Current Affairs 2013 January2

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January 2013

International affairs:

US President Barack Obama on 31 January, has come out with his much-awaited comprehensive

immigration reforms, that will pave the way for legalization of more than 11 million

undocumented immigrants. The reforms, which also propose to eliminate the annual country caps in the

employment category, are expected to benefit large number of Indian technocrats and professionals. In a major

policy speech on comprehensive immigration in Las Vegas, Obama urged the Congress to act on his proposals

The other key proposals of his "comprehensive" reform plan include "stapling" a green card to the diplomas of

science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), PhD and Masters Degree graduates from qualified US

universities who have found employment in the country. The President also proposed to create a startup visa for

job-creating entrepreneurs. The proposal allows foreign entrepreneurs, who attract financing or revenue from

American investors and customers, to start and grow their businesses in the US, and to remain permanently i

their companies grow further, create jobs for American workers, and strengthen the economy. The proposal

removes the backlog for employment-sponsored immigration by eliminating annual country caps and adding

additional visas to the system. Outdated legal immigration programs are reformed to meet current and future

demands by exempting certain categories from annual visa limitations, the White House said. Obama also

proposed to eliminate existing backlogs in the family-sponsored immigration system by recapturing unused visas

and temporarily increasing annual visa numbers. The proposal also raises existing annual country caps from

seven per cent to 15 per cent for the family-sponsored immigration system.

India dropped nine places to 140th rank in the list of 179 countries in the latest World Press

Freedom Index 2013, which is the lowest since 2002. India got this lowly rank because of increasing impunity

for violence against journalists and internet censorship. Netherlands, Norway and Finland topped the list

The Press Freedom Index was released by world Press Freedom index for the year 2013. China got

173rd rank. Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea were placed at the bottom of the list as has been in the last

three years. As per the Press index report, there has been a decline in freedom of information in South Asia and

the Indian subcontinent among Asia witnessed the sharpest deterioration in providing freedom and security for

those involved in news reporting in 2012. In India considered as the world's biggest democracy, the authorities

insist on censoring the Web and impose numerous kinds of restrictions, while violence against journalists was no

punished and the regions like Kashmir and Chhattisgarh are getting increasingly isolated.

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Iran on 2 February, has unveiled a new home-made combat aircraft, which Iran officials say it can

evade radar. The single-seat Qaher F313 (Dominant F313) is the latest design produced by Iran's military

since it launched the Azarakhsh (Lightning), in 2007. President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad said it had "almost all the

positive features" of the world's most sophisticated jets.

China on 3 february, has given a political role to Mo Yan,the 2012 winner of Nobel prize for

literature and movie star Jackie Chan by selecting them as members of one of the houses of

parliament, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. They are among the 2,237 persons

handpicked by China's new leaders led by Xi Jinping as new members of the CPPCC National Committee. The

CPPCC members, who are from different walks of life were selected without an election process and include 893

members of the Communist Party. Those chosen include officials, military officers, members of non-Communist

parties, along with representatives from economic, political, cultural, social and environmental fields.

India on 30 January pledged a donation of $2.5 million as humanitarian assistance for over two million Syrians

displaced by the ongoing conflict in the country. The announcement was made by Minister of State for External

Affairs E. Ahamed at an international conference of donors on Syria held in Kuwait, inaugurated by UN Secretary

General Ban Ki-moon. The Indian minister said the conference was an important initiative of the UN to support

the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people. The Indian assistance could be in the form of life saving drugs, food

and other essential items. At the same time, Minister Ahamed expressed India's opposition to foreign military

intervention in Syria. He said at a reception hosted by the Indian mission in Kuwait that India wanted the people

of Syria to decide their own future. Some 60,000 people have been killed since the conflict between the

government of Bashar al-Assad and US-backed opposition groups determined to topple him began nearly two

years ago. Some four million Syrians in Syria are in need of food, shelter and other aid, according to UN figures

More than 700,000 have escaped to Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt. India has closely followed the

developments in Syria and is "deeply concerned" about the hardships and sufferings of the people of Syria as a

result of violence in the country. At the meeting, the UN chief said the situation in Syria was catastrophic and

getting worse. Ban urged warring factions in Syria to end the violence. He said Syria's problem can be resolved

only politically. He urged the international community to donate liberally to raise $1.5 billion to provide

humanitarian assistance to the displaced Syrians. Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed announced $300 million

contribution while the US pledged $155 million. The new commitment will bring the total US assistance to $365

million, making it the single largest donor.

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left no choice but to ask the donors for cash. Government's national budget for this year stands at $3.8bn and the

economy is projected to grow five percent.

A business tycoon from Taiwan with interests mainly in China declared on 28 January 2013 that he was funding

the Asia's Nobel Prizes for outstanding achievements in natural and social sciences. Samuel Yin, the head of

Ruentex Group announced that he would establish Tang Prize Foundation which would have an initial donation o

103 million dollar. Tang Prize Foundation, which uses the name of Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), is valued by the

Chinese for cultural as well as scientific achievements. It was decided that the prizes under the Tang Prize

Foundation will be awarded every alternate year to the international leaders in sustainable development

biopharmaceutical science, and the rule of law as well as the study of China. Samuel Yin declared that these

categories were kept in the new awards because the Nobels, which are 118 years old, did not include these fields

He also opined that these categories had high importance for the humanity. The prizes under the Tang Prize

Foundation will commence from 2014. The winners of the prize would be entitled to receive 1.7 million US dollar

Nobel prizes award 1.2 million US dollar to the awardees. The winners of the Tang Prize will be nominated as well

as screened by the special committees which in turn would be established by the Academia Sinica, the highly

prestigious research organization of Taiwan.

Dutch Queen Beatrix announced on 28 January that she would step down in April after nearly 33 years on the

Dutch throne, which means her son Willem-Alexander is set to become the country's first king since the 19th

century. "Responsibility for our country must now lie in the hands of a new generation," the monarch said in a

brief televised address. Beatrix recalled she is about to turn 75 and this is "the moment to lay down my crown" in

favour of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, 45. The queen's first-born has been married since 2002 with Argentine

investment banker Maxima Zorreguieta, with whom he has three daughters. The couple is the most popular

figures in the Dutch royal family. Beatriz was married in 1966 to the German Claus van Amsberg, who died in

2002. The second of their three sons, Prince Friso, has been in a coma since February 2012, when he was buried

under an avalanche in Austria.

US Senate panel approves John Kerry for secretary of state

Veteran Senator John Kerry, known for his relationship-building skills, is all set to replace Hillary Clinton as the

new US Secretary of State after the Senate overwhelmingly confirmed his nomination. 69-year-old Kerry

currently the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been a close confidant of

President Barack Obama on foreign policy issues especially on the volatile Af-Pak region. The nomination of

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Kerry, a Vietnam war veteran, was confirmed on 28 January by 94-3, with all three negative votes coming from

Republican Senators James Inhofe, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, who is Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus. This

is the first Cabinet selection during Obama's second term to be confirmed by the Senate. Senator Robert

Menendez, incoming Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, noted that Kerry was the best choice

to head the State Department.

A record one billion tourists took international trips last year, says a report published on 29 January by the UN

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The figure showed a four-percent rise from that in 2011, Xinhua

reported. Around 1.03 billion tourists visited foreign countries, 39 million more than in 2011, the report said. The

strongest growth was seen in the Asia and Pacific region with a seven-percent rise in international tourism last

year, taking the total number of arrivals to 233 million. Despite the ongoing economic crisis, the region is

expected to see higher-than-average growth in 2013 at 5-6 percent. Europe was still the most-visited region in the

world with 535 million arrivals, while North-East Asia and Central America each saw a six-percent growth in

international tourism. "Tourism is thus one of the pillars that should be supported by governments around the

world as part of the solution to stimulating economic growth," UNWTO General Secretary Taleb Rifai was quoted

as saying. Tourists spent more while travelling last year. Hong Kong was the best performer, seeing increase of

receipts by 16 percent, followed by a 10-percent rise in the US and a six-percent rise in Britain, which was partly

due to the 2012 London Olympics. The importance of China as a source market was highlighted by a 42-percent

rise in expenditure by Chinese tourists. There was also a 31-percent rise in spending from Russians travelling

abroad. International tourism in the US and Canada both grew by seven percent, while the biggest losers turned

out to be France and Italy where tourism dropped by seven and two percent respectively.

The Fourth Meeting of ASEAN and India Tourism Minister was held in Vientiane, Lao PDR on 21

January, in conjunction with the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2013. The Meeting was jointly co-chaired by Union

Tourism Minister K.Chiranjeevi and Prof. Dr. Bosengkham Vongdara, Minister of Information, Culture and

Tourism, Lao PDR. Both the Ministers signed the Protocol to amend the Memorandum of

Understanding between ASEAN and India on Strengthening Tourism Cooperation , which would

further strengthen the tourism collaboration between ASEAN and Indian national tourism organisations. The

main objective of this Protocol is to amend the MoU to protect and safeguard the r ights and interests of the parties

with respect to national security, national and public interest or public order, protection of intellectual property

rights, confidentiality and secrecy of documents, information and data. Both the Ministers welcomed the adoption

of the Vision Statement of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit held on 20 December 2012 in New Delhi,

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India, particularly on enhancing the ASEAN Connectivity through supporting the implementation of the Master

Plan on ASEAN Connectivity. The Ministers also supported the close collaboration of ASEAN and India to

enhance air, sea and land connectivity within ASEAN and between ASEAN and India through ASEAN-India

connectivity project. In further promoting tourism exchange between ASEAN and India, the Ministers agreed to

launch the ASEAN-India tourism website (www.indiaasean.org) as a platform to jointly promote tourism

destinations, sharing basic information about ASEAN Member States and India and a visitor guide.

The Russian Navy on 20 January, has begun its biggest war games in the high seas in decades that

will include manoeuvres off the shores of Syria. Officials say, more than two dozen ships drawn from all four

fleets, as well as long-range warplanes, will conduct nine-day exercises in the Mediterranean and Black seas. It is

the largest naval manoeuvres since the collapse of the Soviet Union.The purpose is to improve coordination

among different naval groups during missions in far-away sea zones.Experts suggested the exercises would serve

to project Russias naval power to a highly explosive region and render moral support for the embattled regime of

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.Russia leases a naval base at the Syrian port of Tartous. The naval manoeuvres

will involve training for landing operations on the Syrian shore, informed sources told Russias Interfax news

agency. Moscow may also be preparing for possible evacuation of thousands of Russian nationals from war-torn

Syria, experts said. About 9,000 Russians are registered with the Russian Embassy in Damascus, but their total

number may well exceed 30,000.

Barack Obama was sworn in as the President of the country for the second term on 20 January

2013. The oath-taking ceremony was held in the White House East Room by Justice John Roberts. Obama took

oath as the President of the country on the family Bible. On 21 January 2013, Obama repeated oath-taking process

on those Bibles which were used by Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln because 20 January 2013 was an

official holiday in the US. Apart from Obama, in yet another ceremony, Vice-president Joseph Biden administered

this oath-taking by associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Barack Obama became the first mixed-race president who

was elected for second consecutive term. Also, Barack Obama is the third consecutive president to win two terms

after Bush and Clinton. This had happened two centuries ago earlier when Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and

James Monroe were elected for two terms each between the time periods of 1801 to 1825.

China, the world's second largest economy, grew 7.8% in 2012, a 13-year low, National Bureau of

Statistics (NBS) announced on 19 January. In 2010, economy grew 10.4%.NBS does not see any significant

improvement this year when China's new leader, Xi Jinping, will take over as president as part of a once a decade

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political change. The earlier low point was in 1999 when GDP grew 7.6%. The numbers released by NBS is bound

to cause pessimism among economists, who were expecting China to give a fillip to the world economy, which is

facing a slowdown. But, China has fared much better than leading economies with its GDP reaching $8.28 trillion

and cementing its position as the second biggest economy.

The war crimes tribunal trying those accused of committing atrocities during the Bangladesh

liberation war in 1971 pronounced its first verdict on 21 January, awarding death sentence to a former

Jamaat-e-Islami leader, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Maulana Azad, best known as Bachchu Razakar, was the

leader of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami. He went into hiding a few hours

before the war crimes tribunal issued an arrest warrant against him on April 3 last year. On November 4, Azad

was indicted on eight charges based on eight incidents that left at least 12 people, mostly minority Hindus, dead

and in which several Hindu women were raped, during the 1971 war. He was convicted on seven of the charges

and sentenced to death by hanging. The much-awaited verdict by the International Crimes Tribunal-2

was passed by chairman of the three-member panel Justice Obaidul Hassan. The summary of the 112-

page verdict was pronounced in a packed court amid tight security. Liberation War veterans have expressed

satisfaction over the verdict and National Human Rights Commission Chairman Mizanur Rahman called for early

execution of the order.

Two American Senators on 25 January, have introduced a legislation in the name of Malala

Yousafzai, a Pakistani peace activist who was shot by the Taliban, to provide scholarship to girls from

Pakistan. Introduced by Senators Barbara Boxer and Mary Landrieu, the Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act

is designed to expand scholarship opportunities for disadvantaged young women in Pakistan. The

bill would require a 30 per cent increase in the number of scholarships awarded under the programme for the next

four years, and that these awarded solely to women. It would also expand the range of academic disciplines that

recipients could pursue to improve graduates chances of obtaining meaningful employment.

Russia will ban smoking in public places, hike tobacco taxes and restrict the sale of cigarettes

from mid-2014 to cut the alarmingly high rate of deaths from smoking-related diseases. A law approved by the

State Duma, Lower House, on 25 January, in the second of three readings calls for an immediate ban on al

tobacco advertising and kiosk sales and the phasing out of smoking in all bars and restaurants, in medical, sports,

educations and cultural institutions by January 1, 2015. It will be against the law to smoke at childrens

playgrounds, in the halls and stairways of apartment houses.

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Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley was on 24 January, sentenced to 35 years in prison

by a U.S. court for masterminding the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The sentence will be followed by

five years supervised release. While the U.S. government admitted the deplorable nature of his role in the 26/11

attacks, the prosecution had pressed for a sentence of 30-35 years under a plea bargain with Headley in return for

his cooperation. The death penalty and extradition options were dropped. Pronouncing the sentence in

Chicago , U.S. federal district court judge Harry Leinenweber said he had to consider that Headley had

committed numerous crimes in the past, confessed to them and received lenient sentences.

A British human rights lawyer is to lead a U.N. inquiry into the legality of American drone attacks

and their impact on civilians in Pakistan, Afghanistan and several other countries. Ben

Emmerson, QC, who will head a team of international experts in his capacity as a U.N. Special

Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-terrorism, said in London on 22 January that the exponential rise in

the use of drone technology represented a real challenge to the framework of international law. The inquiry,

which will examine 25 attacks in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, the Palestinian territories and Somalia, follows

anger over the loss of innocent civilian lives. Critics have called them extra-judicial killings. According to the

London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, American drone attacks in Pakistan since 2004 had killed up

to 3,461 people, including nearly 900 civilians. Mr. Emmerson said the U.N. had decided to investigate the

complaints as a final resort because America and its allies who should have done so had not done it.

Switzerland will be able to provide banking and other details sought by other countries, including India, from next

month about a 'group of persons' even without their individual identification, provided the information has not

been requested as part of some 'fishing expedition'. A new Tax Administrative Assistance Act will come into force

on February 1 and the Switzerlands Federal Council has passed a resolution to this effect.

The US military will formally end its ban on women serving in front-line combat roles, officials said on 23

January, in a move that could open thousands of fighting jobs to female service members. The move knocks down

another societal barrier, after the Pentagon scrapped its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban in 2011 on gays and lesbians

serving openly in the military. The decision by outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to be formally

announced on 24 January and comes after 11 years of non-stop war that has seen dozens of women killed in Iraq

and Afghanistan. They have represented around 2 percent of the casualties of those unpopular, costly wars, and

some 12 percent of those deployed for the war effort, in which there were often no clearly defined front lines, and

where deadly guerrilla tactics have included roadside bombs that kill and maim indiscriminately. "This is an

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historic step for equality and for recognizing the role women have, and will continue to play, in the defense of our

nation," said Democratic Senator Patty Murray from Washington, the outgoing head of the Senate Veterans

Affairs Committee.

Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem was confirmed by his euro zone peers as president of the Euro group

on 21 January, a senior euro zone official said. The ministers, meeting in Brussels, appointed Dijsselbloem to take

over from Luxembourg's Jean-Claude Juncker as the head of the influential group of policymakers, which

comprises the 17 finance ministers from the euro zone countries. Dijsselbloem told his colleagues he wanted to

move on from simply fighting crises and focus on longer-term policies to boost fledgling confidence and restore

growth, and that he saw an enhanced role for his new task.

David Coleman Headley, the Pakistani-American and the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attack 2008

was sentenced to 35 years in Prison on 24 January 2013 by a U.S. Court. The Court sentence would be followed by

a five years of supervised release. The U.S. Federal District Court Judge Harry Leinenweber, who said that

Headley was a terrorist, pronounced the sentence and Headley committed numerous crimes but his confessions

turned up to be the reason that lenient sentences were issued for him. It was admitted by the U.S. Government

that the nature of role-played by Headley in 26/11 attacks were deplorable and the prosecution pressed for a

sentence of 30 to 35 years for him. The death penalty and extradition options were dropped because of the

cooperation shown by him. Headley, under a deal with U.S. Government supplied major information about the

terror suspects, which was really helpful in carrying on the investigation and bring defendants like Ilyas Kashmiri

Tahawwur Rana and other Pakistan-based operatives under criminal charges. Justice Leinenweber in third week

of January 2013 sentenced 14 years in Jail to Tahawwur Rana, the Chicago based businessman and immigration

consultant for his alleged involvement in supporting the terrorist group from Pakistan, which worked with the

intelligence service of Pakistan and carried out the 26/11 Mumbai Attacks in 2008. He was also a convict for a

Denmark strike in a Jyllands-Posten a Danish newspaper.

Air India has been rated world's third least safe airline after China Airlines and TAM Airlines, according to a

report from a website that monitors plane crashes around the world. India's national carrier is ranked 58th among

60 listed airlines by Hamburg based Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre (JACDEC). Finn air is now the

world's safest airline, followed by Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific and Emirates, according to JACDEC Safety

Ranking 2012. None of the top nine ranked airlines had lost an aircraft or had a fatality during the 30-year period

but many had also not been active for the full 30 years. Not one North American carrier made the top 10 list, but

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none of them made the bottom 10 either. The centre calculates its annual rankings based on aircraft loss accidents

and serious incidents over the past 30 years. The resulting index relates that information to the revenue per

passenger kilometer earned by the airline over the same period. There were 496 fatalities on commercial

passenger flights last year, according to the report, two fewer than in 2011. The most significant involved a Dana

Air flight which crashed in Nigeria, killing 169 people, and a Bhoja Air flight which crashed in Pakistan, killing

127. 30 planes were destroyed and there were 44 "hull losses", or aircraft write-offs, one less than the previous

year.

Thousands of demonstrators demonstrated in Moscow in freezing temperatures on 14 January,

against the law banning Americans from adopting Russian orphans. The ban, which President Putin

signed on New Years Eve, was rushed through the Kremlin-controlled Parliament in retaliation for the so-called

Magnitsky Act; a U.S. law that blacklists Russian officials accused of human rights violations. Up to 30,000

protesters marched through Moscow chanting shame on the scum and carrying the posters with the word

shame splashed across the portraits of Mr. Putin and legislators who voted for the adoptions ban. Over the past

two decades, more than 60,000 orphans have found new families in the U.S. Many of them are children with

disabilities, because they rarely get adopted into Russian families.

Pakistan on 15 January plunged into a fresh political crisis with the Supreme Court ordering the

arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf for allegedly receiving bribes in power projects

Already rocked by fiery cleric Tahirul Qadri's ongoing protest seeking dissolution of provincial and nationa

assemblies, Pakistan appeared headed for uncertainty with the court setting a 24-hour deadline for authorities to

implement its arrest orders that may cost a second Prime Minister to lose office in less than a year. 62-year-old

Ashraf, who became Prime Minister after the exit of Yousuf Raza Gilani in June last year, has

been accused of receiving kickbacks and commission in the Rental Power Projects (RPPs) case as

federal minister for water and power. Gilani had to quit in the midst of a raging battle with the Supreme

Court over his refusal to write to Swiss authorities to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari there

After Ashraf assumed power, the government wrote to Swiss authorities. It is not clear as to what will be the

political fallout of the Supreme Court's order against Ashraf as this is probably the first case of an incumbent

Prime Minister being ordered to be arrested in a corruption case. It remains to be seen whether the ruling PPP wil

elect a new leader to replace Ashraf. In March last year, the Supreme Court had declared all contracts signed by

the government for "rental power plants" as illegal and directed authorities to take legal action against those

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responsible for clearing the projects, including Ashraf. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the country's

main anti-corruption agency, had so far refused to act on the court's directive. Ashraf was Power Minister when

contracts were signed for several rental power projects, which were part of the PPP-led government's strategy to

overcome a crippling energy shortage.

Delegations from some 140 countries agreed on 20 January gathered in Geneva, to adopt a

groundbreaking treaty limiting the use and emission of health-hazardous mercury, the U.N. said

though environmental activists lamented it did not go far enough. The worlds first legally binding treaty on

mercury, reached after a week of thorny talks, will aim to reduce global emission levels of the toxic heavy metal,

also known as quicksilver, which poses risks to human health and the environment. The treaty has been

named the Minamata Convention on Mercury, in honour of the Japanese town where inhabitants for

decades have suffered the consequences of serious mercury contamination. The text will be signed in Minamata in

October and will take effect once it has been ratified by 50 countries something organisers expect will take three

to four years. Mercury is found in products ranging from electrical switches, thermometers and light-bulbs, to

amalgam dental fillings and even facial creams. Large amounts of the heavy metal are released from small-scale

gold mining, coal-burning power plants, metal smelters and cement production. Serious mercury poisoning

affects the bodys immune system and development of the brain and nervous system, posing the greatest risk to

foetuses and infants. The treaty sets a phase out date of 2020 for a long line of products, including mercury

thermometers, blood pressure measuring devices, most batteries, and switches, some kinds of fluorescent lamps

and soaps and cosmetics. It, however, provides exceptions for some large medical measuring devices where no

mercury-free alternatives exist. Achim Steiner, U.N. Under-Secretary General and head of the U.N. Environment

Programme (UNEP), told reporters in Geneva that, the treaty is a dynamic instrument.

The 2nd Health Ministers meeting of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South

Africa) concluded in New Delhi, India on January 11, with a strong call for strengthened cooperation in the

implementation of affordable, equitable and sustainable solutions for common health challenges. During his

opening remarks, Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Minister of Health and Family Welfare of India, highlighted the

progress of the BRICS countries in the global AIDS response. In India, we have reduced new HIV infections by

57% in the last decade, which puts us on track to halt and reverse the spread of HIV. He was making reference to

reaching one key HIV-related development goal by 2015.Addressing the participants, UNAIDS Executive Director

Michel Sidibe emphasized the unique role of the BRICS countries to draw on their positive experience with HIV to

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global risk in terms of impact, followed by chronic fiscal imbalances, food shortage crises and diffusion of weapons

of mass destruction in the top five, the WEF report said.

The Sultan of Malaysia's Selangor state on 9 January, has decreed that non-Muslims in the region

have been barred from using the word "Allah," saying it is a sacred word exclusive to Muslims

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had expressed shock and regret over opposition DAP party's Secretary General Lim

Guan Eng's recent remarks urging the Malaysian Government to allow the word "Allah" to be used in the Malay

version of the Bible.Sources said the Sultan had stated that stern action could be taken against anyone who

questioned the 'fatwa' that was issued according to state laws. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin

Yassin said that Sultan Sharafuddin had every right, as head of the State's Islamic affairs, to issue the decree.

Barrack Obama, the US president signed into law the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012

which extends life-time protection to the former American presidents as well as family which includes

the children till 16 years of age. The new Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012 also restores the lifetime Secret

Service protection of the former presidents who were not serving as the President before 1 January 1997, along

with their spouses.

Indian-origin politician Halimah Yacob (58) is set to become the first woman Speaker of

Singapores Parliament replacing Michael Palmer, who was forced to quit over his extra-marital affair. Prime

Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 8 January, said he would nominate Ms. Halimah as the next Speaker when the

House sits on January 14, 2014.Ms. Halimah, a former labour lawyer, is a Member of Parliament from the ruling

Peoples Action Party (PAP) and has extensive experience in the labour movement, social work and pre-school

education.

Saudi King Abdullah appointed 30 women to the previously all-male consultative Shura Council in

decrees published on 11 January, marking a historic first as he pushes reforms in the ultra-

conservative kingdom. The decrees, published by the official SPA news agency, give women a 20-per-cent

quota in the Shura Council, a body appointed by the king to advise him on policy and legislation. King Abdullah

took the decisions following consultations with religious leaders in the kingdom, where women are subjected to

many restrictions and are not allowed to mix with men, according to the decrees published by the SPA. They

stipulate that men and women will be segregated inside the council, with a special area designated for females

who will enter through a separate door so as not to mix with their male colleagues. King Abdullah had been

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who are at risk of repeating their crimes. The defendant, only known by his surname Pyo, was charged with having

sex with five teenagers, whom he met through a smartphone chat service, six times between November 2011 and

May 2012. Mr. Pyo then threatened to circulate the online video footage of them engaging in sexual acts and nude

photos of the minors. He also raped them threatening with deadly weapons The court also ordered that Mr. Pyos

information be made available to the public for 10 years and that he should wear an electronic monitoring anklet

for 20 years after his release from prison. Mr. Pyo was also ordered to undergo 200 hours of therapy to treat his

sexual impulses. South Korea was the first country in Asia to adopt this type of treatment, although

Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Poland and the U.S. state of California have used it for years. The

Seoul courts verdict came at time when India is debating whether to introduce punishment like chemical

castration to check crimes against women in the wake of the horrific gang-rape of a 23-year-old girl in Delhi, who

died in Singapore last month.

China has launched a postage stamp for the upcoming "Year of Snake" depicting a reptile that carries a

bright pearl in its mouth in gratitude for the man who saved its life. The stamp is with a face value of 1.20 Yuan (19

cents). The snake is the sixth among the 12 Chinese zodiac signs.

$100 M First Earthquake-Proof Hindu Temple of the World Opened Near Hollywood

One among the biggest Hindu temples in US, which is built at an enormous cost of 100 million dollar near

Hollywood city, Los Angeles was opened on 3 January 2013. The temple became an attraction for its majesty as

well as eco-friendly design ever since it was inaugurated on 23 December 2012. This is the 68th Swaminarayan

temple built by Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) by making use of the

35000 hand-carved Italian Carrara marble pieces as well as Indian Pink Sandstone. The temple is also said to be

the first earthquake-proof Hindu temple of the world and it is expected to standstill for 1000 years. Making use of

the state-of-the-art technology for providing it protection from the earthquakes, the temple includes two huge

domes, 122 pillars, five pinnacles, 129 archways and four balconies. The upper portion of the entire complex is

earthquake-proof because it is segregated from base with line of 40 base-isolator units. There are 6600 hand-

carved motifs which are a depiction of assortment of devotion, dedication and inspiration apart from historica

figures that showcase Hinduism. The temple is located on 20-acre site comprising of 91 foot pond that is lotus-

shaped, gymnasium, classrooms as well as Cultural Centre. For generating electricity, the temple makes use of the

solar power system. The temple in all is said to be an amalgamation of traditional stone art as well as architecture

along with modern technology.

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US President Barack Obama has signed into law a whopping $633 billion defence bill that authorises spending on

the war in Afghanistan and enhanced security for American missions worldwide. Obama in a signing statemen

said that he was doing so to ensure that the US would continue to have the strongest military in the world. The

President, who is holidaying in Hawaii, said that he was clearing the bill even as he has strong reservations on

several provisions of National Defence Authorisation Act 2013. The White House had earlier threatened to veto

the bill. The bill provides the Department of Defence with a spending threshold of $633 billion for 2013, including

$527.4 billion for the Pentagon budget and a $88.5 billion for overseas operations.

National Affairs:

The Union Cabinet on 31 January paved the way for further consideration of Lokpal legislation in

Parliament as it approved most of the modifications recommended by a Rajya Sabha Select

Committee on its draft Lokpal Bill. The Cabinet approved 14 of 16 recommendations made by the

committee. These include the mode of appointing the Lokpal and CBI director. The Cabinet, however, delinked

the Lokpal from the institution of Lokayukta at the state level. Contrary to provisions of the earlier draft, states

will continue to appoint Lokayuktas. The Cabinet accepted that the CBI director will be appointed by a

panel comprising the prime minister, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and the chief

justice of India. But it dropped related recommendation that CBI officials involved in probing cases under

Lokpal supervision will not be transferred by the government. Therefore, though the CBI will be under the Lokpal

the government will have the authority to transfer them. The Cabinet decisions were announced by Minister of

State for Personnel V. Narayanasamy. Non-religious charitable institutions receiving government funds too wil

come under the Lokpal purview, though the Upper House panel did not favour this. As per the decision, the

nine-member Lokpal will be selected by a panel comprising the prime minister, Lok Sabha

Speaker, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, the chief justice of India and an eminent jurist

who will be in turn selected by the first four. The decision to leave out Lokayukta appointment came after

states vehemently opposed and accused the Centre of usurping the rights of the states in the Lokayukta

appointment. Owing to opposition, the controversial bill got stuck in the Upper House. After the enactment of the

bill by the Centre, states will have to appoint their Lokayuktas within a year.

President Pranab Mukherjee on 3 February, gave his assent to the ordinance sharpening laws

against sexual assault, mandating harsher punishment like death penalty for offenders in cases where the

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victim dies or is pushed into a persistent vegetative state. The amended law comes into force immediately. The

ordinance, which also introduced voyeurism, stalking, disrobing of women and acid attacks as specific offences

under the Indian Penal Code, was approved by the Union Cabinet on 1 February. Though the presidential assent

has brought the "changed" provisions of the law into force, the government will have to get it passed in Parliament

within six months. The President's assent to the ordinance came even as women's rights activists expressed

unhappiness over the provisions. They were upset over the government's refusal to recognize marital rape as an

offence, failure to hold command officers accountable for rapes by their subordinates and omission of rapes by

armed forces as a category. The Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2013 comprising severa

recommendations of the Justice (retired) JS Verma committee , was rushed through to beat the

notification of the budget session which is due to begin on February 21. Going beyond recommendations of

the Justice Verma committee, the ordinance has prescribed death penalty for cases of rape which

lead to the victim's death or pushes her into coma. It seeks to treat such cases as "rarest-of-rare" for which

courts can award capital punishment if they so decide. For such cases, the ordinance prescribes a minimum

sentence of 20 years which can be extended to imprisonment until the natural life of the convict, or death

Brought against the backdrop of Nirbhaya's case, the ordinance changes various clauses in

existing criminal law by amending Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)

and the Evidence Act. The new provisions will be brought before Parliament as part of official amendments to

the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2012 which was introduced in December last year. The pending legislation is

currently being examined by a parliamentary standing committee.

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on 29 January, has constituted an Expert Committee

for the purpose of reviewing the institutional frame work of Prasar Bharati including its

relationship with Government, its continuing role as a public broadcaster and measures needed

to ensure technical up gradation of the organization. The composition of the Expert Committee is

as under the chairmanship of Sam Pitroda, Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on Public Information

Infrastructure & Innovations. the other members are-Smt. Asha Swaroop, IAS (Retd.) and former Secretary to the

Govt. of India, Dr. B.K. Gairola, Mission Director (e-Governance), Sh. Shekhar Kapur, Member of the National

Innovation Council, Prof. M.P. Gupta, IIT Delhi

Government of India on 31 January signed an agreement for a $100 million loan with Asian

Development Bank (ADB) as second tranche of Uttarakhand Urban Sector Development

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Investment Program which will support rehabilitation and expansion of basic urban infrastructure in five

major urban centers of Uttarakhand and ensure sustainable municipal service delivery. The project will

supplement the urban infrastructure program already initiated under the first tranche in Dehradun, Haridwar

and Nainital and will be extended to cover in addition Haldwani, Roorkee and Ramnagar towns specially

for improving the water supply infrastructure that will benefit about 800,000 residents. A comprehensive

sewerage system will also be developed under the project, which will provide improved sanitation facilities to

about 100,000 residents of Roorkee town. The documents were signed by Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Joint Secretary,

Department of Economic Affairs on behalf of Government of India, Mr. Hun Kim, Country Director of ADBs

India Resident Mission on behalf of ADB and Mr. M.H. Khan, Secretary (UD) on behalf of Government of

Uttarakhand. Smt. Radhika Jha, Project Director and Dr. Anwar A. Khan, Deputy Program Director from

Uttarakhand Government were the part of loan signing team. ADB based in Manila is dedicated to

reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally

sustainable growth and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members

Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood superstar topped the inaugural Forbes India Celebrity 100 list.

The ranking was given based on the popularity as well as income of the biggest entertainers of India. Second on

the list was Salman Khan and MS Dhoni followed in the third position. The special edition of Forbes India judged

in eight different categories, i.e., directors, film actors, TV personailities, models, comedians, sports stars, authors

and singers/musicians. Even though Salman Khan and MS Dhoni were ahead in the ranking in terms of

popularity, in comparison to SRK, but the Bollywood King ranked high because of his earning, most of which

came from the brand endorsements.According to the Forbes India estimates, the total earning of SRK

from October 2011 and September 2012 was 202.8 crore Rupees. In comparison to SRKs, Salmans

earning was 144.2 crore Rupees, while that of Dhoni was 135.16 crore. In the list of top 10 celebrities were Akshay

Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Kareena Kapoor, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli and Katrina Kaif.

The list prepared by Forbes India is meant to rank most powerful Indians in media as well as entertainment

sector. Among the sportspersons, MS Dhoni, the captain of India cricket team grabbed the top most position. In

the category of singer/musicians, AR Rahman led the pack. Malaika Arora Khan was declared as the leading TV

personality. On the other hand, Karan Johar was listed as the most powerful director. The youngest celebrity in

the list of Forbes India was Saina Nehwal, aged 23 years.

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Chief Justices recommended for 3 NE states

The Supreme Court collegium has recommended three Chief Justices for the proposed High Courts in the

northeastern states of Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya, officials said here on 27 January. The three High Courts

are likely to start functioning in March after completion of necessary formalities. "We have heard that the

Supreme Court collegium has recommended the names of three Chief Justices to the Union ministry of Law and

Justice," Datamohan Jamatia, secretary, Tripura Law Department, told. "Now the law and justice ministry

through the Prime Minister would send the recommendations to the president for the appointment and

notification of the three chief justices," he said. As per the suggestions of the Supreme Court collegium, Justice T

Meena Kumari, a judge of the Patna High Court, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, is being elevated as the chie

justice of Meghalaya.Justice Deepak Gupta, who hails from Himachal Pradesh is being elevated as the Chie

Justice of Tripura, and Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre, a judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court, is being appointed

as the Chief Justice of Manipur.

The Supreme Court on 21 January, banned tourists from taking the Andaman Nicobar Trunk

Road that passes through the area where the Jarawas live. The road is used to reach the Limestone Cave

The court has already banned all commercial and tourism activities within a five-km radius of the Jarawa Triba

Reserve on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A Bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and H.L. Gokhale passed the

order, taking on record the Andaman and Nicobar Administrations January 17 notification to comply with the

court directives issued last year. Except 30 villages notified in the schedule, the notification declares a buffer zone

the area up to a five-km radius, adjacent and contiguous to the Jarawa Tribal Reserve Area ,starting from the

Constance Bay in South Andaman to Lewis Inlet Bay in Middle Andaman. No person shall operate any

commercial or tourist establishment directly or indirectly in the buffer zone. Furthermore, no one shall carry out

any activity, which may be prejudicial to the safety, security and interests of the Jarawas in any of the settlement

villages. The Bench directed that only government officials, persons residing in the reserve and vehicles carrying

essential commodities for the Jarawas would be allowed on the Trunk Road.

A special CBI court on 22 January, sentenced former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash

Chautala and his son Ajay Chautala to ten years rigorous imprisonment for illegal selection of

over 3,000 junior basic trained (JBT) primary school teachers in 1999-2000 by replacing the origina

selection lists compiled from 18 Haryana districts with fake ones. Special Judge Vinod Kumar sentenced eight

others including Mr. Chautalas political advisor Sher Singh Badshami, his former OSD Vidya Dhar, and the

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former Haryana Director of Primary Education Sanjeev Kumar to ten years rigorous imprisonment. One person

was sentenced to five years and 44 others were sentenced to four years in prison.

The government on 24 January, said it will set up a committee to look into the allegations that US

retail giant Walmart indulged in lobbying activities in India to gain entry in the country's market

Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot said the government will set up a committee to look into the matter. As per

the proposal, the government will set up one-man commission to be headed by a retired High Court Chief Justice

or a judge. The move comes over a month after the proceedings of Parliament during the Winter Session were

paralysed over the allegations that the US retail giant indulged in lobbying here to gain entry into the Indian

market. According to the proposal of the Corporate Affairs Ministry, the Commission, to be set up under the

Commission of Inquiry Act, 1951, will submit its report within three months of its constitution. The Terms o

Reference include probe into "recent media reports regarding their lobbying activities" and "whether Wal-Mart

undertook any activity in India in contravention of any Indian law". Under the Commission of Inquiry Act, it is

obligatory on part of the government to table the probe report as well as the action report in Parliament.

24 January is celebrated as the National Girl Child Day every year by the Government of India with an

objective to raise consciousness of Indian society towards the girl children. The Women and Child Development

Ministry observed National Girl Child Day on 24 January 2013. 24 January is celebrated as the National Girl Child

Day every year since 2008 by the Government of India. The primary objective of the National Girl Child Day is

raising awareness and consciousness of the society towards the girl child. The primary aim is to ensure that every

girl is respected and valued in Indian society. On this day, the Women and Child Development Ministry take up

multi-pronged approach for addressing as well as working towards the trend of diminishing child sex ratio in

India. The initiatives like these ensure that girl child is born as well as nurtured in a way that it gives them equal

opportunities as well as rights like those to the boys. On the National Girl Child Day, the aim is to address issues

related to health, education and nutrition of the girl child. The State's Women and Child Development

Department instructed the District Programme Officers of various states of India to organise programmes for the

National Girl Child Day.

The Election Commission of India celebrated the 3rd National Voters Dayacross the country on 25

January 2013. The theme for the 3rd NVD is Inclusion. NVD functions were held at more than 6.5 lakh

locations across the country covering nearly all 8.5 lakh Polling Stations. Around 46000 Educational Institutions

also celebrated National Voters Day. Around 4867 Youth Voter Festivals have been held across the states to

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engage youth in the registration process. The National Function to mark the 3rd National Voters Day was held at

Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. 25th January is also the foundation day of the Commission,which came into

being on this day in 1950. The Commissions objective through NVD is to increase enrolment of voters, especially

of the newly eligible ones, to make universal adult suffrage a complete reality. The National Voters Day is also

utilized to spread awareness among voters regarding effective participation in the electoral process.

The West Bengal Government on 22 January 2013, the day of Neta Ji Subhash Chandra Boses birth

anniversary, declared that it would give a heritage status to his ancestral house at Kodalia in South

24 Parganas district. The Government also announced that if the need arises to acquire the land, than it is also

ready to do so.

Kalyan Singh, the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on 21 January 2013 merged his Jan Kranti Party

with Bhartiya Janta Party. Singh merged his party with BJP during the Atal Shankhnaad Rally of BJP in

Lucknows Jhelum Park. He himself was unable to join the party himself as he is an independent MP from Etah

Constituency and before joining the party it is required for him to resign from the membership of the house as it is

an electoral cause under anti-defection law. His resignation from the Parliament would have created a space for

by-elections for the Etah Seat. Kalyan Singh left BJP before the Lok Sabha Elections of 2009 due to the differences

with the senior leaders of BJP.

India celebrated its 64th Republic Day on 26 January 2013 . Unfurling of National flag, the rich cultura

heritage, and nation's achievements in various fields were the highlights of Republic Day Parade at Rajpath in

Delhi. The impressive march-past was watched by Chief Guest, King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel

Wangchuk. The Army showcased its impressive weaponry which included main battle tank- ARJUN, Supe

Sonic Cruise Missile Brahmos Weapon System and Multi Barrel Rocket System -Pinaka. Display of above 5000

kilometer range Agni-V missile, Mobile Integrated Network Terminal and mini version of INS Vikramaditya

also remained the centre of attraction during the function. 19 tableaux from various States and Central Ministries

also mesmerized the spectators.

The Justice Verma panel, which is a 3-member commission created to review the laws for sexual

crimes submitted the report to the Government of India on 23 January 2013. Justice Verma panel was

created after the brutal gang rape of the Para-medical student on 16 December 2012. Former Chief Justice of

India, Justice JS Verma headed the commission and reviewed the laws on sexual crimes which exist already. The

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report was prepared by the panel in its 30-day deadline. The former CJI described that there were more than

80000 suggestions from the length and breadth of India as well as abroad after 5 January 2013 was declared as

the deadline for receiving comments from common man in order to refurbish the present legislation that deals

with the sex offenders. The Justice Verma panel recognised failure of governance as primary cause of

sexual crimes. The panel additionally criticised the police, government and also the public for the lack o

interest and also recommended changes in the entire society.

Some of the changes described by the Justice Verma panel are as follows:

o There is a need for overall wide spectrum of law for violence against the women.

o It is important to address even the placid sexual harassment and that every complaint of sexua

harassment should be registered.

o Anyone committing rape shall be given rigorous imprisonment which may range from seven years to life

term.

o Crimes like gang rape shall entail punishment ranging from not less than 20 years to whole life of the

convict.

o Gang-rape causing death of the victim shall amount to life imprisonment for the convict.

o The panel also mentioned in its report the Khap panchayat mentioning that Khaps were unconstitutional

and they had no right to declare the marriage invalid.

o In order to preserve the rules of law, there is a need for police reforms as well.

o The Panel suggested that Law enforcement agencies should not work as slaves of the political masters.

o All the marriages should be registered, while making sure that there was no demand for dowry.

o Minor children trafficking should be considered as a serious offence.

o Trafficking should be made punishable with imprisonment ranging from not less than 7 years to 10 years.

o In case, a police officer or a public servant is involved in child trafficking, it should be dealt with in a

stricter manner than usual.

Union Home Ministry issued Strict Guidelines for Regulating Surrogacy in India

The Union Home Ministry in India issued stricter guidelines for those visas which are used by the foreign

nationals interested in surrogacy. This is said to be the archetypical step by the Home Ministry to regulate

surrogacy in India. The new guidelines indicated that single foreigners as well as the gay couples would not be

eligible for having the Indian surrogate. Only those foreign man and woman, who are married for at least two

years, would be granted the visas. The Union Home Ministry stated that they had noticed a few foreign nationals

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visiting India for the purpose of surrogacy on their tourist visa, which is not appropriate. Back in July 2012, the

Union Ministry of Home Affairs had decided in the circular sent to foreign embassies that the foreigners were

entitled to enter India for surrogacy only on their medical visas and no other kind of visas. Also, it was mandatory

for the foreign nationals to fulfill a few criterions. The circular was notified on 17 December 2012 by the Foreign

Regional Registration Office in Mumbai and was also sent to the fertility clinics. The guidelines are issued when

the legislation for regulating the fertility clinics is waiting for tabling in the Parliament. This legislation is called

the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Regulation Bill 2010.

Andhra Pradesh SCSP and TSP Act came into effect on 25 January. A gazette notification has been issued to the

effect after Governor ESL Narasimhan signed the papers. With this, Andhra Pradesh becomes the first state in the

country to give effect to such Act. The Bill was passed in both the A P Legislative Assembly and Council in

December 2012. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who participated in the Jaipur Chinthan Shivir, urged the

AICC to bring such an Act at national level for the uplift of Scheduled Castes and Tribes in the country. It is

expected that the provisions of the Act would make available an additional amount of about Rs 3,000 crore every

year for SCSP and another Rs 1,200 crore for TSP. There are three salient features of the SC Sub-Plan (SCSP) and

Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) -- Earmarking of funds for the SCs and STs in proportion to their population, giving the

funds to a nodal agency and appointing a separate Finance Secretary to release the funds allocated to SCSP and

TSP. The recommendation of the Sub-Committee to establish an ombudsman to monitor utilization of funds was

not accepted since there is the Lokayukta to handle complaints and the nodal agency, comprising ministers in

charge of concerned portfolios, to oversee the implementation.

The 8th Annual Status of Education Report, ASER 2012 was released in New Delhi on 17 January by

the Minister of Human Resource Development, Dr. M.M. Pallam Raju. Speaking on the occasion the Honble

Minister said that the focus of the current 12th Five Year Plan is on quality of education imparted in

schools. He said that the quality of the teachers in schools has to be improved and infrastructure needs to be

strengthened. Appreciating the trend in improvement of infrastructure in schools including sanitation and mid-

day meals, he said that the trend of the girls enrollment going down is a matter of concern.

Expressing satisfaction over the performance of some states, the Minister said that after the enactment of RTE Act

some states are doing well in primary and elementary education but states from north-east regions have to catch

up. Stating that aspiration level of the parents and the child is going up. The report says that the enrollment

level for the 6-14 age group continued to be very high in rural areas. In 2012, 96.5% of all the children

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in this age group in rural areas were enrolled in schools. The proportion of the children in the age group of 6-14

who are not enrolled in schools has gone up slightly from 3.3% in 2011 to 3.5% in 2012. The increase is largest in

Rajasthan and UP. The report also says that learning outcomes were low but steady in the years leading to 2010

But across the country, childrens ability to read simple text and do basic arithmetic has declined since then

Nationally, private schools enrollment has increased (6-14 age group). In next five years, the

country may have half of the children attending private schools even in the rural areas.

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 28th Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology

(APAO) Congress in Hyderabad on 17 January. Speaking in the occasion he says, Private sector companies

and Government institutions should join hands to fight blindness. Citing the World Health Organisation data, the

President said by 2020, there would be 76 million blind people indicating that visual impairment would double in

1990-2020. India had a historical tradition of focusing on eye-care as its ancient sage-cum-surgeon, Shushruta

was the father of cataract surgeries, he said. Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy said about 80 lakh schoo

children were screened for detecting visual impairment in the State under various initiatives. The treatment for

visual impairment was also included under State Governments health scheme Aarogyasree, he added. The

four-day congress is being organised in conjunction with the 71st annual conference of All-India

Ophthalmological Society. It would throw light on the recent advances in the field. About 10,000 eye

specialists and experts are expected to participate in the event.

The Supreme Court on 19 January banned fresh encroachment of roads, pavements and sideways

by construction of religious structures or installation of statues of public figures. The apex court's

ruling addresses a common hazard in all Indian cities and towns where unauthorized religious structures - often

thinly disguised cases of land grab - have sprung up on public and private land and are obstructing roads and

inconveniencing residents. The order can empower municipal and government bodies to prevent

unauthorized constructions being carried out under the garb of religious structures as often local

political interests and religious sentiments render authorities helpless. Along with religious

structures, the court also ruled on installation of statues. "Henceforth, states shall not grant permission to install

any statue or erect any structure on public roads, pavements and sideways and other public utility places,"

ordered a bench of Justices R M Lodha and S J Mukhopadhaya

Presidents rule was finally imposed in Jharkhand on 18 January, a day after the Union Cabinet

accepted Governor Syed Ahmeds report recommending that the Assembly be kept in suspended

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animation. Regional ally JMM had withdrawn support to the Arjun Munda government on January 8, reducing

it to a minority. President Pranab Mukherji has signed the proclamation under Article 356(1) of the

Constitution, imposing Centres rule for the third time, on a request from the Union Home Ministry. Former

Director General of CRPF, Vijay Kumar and former Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta have been appointed

advisers to the governor, the ministry stated. The governments move has invited mixed reactions. The JMM was

disappointed, having lost an opportunity to instate either Shibu Shoren or his son Hemant as the chief minister. A

miffed BJP said it will stage a dharna against the Cabinet decision.

Prompted by nationwide outrage over the Nirbhaya gang rape incident, New Delhi, the law ministry on 17

January has approved Rs 80 crore for recruitment of 2,000 more judges across the country for

fast-track courts. In a letter to state governments and high courts on January 9, the Centre asked them to

increase the strength of subordinate judiciary from the current 18,000 to 20,000 with the additional judges to be

deployed in fast-track courts. The law ministry took Cabinet approval in the last week of December when India

was rocked by mass protests over Nirbhaya's gang rape that saw activists, lawyers, officials and jurists pointing to

how victims were disadvantaged by long trials that allowed accused to influence witnesses. Sources said the

government was working on another proposal to allow states to use funds available for morning and evening

courts to further increase the number of fast-track courts, a demand raised by various sections of society to

expedite trial of pending cases, particularly those of sexual assault and heinous crimes.

The government on 17 January raised the cap on supply of subsidised LPG cylinders to nine bottles from six per

year and allowed oil companies to hike diesel prices by a small quantum periodically. There will be no change in

LPG and kerosene rates, Oil Minister M. Veerappa Moily told in New Delhi after the meeting on Cabinet

Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA). Consumers will get a quota of five subsidised cylinders between September

2012 and March 2013 and from April 1, 2013, they will be entitled to nine cylinders per annum.Mr. Moily said that

the oil companies have been permitted to raise diesel prices by a small quantum periodically till such time that

they are able to cover Rs. 9.60 per liter loss they incur on the fuel.

Political uncertainty deepened in Jharkhand on 8 January, with Chief Minister Arjun Munda

submitting his resignation to Governor Syed Ahmed. On 7 January, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha

(JMM) announced the withdrawal of its support to the BJP-led government. Mr. Munda

recommended that the Governor dissolve the Assembly to facilitate fresh elections. He has been asked by the

Governor to continue as caretaker chief minister. Mr. Munda said the decision was taken as no national party

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came forward to provide an alternative government after the JMM decided to pull out of the government, which

was formed in September 2010. Both the JMM and the BJP have 18 seats each in the 81-member Assembly. The

Congress has 13 seats, while the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) has 11. The JMM is expected to

approach the Congress to stitch together an alliance, taking in five MLAs of the RJD and seven Independents.

The Andhra Pradesh government has banned the manufacture and sale of gutkha and pan masala

in the state with immediate effect, according to the State Health and Family Welfare

Department.The ban has made Andhra Pradesh the 14th state in the country to take the step

towards eradicating tobacco use,bringing down shutters on the 12 gutkha manufacturing units in the state

Various departments, including vigilance and enforcement, commercial tax, transport, labour, municipa

administration, panchayat raj and police will work together to enforce the ban. According to the Global Adult

Tobacco Survey (GATS 2010), released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in October 2010

about 29 per cent of the adult population in AP consumes tobacco products in some form or the other. Among

them, 15 per cent use smokeless tobacco while 17.4 per cent are smokers. Experts point out that among the 3,095

chemical components found in the tobacco products, including gutkha, 28 were proved to be carcinogens which

cause cancer. While it is widely known that gutkha causes oral cancer in the long run, not many users are aware

that its immediate effects are on the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems. The non-food grade agents and

chemicals present in gutka can also lead to heart attacks and infertility, experts warned.

The Prime Minister on 9 January, unveiled the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP)

2020 in the presence of Mr. Praful Patel, Minister for Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises and Mr Montek

Singh Ahluwalia, Dy. Chairman, Planning Commission. The principal end objectives of the National Mission

for Electric Mobility (NMEM) are National energy security, mitigation of the adverse impact of vehicles on the

environment and growth of domestic manufacturing capabilities. The NEMMP 2020, the mission document for

the NMEM that was approved by the National Council for Electric Mobility (NCEM) on 29th August, 2012, sets

the vision, lays the targets and provides the joint Government industry vision for realizing the huge potentia

that exists for full range of efficient and environmentally friendly electric vehicle (including hybrids) technologies

by 2020. The NEMMP 2020 is a well researched document and relies on in-depth primary data based study

conducted jointly by the Government and the Industry which indicates that high latent demand for

environmentally friendly electric vehicle technologies exists in the country. As per these projections, 6-7 million

units of new vehicle sales of the full range of electric vehicles, along with resultant liquid fuel savings of 2.2 2.5

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million tones can be achieved in 2020. This will also result in substantial lowering of vehicular emissions and

decrease in carbon di-oxide emissions by 1.3% to 1.5% in 2020 as compared to a status quo scenario. The NEMMP

2020 projections also indicate that the savings from the decrease in liquid fossil fuel consumption as a result of

shift to electric mobility alone will far exceed the support provided thereby making this a highly economically

viable proposition. Therefore on all counts encouraging the faster adoption of hybrid & electric vehicles and their

manufacture in India is a wise investment for our future generations. NMEM is amongst the most

significant interventions of the Government that promises to transform the automotive paradigm

of the future by lessening the dependence on fossil fuels, increasing energy efficiency of vehicles

and by providing the means to achieve ultimate objective of cleaner transportation that is

compatible with sustainable renewable energy generation. This Intervention will also help encourage

the Indian Automotive Industry to shift to newer, cleaner technologies so that it builds its future competitive

advantage around environmentally sustainable products, high end technologies, innovation and knowledge. The

implementation and roll out of the NEMMP 2020 will be done through various specific schemes, interventions

policies that are currently under formulation and will be considered by the Government in the near future.

The Union Cabinet on 10 January, approved the revised cost estimates of Rs.1457.56 crore for

reconstruction and completion of the Salma Dam Project (3X14 MW) in Afghanistan by M/s

WAPCOS Ltd. towards civil, hydro-mechanical, electro-mechanical and other components of the dam til

completion of the dam in December 2014 or two years from the date of approval of revised cost estimates. The

expenditure on the projects will be met from the Non-Plan head of 'Aid to Afghanistan' budget of the Ministry of

External Affairs. The Cabinet had approved the proposal in June 2010 for the revised cost estimates of Rs.854.86

crore up to December 2010. The project has registered physical progress of 60 percent. The project is being

executed by M/s WAPCOS, a central PSU under the Ministry of Water Resources. The local communities of

Western Afghanistan would directly benefit from the project. The availability of power and water through the

project upon its successful completion will lead to overall economic development of Afghanistan's Western region

and generate goodwill for India in Afghanistan. The completion of this project will address the issues of energy

requirement and irrigation needs in Western Afghanistan.

The Union Cabinet on 10 January approved the declaration of the National Institute of Design

(NID) by Parliament by law as an 'Institution of National Importance' . The status of 'Institution of

National Importance' would authorise NID, Ahmadabad to award degree to its students. This, in turn, may prove

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to be beneficial for students who wish to pursue post graduation. This will fulfill the need to professionalize,

standardize and internationally benchmark professional design education in India, so as to take full advantage of

opportunities opening up for the design industry, both in domestic as well as in international markets.

The Union Ministry of Tourism will organise an International Tourism Mart at Guwahati from

18th to 20th of January, 2013.Announcing this at a press conference in New Delhi, Union Tourism Minister

K. Chiranjeevi said that this will not only be the first ever International Tourism event to be organised in the

north-eastern region, but also the first International Tourism Mart to focus on a specific region of India. He said

It will bring together the tourism business fraternity and entrepreneurs from the eight north eastern States of

India and West Bengal. The event has been planned and scheduled to facilitate interaction between buyers,

sellers, media, Government agencies and others. The Minister informed that about 100 delegates including

tourism Ministers, Tourism Secretaries, Tour operators, Hoteliers and Media Representatives from Australia,

Bangladesh, Bhutan, Combodia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar

The Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America and

Vietnam will be attending the mart. He said these delegates will engage in one-two-one meetings with sellers from

the north eastern region and West Bengal. Mr. Chiranjeevi said this will enable tourism product suppliers from

the region to reach out to international and domestic buyers and promote tourism in the region. Chiranjeevi

disclosed that celebrity artistes such as Lou Majaw from Meghalaya, Rubin from Manipur, Mami Varte from

Mizoram and Debojit Saha, Dikshu, Priyanka Bharali, Manas Robin, Joy Chakravarty, Simanta Shekhor, Mousam

Gogoi and Papori Sharma from Assam will perform at the Mart. The north east region of India comprising the

states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim, is endowed

with diverse tourist attractions and products. The varied topography of the region, its flora and fauna, the ethnic

communities with their rich heritage of ancient traditions and lifestyles, festivals, arts and crafts, make it a holiday

destination waiting to be explored. Considering the contiguous features of West Bengal with the north east, the

state has been included in the Mart.

The Union Cabinet on 10 January approved the introduction of a Bill in the Parliament for

declaring Lakhipur-Bhanga stretch (121 kms.) of the Barak River as a National Waterway. It also

gave its approval for preparation of projects/schemes for development of infrastructure facilities on this stretch of

the river at an estimated cost of Rs.123 crore with implementation in two phases. Inland Waterways Authority of

India (IWAI) set up under IWAI Act, 1985 will be the implementing agency for this project. The first phase of the

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project would be completed by 2016-17 followed by the second phase which is likely to be completed by 2018-19

The enactment to declare Lakhipur-Bhanga stretch of the Barak River as National Waterway will result in unified

development of the waterways for shipping and navigation and transportation of cargo to the North Eastern

Region particularly in the states of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. The

Government of India has so far declared five waterways as National Waterways . These are:- (i

Allahabad-Haldia stretch of the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system (1620 km); (ii) Dhubri-Sadiya stretch o

Brahmaputra River (891 km); (iii) Kottapuram-Kollam stretch of West Coast Canal along with Udyogmandal and

Champakara Canals (205 km); (iv) Kakinada-Puducherry stretch of the canal along with designated stretches of

Godavari and Krishna Rivers (1078 km); and (v) designated stretches of East Coast Canal, Brahmani River and

Mahanadi Delta (588 km). The Lakhipur-Bhanga stretch of the Barak River would be the sixth National

Waterway.

The Union Cabinet on 10 January, has approved the proposal ofthe Ministry of Rural Development to

provide a quality and affordable house and also taking into account numerous requests from the stakeholders for

increasing the unit cost, keeping in view the steep increase in cost of materials. The approval is that -

Enhancement of unit assistance under the Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) from Rs. 45,000/- to Rs. 70,000/- in plain

areas and from Rs. 48,500/- to Rs. 75,000/- in hilly/difficult/LAP district; The IAY is a flagship scheme of

the Ministry of Rural Development and aims at addressing rural housing issues by providing grant for

construction / upgradation of dwelling units of BPL families especially giving priority to Scheduled

Castes/Scheduled Tribes, freed bonded labourers and physically challenged persons with financial assistance o

Rs. 45,000/- in plain areas and Rs. 48,500/- in hilly /difficult areas.

The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee released a Commemorative Postage Stamp on Silk

Letter Movement at a function in New Delhi on January 11, 2013.Speaking on the occasion, the President said

that the sacrifices of individuals and groups, such as those associated with the Silk Letter Movement

constitute a glorious chapter of Indias history of Freedom struggle and need to be acknowledged and

appreciated. The President said that he is happy that the Department of Posts has done its bit over the years and

has issued postage stamps to acknowledge the contribution of various groups and movements which in their own

ways contributed to the overall effort to liberate India.

Recognizing the importance of cinema as a powerful tool for the development and promotion of various tourist

destinations, Union Tourism Minister K.Chiranjeevi announced, several initiatives for promoting

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Film Tourism through films shot in India. Announcing this in New Delhi on 11 January, the Minister

said that a Land of Pi campaign would be launched soon across all media, including print,

online, electronic and outdoor, to promote Puducherry and Munnar as tourist destinations. The

widely acclaimed film Life of Pi has been partly shot in the beautiful locales of Puducherry (Pondicherry) and

Munnar in Kerala. In order to enable viewers of the film to visit the two regions shown in the film, Mr. Chiranjeev

held a meeting last month with the Secretaries of Tourism of Puducherry and Kerala along with Tour Operators o

the region, immediately after it was observed that the film had highlighted awareness of the two regions

K.Chiranjeevi has already announced special National Tourism Awards for Mr. Ang Lee, Director and Mr. Yann

Martel, author of the Book Life of Pi, for promoting India through the film.

President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi on 12 January, inaugurated the celebrations to

commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda . Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson

UPA, A.K. Antony, Minister of Defense & Chairman NIC, P. Chidambaram, Minister of Finance, were also present

at the function organized at the Rashtrapati Bhawan auditorium. The Finance Minister P. Chidambaram

released a set of Commemorative Coins and presented the first set to the President Pranab

Mukherjee. The coins are of Rs.150 and Rs. 5 denomination. The Government of India decided to

undertake the commemoration of 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. A National Committee

under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was constituted to approve

policies/plans, programmes and supervise and guide the Commemoration of the 150th Birth

Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda including preparatory activities leading up to the Anniversary

year in 2013-14.A National Implementation Committee was also constituted in 2010 under the Chairmanship

of the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to implement the decisions of the National Committee. On Pranab

Mukherjee assuming the office of President of India, Defence Minister Shri A.K. Antony has been appointed

Chairman of the said National Implementation Committee.

Foreign Exchange Earnings from Tourism shows an Increase of 21.8 Percent During 2012 Foreign

Tourist Arrivals also Goes up by 5.4 Percent during the Year Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from

Tourism during the year 2012 showed an increase of 21.8% as compared to FEEs of 2011. Foreign Tourist

Arrivals ( FTAs) in the country also registered an increase of 5.4% during the year 2012 as compared to FTAs of

2011.

The following are the important highlights regarding FTAs and FEEs from tourism in India during the year 2012:

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o FEEs from tourism in rupee terms during 2012 were Rs.94, 487 crore with a growth of 21.8% as compared

to the FEEs of Rs.77, 591 crore with a growth of 19.6% during the year 2011 over 2010.

o FEEs from tourism in terms of US$ during 2012 were US$ 17.74 billion with a growth of 7.1% over 2011.

o FTAs in India during 2012 were 66.48 lakh with a growth of 5.4% as compared to the FTAs of 63.09 lakh

during the year 2011.

Ministry of Tourism compiles monthly estimates of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) on the basis of data received

from major ports and Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism on the basis data available from Reserve

Bank of India.

National Aluminum Co Ltd (Nalco) Commissioned its First Wind Power Project in AP

National Aluminum Co Ltd (Nalco) in the Month of January 2013 commissioned its first wind power project

at Gandikota in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. Nalco which is the Government-owned manufacturer and

distributor of aluminum products had invested around 275 crore rupees for the 50-MW Suzlon-erected project.

Nalco signed a power purchase agreement with the States power transmission utility Transco and has begun

inoculation of power to the State grid. The windmill project had received clearance from the Ministry of Forests

and Environment. Also, setting up of the second wind power is on the line which is supposed to be of 50 MW, and

will be situated in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan. The cost of this project is estimated to be around 190 crore

rupees.

Nalco, a large thermal power consumer for its aluminum smelting in Odisha, is appreciative to generate renewable

energy under electricity regulations. As per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the Indian Wind Turbine

Manufactures Association (WTMA) had reported that public sector units have so far established around 1135 MW

of wind power projects in the country, besides solar power projects of 27 MW.

News Broadcasting Standards Association Issued Guidelines for Reporting of Sexual Crimes

The News Broadcasting Standards Association (NBSA) on 7 January 2013 issued certain guidelines for the

television channels to exercise discretion and sensitivity, while reporting the sexual assault cases. Keeping in view

the Section 228A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), NBSA directed television channels to keep the identity of the

victims involved in sexual assault,

Documents

Current Affairs 2013 January2