win, Paes surpassed compatriot and former partner Mahesh Bhupathi's record of eight mixed doubles titles. As Paes has now eight men's doubles and nine mixed doubles title in his pocket. Flavia Pennetta won 2015 US Open Women’s Singles title Flavia Pennetta on 12 September 2015 won the US Open Women’s Singles title. She defeated fellow Italian Roberta Vinci 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 in the summit clash held in New York. With this win, Pennetta became the oldest woman in the Open era to become a Grand Slam champion for the first time. After winning the maiden Gran Slam title, she announced that she will retire from professional tennis after the 2015 season. With this victory, Pennetta became the second Italian woman to win one of the tennis majors. She joined the 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone who had been the lone member in the club. At present, Pennetta is at the eighth place in the World rankings and is expected to play two tournaments in China and the WTA Finals in Singapore before her retirement. The 2014 championship was won by Serena Williams of the USA. Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis won 2015 US Open Women's Doubles title Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis on 13 September 2015 won the US Open Women’s Doubles title. The top-seeded Indo-Swiss pair defeated the fourth-seeded duo of Casey Dellacqua (Kazakhstan) and Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) 6-3 6-3 in the summit clash held in New York.

Incidentally, Martina Hingis also won the Mixed-Doubles title on 12 September 2015 with Leander Paes. For Sania-Hingis duo, the title was the second Grand Slam in a row as they won their maiden title in July 2015 at the Wimbledon in England. Now, Sania has five Grand Slam titles overall including three mixed doubles trophies. In the Mixed doubles category, she won Australian Open (2009) and French Open (2012) with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi and the 2014 US Open with Bruno Soares. Apart from the two titles with Sania in 2015, Hingis won the Wimbledon doubles with Helena Sukova in 1996 and Jana Novotna in 1998.


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AWARDS President conferred Gandhi Peace Prize on ISRO President Pranab Mukherjee on 9 September 2015 conferred Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2014 on Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The award was conferred at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan. On behalf of the organisation the award was received by ISRO’s Chairman AS Kiran Kumar. It was awarded for its contribution in development of space technology and satellite-based services like launch of Manglayan, PSLV, and others. ISRO was chosen for the prestigious award on 27 March 2015 by a jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. About the Gandhi Peace Prize The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted in the year 1995 on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This annual award is given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods. The award carries an amount of one crore rupees, a citation and a Plaque. The Award for every year is selected by a Jury under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister. Gandhian environmentalist and social activist Chandi Prasad Bhatt, the founder of Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh (DGSS) in Gopeshwar in 1964, which later became a mother organisation to the Chipko movement, was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2013. 24th Vyaas Samman conferred on eminent Hindi writer Dr Kamal Kishore Goenka Eminent Hindi writer Dr Kamal Kishore Goenka was conferred with 24th Vyaas Samman for the year 2014 on 22 September 2015. He was awarded for his work 'Premchand ki Kahaniyon ka Kaal Kramanusaar Adhyayan'.

Goenka's work is a critical analysis of the work by Hindi literature's towering giant Munshi Premchand. He was awarded a citation along with a cash amount of 2.5 lakh rupees by eminent Hindi writer Prof Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari. About the Vyas Samman • The award was instituted in 1991 by the KK Birla Foundation. It is presented to an outstanding literary work in Hindi published during the last 10 years. • Ram Vilas Sharma was the first person to receive the award for his Bharat ke Pracheen bhasha parivar aur Hindi in 1991.


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APPOINTMENTS L C Goyal appointed as CMD of India Trade Promotion Organisation Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31 August 2015 approved the appointment of L C Goyal as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Indian Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO). Prior to the present appointment, he retired as the secretary of the Union Home Ministry. He was a 1979 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre. About ITPO • It is the nodal agency of the Union Government under the aegis of Ministry of Commerce and Industry for promoting country's external trade. • It approves holding of international trade fairs in India and regulates holding of various expositions in India primarily to avoid any duplication of efforts while ensuring proper timing. • It is a Mini-Ratna Category-1 Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) with 100 percent shareholding of Government of India. • It was established in April 1977 and is headquarted at Pragati Bhawan, New Delhi. • Among other things, it organizes the prestigious India International Trade Fair (IITF) annually in Pragati Maidan. Raghav Chandra took charge as the Chairman of NHAI Senior IAS officer Raghav Chandra on 31 August 2015 took charge as the Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Chandra succeeded Road Transport and Highways Secretary Vijay Chhibber. Chandra is an IAS officer of the 1982 batch from Madhya Pradesh cadre. He has held several important positions in the central government and the government of Madhya Pradesh and has handled various crucial assignments in roads and transport sector in various capacities.

Earlier, he was the Managing Director of the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation and later served as the Joint Secretary of Highways in Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He has vast experience in field of urban development, commerce, industry, human resource development, finance and infrastructure development. Ratan P Watal took charge as Union Finance Secretary Ratan P Watal on 31 August 2015 took charge as the Union Finance Secretary. Prior to the present elevation, he was the secretary of the Department of Expenditure of the Finance Ministry since 2013. Watal, 59, is a 1978-batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS officer and holds masters degree in economics. About Union Ministry of Finance • It consists of five departments namely Department of Economic Affairs, Department of Expenditure, Department of Revenue, Department of Financial Services, and Department of Disinvestments. • Finance Secretary is the senior-most IAS officer in the Union Ministry of Finance. He coordinates the working of various departments under the Ministry of Finance. The Finance Ministry currently has five secretaries including Watal. Rajiv Mehrishi appointed as Union Home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, 1978 batch IAS of Rajasthan cadre, was appointed as the Union Home secretary. He will occupy the post for two years with effect from 31 August 2015. He was due to retire on the day of appointment, but was given an extension of two-year. He succeeded LC Goyal, an IAS officer of 1979 batch of Kerala cadre. J Manjula appointed as Director-General of Electronics and


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Communication Systems cluster of DRDO J Manjula was on 9 September 2015 appointed as the Director-General of the Electronics and Communication Systems cluster of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). With this, Manjula became the first woman DG of DRDO. An alumna of the Osmania University and an electronics and communications engineer, Manjula was the first woman Director of the DRDO's Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE). She had a brief stint in Electronics Corporation of India Ltd before joining DRDO in 1987. Later, she worked with the Integrated Electronic Warfare cluster of DRDO's Defence Electronics Research Laboratory, Hyderabad for 26 years. Hormusji N Cama elected as Chairman of Press Trust of India Hormusji N Cama was on 14 September 2015 unanimously elected as the new chairman of the Press Trust of India (PTI). He is the Managing Director of Bombay Smachar, which is the oldest continuously-published newspaper in India from 1855. A member of the Press Council, Cama succeeded Mohan Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of the Jagran Prakashan Limited (JPL). Cama, currently the Chairman of the Readership Studies Council of India, has also served as President of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS). He is also on the Board of Council for Fair Business Practices and Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC). Sherif Ismail sworn in as Prime Minister of Egypt Sherif Ismail on 19 September 2015 was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Egypt by the President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Ismail is expected to be in office till the new government will take charge after the December 2015 elections to the Parliament.

This is the seventh national government in the country since the 2011 uprising that toppled the autocratic Hosni Mubarak. Ismail succeeded Ibrahim Mahlab who resigned in the second week of September 2015 amid a corruption probe. Incidentally, Ismail was the minister of petroleum and mineral resources in the Mahlab’s cabinet. Stuti Narain Kacker appointed Chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights A 1978 batch IAS officer, Stuti Narain Kacker, on 23 September 2015 was appointed as the head of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). She was appointed by the Union Women and Child Development Ministry. Kacker is a former Secretary at the Department of Disability Affairs in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. She looked after the management committee of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA). Before the appointment of Kacker, the panel had remained headless for almost a year. The position was vacant from October 2014 when former UPA appointee Kushal Singh’s tenure ended. Recently, the Supreme Court even commented over a long delay in appointing a chairperson for the panel. About NCPCR National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was set up in March 2007 under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005, an Act of Parliament in December 2005. It deals with education, child development, elimination of child labour, child psychology, care of neglected, vulnerable and marginalised children and other children related laws. As per the NCPCR Act, the 6-member body must have 2 female representatives. Alexis Tsipras sworn in as PM of Greece for second time in 8 months Alexis Tsipras of Syriza party on 21 September 2015 was on sworn in as the Prime


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Minister of Greece by the President of Greece Prokopis Pavlopoulos. It was the second sworn in for him as his party stood victorious in the general elections held to the parliament in January 2015 also. In the recent elections held on 20 September 2015, Syriza secured 35 percent of total votes resulting in 144 seats in the 300-seat Parliament. Syriza formed a coalition government with the Independent Greeks Party, a partner in the previous government as well. The snap polls were called after Syriza lost its majority in August 2015 in the Parliament.

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Bulletin September, 15 (English)€¦ · 02/09/2016 · and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan can be availed through the portal mylpg.in. At present, the scheme will be available