India ranks 13th in generating electricity from nuclear sourceShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 30, 2015No comments

India ranks at 13th position in the world in terms of generation electricity from nuclear source.

This information was given by Minister of State (MoS) Dr Jitendra Singh in written reply in the Rajya Sabha to an unstarred question.

As per the written reply

The ranking was based upon the data published by Power Reactor Information System (PRIS) of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2014.

India’s current installed nuclear power capacity is 5780 MW. It is expected to increase to 10080 MW by 2019 on progressive completion of projects.

Union Government also has accorded sanction for two more projects with a total capacity of 3400 MW.

In future more nuclear power projects based both on indigenous technologies and with international cooperation are planned.

The total requirement of nuclear fuel i.e. natural uranium is over 5 five years is estimated to be around 5,940 tons.

It should be noted that India ranks 13th among the thirty one countries in the world which are generating electricity from nuclear source.

Tags: Energy • Nuclear Power • Rajya Sabha

India, Japan ink action agenda to boost trade, investment

Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 30, 2015No comments

India and Japan have signed a Five-point action agenda to increase bilateral trade and investment between the two nations.

The action agenda was signed between Japan’s Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Yoichi Miyazawa and Minister of State (independent charge) for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman.

The five-point agenda includes

Development of selected townships in India as Japanese industrial townships. Promotion of investment and infrastructure development. Further development and cooperation in IT sector. Enhancing cooperation in strategic sectors. Asia-Pacific economic integration.

This five-point action agenda is a follow-up of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan in 2014 and will play important role in improving the trade relationship between India and Japan.

It also comes in line with Union Government’s flagship Make in India programme as it will further increase investments from Japan into the India’s manufacturing sector.

It should be noted that Japan is the fourth largest foreign direct investment (FDI) contributor to India. It’s major FDI interests is in automobiles, pharmaceuticals and services sectors which accounts for 7.46 per cent of total FDI equity inflows into India.

Tags: Business • Economy • India-International Relations • India-Japan • Make in India

Union Government extends e-Tourist Visa scheme to 31 more countriesShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 30, 2015No comments

Union Government has extended e-Tourist Visa scheme to 31 more countries with an effect from 31 May 2015.

In this regard, Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a notification. With this the total number of countries under the scheme has gone up to 76.

The 31 countries are: Antigua & Barbuda, Anguilla, Bahamas, Bolivia, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Chile, Cayman Island, Dominic an Republic, Dominica, Estonia, El Salvador, Ecuador, France, Grenada, Georgia, Haiti, Honduras,Vatican, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Latvia,  Montenegro, Macedonia, Nicaragua,  Montserrat, St.Kitts & Nevis Paraguay, and Seychelles.

Background

India had launched e-Tourist Visa Scheme (as Tourist Visa on Arrival scheme) in November 2014. Initially during the launch only 45 countries were under ambit of the scheme.

Later in the phased manner, the scheme was extended to more countries. By the end of current financial year Government intends to extend the scheme to 150 countries.

Tags: E-Visa • Government Schemes • Home Ministry • Tourism

Flipkart acquires mobile marketing firm AppiterateShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 30, 2015No comments

Online marketplace Flipkart has acquired mobile marketing start-up Appiterate in order to strengthen its mobile platform.

The financial details of the acquisition deal were not disclosed. This acquisition comes in line with Flipkart’s ‘Mobile First’ focus which aims to increase its presence in the area of mobile technology.

Now the Appiterate’s mobile marketing automation platform will be integrated with Flipkart’s mobile app, in order to target it users base on their activity based on the app and website.

Tanuj Mendiratta is Co-founder & CEO of Appiterate and was founded in 2013. Its unique technology helps to validate new design or changes to an element on a webpage to improve the sales (conversion rate).

In the past, Appiterate had helped leading e-commerce firms to combine the power of mobile apps and big data. Its technology also had allowed the e-commerce firms to do one-on-one targeting of users though push notifications and in-app messages.

As a startup company, it has raised money from institutional investors like SAIF Partners and angel investors such as Greg Badros who was ex-VP of Product and Engineering at Facebook.

Tags: Business • e-commerce • Economy • Flipkart

PropTiger.com acquires its rival Makaan.comShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 30, 2015No comments

Real estate portal PropTiger.com has acquired its rival Makaan.com to ramp up its presence in India’s secondary property market. After the acquisition both portals will run separately.

In this regard, Elara Technologies parent firm of PropTiger.com has entered into a transaction for an undisclosed amount with Makaan.com.

This acquisition will help PropTiger.com to create a comprehensive online real-estate platform in India which will offer end-to-end services to real estate developers, home buyers, property brokers, private equity investors and banks.

PropTiger is Noida-based firm founded in February 2011. It is backed by media magnate Rupert Murdoch-led News Corp. The News Corp had had acquired 25% stake in PropTiger as part of its strategy to expand presence in digital media.

Since 2011, through PropTiger’s platform around 12,000 homes worth $1.2 billion have been purchased.

While, Makaan.com was founded by entrepreneur and investor Anupam Mittal within People Group whose other digital ventures include Mauj Mobile and Shaadi.com.

Currently, it has around 200,000 active property listings in 50 Indian cities and relationships with 40,000 brokers.

Tags: Business • Economy

Three super-Earths orbiting nearby star discoveredShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 30, 2015No comments

Scientists have discovered three planets orbiting a nearby star named HD 7924 that is only 54 light-years away.

These planets were discovered by Automated Planet Finder (APF) Telescope located at Lick Observatory in California and W M Keck Observatory, Hawaii.

They were traced out using the Doppler technique and the APT made crucial measurements of the brightness of HD 7924 to assure the validity of the planet discoveries.

Each of the discovered planets has mass 7 to 8 times that of Earth and complete their orbit’s in just 5, 15, and 24 days around HD 7924.

The first evidence of planets orbiting HD 7924 was found by the Keck Observatory in 2009 using the HIRES instrument installed on the 10-meter Keck I telescope.

Two additional planets orbiting HD 7924 were later discovered by Keck Observatory after additional observations and the campaign by the APF Telescope.

Tags: Science and Technology

Veteran Marathi film and stage actress Bimba Modak passes awayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 30, 2015No comments

Eminent Marathi film and stage actress, Shanta alias Bimba Modak of yesteryear passed away on 28 April 2015 in Pune. She was 97.

Modak, had entered into the film industry during the time when it was considered as taboo for women to work in cinema.

Her debut film was Chul aani Mul in 1946, which was directed by noted playwright and writer Vishram Bedekar.

Around the same time, she had earned a wide acclaim in both the art streams after she also had acted in her first role on the Marathi stage in Bhavabandhan. Some of her best films included In Min Sadetin and Un Paus.

She also had learned Natyasangeet from legendary Bal Gandharva’s musicals and had acted in the plays like Swayamwar, Manapaman and Saubhadra which had held sway over Marathi audience with their content based on mythology and classical music.

Awards: For her versatile acting talent, Maharashtra government had honoured her with lifetime award in 1980.

Tags: Maharashtra • Obituary

Dr. Pramod Patil and Dr. Ananda Kumar won 2015 Whitley Awards for wildlife conservationShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 30, 2015No comments

Two Indians, Dr. Pramod Patil and Dr Ananda Kumar have been awarded with the prestigious 2015 Whitley Awards for their contribution to wildlife conservation in developing countries.

Both of them received a Whitley prize worth 35000 pound along with seven other environmentalists at a ceremony in Royal Geographical Society, London.

Dr. Pramod Patil was awarded for his work to protect the iconic great Indian bustard (GIB) in the Thar Desert.

While, Dr Ananda Kumar received this award for developing innovative communication systems namely Elephant Information Network (EIN) has enabled human-elephant coexistence in southern India.

About Whitley Award

The Whitley Award was established in 1994 by Edward Whitley and given by the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN).

Every year, the award recognises and celebrates effective national and regional conservation leaders across the globe.

The award is also dubbed as Green Oscar.

Tags: awards • Environment

Union Cabinet gives nod to amendments in the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 30, 2015No comments

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its nod to amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), 1988 by pursuing the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013.

The proposed amendments in the bill to amend parent Act mainly aim at laying down more stringent measures to tackle corruption.

It also seeks to fill in the perceived gaps in the domestic anti-corruption law as per the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).

Key Amendments

Proposes more stringent punishment for the offences of bribery, both for the bribe giver and the bribe taker.

Enhances punishment from the minimum 6 months to 3 years and from the maximum five years to seven years.

Extends the protection of prior sanction for prosecution to public servants who cease to hold office due to retirement and resignation.

Non-monetary gratification is also be covered within the definition of the word gratification in the PCA 1988.

Background

The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in August 2013. But the Bill was not passed in Rajya Sabha.

The amendment Bill incorporates the recommendations given by the 20th Law Commission headed by Justice (retd) AP Shah in its 254th Report in order to bring anti-corruption law in line with the UNCAC.

Tags: Bills and Amendments • Cabinet Decisions • Narendra Modi

Seychelles becomes 161st member of World Trade OrganisationShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 30, 2015No comments

Seychelles, an archipelago of 90000 inhabitants became the 161st member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It is one of the smallest nations among the WTO members.

This approval by WTO ended Seychelles 20-year long wait to become a member of WTO since it had applied for WTO membership in May 1995.

Seychelles also became the 33rd government to accede to the rules-based multilateral trading system through Article XII negotiations since the WTO was established in 1995.

The President of Seychelles, James Michel had signed the legal instrument for the island nation to the WTO on March 25, 2015 a day after the accession protocol was ratified by the Seychelles National Assembly.

As per the WTO rules, the 30-day countdown to its WTO membership was activated on March 27, 2015 and Seychelles officially became a WTO member on April 26, 2015.

It should be noted that the Protocol of Accession was signed by former Seychelles’ Minister of Trade, Finance and Investment Pierre Laporte and WTO Director General (DG) Roberto Azevedo.

Tags: Seychelles • WTO

International Day of Yoga logo launched in New DelhiShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 29, 2015No comments

The logo for International Day of Yoga was launched in New Delhi on 29 April 2015.

It was launched by Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Union Minister of State (MoS) for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik.

The logo was selected by the Committee of Yoga experts, which was constituted by Union Ministry of AYUSH and has been approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Facts about International Day of Yoga logo

Reflects peace and harmony for the humanity which is the essence of Yoga. Folding of both hands in the logo reflects the union of individual consciousness with universal

consciousness. It also reflects a perfect harmony between mind and body, man and nature and the holistic

approach to health and well-being. The sun in the logo symbolise the source of energy and inspiration. While the brown leaves

symbolise the earth element. The green leaves symbolise the nature and blue the fire element.

Background

The idea to observe 21 June as the ‘International Day of Yoga’ was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2014 during his speech at United Nations General Assembly (UN-GA).

In December 2014, UN-GA had unanimously had adopted an India-led resolution to observe 21 June as the ‘International Day of Yoga’.

The resolution was passed within a record time of 75 days. It was also first resolution in which 177 countries had become co-sponsors and was a world record.

Tags: Days and Events • International Day of Yoga • Narendra Modi • United Nations

Mohammed bin Nayef appointed as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia by King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-SaudShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 29, 2015No comments

Mohammed bin Nayef was appointed as Crown Prince and as Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia by King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud.

This appointment relieved Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz from his duties and comes during a major Cabinet reshuffle.

Prior to this appointment he was Interior Minister of the kingdom. While King’s son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was appointed Deputy Crown Prince.

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to United States Adel al-Jubeir was appointed as the Foreign Minister. He replaced Prince Saud al-Faisal.

While, Khalid al-Falih was appointed as the Health Minister and chairman of Saudi Aramco.

King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (aged 78) had acceded to the throne in January 2015 after the death of his half-brother Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, who was Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader for 10 years.

Sri Lankan Parliament amends constitution to reduce President’s powerShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 29, 2015No comments

Sri Lankan Parliament has amended the constitution to reduce the power of Executive President and to put into place a Constitutional Council for making key government appoints.

In this regard, the Parliament has adopted 19th (19A) Amendment of the Constitution. The reform amendment bill overwhelmingly received 215 votes in favour and just one vote against it in the 225-member assembly.

The bill brings reforms to

Ensure an independent judiciary and police. Curbs and checks President’s power to dissolve the parliament. Two-term limit of Presidents is restored. The term of the President is reduced from 6 to 5 years.

This amendment will also now put into place several independent commissions that will handle key areas of governance such as elections, public service, police and the judiciary and will function outside the influence of the Executive.

Background

The 19th Amendment of the Constitution reversers the changes in constitution made by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who had accumulated large powers during his decade-long stint as President.

Incumbent Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena during his presidential election campaign (which ousted Rajapaksa) had pledged key reforms in the country and to curtail excessive powers of the presidency.

Tags: Constitution • President • Sri Lanka

Raja Rajeswari, first Indian-American woman judge of New YorkShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 29, 2015No comments

Ms. Raja Rajeswari became the first Indian-born woman to be appointed a judge in New York City. She was sworn-in as a criminal court judge in New York by Mayor Bill de Blasio along with 27 other judges.

They were appointed as judges earlier to the Family Court, Criminal Court, and Civil Court, which are part of the New York State Unified Court System.

Previously, Rajeswari had worked for her entire career with the Richmond County District Attorney’s (DA) Office in several bureaus such as Criminal Court, Sex Crimes Special Victims Bureau and Narcotics, Supreme Court.

Prior to this appointment she had served as Deputy Chief of the Special Victims Unit for more than four years in DA’s office.

Ms. Rajeswari  was born in Chennai and had migrated to United States when she was 16. Apart from her legal acumen, she is also an accomplished Bharathanatyam and Kucchipudi dancer.

Currently, there are two male judges of Indian descent in civil court settings. They are Jaya Madhavan in the New York City Housing Court in Bronx County and Anil C. Singh of 1st District of New York County Supreme Court.

Tags: Indian Diaspora • Persons in News • United States

NGT bans burning of waste in Delhi NCRShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 29, 2015No comments

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered a complete ban on burning of any kind of garbage, leaves, plastic waste and rubber in the open in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR).

This decision of NGT bench headed by its chairperson Swatanter Kumar comes in line with a series of orders to control air pollution in the Delhi- NCR and on an application by a person identified as Vardhaman Kaushik.

In this regard, NGT also has directed authorities to levy a fine of Rs 5,000 on anyone found burning such material in the open.

NGT also mentioned that burning of garbage and other material like plastic in open accounts for nearly 30% of the air pollution in the capital and its suburbs.

Earlier, NGT had banned over 15-year-old petrol vehicles and over 10-year-old diesel vehicles from plying on Delhi-NCR roads and also had issued detailed guidelines to tackle air pollution from construction activity in the Delhi-NCR area.

Tags: Delhi • Environment • NGT

Railways win 5th Senior Men’s National Hockey championshipShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 29, 2015No comments

Railway Sports Promotion Board has won the 5th Senior Men’s National Hockey Championship 2015.

In the final match, they defeated Uttar Pradesh Hockey by 5-3 goals which was played at Pune.

While in this championship, the 3rd Position was secured by Air India Sports Promotion Board who had outplayed Hockey Gangpur-Odisha by 5-3 goals.

Individual awardees in this tournament are

Best Goal Keeper- Arpit Chaudhari of Jharkhand. Best Defender- Amit Rohidas of Railway Sports Promotion Board. Best mid Fielder- Jasjeet Singh of Railway Sports Promotion Board. Best Forward- Lalit Upadhyay of Utter Pradesh.

Promising player of the championship- Vikramjeet Singh of Punjab. Promising player from Maharashtra- Akash Chikate.

Tags: Hockey • Indian Railways • Sports • Uttar Pradesh

Novelist Siddhartha Gigoo wins 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize in Asia regionShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 28, 2015No comments

Novelist Siddhartha Gigoo has won 2500 pounds 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize in Asia region for his novel Umbrella Man.

With this win he will compete with the other four regional winners for the 5000 pounds grand prize which will be announced in London on 8 September 2015.

Other region winners are

African Region: Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria) for Light. Canada and Europe Region: Jonathan Tel (UK) for The Human Phonograph. Caribbean Region: Kevin Jared Hosein (Trinidad) for The King of Settlement 4. Pacific Region: Mary Rokonadravu (Fiji) for Famished Eels.

About Siddhartha Gigoo

Born in 1974 in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. He had studied English Literature at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Gigoo’s first novel was The Garden of Solitude, first published in 2011. He also has written two poetry books, Fall and Other Poems (1994) and Reflections (1995).

Gigoo also had produced and directed a short film The Last Day. His recent film is titled Goodbye, Mayfly.

Tags: awards • Jammu & Kashmir • Novelist

ISRO successfully tests indigenous cryogenic engine with four-tonne capacityShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 28, 20153 Comments

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 28 April 2015 successfully tested an indigenous cryogenic engine.

The powerful version of the cryogenic engine was tested successfully at ISRO’s propulsion complex at Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. A team headed by Director D Karthikesan had led the testing.

This engine will allow launch vehicles to carry satellites of up to capacity of four tonnes in geostationary orbit. It will also give boost to India’s interplanetary probes and manned space missions.

Facts about cryogenic engine

A cryogenic engine is more efficient as it provides more thrust for every kilogram of propellant burnt.

Cryogenic fuels are extremely clean as they give out only water while burning. The engine uses liquid oxygen at -2530C and liquid hydrogen at -1830C

It can develop the thrust needed in the final state of the rocket to put satellites, weighing two tonnes or more, into a geosynchronous orbit.

It is essential to master this technology for any space power as launching heavier satellites requires cryogenic engines even in the lower stages of the rocket.

It will also make India self-reliant in sending heavier satellites to the required orbits and eliminate need of dependence on foreign launch vehicles.

It should be noted that India sixth spacefarer after US, Russia, the European Space Agency, China and Japan to develop a cryogenic engine.

Earlier in January 2015, India had successfully launched GSLV-D5, the first successful launch vehicle with an indigenous cryogenic engine. But it had capacity to launch satellites of up to two tonnes.

Tags: ISRO • Science & technology • Space technology

ank (RRB) from Rs 5 crore to Rs 2000 crore divided into Rs 200 crore of fully paid share of Rs 10 each.

As per the parent Act the Rs 5 crore share capital of RRBs is split into 5 lakh shares of Rs 100 each.

Issued capital: It also provides that the authorised capital issued by any RRB’s shall not be reduced below Rs 1 crore and shares in all cases to be fully paid up shares of Rs 10 each.

Shareholding: The Bill allows RRBs to raise capital from sources other than the central and state governments, and sponsor banks.

Board of directors: The Bill adds provision that any person who is a director of an RRB is not eligible to be on the Board of Directors of another RRB.

It also mentions that directors will be elected by shareholders based on the total amount of equity share capital issued to such shareholders.

Tenure of directors: The bill raises the tenure of directors to 3 years from existing 2 years. The Bill also states that no director can hold office for a total period exceeding six years.

Closure and balancing of books: The parent Act had provision which mentioned that the balance books of RRBs should be closed and balanced by 31st December every year.

However this amendment bill changes this date to 31st March in order to bring RRB’s balancing of books in uniformity with the financial year.

It should be noted that the parent Act of 1976 mainly has provisions for the incorporation, regulation and winding up of RRBs.

Tags: Bills and Amendments • Lok Sabha • Parliament • Rajya Sabha

Parliament passes Payments and Settlement Bill, 2014Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 28, 2015No comments

Parliament has passed Payments and Settlement Bill, 2014. It was first passed in Lok Sabha on December 9, 2014 and later in Rajya Sabha on April 27, 2015.

The bill seeks to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

The bill aims at

Addressing the problem of insolvency in the payment and settlement system by increasing transparency and stability in it.

Bringing India’s banking payment system in sync with international practices.

Key facts of Bill

Seeks to improve the payment and settlement systems by increasing transparency and stability of Indian financial market.

Has provision to protect funds collected from the customers by the payment system providers and to extend the Act to cover trade repository and legal entity identifier issuer. A Legal Entity Identifier will be a unique ID associated with a single corporate entity.

Mentions that the decision of the court, tribunal or any authority will not impact the settlement which had become final prior to the issuance of the order.

Ensure that if a system participant becomes insolvent, the dues of people whose money is with it would be cleared first.

Norms of banking as well as companies laws would not be applicable till such dues are cleared.

Capgemini acquires IGATE for $4 bn in all-cash dealShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 28, 2015No comments

French IT services firm Capgemini has announced its plan to acquire US based information technology (IT) outsourcer IGATE for US 4 billion dollars.

This acquisition will help Capgemini to strengthen its foothold in the North American market.

As per the merger agreement, Capgemini will acquire IGATE for a cash consideration of $ 48 per share and the whole transaction will amount to $4 billion.

This transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2015 and will be financed through a combination of cash and equity.

The combined entity will have revenue of estimated 12.5 billion euros in 2015 and around 1.9 lakh employees.

This merger is also one of the largest in the Indian IT sector. This acquisition will also provide Capgemini offshore capabilities to compete with IBM, Accenture and large Indian infotech services players.

Tags: Business • IT sector

Loretta Lynch sworn-in as first black female Attorney General of USShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 28, 2015No comments

Loretta Lynch has sworn-in as United States’ first African-American woman Attorney General. She is 83rd Attorney General of country.

Loretta Lynch succeeded Eric Holder who left the position on April 24, 2015 after serving Attorney General for six years. Earlier, her appointment was confirmed by senate on April 23, 2015.

Prior to this appointment she had served as US Attorney for the eastern district of New York, which encompasses much part of New York City.

Lynch was born on May 21, 1959 in Greensboro, North Carolina. She is graduate from Harvard College in 1981 and holds Bachelor of Arts in English and American literature. She also holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School (1984).

Tags: Persons in News • United States

Sudan President Omar al-Bashir re-elected with 94 percent of voteShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 28, 2015No comments

Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has won Presidential re-election by securing 94 per cent of the vote.

With this win he will have additional term of five years in office which will extend his current 25-year rule. He is in power since 1989.

In this election Omar’s National Congress Party (NCP) also won 323 of 426 parliamentary seats.

Omar is facing war crimes charges and is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of ordering genocide in the Darfur conflict in 2003 in which the UN estimates 300,000 people had died and more than two million displaced.

Election summary

The voting was for four-day and had started on 13th April 2015. Sudanese opposition had boycotted this election. Official voter turnout in this election was low at 46%.

Tags: International • Sudan

Union government cancels licences of 9,000 NGOsShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 28, 2015No comments

The Union government has cancelled licences of nearly 9,000 Non-Governmental Organisations for violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

In this regards, Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had issued an order. The order has mentioned that notices were issued to 10,343 NGOs for not filing annual returns for the three years i.e. for 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12.

These notices were served to the NGOs in October 2014 and had asked NGOs to file their annual returns for mentioned years. They were also asked to specify amount of foreign funds received, sources of funds and the purpose for which they were received and manner in which they were utilised.

However, to this notices only 229 NGOs replied out of the 10,344 NGOs leading to cancellation of their registration.

Tags: Ministry of Home Affairs • NGOs

Indian Army conducts Akraman–II defense exercise in RajasthanShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 27, 2015No comments

Indian Army on 26 April 2015 conducted a major exercise ‘Akraman-II’ in Rajasthan.

The exercise was conducted by the Chetak Corps, a part of South Western Command based in Bhatinda, Punjab.

The exercise aimed to test a new generation of weaponry and platforms which are employed in the desert region to provide ‘real time battle and situational awareness’ to its commanders.

In this exercise more than 300 Combat Vehicles including Main Battle Tanks, Long Range Artillery Guns participated along with 10,000 troops.

The Akraman-II exercise also tested the capabilities of Indian Air Force in launching deep insertion of helicopter-borne and airborne army units.

The exercise envisaged at orchestration of an integrated battle field scenario in network-centric environment.

This orchestrated environment was an integration of reconnaissance, electronic warfare & surveillance and communication assets in order to provide real time battle and situational awareness to commanders.

Tags: Indian Army • Military • Rajasthan

NTPC flags off Mobile Science labs to revolutionize rural educationShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 27, 20151 Comment

India’s largest power producer, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) flagged off a Mobile Science Lab (MSL) as part of its efforts to promote scientific learning.

MSL seeks to revolutionize rural education in India and make hands-on learning accessible to underprivileged children.

Union Minister for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal flagged off three Mobile Service Labs.

MSL is a vehicle fitted with LCD TV and is carrying working science models that give emphasis to curiosity-based learning for children in rural India.

These three labs will be deployed at NTPC’s ongoing projects at Darlipalli, Pakri Barwadih and Kahalgaon through Agastya International Foundation.

Each of the MSL will cover a set of about 20 schools around NTPC project and generate exposure to about 16000 students per year. While in next three years more than 1,40,000 student exposure will be generated in order to enhance the level of curiosity and creativity among children. These mobile science labs will have the instructors from neighborhood community of deployment.

Tags: Education • NTPC • Science • Socio-Economic

Yashwant Sinha gets highest French honour of Officier de la Légion d’HonneurShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 27, 2015No comments

French Government has honoured former Union Finance Minister and veteran BJP leader Yashwant Sinha with Officier de la Légion d’Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour).

It is the highest French civilian distinction bestowed upon him in recognition of his international action taken during his stint as Union Minister of Finance, Minister External Foreign Affairs and for his invaluable contribution to international issues.

The honour was given to Sinha by French Ambassador to India François Richier in Delhi.

Sinha as External Affairs (from 2002-2004) had chaired Indo-French Parliamentary Friendship Group since its very inception (from 2009-2014).

He had contributed in deepening of the Indo-French strategic partnership which was launched during the visit of  them Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Paris in September 1998.

About Officier de la Légion d’Honneur

Officier de la Légion d’Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour) was created in 1802 by first emperor of France Napoleon Bonaparte.

It is the highest civilian award given by the French government to person for his outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality.

Tags: awards • France • India-France

Bharatiya Mahila Bank wins Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 27, 2015No comments

Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) has won The Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015.

The award was presented to the BMB in the Technology Implementation category of Best Outsourcing Project (New Bank).

Usha Ananthasubramanian, Chairman and Managing Director of BMB received the award at a function held in Hongkong as a part of The Asian Banker Summit 2015.

About Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB)

BMB is India’s first all-women public sector bank and was formally launched on November 19, 2013.

Its objective is to focus on the banking needs of the women and promote economic empowerment.

It also seeks to address the gender related issues and will be helpful in financial inclusion. In Budget 2013-14, Union Government had approved Rs 1,000-crore seed capital for the bank. Headquarter of Bharatiya Mahila Bank is located in New Delhi.

Tags: Award • Banking • Socio-Economic • Women Related Issues

Norway’s Magnus Carlsen wins Shamkir chess tournament in AzerbaijanShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 27, 2015No comments

World champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway on 26 April 2015 won the Shamkir Chess tournament held in Azerbaijan.

In the ninth and final round, he defeated Rauf Mamedov of Azerbaijan in 35 moves and scored seven points.

Former world champion Viswanathan Anand finished second in this tournament after he drew against Fabiano Caruana of Italy.

With this win, Magnus Carlsen took his rating to 2875 points and Viswanathan Anand entered the 2800 rating club to gain number two in world ranking.

About Shamkir Chess tournament

Shamkir Chess tournament is played Shamkir in Azerbaijan and also known as the Gashimov Memorial.

It was established in 2014 and is played in the honour of Vugar Gashimov (1986-2014). The total prize fund for the tournament is 100,000 euros and held in a double round robin

format.

Tags: Azerbaijan • Chess • Sports

Indian-Origin Scientist Sangeeta Bhatia wins Heinz Award 2015Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 27, 2015No comments

Sangeeta Bhatia, an Indian-Origin scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has won prestigious Heinz award for year 2015.

She had won this award for her work in tissue engineering and disease detection in the Technology, the Economy, and Employment category of the award.

Ms Bhatia’s team has developed artificial human microlivers for drug testing. These artificial microlivers are being used to test the toxicity of drug candidates by many biopharmaceutical companies.

She is also using these microlivers to model malaria infection and test drugs that can eradicate malaria parasites completely in the laboratory.

This model seeks to eradicate malaria parasites completely as the reservoirs of parasite remains in the liver even after a patient’s symptoms subside.

About Heinz Award

Heinz Award is an annual award established in 1993 and given by the Heinz Family Foundation. Every year it hounours and recognize outstanding individuals for their innovative contributions

in five areas. They are Environment, Public Policy, Arts and Humanities, Human Condition and the Economy, Technology and Employment.

The award carries a cash prize of US 2, 50, 000 dollars and a medallion.

Tags: awards • Diseases • Indian Diaspora • Science & technology

Peter Jan Graaff of Netherlands appointed as head of UN Mission for Ebola Emergency ResponseShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 27, 2015No comments

United Nations (UN) has nominated Peter Jan Graaff of the Netherlands as the new chief of UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER).

He will replace Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed who was recently appointed as special UN envoy for Yemen.

With this appointment, Peter Jan Graaff  will work closely with Special Envoy on Ebola David Nabarro, along with governments in the region.

Since October 2014, Graaff had served as Ebola crisis manager for Liberia, one of the African countries which were affected by the Ebola epidemic along with Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Previously Graaff had worked for the World Health Organisation (WHO) in several African countries, Afghanistan and Haiti. He also had led the Civil Affairs and Development team for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Some facts about Ebola epidemic

As per WHO estimates, more than 26,000 people have been infected with Ebola since the outbreak which began late in 2013.

In this epidemic more than 10,800 people have died since its outbreak. More than 99 per cent of the death cases were reported in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Tags: Africa • Diseases • Ebola • Guinea • Liberia • Netherlands • Sierra Leone • United Nations • WHO

India’s rescue operation in quake-hit Nepal named as Operation MaitriShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 27, 2015No comments

Indian Army has named the rescue and aid to Nepal ‘Operation Maitri’ or friendship which was aftermath of 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal.

This operation will involve number of Indian military aircraft and choppers along with bus services through road route.

Along with them more than 1000 trained personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will also take part in this operation.

Under the operation, a Multi-National Coordination Centre (MNCC) has been set up. In addition, for relief operations Head-quarters has been established in PPO Pokhra.

Since the launch of operation more than 1000 Indian citizens have been safely flown from Nepal.

It should be noted that India was the first nation to respond to the earthquake crisis in Nepal, by launching a full-fledged rescue and relief.

Tags: Disaster Management • Indian Army • NDRF • Nepal

India’s S. Sarjubala and Pinki Jangra clinch gold medals at President’s Cup International Boxing in IndonesiaShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 27, 2015No comments

India’s Shamjetsabam Sarjubala and Pinki Jangra have clinched gold medals at the 22nd President’s Cup Open International Boxing Tournament held in Indonesia.

Pinki Jangra won the gold medal in 51kg category by defeating Mongolia’s Nandintsetseg by 2-1 score.

On the other hand, Shamjetsabam Sarjubala won the gold medal in 48kg category by defeating Russia’s Iseva Joya in the final match played at Palembang, South Sumatra.

Both of them helped India to win two gold medals in 22nd President’s Cup Open International Boxing Tournament.

In this edition of tournament, more than 130 boxers from 30 countries had participated.

The other Indians who had participated were Preeti Beniwal (60 kg), Bilao Basumatary (57 kg) and Priya Dayal (54 kg). But, failed to enter into the medal rounds.

Tags: Boxing • Indonesia • Sports

7.8 magnitude earthquake struck NepalShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 26, 2015No comments

A high-intensity earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale had struck central Nepal between its capital Kathmandu and the city of Pokhara on 25 April 2015.

Earthquake’s epicenter was 80 kilometers east of Pokhra near Kathmandu. It had a depth of only 11 kilometers (7 miles) i.e. in geological terms it was a shallow depth.

The intensity of this earthquake was high due to its shallower depth which had more destructive power. It has resulted in thousands of deaths and tremendous loss of property.

The tremors of this quake were felt in north Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Haryana, and Punjab. The tremors were also reported in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Earlier, Nepal had suffered its worst recorded earthquake in 1934. It was measured 8.0 and had destroyed the cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan.

Reasons for catastrophic earthquake in Nepal

This earthquake in Nepal may have occurred because of two converging tectonic plates, the India plate and the overriding Eurasian plate.

These tectonic plates are the large, thin, relatively rigid and are moving relative to one another on the outer surface of the Earth. Both of these plates are slowly moving and sometimes get stuck at their edges due to friction.

Earthquake might have occured because of these overriding plates after the stress on the edge overcomes the friction. It releases tremendous energy in form of waves that travel through the Earth’s crust and causes earthquake on the surface.

Tags: Disaster Management • India • Nepal

Bank of Baroda ties up with UAE Exchange for instant money transferShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 26, 2015No comments

Leading Indian public sector bank Bank of Baroda (BoB) has partnered with UAE Exchange to offer Non-resident Indian (NRI) customers an instant cash transfer facility.

In this regard agreement was signed between both parties. This agreement will facilitate customers can send money within minutes to their desired bank accounts in BoB in India.

This facility is also supported by SMS alert, which will notify the moment the amount is credited in the bank account of desired customer.

UAE Exchange is a global remittance and foreign exchange (FOREX) company. It serves over 7.9 million customers worldwide and currently has presence in 32 countries with over 750 branches across 32 countries.

Currently, Bank of Baroda (BoB) has a network of more than 5,000 branches across United States, Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia. Its financial centres are located in cities like New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai.

Tags: Banking • FOREX remittances

50th Jnanpith Award conferred on Marathi litterateur Bhalchandra NemadeShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 26, 2015No comments

50th Jnanpith Award was conferred on eminent Marathi litterateur Bhalchandra Nemade on 25 April 2015.

He was presented award comprising of 11 lakh rupees and a citation plaque and a bronze replica of Saraswati by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a function in Parliament House Complex in New Delhi.

His novel, Kosala, written in 1963 is considered as a path breaking in Marathi literature.

About Bhalchandra Nemade

He was born in 1938 in the village of Jalgoan district of Maharashtra. He completed his bachelor’s degree from Fergusson College, Pune and received PhD and D.Lit.

degrees from North Maharashtra University. He had taught English, Marathi, and comparative literature at various universities including the

School of Oriental and African Studies at London and retired from Mumbai University’s Gurudeo Tagore Chair for comparative literature studies.

In the 1960s, he had edited Marathi magazine Vacha.

His work

Novel Collection- Kosla, Bidhar, Hool, Jarila, Jhool, Hindu- Jagnyachi Samruddha Adgal. Poem Collection- Melody, Dekhani. Criticism Collection- Teekaswayamvar, Sahityachi Bhasha, Tukaram, The Influence of English on

Marathi: A Sociolinguistic and Stylistic Study, Indo-Anglian Writings: Two Lectures, Prasaranga Prakashan, Mysore, Nativism (Desivad).

Awards- He has received Sahitya Akademi Award (1990) for his critical work Teeka Svayanwar. He was also awarded Padma Shri (2011).

It should be noted that Bhalchandra Nemade is the 4th Marathi writer to receive the honour. Others are

Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar (1974) for his work Yayati. Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar (1987). He is famously known as Kusumagraj.

Vinda Karandikar (2003).

Tags: awards • Persons in News

Anil Kapoor conferred with Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award 2015Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 26, 2015No comments

Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor conferred with prestigious Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award 2015.

He was presented the award by noted historian and writer Babasaheb Purandare.

Apart from Anil Kapoor, veteran Marathi actor Dilip Prabhavalkar was also bestowed with the prestigious Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award 2015.

About Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Award

Master Dinanath Mangeshkar was instituted in 1999 in memory of Dinanath Mangeshkar, father of Lata Mangeshkar.

Since then it is awarded annually to persons for their outstanding contributions to music and movies.

The awards carries monetary award of Rs 101 001, memento and citation. Dinanath Mangeshkar was born on December 29, 1900 and died on April 24, 1942. The award

ceremony is held annually on 24 April.

In 2014, the award was given to Bollywood legend Rishi Kapoor and eminent musician Zakir Hussain.

Tags: awards • Bollywood • Entertainment

Gopinath Pillai awarded ‘Outstanding Service Award’ for his services in SingaporeShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 26, 2015No comments

Indian-origin diplomat Gopinath Pillai was awarded ‘Outstanding Service Award’ for his services by the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Current he is serving as Ambassador-at-Large of Singapore and special envoy to Andhra Pradesh.

About Gopinath Pillai

Gopinath Pillai was born in Singapore to Indian parents and had spent eight years of his childhood in Kerala.

In 1961, he is graduate from University of Malaya and holds degree of Bachelor of Arts (BA). He had started his career as a journalist with Reuters. He also has worked in a number of fields

including banking and currently is chairman of IT company Savant Infocomm and is Director of Gateway Distriparks Ltd in India.

Pillai has significantly contributed to Singapore through his distinguished service as a diplomat for more than 25 years.

His diplomatic career started in 1980s with an assignment with Singapore’s Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Foreign Affairs.

He had served as the non-resident Ambassador to Iran from 1990 to 2008. Later, he had served as the Singapore High Commissioner to Pakistan. Awards: He was conferred with Padma Shri in 2012 by the Government of India.

Tags: awards • Indian Diaspora • Singapore

Rajya Sabha passes The Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 25, 20151 Comment

Rajya Sabha on 24 April 2015 unanimously passed The Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014 by voice vote.

It should be noted that it was a private member’s bill moved by DMK MP Tiruchi Shiva to protect the rights of transgender persons.

It is the first private members bill to be passed in 46 years. In the past, 14 Private Members’ Bills have been passed. Now, the bill will go to the Lok Sabha for the passage.

Key features of the Bill

Seeks to provide framework for the formulation and implementation of a comprehensive national policy for ensuring overall development of the transgender persons and their welfare.

Two percent reservation in primary, secondary and higher education and in government jobs. Establishment of Employment Exchange, National and State Commissions for Trasngender

Persons and Special Transgender Rights Courts. No child who is transgender will be separated from his or her parents on the grounds of being a

transgender except on an order of competent court. Penalty for hate speech against transgender persons includes imprisonment extending upto one

year and with fine.

This bill will help government take necessary steps in order to ensure that transgender persons enjoy the right to life with dignity and to personal liberty guaranteed by the Constitution.

It should be noted that 29 nations and leading democracies in the world including US, UK, Canada, France, Australia, Italy and Singapore have legislations protecting rights of transgender persons.

Tags: Bills and Acts • Rajya Sabha • Socio-Economic

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates India’s Healthcare Tourism PortalShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 25, 2015No comments

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 April 2015 inaugurated India’s Healthcare Tourism Portal www.indiahealthcaretourism.com at the ‘SAAARC Trade Mart’ in the Global Exhibition on Services (GES).

It was inaugurated on the occasion of three-day Global Exhibition on Services (GES) that commenced on 23 April, 2015 in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

Key facts about Healthcare Tourism Portal

The portal is developed by the Union Government’s Department of Commerce and the Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC).

It is a comprehensive one-point information site that covers hospital and travel-related information in India.

Presently, it covers 124 accredited medical facilities. It includes 93 medical centers, 30 Ayurveda and Wellness centers and 1 special category center.

Among these medical facilities 74 facilities are located in Tier I cites and the rest are in Tier II cities.

These covered accredited medical facilities on portal are easily locatable. It is also easy to find by search options by location, medical specialty, key procedures, language options etc.

Details such as costs related to treatment in hospitals, visa and travel formalities, tariff options on stay etc are also mentioned on the portal.

Tags: Healthcare • SAARC • Tourism

India-Bangladesh join hands to protect spectacled LangurShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 25, 2015No comments

India and Bangladesh have decided to take concerted conservation efforts to protect the rare spectacled Langur.

These conservation efforts will be taken to protect this species of Langur found in Patharia Hills Reserve Forest on either side of the fenced border along both nations in Karimganj district of Assam’s Barak Valley.

Decision in this regard was taken into effect at the meeting of higher officials of both countries.

The primary focus of this conservation effort is to preserve the habitat for the survival of the primates in the Patharia Hills Reserve Forest that is posing a major threat to the wildlife present in the forest.

It also seeks to spread awareness campaigns which will be conducted in the fringe villages to urge people not to destroy the forests for firewood.

Spectacled Monkey is popularly known as the ‘Chasme vala bandar’. They have white spectacle like patches around the eyes.

The Patheria Hills reserve Forest is spread over an area of around seven thousand hectares on the Indian side and consists of two blocks Patheria ‘A’ and ‘B’.

It is only the forest in Assam, where the Spectacled Monkey is found while Mizoram and Tripura are the other two states in the country where it inhabits.

Apart from spectacled Langur, the reserve forest is also home to the endangered Hoolock Gibbon and Golden Langur.

It should be noted that Golden langue is one of endangered primate species in India.

Tags: Assam • Environment • India-Bangladesh

India ranked 117 in World Happiness Report 2015Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 25, 20152 Comments

India was placed at 117th position in the recently released World Happiness Report 2015 among the 158 studied nations.

The report was published by the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

Key facts from report

Top five countries: Switzerland (1st), Iceland (2nd), Denmark (3rd), Norway (4th) and Canada (5th).

Bottom five countries: Rwanda (154th), Benin (155th), Syria (156th), Burundi (157th) and Togo (158th).

Other countries: United States (15th), United Kingdom (21th), Japan (46th) and China (84th). India is ranked below countries like Pakistan (81st), Bangladesh (109th), Ukraine (111th) and

Iraq (112th).

About World Happiness Report

The report aims at influencing government policy. The report is prepared based upon study undertaken by Gallup World Poll. The data is used to ranked nations based upon variables such as real GDP per capita, healthy life

expectancy, corruption levels and social freedoms.

Tags: Canada • Denmark • Iceland • India • Norway • Switzerland

Assam awarded as Best e-Panchayat state on National Panchayati Raj DiwasShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 25, 2015No comments

State of Assam has been awarded as the Best e-Panchayat state on 25 April 2015 on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Diwas.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the award to state Rural Development minister Rakibul Hussain in New Delhi.

Apart from this award, 8 Panchayat Raj Institutes of state also received Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Shasaktikaran award.

These panchayat raj institutes are – Agomoni Anchalik Parishad, Morigaon Zila Parishad, Ketri Gaon Panchayat, Mayong Gaon Panchayat, Boitamari Anchalik Parishad, Halakula Gaon Panchayat, Chandrapur Gaon Panchayat and Baghara Gaon Panchayat.

Tags: Assam • e-governance

25 April: World Malaria DayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 25, 2015No comments

Every year World Malaria Day (WMD) is observed on 25 April. The day is observed to recognise the global efforts to control preventable disease malaria. The theme of this year WMD-2015 is “Invest in the Future and Defeat Malaria”.

This day also seeks to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for elimination and control of malaria.

WHO also had called on the global health community to urgently address significant gaps in the treatment, prevention and diagnosis of malaria.

Background

World Malaria Day was instituted in 2007 by World Health Organization (WHO) member nations during World Health Assembly.

This day is one of the eight official global public health campaigns currently marked by the WHO.

Some facts

As per United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report more than 1200 children die every day worldwide from Malaria. At least three quarters of malaria deaths occur in children under 5.

According to the recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2000, Malaria deaths worldwide have declined by 47 percent. In Africa alone, Malaria deaths during the period declined by 54 percent.

Tags: Days and Events • Diseases • Events and Observances • WHO

Calbuco volcano erupts in ChileShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 24, 2015No comments

Calbuco volcano in southern Chile erupted on 23 April 2015 for the first time after more than 42 years.

It had erupted twice in the space of a few hours which led to billowing of huge ash cloud over a sparsely populated, mountainous area in southern Chile.

Chilean Government authorities after the eruption have ordered evacuation of the 1,500 inhabitants of the nearby towns.

Facts about Calbuco Volcano

Calbuco Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes of the Southern Chilean Andes. It is 2015 metre high and is capped by 400-500 metre wide summit crater. It also considered as one of the top three most potentially dangerous among Chile’s 90 active

volcanos. It had erupted last time in 1972.

It should be noted that Chile has the second largest chain of volcanoes in the world after Indonesia which has about 500 that are potentially active. Both countries fall on the Ring of Fire.

Tags: Chile • Disaster Management • Natural Disaster

Russia, Argentina sign agreements on economic & energy co-operationShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 24, 2015No comments

Russia and Argentina have signed a series of framework agreements on economic and energy co-operation.

These agreements were signed following talks between Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and her counterpart Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Both leaders hailed their co-operation as a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The signed agreements include

Russian investment in a hydroelectric plant in Argentina’s Neuquen River. Russia’s Rosatom nuclear corporation to build a new reactor at Argentina’s Atucha 3

nuclear power plant. Memorandum of co-operation (MoC) on defence between both nations.

Comment

Russia is eager to boost trade and economic relations with Latin American countries to offset the effects of sanctions imposed by the West over the crisis in Ukraine. While, Argentina is looking for foreign investment in order to restructure its defaulted debt because of US hedge funds.

Tags: Argentina • Economy • Nuclear Power • Russia

India fourth largest supplier of generic medicines to US: GovernmentShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 24, 2015No comments

India has emerged as the fourth largest supplier of generic medicines to the United States.

It was announced by Minister of State (MoS) for Chemicals and Fertilizers Hansraj Ahir gave this information in the Rajya Sabha in reply to a question.

India’s generic medicines exports have touched over US 4 billion dollars in 2013-14 in spite of stringent regulatory measures imposed by US.

Union Government also announced that Indian pharmaceutical companies are already exporting generic medicines to Africa, West Asia and European countries.

Tags: Business • India • Pharma sector • Rajya Sabha • US

Union Government allows EPFO to invest 5% corpus in stock marketsShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 24, 2015No comments

Union Government has allowed Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), India’s retirement fund body to invest five per cent of its corpus in exchange traded funds i.e. in stock markets.

In this regard, Union Labour ministry has notified the new investment pattern for the EPFO.

The new pattern allows EPFO to invest 5% of its incremental income in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) from the current financial year i.e. 2015-16.

This limit will start from 1% with an effect from April 1, 2015 and reach upto 5% by the end of the FY 2015-16.

This decision of Union Government will result in an inflow of around 5000 crore rupees into the stock markets during this fiscal.

The EPFO has more than 5 crore subscribers across the country and has a corpus of over Rs 6 lakh crore.

Tags: Business • Stock Exchange

National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology inks MoU with SnapdealShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 24, 20151 Comment

National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) on 23 April 2015 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with e-commerce giant Snapdeal to roll out digital marketing courses.

The MoU aims at helping small and medium enterprises/businesses and artisans who want to take the online route to become entrepreneurs.

Snapdeal by being a knowledge partner will provide inputs on the course and will facilitate industry interactions for the participants.

These digital marketing courses will help

To widen participants’ business prospects by teaching them the nuances of using online space to market and sell their products. Thus it will indirectly to eliminate the need for middlemen/brokers to sell their products.

Trainees understand the fundamentals of digital marketing and effectively utilise the online sales channel.

To begin with, the course will be launched in six centres across India. They are Srinagar, New Delhi, Calicut, Chennai Aurangabad and Kolkata.

Tags: Business • Economy • IT sector

India and France begin naval exercise ‘Varuna’Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 24, 2015No comments

10-day naval exercise ‘Varuna’ between India and France began on 23 April 2015 off the Goa coast.

It is the fourteenth edition of this naval exercise which will host of naval assets of both countries and will conclude on 3 May 2015.

Scope of exercise: It will include the entire gamut of various maritime operations from aircraft carrier operations, maritime interdiction operations, anti-submarines warfare exercises to multi-ship replenishment exercise.

Key facts

French Navy’s Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle with its fighter aircraft Rafale M, E2C Hawkeye AWACS and helicopters Dauphin, Strike Aircraft Super Etendard and Alouette 3 is going to take part.

Apart from it two destroyers Chevalier Paul and Jean de Vienne, replenishment tanker Meuse and a maritime patrol aircraft Atlantique 2 are also going to take part.

From Indian side fleet of aircraft carrier INS Viraat, destroyer INS Mumbai and stealth frigate INS Tarkash are going to take part.

Apart from them submarine INS Shankul, guided missile frigate INS Gomati, replenishment tanker INS Deepak and a few Fast Attack Craft are also participating.

Indian Navy’s carrier-borne fighter aircrafts like Sea Harriers, maritime reconnaissance aircraft P-8I and Dorniers along with integral helicopters Chetak and Seaking 42B are also be participating.

About Varuna naval exercise

Following the establishment of strategic partnership in 1998 between both countries, every year Indian Navy and French Navy are conducting naval exercises.

In 2001, the naval exercise was named as ‘Varuna’. Thirteenth edition of this naval exercise was conducted in the Mediterranean Sea.

Tags: Defense • India-France • Indian Navy

First battalion of Gorkha rifles celebrates Bicentenary yearShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 24, 2015No comments

First Battalion the First Gorkha Rifles (1/1 GR) on 24 April 2015 celebrated its Bicentenary at Pathankot, Punjab.

To mark this day, hundreds of serving and veteran Officers, Junior Commissioned Officers and Other Ranks of the battalion both from India and Nepal attended the function.

Bicentenary celebrations of the battalion commenced with a solemn memorial service in honour of the martyrs.

About First Gorkha Rifles Battalion

The First Gorkha Rifles Battalion was raised on 24 April 1815. It was raised from the remnants of Gorkha General Amar Singh Thapa’s forces that had valiantly

fought the British at the Malaun Fort near Shimla in the Anglo Nepal War of 1814-16. Later the raising of battalion had signalled the birth of present day Gorkha Brigade which is also

present in Bristish Army apart from Indian Army. In last two Centuries, the battalion had shown its gallant actions in various fields of battle across

the world including in two World Wars, the Indo-Pak wars and in the conflicts of the sub-conventional realm.

After independence, the Gorkha Regiments have been awarded numerous awards and medals. It includes 3 Param Vir Chakras, 33 Maha Vir Chakras, and 84 Vir Chakras.

Tags: Days and Events • Events and Observances

24 April: National Panchayati Raj DiwasShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 24, 2015No comments

Every year April 24 is being observed as National Panchayati Raj (PR) Diwas across India.

This day marks the passing of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force with effect from 24 April 1993.

This amendment had led a defining moment in the history of India which helped in decentralization of political power to the grassroots level. In turn it had lead to

institutionalization of Panchayati Raj (PR) through the village, Intermediate and District level Panchayats.

On this day Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj organises National Conference every year to commemorate the National Panchayati Raj Diwas.

Best performing Gram Panchayats are conferred with Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Purskar by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj on this day.

Tags: Days and Events • Observances

Indian-American Dr. Vivek Murthy takes oath as US Surgeon GeneralShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 23, 2015No comments

Indian-American Dr. Vivek Murthy was sworn-in as the US Surgeon General on 23 April 2015.

He was administered oath by US Vice President Joe Biden at a ceremony held at Fort Myer in Virginia.

Vivek Murthy is 19th US Surgeon General and youngest-ever (37-year-old) to become in- charge of the country’s public health. With this appointment he is also the highest ranking Indian-American in the Obama Administration.

About Dr. Vivek Murthy

Born: July 10, 1977 in Huddersfield, United Kingdom.

Education: He holds BA from Harvard University, an MBA from Yale School of Management, and an MD from Yale School of Medicine.

Career: Prior to this appointment Dr Murthy was physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and a Hospitalist Attending Physician and Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

In 2009, he founded Doctors for America, a group of 15,000 physicians and medical students supporting comprehensive health reforms of US President Barack Obama.

It should be noted that U.S. surgeon general does not set any government policy but is an advocate for the people’s health. He is nominated by US President and confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate and has term of four-years.

Tags: Indian Diaspora • United States

NASA develops first 3-D printed copper rocket engine partShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 23, 2015No comments

NASA engineers have developed the first full-scale three dimensional (3-D) printed copper rocket engine part.

The part developed was a combustion chamber liner that operates at extreme temperatures and pressures using additive manufacturing technique.

Combustion chamber was manufactured by using selective laser melting machine in the Laboratory located in Marshall Space Flight Centre’s Materials and Processing.

The machine had fused 8,255 layers of copper powder to make the chamber in 10 days and 18 hours.

The raw material used was GRCo-84, a copper alloy created by scientists at NASA’s Glenn Research Centre in Ohio. This alloy has an extensive materials characterization which helped engineers to validate the 3-D printing processing parameters and ensure build quality.

3-D printing or additive manufacturing technique has the potential to reduce the time and cost of making rocket parts. It can help to manufacture engine parts 10 times faster and reduce the cost by more than 50 per cent.

Tags: NASA • Space technology

Union Cabinet approves lowering of age of Juveniles from 18 to 16 years for heinous crimesShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 23, 2015No comments

Union Cabinet has approved lowering of age of juveniles from eighteen to sixteen years for heinous crimes. Decision in this regard was taken by Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The cabinet also approved to introduce Amendment to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014.

This amendment will propose and add special provisions to tackle heinous offences like murder and rape committed by juveniles in the age group of 16-18 years.

The proposed bill will amend the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000. The parent Act clearly defines and classifies offences as serious, petty and heinous and defines differentiated processes for each classified category.

While the amendments in the bill adds provisions that in case a heinous crime committed by a person between 16 and 18 years, will be examined by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) to assess if the crime was committed as a child or as an adult.

Then the trial of the case will take place as a juvenile or as an adult on basis of JJBs assessment and decide whether the culprit should be sent to observation home or tried in a regular court.

Background

The changes in the Parent Act come against the backdrop of outrage over the conviction of a minor in the Delhi gang-rape case of December 2012.

The minor in this case was tried in a juvenile court and was sentenced to three years in a reform home.

However, the lighter punishment to this minor had triggered a debate on punishment for juveniles convicted of heinous crimes.

Tags: Bills and Amendments • Cabinet Decisions

Zomato acquires NexTableShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 23, 2015No comments

Online restaurant guide Zomato has acquired United States (US) based online table reservation platform NexTable for undisclosed amount. It is Zomato’s ninth acquisitions since past nine months.

This acquisition also comes shortly after Zomato had acquired MaplePOS, a cloud-based POS product for restaurants on 14 April 2015.

NexTable services help its users make restaurant reservations in real time and it also includes table management and marketing tools for restaurants.

With this acquisition, NexTable will be renamed as Zomato Book and it will help Zomato to move beyond restaurant search and discovery into table reservations, online ordering services.

NexTable was founded by TC DeSilva and currently he is CEO of the company.

Tags: Business • Technology firm

Railway Ministry launches mobile app for paperless unreserved ticketsShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 23, 2015No comments

The Railway Ministry has launched ‘utsonmobile’, a mobile application for paperless unreserved tickets.

The application service was launched by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi.

This application will allow its passenger to buy a ticket on the move and to board the train with the ticket secured on his mobile phone in digital format, without any need for printing the ticket.

Initially, it has been launched as a pilot project and cover 15 stations in Southern Railway. Later on it will be extended to entire country in phases.

Key facts

The application has been developed by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS). It aims to eliminate the need for printing of unreserved tickets. The application provides necessary on-screen alerts to guide the passenger during the

booking process. Payment for the ticket will be done through the Railway Wallet, a feature inbuilt in the

App. Passenger will get ticket confirmation on their mobile screen after booking the ticket

which will contain limited information of the ticket. This app can be downloaded from Windows Store and Google Play Store.

Background

This paperless ticketing service using mobile applications comes in line with announcement made by Union Government in the Union Railway Budget of February 2015.

In this budget, Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had announced that the Indian Railways is committed to Operation Five Minutes that is, purchase of an unreserved ticket within five minutes and launching of paperless unreserved mobile ticket is the first step in this area.

Tags: Indian Railways • Ministry of Railways

CCEA gives nod to three highway projects in three statesShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 23, 20151 Comment

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved three highway projects in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra with a total cost of 5,150 crore rupees.

All the three projects will be implemented on Build–operate–transfer BOT (toll) model. The private sector will invest in it to meet the capital cost of projects which will be recovered by collection of toll during the concession period.

These projects include

Eight-laning of Mukarba Chowk to Panipat section of National Highway (NH)- 1 in Delhi and Haryana. The total length of the project will be around 70 kilometer and will cost of over 2204 crore rupees.

Six laning of Agra-Etawah section of NH- 2 in Uttar Pradesh. The total length of the road will be over 124 kilometer at an estimated cost of over 1787 crore rupees.

Four laning of the Solapur-Bijapur section of NH- 13 in Maharashtra and Karnataka. It will cost around 1538 crore rupees.

Tags: Cabinet Decisions • CCEA

Union Cabinet approves agreement between India and Jordan on maritime transportShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 23, 2015No comments

Union Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 April 2015 gave its approval for signing of a shipping agreement between India and Jordan.

The agreement aims at strengthening cooperation between both nations in the area of shipping and to provide sustained mutual assistance and advice on merchant shipping and other related maritime matters.

The agreement will help both countries to

Facilitate and encourage development of their maritime relationship. Cooperation in the task to enhance and stimulate steady growth of maritime traffic. Training and exchange of staff and students from various maritime establishments. Accelerate and facilitate flow of commercial goods at sea and at ports by exchange of

necessary information. Establishment of joint ventures (JV) in maritime transportation, shipbuilding and repairs,

maritime training, information technology, including development of simulators, port facilities and related activities.

Tags: Cabinet Decisions • India • India-Jordan • Jordon

Information and Broadcasting Ministry receives ISO 9001:2008 certificationShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 22, 2015No comments

Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) on 22 April 2015 received an ISO 9001:2008 certification from the British Standards Institute (BSI).

The ISO certification was granted to Ministry in respect of various permissions and licences issued by it for the broadcasting and print media and films.

These licences or permissions include for satellite Television channels, multi-system operators, teleports, community radio stations and DTH services.

It also includes publication of Indian editions of technical and scientific and foreign magazines of news and current affairs, facsimile editions of foreign newspapers and permission for foreign film producers.

The Ministry has undertaken this initiative in order to bring in more transparency and efficiency in the processes related in granting of various permissions and licenses to the eligible applicants.

In this regard, the Ministry has put in place a well-defined procedure and measures in order to ensure quality of services offered to the customers on the basis of ISO 9001:2008. It will also ensure delivery of services by the Ministry in a qualitative manner.

Tags: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

MoU signed between NRL & BPC to export petroleum products through IBFPL pipelineShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 22, 2015No comments

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) to export petroleum products to Bangladesh.

It was signed by General Manager (Planning and Development) of BPC, Mustafa Qudrat-I-Elahi and NRL’s General Manager (Marketing and Business Development) Bruno Ekka in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The MoU seeks to provide cooperation in export of petroleum products from NRL’s marketing terminal in Siliguri, West Bengal to BPC’s depot at Parbatipur in Bangladesh.

The petroleum products will be exported through the proposed Indo-Bangla Friendship Pipeline (IBFPL) of 130 km length and capacity of one Million Metric Tonne Per Annum (MMTPA).

The IBFPL pipeline will be implemented through a joint venture (JV) company formed by NRL and Bangladesh Petroleum.

Tags: Bangladesh • India • India-Bangladesh • Petroleum Industry

MakeMyTrip acquires travel startup website Mygola.comShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 22, 2015No comments

Online travel services provider MakeMyTrip.com has acquired Mygola, a startup travel guide firm.

The acquisition was done through MakeMyTrip’s Innovation Fund, which invests in early-stage or start-up companies in the travel technology space.

With this acquisition, MakeMyTrip will get a greater foothold in the mobile space as Mygola’s entire team has joined them.

Mygola was founded by IIT Mumbai batchmates Anshuman Bapna and Prateek Sharma in 2009.

Since its formation it had raised capital from Helion Ventures, Blumberg Capital and 500Startups, among other angel investors.

Presently, Mygol’s app is present in 16 cities across the world and has up to 5,000 installs on the Google Playstore i.e. on Android Operating System.

It should be noted it is MakeMyTrip’s seventh overall acquisition and third of an Indian company. MakeMyTrip.com was founded in 2000 by Deep Kalra.

Tags: Business • Technology firm • Tourism

Japan’s Maglev train makes new world speed recordShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 22, 2015No comments

Japan’s state-of-the-art Magnetic levitation technology (Maglev) train has clocked a new world speed record smashing through the 603 kilometre per hour mark in a test run near Mount Fuji.

The new record has surpassed its previous record of 581 kilometre per hour which was set in 2003.

Central Japan Railway Company owns this fastest passenger train and is planning to have a train in service in 2027 on the 286-km route between Tokyo and the central city of Nagoya.

Japan had launched its first bullet train named Shinkansen in 1964. Currently, Japan has the World’s most sophisticated rail network.

By successfully testing these new train technologies, Japan is seeking to sell its Shinkansen Bullet and Maglev train systems to other countries.

How Maglev train works?

Maglev train hovers 10 centimetres above the tracks and is propelled by electrically charged magnets which lift and moves train carriages above the rail tracks.

This train travels along a guideway using magnets to create both lift and propulsion. This lift and propulsion reduces friction and allow it to attain higher speeds compared to

conventional wheeled trains.

Tags: Japan • Records • Science & technology

Xi Jinping conferred with Nishan-e-Pakistan awardShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 22, 2015No comments

Pakistan Government on 21 April 2015 conferred Nishan-e-Pakistan, top civilian award on Chinese President Xi Jinping.

He was bestowed with this award for his outstanding contribution in promotion of relationship between the two countries by Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain.

About Nishan-e-Pakistan

The Nishan-e-Pakistan (Order of Pakistan) is the highest of civilian award and decoration given by the Pakistan Government.

The award is awarded to a person for his highest degree of service to the country and nation of Pakistan. It is conferred on them for their merit and distinguished services to the country, foreign relations and international community.

Established on 19 March 1957. Former Prime Minister of India Morarji Desai is only Indian to receive this award. He was

awarded this award in 1990.

Tags: awards • China • Pakistan • Xi Jinping

Renowned historian Christopher Alan Bayly passes awayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 22, 2015No comments

Sir Christopher Alan Bayly, a renowned historian passed away on 20 April 2015 in Chicago, United States. He was 70.

As a historian he was specialised in global, Indian and British Imperial history. His works were based on the 18th and 19th century India and British imperial.

It also had included the study British imperial in India that led the transformation on colonialism and pre-modern societies and structures.

He was also Professor of History at University of Cambridge, Queen Mary University of London and University of Chicago.  He was Vivekananda Professor at the University of Chicago during 2014-15.

Honour- He was Knighted in 2007 for his contribution to historical scholarship.

Some of his famous books are

Local Roots of Indian Politics: Allahabad, 1880-1920 (1975). Rulers, Townsmen and Bazaars: North Indian Society in the Age of British Expansion, 1780-1870

(1983). Indian Society and the Making of the British Empire (1988). Imperial Meridian: The British Empire and the World, 1780-1830 (1989). Empire and Information: Intelligence Gathering and Social Communication in India, 1780-1870

(1996).

Tags: History • Obituary • Persons in News

2015 Pulitzer Prize WinnersShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 22, 2015No comments

All the Light We Cannot See, a novel based on Second World War by author Anthony Doerr has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

While, The New York Times has won two prestigious Pulitzer prizes for coverage of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

List of 2015 Pulitzer Prize Winners

Books, Drama and Music

Fiction- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Drama – Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis History – Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People by Elizabeth A.

Fenn. Biography – The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in

Europe by David I. Kertzer. Poetry – Digest by Gregory Pardlo. General Nonfiction- The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert. Music – Anthracite Fields by Julia Wolfe.

Journalism

Public Service- The Post and Courier, Charleston. Breaking News Reporting- The Seattle Times Staff. Investigative Reporting- Eric Lipton of New York Times and Wall Street Journal Staff. Explanatory Reporting- Zachary R. Mider of Bloomberg News. Local Reporting- Rob Kuznia, Rebecca Kimitch and Frank Suraci of the Daily Breeze. National Reporting– Carol D. Leonnig of Washington Post. International Reporting– New York Times Staff. Feature Writing– Diana Marcum of the Los Angeles Times. Commentary- Lisa Falkenberg of the Houston Chronicle. Criticism– Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times. Editorial Writing– Kathleen Kingsbury of Boston Globe. Editorial Cartooning– Adam Zyglis of Buffalo News. Breaking News Photography– St. Louis Post-Dispatch Photography Staff. Feature Photography– Daniel Berehulak, freelance photographer of New York Times.

Tags: awards • Ebola Outbreak

Earth Day is being observed on 22 AprilShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 22, 2015No comments

Earth day is being observed on the 22nd April every year. This day seeks to build support for environmental protection around the world.

This year’s theme for the day is ‘It’s Our Turn to Lead’ and is 45th anniversary of Earth Day.

On this day more than one billion people participate in Earth Day campaigns every year from all around the globe of all nationalities, faiths and backgrounds.

Background

The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970. Since then it is being observed in more than 192 countries.

The concept of observing Earth Day was formally proposed by John McConnell at a UNESCO conference on Environment in 1969 as a global holiday.

Later in 1971, a proclamation was signed to observe international Earth Day annually on the Vernal Equinox by UN Secretary-General U Thant.

Tags: Days and Events • Environment • Observances

Indian Railways launches E-Samiksha to monitor rail projects onlineShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 21, 20151 Comment

Indian Railways on 21 April 2015 launched E-Samiksha, an online monitoring mechanism.

E-Samiksha aims at monitoring implementation of various ongoing projects of Indian Railways on real-time basis including Rail Budget proposals.

It was launched by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi.

Facts about E-Samiksha

E-Samiksha is designed by National Informatics Centre (NIC). It has been developed to make it a highly interactive web-based, user-friendly and customised

system. E-Samiksha will be used to monitor budget-related projects and also for monitoring the

infrastructure target and board meeting follow-up. Currently, it is being used by Cabinet Secretariat, Prime Minister’s Office and other Ministries for

monitoring progress implementation of various programmes and follow-up of meetings.

Tags: e-governance • Government policy • Indian Railways

ICICI Bank launches Tap-n-Pay, a near-field communications-enabled payment serviceShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 21, 2015No comments

India’s largest private sector lender Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank has launched a payment service Tap-n-Pay. It was launched by bank in collaboration with Tech Mahindra.

This payment service is based on the near-field communications (NFC) technology which will enable its customers make over-the-counter payments without using cash.

Key features of Tap n Pay

NFC technology will allow users to tap NFC enabled tag or mobile phone at the merchant’s point-of-sale device to make payments.

It is a prepaid account which will be available to customers of any bank by simply registering for it and transferring money online from any bank account.

ICICI Bank customers can also transfer money to the Tap-n-Pay account through an SMS.

To start with this service bank has offered it at large campuses of corporate offices.

ICICI Bank and Tech Mahindra also are planning to extend this service across the country.

Tags: Banking • ICICI Bank

Former Odisha CM Janaki Ballabh Patnaik passes awayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 21, 2015No comments

Former Chief Minister (CM) of Odisha and senior Congress leader Janaki Ballabh Patnaik passed away on 21 April 2015 in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh. He was 89.

Patnaik had served as CM of Odisha for three times and was in office from 1980 to 1989 and again from 1995 to 1999.

About Janaki Ballabh Patnaik

J B Patnaik was born on 3rd January, 1927 in Puri district of Odisha. He had a bachelor degree in Sanskrit from the Utkal University of Odisha in 1947 and MA degree

in Political Science from the Banaras Hindu University in 1949. Political Career: He started his political career in 1950 as President of the Odisha state unit of

the youth wing of the Congress. For the first time he became CM of Odisha in 1980 and was in power till 1989 and again in 1995.

He had held the post of CM of odisha for the longest time on record before the incumbent CM Naveen Patnaik.

He also had served as Union Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation and Labour and in the Union Cabinet of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

He was the Governor of Assam from 2009 to 2014

J B Patnaik also had written a number of books on religion and literature which had won thousands of hearts.

Tags: Obituary • Odisha

New species of Geckos discovered at Hampi in KarnatakaShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 21, 2015No comments

A new species of a gecko was spotted at the ruins of the World Heritage Site of Hampi in Karnataka. It was named as Cnemaspis adii after a young herpetology researcher Aditya Srinivasulu from Hyderabad, Telangana.

It was spotted by the researchers from the Osmania University in Hyderabad.

Cnemaspis adii gecko is similar to a type of lizard usually found in warm climates. It belongs to the family of day geckos which are characterized by round pupils unlike regular geckos which have vertical pupils.

This discovery of the gecko in Hampi is significant because for the first time species of day gecko was found in the central regions of the peninsular India.

The other species of day geckos are commonly found in Western Ghats and southern Eastern Ghats of peninsular India.

Tags: Biology • Karnataka • Science

India 5th biggest generator of e-waste in 2014: UN reportShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 21, 2015No comments

As per recently released Global E-Waste Monitor 2014 report by United Nations, India is the fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world.

The report was compiled by UN think tank United Nations University (UNU).

Key facts from report

Top 5 e-waste producing nations: US, China, Japan, Germany and India. In case of wealthy nations top 5 e-waste producers are Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark,

and United Kingdom. US and China have produced the most e-waste in 2014. Both nations account for 32 percent of

total e-waste produced in the world in 2014. India has discarded around 1.7 million tonnes (Mt) of e-waste in 2014. In 2014, around 41.8 Mt of e-waste was produced all over world and it is expected to rise by 21

percent to 50 million Mt in 2018. In terms of continent wise, Asia has produced most e-waste per inhabitant in year 2014 by

producing 16 Mt i.e. 3.7 kg per inhabitant. Top three Asian e-waste producing nations are- China (6.0Mt), Japan (2.2Mt) and India (1.7Mt). While, Africa has generated lowest amount of e-waste per inhabitant by producing 9 Mt i.e. 1.7

kg per inhabitant.

Tags: China • Germany • India • Japan • US

Sitaram Yechury unanimously elected as General Secretary of CPI (M)Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 21, 2015No comments

Sitaram Yechury was unanimously elected as the general secretary Communist Party of India (Marxist) on 19 April 2015.

He is the fifth general secretary of the 50 year old party which was formed in 1964.

He was unanimously elected by 91-member new Central Committee (CC) of Party after Ramachandran Pillai had withdrawn from the race.

Yechury succeeded Prakash Karat, who was the General Secretary of the party for one decade i.e. from 2005 to April 2015.

Presently he is member of Rajya Sabha and was elected from West Bengal in July 2005.

Tags: Person in news • Political

INS Visakhapatnam, stealth destroyer of Indian Navy launchedShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 20, 20151 Comment

Indian Navy’s new stealth destroyer named INS Visakhapatnam was launched on 20 April 2015 at the Mazgaon Docks Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Visakhapatnam is the Kolkata-class warship and the first of P15-B stealth destroyers which is designed indigenously and fitted with advanced features. It is the largest destroyer commissioned in India.

Features of INS Visakhapatnam

The ship is designed by the Directorate of Naval Design, Indian Navy’s in-house design organization and made of entirely of Indian steel.

It is 163-metre-long vessel and weighs approximately 3,000 tons. Propelled by four gas turbines, and capable to achieve maximum speed of over 30 knots

at a displacement of approximately 7,300 tons. Fitted with state-of-the-art weapons, advance Action Information System (AIS),

Integrated Platform Management system (IPMS), sophisticated Power Distribution System (PDS) and a Combat Management System.

Also equipped with the Israeli Multi-Function Surveillance Threat Alert Radar (MF-STAR). MF-STAR will provide it with targeting information to 32 Barak 8 long-range surface-to-air missiles on board the warship. It will also be carrying 8 BrahMos missiles.

It has four 30 mm rapid-fire guns which will provide the ship with close-in-defence capability and also has an MR gun that will enable ship to provide effective naval gunfire support.

Tags: Defence industry • Indian Navy

Neeraj Kumar appointed chief adviser to BCCI’s ACSUShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 20, 2015No comments

Former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar was appointed as chief adviser of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Anti-Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU).

Decision in this regard was taken at the Governing Council Meeting of the Indian Premier League (IPL) chaired by IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla in New Delhi,.

He will succeed Ravi Sawant as his term ended and will have term of one year.

In 2013, Delhi Police arrested former Test bowler S Sreesanth along with domestic spinners Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila for allegedly getting involved in spot-fixing during the sixth edition of the IPL under Kumar’s leadership.

Neeraj Kumar is a 1976 batch IPS officer of the AGMU cadre. He police force career spanned nearly around 37 years. His tenure as the Delhi Police commissioner was of 13 months i.e. from June 2012 to July 2013.

Tags: BCCI • IPL • Sports

Kerala government launches Subodham project to end liquor, drug abuseShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 20, 2015No comments

Kerala government has launched Subodham, a major campaign in a bid to wean people away from addiction to liquor, drug and other substance abuse.

It was launched by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Art of Living Foundation founder Sri Sri Ravishankar.

About Subodham project

Subodham project aims to free one lakh people in the state each year from alcohol addiction, through systematic, comprehensive awareness campaigns.

It also aims to achieve the ambitious target of making the state totally alcohol free over the next 10 years.

The project is supported by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

Several non-governmental organisations (NGOs), religious leaders and other stake holders are also participating in the project.

Under this project, state government also has decided to introduce anti-drug and alcohol awareness content in the curriculum from the academic year 2016.

The Subodham project is envisaged by the state excise department and will be implemented by a high-level committee comprising experts from various fields.

This project is also state government’s first step towards ‘Punarjani 2030 Project’, an initiative to completely eradicate the menace of substance abuse.

Tags: Government policy • Government Schemes • Kerala

Centre Party wins Parliamentary Elections of Finland, ousts incumbent PM Alexander StubbShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 20, 2015No comments

Finland’s opposition Centre Party has won the General Election 2015 by defeating the left-right coalition National Coalition party of incumbent Prime Minister Alexander Stubb.

With this win, Centre Party’s leader Juha Sipila, an IT millionaire and newcomer to country’s politics, is set to become Finland’s next prime minister.

In this election, Juha Sipila’s Centre Party has won 42 seats in the 200 seats of Parliament and Finns Party (formerly known as True Finns) was runner-up by winning 38 seats in parliament. While the ruling Coalition Party has won 37 seats and the Social Democratic Party got 34 seats.

Comment

In this election the Centre Party’s campaign was dominated by economic woes and had advocated wage freeze and spending cuts to regain Finland’s competitiveness. This may help to get an economic revamp that could rescue Finland which is facing economic slowdown in the past four-year.

Tags: Elections • Finland • International

Three Indian race walkers qualify for 2016 Rio OlympicsShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 19, 2015No comments

Three Indian race walkers Khushbir Kaur, Manish Rawat and Sandeep Kumar have qualified for 2016 Rio Olympics.

In the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Race Walking Challenge held at Rio Maiorin Portugal, National women’s 20km walk record holder Khushbir Kaur clocked 1 hour 33 minute and 58 seconds below the Rio Oympic qualification time of 1 hour and 35 minutes.

In the men’s 20km race walk event Manish Rawat and Sandeep Kumar qualified for Rio Games.

In this event, Manish Rawat logged his personal best performance with a timing of 1 hour 22 minutes and Sandeep Kumar clocked 1 hour 23 minute and 32 seconds. Both of them performed above the Rio Oympic qualification time of 1 hour and 24 minutes.

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates centenary celebration of Patna High Court

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April 19, 20152 Comments

The centenary celebration of Patna High Court was inaugurated on 18 April 2015 by President Pranab Mukherjee.

He also released a commemorative postage stamp on this occasion to mark HC’s glorious judicial history.

Bihar Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi was in the chair and Chief Justice of India (CJI) H.L. Dattu was guest of the honour on this occasion.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Union Law Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also had attended the function.

Facts about Patna High Court

On 1 December 1913, then Viceroy of India, Lord Charles Hardine had laid the foundation stone of the existing Patna High Court building.

On 3 February 1916, the building was formally opened by Lord Hardine. The court had started functioning with a chief justice and 6 judges under the provisions of Government of India Act 1915.

At present it has sanctioned strength of 43 judges. Rajendra Prasad, India’s first President and Sachchidanand Sinha, first president of the

constituent assembly also had practised at this court. 3 Chief Justices from Patna High Court went on to become the Chief Justice of India (CJI). They

are Justice B.P. Sinha (6th CJI), Justice Lalit Mohan Sharma (24th CJI) and Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha (41st CJI).

Tags: Bihar • High courts • Pranab Mukherjee

Dr. Nasim Zaidi takes over as Chief Election CommissionerShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 19, 2015No comments

Dr Nasim Zaidi on 19 April 2015 assumed the charge as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). He is India’s 20th CEC and succeeded Hari Shankar Brahma, who had retired on April 18, 2015.

At present, Dr Zaidi will be the sole member of the three-member Election Commission till the government fills up the two vacant posts of election commissioners.

Dr Zaidi will have tenure of two years i.e. till he attains the age of 65 in July 2017.

About Dr. Nasim Zaidi

Nasim Zaidi is a 1976 batch IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He had served as the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). He had retired from IAS as Secretary to the Union Government in Ministry of Civil Aviation in

July 2012.

About Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)

As per the provisions of Article 324 of Constitution, Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners are appointed by the President.

They hold office for the term of 6 years or until they attain age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office only through impeachment by

Parliament.

Tags: Article 324 • Election Commission • Uttar Pradesh

Lewis Hamilton wins Bahrain Grand Prix of Formula OneShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 19, 2015No comments

Mercedes Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton from Britain on 19 April 2015 won Bahrain Grand Prix of Formula One on the Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit.

This was his third win of the season and his second Bahrain Grand Prix win. It was also Lewis Hamilton’s overall 36th Grand Prix win.

In Bahrain Grand Prix, Hamilton was followed by Ferrari F1 driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany to the second position.

Other Rankings

Mercedes F1 driver Nico Rosberg (Germany) and Valtteri Bottas (Finland) of Williams took third and fourth places respectively.

Sebastian Vettel (Germany) of Ferrari and Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) of Red Bull Team were placed at fifth and sixth places.

Romain Grosjean (France) of Lotus team and Sergio Perez (Italy) of Force India Team were placed at seventh and eight places.

Daniil Kvyat (Russia) of Red Bull Team was placed at ninth position. Felipe Massa (Brazil) of Williams team finished at tenth position.

Tags: Bahrain • Formula One

India’s Y Pranjala wins Asian Junior Tennis titleShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 19, 2015No comments

India’s Y Pranjala has won the Asian Junior Tennis championship title on 18 April 2015.

In the final match played at New Delhi she defeated China’s Zheng Wushuang with a 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 scoreline.

She also had won the Asian Junior Tennis doubles title along with partner Zheng Wushuang on 17 April 2015.

Presently, Pranjala is coached by former Davis Cup player Ilyas Ghouse and trains at GVK Tennis Academy in Hyderabad, Telangana.

Tags: China • India • Tennis

Maharashtra government sets up task forces on agriculture development and poverty alleviationShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 18, 2015No comments

Maharashtra government on 18 April 2015 set up a task force on agriculture development and poverty alleviation to address the issues.

It will be 12-member panel for agriculture development and will be headed by the state’s additional chief secretary (Agriculture).

Members: Secretaries of the departments of finance, planning, water conservation, water resources, forest, cooperation, dairy development will be its members.

Task force for poverty alleviation

State government also has set up another task force for poverty alleviation. It will be headed by principal secretary (Social Justice Department).

Members: Secretaries of departments of tribal development, rural development, finance, housing, urban development, labour and public health will be its members.

Background

During the first meeting of National Institution for Transformation of India (NITI) Aayog held in February 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested to all state governments to set up panels for agriculture development and poverty alleviation to address the issues.

Tags: Agriculture • Maharashtra • Niti Aayog

Vankadarath Saritha, first woman bus driver of Delhi Transport CorporationShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 18, 2015No comments

Vankadarath Saritha, a 30-year-old driver became first woman bus driver to be inducted in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC).

DTC has currently posted her at Sarojini Nagar depot and will work in day-time duty at a route in the central part of the city, starting from 20 April 2015.

Saritha hails from Nalgonda district in Telengana. She had started her career as an autorickshaw driver and previously had worked as a bus driver in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Prior to joining DTC, she was working as a taxi driver in Delhi.

Delhi government’s this step will allay its concern regarding women’s security in the capital and also encourage women’s contribution to such sectors where they’re currently not participating.

Tags: Delhi • Women Related Issues

RVNL Sings MoU with Private Sector Dighi Port Limited for Rail ConnectivityShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 18, 2015No comments

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on 18 April 2015 between Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) and Dighi Port Limited.

The MoU will facilitate construction of 34 km of railway link between Roha and Dighi Port in Raigad district of Maharashtra. The project cost is estimated around Rs. 723 crore.

It was signed in the presence of Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai.

Dighi Port is the first non- major private sector seaport in Maharashtra located on the banks of Rajapuri Creek in Raigad district over 150 km from Mumbai.

The port is being developed by Balaji Infra Projects Ltd (BIPL) under a 50 year Build, Own, Operate, Share, Transfer (BOOST) concession agreement.

The agreement was signed by BIPL with the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), Government of Maharashtra in order to develop, operate, finance and maintain the Port.

Tags: Indian Railways • Maharashtra

Andhra Pradesh Government inks MoU with IISL Company to replace streetlights in 13 municipalities with LED lightsShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 18, 2015No comments

Andhra Pradesh Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the IISL Company to replace the existing streetlights in 13 municipalities with LED lights in the state.

MoU was signed by Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development P. Narayana and IISL’s representatives in Amaravati, the new capital state.

As per the agreement, IISL will maintain replace and maintain LED streetlights in the 13 municipalities for seven years.

The all existing streetlights in all the municipal corporations and municipalities will be changed to LED streetlights in a phased manner.

By installing LED streetlights, state government aims to reduce the power consumption by 50 per cent.

Tags: Andhra Pradesh • Energy

International Paralympic Committee derecognises Paralympic Committee of IndiaShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 18, 2015No comments

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has suspended the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) for indefinite period.

IPC’s this move comes after PCI had provided shoddy treatment to athletes during the National Para-Athletics Championships held in Ghaziabad from March 20 to 22, 2015.

This is second time PCI has been suspended by IPC. With this suspension, Indian para-athletes will not be able to participate in any IPC-sanctioned competition, including 2016 Paralympic Games at Rio de Janeiro.

In this regard, Union Sports Ministry also has issued a show cause notice to PCI. This notice was issued based upon enquiry conducted by Sports Authority of India (SAI).

SAI in its enquiry had reported that the sports venue did not have proper facilities to conduct National Championship and also lacked allied facilities required for differently abled athletes.

About Paralympic Committee of India (PCI)

PCI was founded in 1992 as the Physically Handicapped Sports Federation of India. It was recognized in November 2011, as National Sports Federation (NSF) for promotion of

sports amongst the physically challenged sportspersons in the country. It is also responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Paralympic Games and other

international athletic meets.

Tags: Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports • Sports

Ashish Jakhar from Haryana sets National Youth record in hammer throwShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 18, 2015No comments

Ashish Jakhar from Haryana on 17 April 2015 set a national youth record in boys’ hammer throw event and won gold medal in the 12th National Youth Athletics Championships held in Bambolim, Goa.

In this event, Ashish had hurled 5kg ball-and-chain at record distance of 72.04 metres in a second throw which made a national youth record. In his opening throw he had hurdled at a distance of 71.92 metres.

With this, he broke the previous national record of 70.35 metres which was set by Haryana’s Sukhdev Singh in 2009.

While, Uttar Pradesh’s Miraj Ali took the silver medal with a 68.35 metres throw in the meet.

Hammer throw event in the 12th National Youth Athletics Championships is also the selection trials for the inaugural Asian Youth Championships which are to be held in Doha in May 2015.

At present and so far this season, only Chinese thrower Xu Wenjie has a better mark than Ashish in the Asian rankings, with a 72.35 metres throw.

Tags: Haryana • Records • Sports

US President Barack Obama to honour Satya Nadella with ‘Champion of Change’ awardShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 18, 2015No comments

United States (US) President Barack Obama is going to honour Microsoft’s Indian-origin CEO Satya Nadella with the ‘Champions of Change’ award.

He will be honoured with this award for bringing change within his company to support working families.

Under Nadella’s leadership, Microsoft recently had announced that all the suppliers doing business with Microsoft in the US will have to provide at least 15 days of paid leave to their employees who handle Microsoft work each year starting from 2016 onwards.

Apart from him, 11 other persons were honoured with Champions of Change award for their exemplary leadership.

About Satya Nadella

Originally from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and was born in 1967. Educational Qualification: He holds bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Mangalore

University, Master’s degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from the University of Chicago.

Microsoft career- He had joined Microsoft in 1992. He was appointed CEO of company in February 2014.

About Champions of Change award

It is given to those who support working families and help make change in their companies or communities.

In this regard, White House had created the ‘Champions of Change’ programme in order to feature these individuals and to empower and inspire members of their communities.

Tags: awards • Indian Diaspora • Microsoft • Satya Nadella • United States

SC appoints CBI SP Vivek Priyadarshi as head of team probing IPL scandalShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 18, 2015No comments

Supreme Court has appointed Vivek Priyadarshi to head an investigating team to further probe the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 6 spot-fixing and betting scandals.

Decision in this regard was taken by a SC bench comprising Justices T S Thakur and F M I Kalifulla. The bench took this decision on the recommendation of a three member panel headed by former Chief Justice of India (CJI) RM Lodha which was appointed in January 2015.

Vivek Priyadarshi currently is serving as Superintendent of Police (SP) in the anti-corruption cell of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He will succeed 1983-batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre IPS officer B B Mishra as the head of the probe team following his retirement.

SC also has given Priyadarshi liberty to form his own team and seek the services of police officers from the central and state governments as and when required to probe into this case.

Tags: CBI • Sports • Supreme Court

Punjab government approves release of Gharials in Sutlej and Beas rivers to promote eco-tourismShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 17, 2015No comments

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on 17 April 2015 approved release of Gharials in Sutlej and Beas rives in the state to promote eco-tourism.

Initially, 10 Gharials (last surviving species of the family Gavialidae) will be released in the Harike Wildlife Sanctuary as a part of ‘Gharial Recovery Action Plan’.

Decision in this regard was taken after recommendations of the State Board for Wildlife.

Union Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) also had given permission for release of Gharials under Section 12 of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

About Gharial

The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is also known as the gavial. It is a fish-eating crocodile and belongs to one of the three crocodilian species found in the

Indian Sub-Continent. It is listed in Schedule I of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It is also listed as Critically Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature

(IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species. In historic times it was present in Indus River system, including Beas and Sutlej rivers, indicating

healthy river system.

Tags: Environment • Punjab

Oil India commissions 54 MW capacity wind energy projects in Gujarat, Madhya PradeshShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 17, 2015No comments

India’s second largest state-owned oil explorer company, Oil India Limited (OIL) has commissioned 54 MW wind energy projects saddled between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

The spilt capacity of project between both states is 38 MW plant located at Chandgarh in Madhya Pradesh and 16 MW plant located at Patan in Gujarat.

The Project is fully funded by OIL and its total cost is Rs 439 crore that includes Rs 126.5 crore for the Gujarat plant and Rs 312.45 crore for the Madhya Pradesh plant.

The Project is being run by Chennai based Gamesa Wind Turbines who are the project developers. Delhi based Power and Energy Consultants are the project Management consultants.

With commissioning of these plants, OIL’s installed renewable energy capacity i.e. commercial wind energy and solar energy projects capacity has rose to 126.60 MW.

Tags: Business • Gujarat • Madhya Pradesh • Renewable Energy

Russia, Pakistan to hold first-ever joint military exercisesShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 17, 2015No comments

Russia and Pakistan have agreed to hold first-ever joint military exercises as part of their enhanced defence cooperation.

In this regard, an agreement was reached between both nations during a meeting between Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Asif in Moscow.

As per the agreement, both nations will strive for

Enhancing cooperation in defence industry and military training. Promoting joint participation in military exercises. Increasing military cooperation in training and import of arms and equipment. Resolving conflicts through diplomatic means rather than using of force.

Apart from above, both nations also have reached a consensus that a multi-polar world would ensure peace and balance in international relations.

In 2014, both nations had signed a military cooperation agreement to deepen their defence ties. They also had vowed to translate their relationship in tangible terms.

The military agreement was signed during the first-ever visit of a Russian defence minister in 45 years to Pakistan in November 2014.

Tags: International • Russia-Pakistan

UN Peace Envoy Jamal Benomar ResignsShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 17, 2015No comments

United Nation (UN) peace envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar has resigned, after losing support from Gulf countries for his mission in the conflict-riven nation.

His resignation comes after UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for the swift resumption of peace talks and an end to violence in Yemen on 14 April 2015.

The adopted resolution adopted calls on the Huthis to withdraw from Sanaa and all other areas they have seized.

About Jamal Benomar

Since 2012, he was serving as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s special envoy for Yemen. He joined UN in 1994 and had served at various key of posts of different UN agencies. It included United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Office of the UN High

Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA).

Background

The security situation in Yemen deteriorated after the Shia Houthis rebels had seized power by dissolving Yemen’s government and parliament in January 2015. Since then they had taken control of key government buildings in capital Sanaa including Presidential Palace.

Tags: United Nations • Yemen • Yemen crisis

Vijender Gupta appointed Leader of Opposition in Delhi AssemblyShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 17, 2015No comments

Vijender Gupta was appointed the leader of opposition (LoP) in the Delhi assembly on 16 April 2015 with immediate effect.

Delhi Assembly Speaker has recognized him as LOP as per Section 2 of the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory ( NCT) of Delhi (Salary and Allowances) Act, 2001.

Gupta is one of three legislators of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has greatest numerical strength as opposition party in the legislative assembly. Prior to this he was leader of the house of the party in opposition in the house.

In February 2015 Assembly election, BJP had won three seats which is less than one-tenth of the total strength of 70 of the Delhi assembly. While, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had won 67 seats.

Gupta is a former BJP state president. In 2015 Assembly election he had won from Rohini constituency by defeating AAP candidate C.L. Gupta by around 5,000 votes.

Tags: Delhi • Legislative Assembly

Gujarat Government forms task force to devise strategy to eliminate povertyShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 17, 2015No comments

Gujarat government on 16 April 2015 formed a task force to make strategy and provide suggestions on poverty elimination in the state.

The task force will work in the direction to device an effective strategy to make sure that benefits of various schemes reach needy citizens.

Members

Chairman: Ramanlal Vora Gujarat’s Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment. Members: Saurabh Patel, State Finance Minister. Mangubhai Patel, Forest and Environment Minister. Principal Secretary, General Administrative departments will be member. Task force also has been given power to add invited members.

Tags: Gujarat • Soco-Economic

Former Nepalese PM Surya Bahadur Thapa passes awayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 16, 2015No comments

Surya Bahadur Thapa, former Prime Minister (PM) of Nepal passed away on 15 April 2015 in Gurgaon. He was 87.

Thapa had served as Prime Minister of Nepal for five times under three different kings. His was in office from 1963-64, 1965–69, 1979–83, 1997–98 and 2003-04.

About Surya Bahadur Thapa

Surya Bahadur Thapa was born on 21 March 1928 in Muga village, Dhankuta district. He had completed his higher studies from Allahabad University, Uttar Pradesh.

His political career spanned more than 50 years. He had started his political career in 1950 by executing underground student movement.

In 1958, he was elected to the Assembly and became Chairman of the Advisory Council. He was elected to the Upper House of Nepal in 1959.

In 1960, under the newly introduced Panchayat system of Nepal, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Forest and Industry.

Surya Bahadur Thapa’s son Sunil Bahadur Thapa at present is serving as the Minister of Commerce and Supplies in the Sushil Koirala-led coalition government.

Tags: International • Nepal • Obituary

India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missileShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 16, 20151 Comment

Nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-III ballistic missile was successfully tested on 16 April 2015.

The test was conducted from Wheelar Isalnd off the Odisha coast in the Bay of Bengal by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) with support of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Facts about Agni III missile

It is surface-to-surface nuclear capable intermediate-range ballistic missile. Indigenously developed by DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme

(IGMDP). Range: 3000 km. Dimensions: 17 metres in length, 2 metres in diameter. Launch weight is around 50 tonnes. Payload: It can carry a nuclear warhead of 1.5 tonne and is protected by carbon all-composite

heat shield. It is a two-stage solid-propelled missile. Equipped with the hybrid guidance, navigation and control systems along with advanced on-

board computer.

At present India has arsenal of Agni-I, II and III and Prithvi missiles with strike reach of over 3000 km, giving an effective deterrence capability.

Tags: Agni-III • DRDO • missile technology • Odisha

Susanta Lahiri awarded Hevesy Medal Award 2015Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 16, 2015No comments

Professor Susanta Lahiri was awarded prestigious the Hevesy Medal Award 2015.

The award was presented to him for his outstanding contributions in heavy ion induced radioisotope production, converter targets, tracer packet technique and green chemistry.

About Professor Susanta Lahiri

He is a Professor at Chemical Sciences Division at Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kolkata. He is credited for co-creating super heavy chemical element Ununseptiumm which has atomic

number 117. He is also a professor at Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai.

Apart from Lahiri, Professor Kattesh V. Katti of the Centre for Radiological Research, University of Missouri, Columia were also awarded this award.

About Hevesy Medal Award

It is an international award of excellence that honours scientist for their outstanding achievements in nuclear and radio chemistry.

Established in 1968 by Editor-in-Chief and the publishers of the Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry (JRNC).

Named after renowned chemical scientist George de Hevesy who was awarded Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1943.

At present the award is administrated by International Committee on Activation Analysis of the Modern Trends in Activation Analysis Conferences (ICAA-MTAA).

Tags: awards • Science & technology

Former Czech Republic Prime Minister Stanislav Gross passes awayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 16, 2015No comments

Former Czech Republic Prime Minister Stanislav Gross passed away on 16 April 2015. He was 45.

Stanislav Gross was the youngest PM of Czech Republic and was elected in July 2004 at the age of 34. He had led the Social Democrat government as PM for one year i.e. till 2005.

Prior to becoming PM he had served as interior minister from 2000 to 2004 in two governments, including under Milos Zeman, who is now president of Czech Republic.

He had joined the Social Democratic party (SDP) in 1989 and was elected for first time to Czech Republic’s parliament in 1992.

Stanislav Gross was born on 30 October 1969 in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

Tags: Czech Republic • Obituary

Canada to Supply Uranium to India for 5 YearsShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 15, 20152 Comments

Canada has agreed to supply 3,000 metric tonnes of uranium to India under a $254 million five-year deal to power Indian atomic reactors.

The agreement for uranium supply was signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper after comprehensive talks in Ottawa, Canada.

The agreement comes in line with the Canada- India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement that took effect in 2013.

As per uranium supply agreement, Canada’s Cameco Corporation will supply uranium to India for next five years starting from this year. These supplies will be under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

Canada is the second-largest producer of uranium globally and is the third country to supply uranium to India after Russia and Kazakhstan.

It should be noted that in the 1970s, Canada had banned exports of uranium and nuclear hardware to India after it was alleged that India had used Canadian technology to develop a nuclear bomb.

However, Canada- India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement signed in 2013, Canada moved away from ban and agreed to supply uranium to India.

Tags: Civil Nuclear Cooperation • India-Canada • Narendra Modi • Uranium deal

Dr. Mohan Kumar appointed as new Ambassador to FranceShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 15, 2015No comments

Senior diplomat Dr. Mohan Kumar has been appointed the India’s next Ambassador to France.

He will succeed Arun Kumar who was recently appointed Ambassador to the United States.

About Mohan Kumar

Mohan Kumar is a 1981-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer. Prior to this appointment, he was serving as Ambassador of India to Bahrain. He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) and a doctorate (PhD)

from the reputed Sciences Po University in Paris. In his over 30 years IFS career, he had served at various posts and had handled variety of

interesting and challenging assignments. Mohan Kumar had served Deputy High Commissioner at the Indian Diplomatic Mission

in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2001. He also has served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Paris for 3 years.

Tags: France • India

BHEL, Russian firm INTMA ink MoU to set up power plant in KazakhstanShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 15, 2015No comments

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a Russian company INTMA to set up a gas-based power project in Kazakhstan.

The MoU aims set combined path to execute projects of mutual interest in Russia and Kazakhstan.  In this regard, BHEL’s competence in design and manufacturing of power plants will play important role and INTMA’s strength in handling engineering procurement and construction contractors (EPC) contracts will implement the projects.

By signing this MoU, BHEL will be able to expand its footprint in the commonwealth of independent states (CIS) region.

At present, BHEL is has a presence in more than 75 countries and is executing 23 major projects in 16 countries. The state owned company is primarily engaged in manufacturing of power plant equipment like steam turbines, gas turbines, hydro turbines and boilers.

While, INTMA is Russia and Kazakhstan’s one of the leading general EPC.  It has wide experience in industrial construction, automation, renovation of facilities and other energy related sectors.

Tags: BHEL • Kazakhstan • Power sector • Russia

Sachin Tendulkar inducted into Laureus Sports Academy

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April 15, 20151 Comment

Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar on 15 April 2015 was inducted into the prestigious Laureus Sports Academy.

Along with him four other sportspersons were inducted as new members in the Academy. They are

Yao Ming- Retired Chinese professional basketball player. Tegla Loroupe- Kenyan long-distance runner. Li Xiaopeng- Chinese gymnast. Yang Yang- Former Chinese short track speed skater Yang Yang.

About Sachin Tendulkar

In his 24 year’s cricket career, he had played for India in 200 Tests, 463 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and one Twenty20 International.

Test career: In 200 Test matches he had scored 15,921 runs at an average of 53.78. It comprised of 51 centuries and 68 half centuries. Highest test score was 248 runs (not out).

ODI career: In 463 ODI matches he had scored 18,426 runs at an average of 44.83. It comprised of 49 centuries and 96 half centuries. Highest ODI score was 200 runs (not out).

Tags: Cricket • Cricket records • Honours • Sachin Tendulkar

Nokia announces to buy Alcatel- LucentShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 15, 2015No comments

Finnish telecom network equipment maker Nokia on 16 April 2015 announced acquisition of French telecom network firm Alcatel- Lucent.

This merger will create the world’s largest supplier of telecom equipment’s that powers mobilephone networks by surpassing Ericsson and Huawei.

As part of the deal,

The merged entity will be called Nokia and current Nokia Chairman Risto Siilasmaa will chair it. Nokia will buy Alcatel- Lucent in an all-stock deal valued at 15.6 billion euros ($16.6 billion). Nokia is going to give Alcatel-Lucent shareholders 0.55 shares in the merged company for each

of their old shares. In the combined entity Nokia shareholders will own 66.5 per cent shares of the company and

Alcatel- Lucent shareholders will own 33.5 per cent shares.

The deal is likely to be completed in the first half of 2016. The combined company will have a total workforce of about 1.14 lakh employees.

Tags: Business • Technology firm • telecom company • Telecommunications

Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai sworn in as first lady judge of Sikkim High CourtShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 15, 2015No comments

Mrs. Meenakshi Madan Rai was sworn in as the first lady judge of the Sikkim High Court.

Governor of Sikkim Srinivas Patil administered the oath of office to her at Raj Bhavan in Gangtok.

After taking oath of office, she took charge as judge. With this Sikkim High Court again got its full strength of three judges after a gap of about one year.

It should be noted that Mrs. Rai is also the third High Court judge who hails from Sikkim.

About Sikkim High Court

Established:1975. Sikkim High Court was established under Article 371-F which was added in Constitution by

Constitutional (Thirty-Sixth Amendment) Act, 1975. Seat of the court: Gangtok. Sanctioned Judge strength: 3. Incumbent Chief Justice: Pius C Kuriakose.

Tags: High courts • Sikkim

Renowned Assamese Film director, actor Bidyut Chakraborty passes awayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 15, 2015No comments

Renowned Assamese film director, actor Bidyut Chakraborty passed away on 15 April 2015 in Guwahati, Assam. He was 55.

In his film career he had directed several Assamese movies including Goon Goon Gaane Gaane, Dwaar and Raag-Biraag.

His directorial film Rag-Birag is based on a novel written by Jnanpith award-winner Mamoni Raisom Goswami.

Chakraborty ‘s  last film was Dwar (2012) which was based on a short story by Swarnakamal winning film critic Apurba Sharma.

Apart from being film Director Chakraborty also had acted in several Assamese movies and serials.

Awards- He was awarded Indira Gandhi award for Best First Film of a Director for his film Rag-Birag in 1996.

Tags: Assam • Filmmaker • Obituary

Pankaj More appointed as Technology Head of Walmart IndiaShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 15, 2015No comments

Pankaj More on 15 April 2015 was appointed as Technology Head of Wal-Mart India Private Limited.

In his new role, he will play a key role in strengthening company’s technology and Information Technology (IT) infrastructure and will report directly to Walmart India President and CEO Krish Iyer.

Pankaj has over 19 years of experience and had had joined WalMart in January 2013. He was leading the ISD strategy for the Walmart Asia market including Japan, China & India.

He holds B.Tech degree in Computer Engineering from Mangalore University.

About Wal-Mart India Private Limited

It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Walmart Stores Inc, the world’s leading multinational retail corporation.

At present it owns and operates 20 Best Price Modern Wholesale stores in 9 States across India. The first store was opened in Amritsar, Punjab in May 2009. Incumbent CEO: Krish Iyer.

Tags: Business • Technology firm

Union Government forms task force to expedite work on inter-linking of rivers

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April 14, 2015No comments

Union Government on 14 April 2015 constituted a task force on interlinking of rivers in the country.

The Task Force will be chaired by former Secretary of Ministry of Water Resources B N Navalawala and comprises experts and senior officials.

Terms of References of Task Force

Take up all issues related to expediting the work on interlinking of rivers in the country. Consider alternative plans in case of infeasible links in the present National Perspective Plan

(NPP) apart from examining the existing links which are laid out as per the NPP under both Himalayan and Peninsular components.

Facilitate interlinking of intra-basin and intra-state Rivers, along with that of inter-state and inter-basin links.

Recommend time schedules for completing feasibility studies of all the river links along with implementation schedule.

Suggest different means of funding mechanisms for the interlinking of rivers project. Provide guidance norms of appraisal for individual projects in respect of economic viability,

environmental impacts, socio-economic and preparation of resettlement plans. Device suitable mechanisms in order to bring speedy consensus among the states. To implement the interlinking of Rivers, propose suitable organizational structure.

Tags: Committee • Government policy

Zomato acquires Delhi based data firm MaplePOSShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 14, 2015No comments

Online restaurant guide Zomato on 14 April 2015 acquired MaplePOS, a cloud-based point of sale product for restaurants developed by Delhi based MapleGraph.

After the acquisition, Zomato has renamed MaplePOS product to ‘Zomato Base’ which will help the company and its restaurant partners to manage business into online orders and payments.

MaplePos, a sale product offers various features of restaurants such as inventory and menu management, and has in-built payment solution to accept debit and credit card payments.

It should be noted that, this is the first product acquisition done by Zomato. Earlier, it had acquired 7 restaurant search and listing companies in various parts of the world.

MapleGraph was founded in 2011 by Varun Tangri, Arun Tangri and Abhishek Rohilla. The company offers software solutions to manage menus, inventory, electronic receipts, recipes, and other features in restaurant management.

Tags: Business • Software services

Ministry of Home Affairs renames Visa on Arrival scheme to e-Tourist visaShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 14, 20151 Comment

Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has renamed Tourist Visa on Arrival-Electronic Travel Authorization scheme (TVoA-ETA) to e-Tourist Visa with effect from 15 April 2015.

With this ambiguities faced by foreign tourists especially by scheme’s nomenclature VoA, presuming that they would be granted visa on arrival upon landing will be removed.

Background

MHA move comes after some of Indian embassies had requested to change the nomenclature of the scheme.

A committee of officers from the External Affairs Ministry, MHA and Bureau of Immigration also had suggested renaming the scheme.

Foreign tourists were confused with Visa on Arrival (VoA) scheme as other countries allowed tourist to land and then get visa.

About e-Tourist Visa Scheme

e-Tourist Visa Scheme is a pre-authorization of Visa to foreigners that being given prior to travel. Under the scheme, a foreign tourist is required to apply for a visa online by uploading his

photograph and passport and also paying his visa fee online. Then visa authorities will process his application and send him an electronic travel authorization,

or simply e-visa, via e-mail within 72 hours.

TVoA-ETA was launched in November 2014. It had enabled Electronic Travel Authorization to 44 countries at nine airports across India.

It also facilitated short duration international travelers. Since the launch of the scheme, around 1.10 lakh visas have been granted.

Tags: E-Visa • Government Schemes • Tourism

BSF launches nationwide tele-medicine programme for troopsShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 14, 2015No comments

Border Security Force (BSF) on 14 April 2015 launched nationwide satellite-based tele-medicine programme for its troops.

The programme will address medical and health-related problems of its troops deployed in far-flung frontier areas and difficult regions in the hinterland in case of an emergency or illness.

Facts about Tele-medicine programme

It will be operated and hosted from the BSF’s Kadamtala-based composite hospital in Siliguri, West Bengal.

The full-time team of doctors at hospital will be connected with BSF posts along the Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangla frontiers.

The hospital has been equipped with required technology including satellite phones and the VSAT platform to host the programme.

BSF’s anti-Naxal operations units in Chhattisgarh and Odisha will also be linked with the same facility.

The programme will be made fully operational in 2015 which marks 50th year of BSF’s Raising.

Tags: BSF • Health • Indian Armed Forces • Medical

Turkey begins construction of first nuclear power plantShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 14, 2015No comments

Turkey on 14 April 2015 began the construction of its first nuclear power plant located at Akkuyu in Mersin province on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

It will be built by Akkuyu Project Company, a subsidiary of Russia’s nuclear agency Rosatom.

Key Facts

In 2010, Turkey and Russia had signed an agreement to set up $20 billion Akkuyu nuclear project.

Akkuyu Project Company will own, build and operate the plant that comprises four 1,200 MW VVER units.

The site was chosen at Akkuyu by Turkish government because it has low population density and low risk of earthquakes.

It should be noted that Akkuyu nuclear plant is the first of three nuclear power plants planned by Turkey. Second plant is due to be built in the Black Sea city of Sinop by a French-Japanese consortium and third plant’s location is not finalised yet.

With these nuclear plants, Turkish government is aiming to bring greater energy self-sufficiency by reducing its dependence on energy imports from like Russia and Iran.

Tags: Nuclear Power • Russia • Turkey

US President nominates Indian-American businesswoman Shamina Singh to key postShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 14, 2015No comments

Indian-American businesswoman Shamina Singh has been nominated as the member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).

She was nominated to top most post by United States President Barack Obama for term of four year i.e. till October 2019.

About Shamina Singh

Prior to this, Shamina was global director for government services and solutions at MasterCard Centre for Inclusive Growth.

Prior to joining MasterCard, she had led government and public affairs for sports brand Nike and had 5 five years with Citigroup’s Global Community Development Group.

She also had held senior positions within the Bill Clinton Administration and the US House of Representatives.

Singh also was a Deputy Director for America Votes in 2003. She also had served as a Senior Advisor to US House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

In 2002, she was the Deputy Campaign Manager for the Ron Kirk for US Senate campaign. From 1999 to 2001, Singh was Executive Director for the President’s Advisory Commission on

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Tags: Indian Diaspora • United States

Arun Jaitley launches FM transmission of Vividh Bharati Service of DelhiShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 14, 2015No comments

FM transmission of Vividh Bharati Service was launched by Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley on 14 April 2015.

It was launched at function held at New Broadcasting House of All India Radio (AIR) in Delhi.

Key facts

Vividh Bharti service will be available on 100.1 Megahertz (MHz) frequency. It will be also available on mobile phone.

It will be available to listeners in and around Delhi within a range of 60-65 km. Listeners will now enjoy the programmes with much clarity at all times in all weather conditions

without any hitch.

About Vividh Bharati

It is a service of All India Radio (AIR). First Aired on: October 2, 1957. Programmes offered: Mix of film music, skits, short plays and interactive programmes. Vividh Bharati is also known to have the largest collection of film and non-film songs in India.

Tags: All India Radio • Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

BHEL commissions 600-MW thermal unit in ChhattisgarhShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 13, 2015No comments

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) on 13 April 2015 commissioned 600 MW unit of a thermal power project for the Dainik Bhaskar Power Limited (DBPL) at Dhabra in Janjgir Champa district of Chhattisgarh.

The commissioned unit is the second unit of DBPL’s 2 × 600 MW power project. The first 600 MW Unit was commissioned in 2014.

BHEL is partner in the power development programme of the state of Chhattisgarh.

With this commissioning of second unit, BHEL’s cumulative installed capacity has increased at 11,400MW in Chhattisgarh and accounts for 68 per cent share of the total installed capacity in the state.

About Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)

BHEL is a power plant equipment manufacturer completely owned by Union Government. It is largest engineering and manufacturing company of its kind in India. Established: It was awarded a Maharatna Company status in 2013.

Tags: BHEL • Chhattisgarh • Power sector

National Judicial Appointment Commission Act, 2014 comes into force

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April 13, 2015No comments

Union Government has brought into force the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, 2014 along with the 99th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2014.

In this regard, notification to effect from 13 April 2015 was issued by the Union Law Ministry.

With this new law the collegium system to appoint members to the higher judiciary has come to an end. Now President will appoint judges in the Supreme Court (SC) and 24 High Courts (HCs) in consultation with the NJAC.

Facts about NJAC Act, 2014

Composition of NJAC

As per Article 124A, NJAC is a 6 member constitutional body. Consisting of Chairman- Chief Justice of India (CJI). Members- Two senior most Judges of the Supreme Court, the Union Minister of Law and Justice

and two eminent persons. Two eminent persons will be nominated by committee led by Prime Minister of India, the CJI,

and the Leader of the Opposition in the House of the People.

As per 124B, functions of NJAC are

Recommend persons for appointment as CJI, Judges of SC, Chief Justices and other Judges of High Courts.

Recommend transfer of Chief Justices and other Judges HCs from one HC to another HC.

About Collegium system

Previously, under the collegium system, five top judges of the Supreme court recommended transfer and elevation of judges to Supreme Court and High Courts.

It came into existence in 1993 after a Supreme Court judgement.

Tags: Article 124A • Article 124B • High courts • NJAC • Supreme Court

German Nobel laureate novelist Gunter Grass passes awayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 13, 2015No comments

German Nobel laureate novelist Guenter Grass passed away on 12 April 2015 in Berlin. He was 87.

Grass is recognized for his efforts to revive German culture in the aftermath of World War II and also had given voice and support to democratic discourse in the post war Germany.

About Guenter Grass

Guenter Grass was born on 16 October 1927 in Danzig-Langfuhr (now the Polish city of Gdansk) Apart from being novelist, he was poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist and sculptor. In 1944 at the age of 16, he had served in the Waffen-SS, the combat arm of former German

dictator Adolf Hitler’s notorious paramilitary organization. Grass had made his literary reputation with “The Tin Drum” published in 1959. It was followed

by “Cat and Mouse” and “Dog Years”. These novels were called the Danzig Trilogy named after his birth town.

Awards and Honours- In 1999, he was awarded Nobel Prize for literature for his efforts to revive German literature after the Nazi era. Hermann Kesten Prize (1995).

He was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1993.

Tags: Germany • Novelist • Obituary

NCTI inks MoU with Paytm to promote Indian MSMEsShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 13, 2015No comments

Mobile commerce platform Paytm on 13 March 2015 inked memorandum of understanding MoU with National Centre for Trade Information (NCTI) to promote Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

As per MoU, Paytm will offer a virtual marketplace platform for NCTI members and will extend its services and enable them to sell online.

In this regard, Paytm will set up payment gateways platform for online ticketing and membership fees for NCTI.

This tie-up will play a pivotal role in the growth of MSMEs by providing them with value-added trade information generally for the trading community. It will also provide platform to NCTI members that will serve as an opportunity to trade online and scale faster.

Note- National Centre for Trade Information (NCTI) provides value added trade information for the benefit of the international trading community, especially Indian MSME’s in the form of Electronic Trading Opportunities, Live Trade Leads.

Tags: Business • Economy

Haryana Government gives yoga guru Ramdev Cabinet Minister StatusShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 13, 2015No comments

Haryana government on 13 April 2015 decided to give status equivalent to state Cabinet Minister to yoga guru Ramdev.

Earlier in January 2015, state government had appointed him as its brand ambassador to promote yoga and ayurveda.

By promoting yoga and Ayurveda, Haryana state government is seeking amalgamation of tradition and modernity in order to turn Haryana into a model state based on Indian values and traditions.

In this regard state government is also planning to include yoga in the school syllabus and develop herbal forest in the state under the supervision of yoga guru Ramdev which will include thousands of species of ayurvedic herbs.

State government will also construct yogshalas in all the towns and about 6,500 villages of the state to make Yoga a compulsory subject in Haryana’s schools.

Tags: Ayurveda • Haryana

Gujarat government launches industrial tourism to showcase developmentShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 13, 2015No comments

Gujarat government has launched industrial tourism package to promote its development by showcasing its major industrial installations which have earned global acclaim for state.

It is a first of its kind initiative India, offered by Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TCGL) in collaboration with Ahmedabad based Akshar Travels Pvt Ltd.

The tour package is called as Industrial Tour of Gujarat and will cover some of the major industrial attractions of the state. It includes Tata Nano plant in Sanand, Amul Dairy in Anand, Alang ship breaking yard in Bhavnagar and Pipavav port near Amreli.

It will also include Mrbi-based ceramic industry, Tata Chemicals factory in Mithapur, Asia’s biggest Ajanta clock factory, Reliance Refinery in Jamnagar.

The package will also take tourists to salt pans near Okha and  Kadi in Mehsana, which has the highest number of cotton gins in Asia.

Tags: Gujarat • Industries • Tourism

New Zealand wins Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament 2015Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 12, 20151 Comment

New Zealand has won the 24th edition of Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament 2015 for second time.

In the final match, New Zealand defeated World Champions Australia by 3-1 goals in the penalty shoot-out. In regulation 60 minutes time, both teams had tied at 2-2 goals.

Earlier, New Zealand had won the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament in 2012. It is third time Australia came as runner-ups position in tournament (1999, 2006 and 2015).

India won the bronze i.e. finished third by defeating South Korea by 4-1 goals in the penalty shoot-out after both the teams were tied at 2-2 at regulation time.

About Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament

It is an annual tournament held in Malaysia and was established in 1983. Initially it was a biennial tournament but since 1998, it is played every year. Named after 9th king of Malaysia and ‘Father of Malaysian Hockey’ Sultan Azlan Shah. Australia has won the tournament for record 8 times in 1983, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2011,

2013 and 2014.

Tags: Australia • Hockey • India • Malaysia • New Zealand • South Korea • Sports

Retired Lieutenant General Hanut Singh, a 1971 Indo-Pak war hero passes awayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 12, 2015No comments

Lieutenant General Hanut Singh (retd) on 12 April 2015 passed away in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. He was 82.

He was a 1971 Indo-Pak war hero and one of the most famous officers of the Indian Army.

About Lt Gen Hanut Singh

In 1952, Hanut Singh was commissioned in 17 HORSE (also known as the Poona Horse) an armoured regiment of Indian Army.

In 1971, as a Lieutenant Colonel he had commanded 17 HORSE regiment in the famous Battle of Basantar in Indo-Pak war.

During this battle, squadron of his regiment had dashed across the heavily mined enemy areas and successfully had repulsed repeated counter attacks by Pakistan forces.

During this war his regiment had destroyed a large number Pakistan tanks and had earned him the name ‘Hero of Battle of Basantar’.

After his retirement in 1991, he had founded Shivbala Yogi Ashram Parisar in Dehradun. He was born on 6 July 1933 in Barmer district of Rajasthan and was a cousin of former Union

Minister Jaswant Singh. Awards- He is recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra, India’s second highest gallantry award for his

personal bravery and outstanding leadership.

Tags: India • Indian Army • Obituary • Pakistan

Sania Mirza becomes first Indian female tennis player ranked World No.1 in Women’s DoublesShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 12, 2015No comments

Sania Mirza on 12 April 2015 created history by becoming the first Indian female tennis player to achieve the world number one rank in doubles category.

She achieved this feat after winning WTA Family Circle Cup along with her Swiss partner Martina Hingis.

With this win Sania scored 470 points, making her tally to 7965 and surpassing Italy’s Sara Errani (7640) and Roberta Vinci (7640) to the number one rank in the ranking table.

In WTA Family Circle Cup finals, the top-seeded Indo-Swiss pair had defeated of Casey Dellacqua and Darija Jurak by 6-0, 6-4 score.

Earlier, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi were only Indians who had achieved the top rank in Men’s Doubles after they had dominated men’s doubles circuit in the late 1990s.

It should be noted that Sania Mirza is also first Indian female tennis player to win Grand Slam tournaments.

Tags: Sania Mirza • Sports • Tennis

Lewis Hamilton wins Chinese Grand Prix of Formula OneShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 12, 2015No comments

Mercedes Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton from Britain on 12 April 2015 won Chinese Grand Prix of Formula One on the Shanghai International Circuit in China.

This was his second win of the season and his fourth Chinese Grand Prix win. It was also Lewis Hamilton’s overall 35th Grand Prix win.

In Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton was followed by teammate Nico Rosberg at second place.

Other rankings

Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel (Germany) and Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) took third and fourth places respectively.

Williams drivers Felipe Massa (Brazil) and Valtteri Bottas (Finland) took fifth and sixth places.

Romain Grosjean (France) of Lotus Team and Felipe Nasr (Brazil) of Sauber team took seventh and eight position.

Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) of Red Bull Team was placed at ninth position. Marcus Ericsson (Swedan) of Sauber Team finished at tenth position.

Tags: China • Formula One • Sports

Jitu Rai wins bronze at ISSF World CupShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 12, 20151 Comment

Ace Indian shooter Jitu Rai on 12 April 2015 won a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Changwon, South Korea.

Rai won the bronze medal after he scored 181.1 points in the final and had missed out for the gold medal shoot-out by 0.4 points.

In 10m air pistol event, Jin Jongoh of South Korea won gold medal with a score of 206.0 in the gold medal shoot-out. Naung Ye Tun of Myanmar won silver medal with score of 201.0.

Earlier, Apurvi Chandela had won bronze in the 10-metre air rifle event in the same tournament and became second Indian shooter after Jitu Rai to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Jitu Rai after winning won silver in the 50m Free Pistol event in 2014 at the World Championships in Granada, Spain had qualified for the 2016 Olympics.

Tags: India • Olympics • Shooting • South Korea • Sports

17 Agreements signed between India and France during PM Narendra Modi’s visitShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 12, 2015No comments

India and France on 11 April 2015 signed 17 agreements in various fields during Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s visit to France.

They were signed in presence of Indian PM and his counterpart French President Francois Hollande after they had held wide-ranging talks in Paris.

Some of key agreements signed are

MoU between Larsen and Tubro and AREVA- It aims at improve the financial viability of the Jaitapur Nuclear plant project by reducing cost by increasing localization.

It will also enable France to transfer of technology to India for development of indigenous nuclear energy industry in India.

Pre-engineering agreements (PEA) between NPCIL and Areva- It intends to bring clarity on all technical aspects of the plant.

It will help all parties including AREVA, Alstom and NPCIL to fix their price and optimise all provisions for risks (still included at this stage) in the costs of the project.

MoU between CNES and ISRO on Megha Tropiques satellite- It extends MoU for two more years of joint project for sharing and use of data from the satellite.

The satellite was launched in October 2011 on board of Indian launch vehicle PSLV. MOU between ISRO, CNES and ONERA- It proposes cooperation in the areas of satellite remote

sensing, satellite communications and satellite meteorology and others field. MoU between Union Sports Ministry and French Ministry of Sports- It envisages cooperation

and exchange of experiences in the fields of sports medicine and institutional cooperation. Railway protocol between Union Railways Ministry and French National Railways (SNCF)- It

seeks to establish cooperation between Indian and French Railways for semi-high speed rail and station renovation.

Other agreements signed between both nations in the fields of economy, energy, culture, tourism, conservation, Ayurveda, skill development and science and technology.

Note- NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India), CNES (French National Centre for Space Studies), ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).

Tags: India-France • ISRO • Narendra Modi • NPCI • Space technology

Asteroid 316201 named after Malala YousafzaiShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 11, 2015No comments

Asteroid 316201 was named as ‘316201 Malala’ after the youngest Nobel laureate and girls’ education campaigner Malala Yousafzai.

The asteroid was named after her by Amy Mainzer, astronomer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, United States under the International Astronomical Union rules.

In 2010, Mainzer had discovered the asteroid which was known as 316201. As a discoverer of the asteroid she had owned the rights to name it.

Asteroid 316201 Malala is located in the Main Belt between Mars and Jupiter. It orbits around the Sun every 5.5 years and is more-than 2 mile wide.

About Malala Yousafzai

Malala was born on 12 July 1997 in Mingora city in Swat province of Pakistan. At the age of 11 she had caught international attention as female education activist after writing

for the BBC about life under the Taliban in Pakistan under pseudonym Gul Makai. In 2012, Malala had survived an assassination attempt after she was shot in the head Taliban

gunmen. Awards- In 2014, at the age of 17 she was awarded Nobel peace prize, becoming youngest

Nobel Laureate in the history of Nobel award. She had shared this prize with Indian children’s rights activist Kailash Satyarthi

She is also conferred with National Youth Peace Prize (2011), Mother Teresa Awards for Social Justice (2012), Simon de Beauvoir Prize (2013), Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought (2013), Anna Politkovskaya Award (2013) and many more.

United Nations has declared November 10 as ‘Malala Day’ in her honor.

Tags: Astronomy • Education • Malala Yousafzai • Pakistan

Yuki Bhambri wins $15,000 ITF Futures tournament titleShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 11, 2015No comments

Yuki Bhambri on 11 April 2015 has won the 15,000 US Dollar ITF Futures tournament title.

In the final he recorded a straight-set win over Dzmitry Zhyrmont of Belarus played at Karshi, Uzbekistan.

Bhambri defeated his rival with Bhambri with 6-2 6-4 score. This win has pocketed 27 ranking points on Bhambri which will take him to a rank between 215 and 220. It was also Yuki’s 10th ITF Futures singles title.

This win also has ensured Yuki’s entry into the French Open qualifying event which will be the Clay Court Grand Slam that will begin on the19 May 2015.

About ITF Futures tournament title

ITF Futures tournament title is a series of professional tennis tournaments held around the world.

These tournaments are organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). This title represents the lowest rung of the men’s professional tennis ladder. These tournaments are incorporated into the ATP rankings which helps young professionals to

progress on to the ATP Challenger Tour and then in ATP World Tour.

Tags: Belarus • India • Tennis • Uzbekistan

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates ‘Songs and Dances of the North East’ festivalShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 11, 2015No comments

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated first Songs and Dances of the North East, a cultural festival in New Delhi.

The day long festival was organized by Government of Meghalaya and sponsored by the North Eastern Council (NEC).

The purpose of festival is to showcase the culture of India’s northeast region and highlight the immense contribution made by the people of the region in nation building.

This festival will be held by rotation in different parts of the country as part of the series of events planned by NEC and Union Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER).

All eight States of the northeast region will collaborate to host the festival in different parts of the country with an aim to attract investors and visitors to the region.

Tags: Festivals • Meghalaya • North East • Socio-Economic

Apurvi Chandela wins Bronze in ISSF Rifle and Pistol World CupShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 11, 2015No comments

Indian shooter Apurvi Chandela on 11 April 2015 won Bronze medal in the 10-metre air rifle event at the (International Shooting Sport Federation) ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup in Changwon, South Korea. 

She won the bronze after she shot score of 185.6 in the qualifying fifth final round.

In this world cup, Pejcic Snjezana of Croatia with score of 209.1 won gold medal and Ivana Maksimovic of Serbia with score of 207.7 won the silver medal.

With this win, Apurvi Chandela has qualified for the 2016 Olympics, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She was placed at third position in the list of eight-strong competitors. Among these eight competitors six were qualified for the Olympics.

It should be noted that Apurvi Chandela is the second Indian marksman after pistol shooter Jitu Rai to qualify for the Rio Olympics.

Jitu Rai after winning won silver in the 50m Free Pistol event in 2014 at the World Championships in Granada, Spain had qualified for the 2016 Olympics.

Tags: Brazil • Croatia • Olympics • Serbia • Shooting • Sports

India’s first IFSC becomes operational at GIFT City in GujaratShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 11, 2015No comments

India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) became operational at Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) City in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat.

It became operational after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unveiled the rules and regulations for this global financial hub.

Key facts of IFSC rules and regulations

Aim at creating a vibrant IFSC on the lines of those in Dubai and Singapore. They also seek to check the flight of trading in rupee and Indian securities to such

offshore financial hubs. These rules will allow companies incorporate outside India to raise money in foreign

currencies by issuance and listing of their equity shares on stock exchanges within the IFSC.

They will also allow individual and institutional investors from India and abroad, including NRIs to trade.

Allows foreign and Indian stock exchanges to set up separate bourses within IFSC as subsidiaries.

Relaxes capital and other requirements for some time in order to facilitate exchanges, clearing corporations and depositories to set shop in the IFSC.

Allows alternative investment funds and mutual funds that have set up in the IFSC to invest in the securities listed there.

Tags: Exchange • Gujarat • IFSC

NGT directs Real Estate Sector to check air pollution due to dust emanating from construction sitesShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 11, 2015No comments

National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Real Estate Sector in the Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) to check air pollution caused by dust emanating from construction sites.

The ruling was given by NGT bench headed by Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar on 10 April 2015.

NGT in its ruling

Ordered to stop to all construction activity in the NCR immediately which do not follow rules stipulated in the 2010 guidelines of Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF).

Directed developers to provide masks to every workers working on the construction site or engaged in loading and unloading of building materials.

Directed every owner and builder to put tarpaulin sheets around area of construction so the material does not disperse through air.

Trucks or vehicles carrying construction material and debris must be fully covered Banned builder and owner from throwing construction material particularly sand on the roads

or inside colonies. Any developer if found violating these orders, shall be liable to pay a fine of 50 thousand rupees.

In this regard, NGT has directed all concerned authorities to take appropriate measures in order to ensure follow and implement all these directions.

Tags: Delhi • Environment • Ministry of Environment and Forests • NGT

India to chair 9th International Renewable Energy Agency council meetShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 11, 2015No comments

India is going to chair the ninth International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) council meeting to be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The 9th IRENA council is scheduled to start from 10 June 2015 and will be a two day event.

In this meeting 21 member nations of IRENA council are going to take part. They will guide the agency’s future programmes and activities.

About International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

IRENA is an intergovernmental organization to promote adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy. It is the global hub for renewable energy cooperation and information exchange within its member nations.

Founded: in 2009 and its statute entered into force on 8 July 2010. Headquarters: Abu Dhabi. Two governing structure: IRENA Assembly which takes decisions at macro level and gives policy

guidance. IRENA Council is main governing body and is responsible for implementing various decisions of

assembly. Members: In total it has 140 Members. India is one of the 33 Permanent and founder members

of IRENA.

Tags: Abu Dhabi • Renewable Energy • UAE

April 11: National Safe Motherhood dayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 11, 2015No comments

Every year on 11 April, National Safe Motherhood day is being observed across India.

Objective of the day

To create awareness on proper healthcare and maternity facilities to pregnant and lactating women.

It also seeks to create awareness about the institutional delivery, reducing anemia among women and better pre and post natal health care are necessary for mothers.

It should be noted that safe motherhood also means to ensure that all women receive the care they need to be safe and healthy throughout pregnancy and childbirth.

Some facts about Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in India

India has registered an overall 70 percent decline in MMR during period from 1990 to 2012 as compared to global decline of 45 percent.

During 2011-13, the MMR has declined 167 per one lakh live births compared to 178 per one-lakh live births in 2010-12.

The rate of decline in MMR is showing an increasing trend from annual rate of 6.2 percent in 2011-13 compared to 4.1 percent in 2001-03.

Apart from MMR, the institutional delivery in India has risen sharply from 47 per cent in 2007-08 to over 75 per cent in 2013.

Tags: Days and Events • Events and Observances • Healthcare • Women Related Issues

Arun Kumar Jha appointed CEO of Khadi and Village Industries CommissionShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 10, 2015No comments

Arun Kumar Jha on 10 April 2015 was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Mumbai.

Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has appointed him to the post of CEO (Joint Secretary level post) in order to balance period of his overall 5 year tenure up to September 2016.

Jha is a 1985-batch officer of Indian Economics Service (IES). Presently, he is working as Director General of National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD).

About Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)

KVIC is a statutory body formed under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act, 1956. It is an apex organization under the aegis of Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium

Enterprises. KVIC seeks to establish and develop khadi and village industries in the rural areas by assisting,

planning and promoting them.

Tags: Khadi • KVIC

Veteran Australian Cricket legend and former Captain Richie Benaud passes awayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 10, 2015No comments

Former Australia captain and legendary cricket commentator Richie Benaud passed away on 10 April 2015. He was 84.

About Richie Benaud

Richie Benaud was an Australian Test cricket all-rounder and a pioneering leg-spin bowler. Test career- In his Test cricket career, he had played 63 matches. His debut match was against

West Indies in 1952. He had made 2201 runs and had taken 248 wickets. In 1958, he was appointed captain of Australian Test Team. He had led the team in 28 Test

matches. First class cricket career- He had played 259 first-class matches and had taken 945 wickets and

made 11,719 first-class runs at an average of 36.50. He had scored 23 centuries in first class cricket. Commentary Career- After retiring from cricket he pursued his career in journalism and

broadcasting. In 1960, he made first radio cricket commentary for BBC in Britain. His last commentary was in

2005 Ashes series. But till 2013, he continued to work for Channel Nine in Australia. Autobiography- Anything But published in 1998. Awards- Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to cricket (1961), inducted

into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (1985), Australian Cricket Hall of Fame (2007) and ICC Cricket Hall of Fame (2009).

Tags: Australia • Cricket • Obituary • Sports

Retired Air Chief Marshal Hrushikesh Moolgaonkar passes awayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 10, 2015No comments

Retired Air Chief Marshal Hrushikesh Moolgaonkar passed away on 9 April 2015 in Pune, Maharashtra. He was 95.

About Hrushikesh Moolgaonkar

Hrushikesh Moolgaonkar had joined Indian Air Force (then Royal Indian Air Force) in November 1940 as the rank of an acting Pilot Officer.

He was appointed Chief of Air Staff in February 1976. He had succeeded then Air Chief Marshal Om Prakash Mehra.

During this tenure, one of his major achievements was bring flight safety in the Indian Air Force (IAF). Moolgaonkar had personally implemented the new safety measures and brought down the accident rates at that time.

He had led the fly-past of IAF on Independence Day in August 15, 1947 and also on the Republic Day in January 26, 1951 when he was a Squadron Leader.

He had served in 38 years in the IAF and had retired in August 1978. He was born on 14 August 1920 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Awards- He was recipient of the prestigious Param Vishisht Seva medal and Mahaveer Chakra.

Tags: Indian Air Force • Obituary

Union Government suspends Greenpeace India’s registration for 6 monthsShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 10, 2015No comments

Union government has suspended the registration of Greenpeace India, a non-profit environmental organization for six months with immediate effect.

Decision in this regard was taken by Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) after Greenpeace India had prejudicially acted against the public interests and economic interests of the country.

As per MHA, Greenpeace India has used its funds received from foreign sources for unauthorised purposes and has violated the rules mentioned Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010.

If Greenpeace India fails to make a satisfactory presentation to the Union government in this regard, its licence may be cancelled permanently.

Background

Government’s action against the Greenpeace came in the wake of the Intelligence Bureau’s (IB’s) report on foreign funding of NGOs.

In the IB report, it had charged the Greenpeace and other lobby groups for preventing economic growth of country by campaigning against mining, power projects and genetically modified food.

Security agencies also have alleged that nearly 200 foreign donors were indulged in money laundering under the garb of donating money to some of these organisations.

Tags: Environment • Intelligence Bureau • Ministry of Home Affairs • NGOs

India elected to four key bodies of UN ECOSOCShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 10, 20151 Comment

India was elected to four key bodies of the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC).

India was elected to these bodies during ECOSOC’s coordination and management meeting held at UN headquarters in New York, United States (US) by acclamation i.e. form of election that does not use a ballot.

Four key subsidiary bodies are

Executive Board of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) - India is elected for a 3 year term beginning January 2016. It was elected, along with 13 other nations.

Executive Board of World Food Programme (WFP) – India is re-elected to the for a 2 year period starting from January 2016, along with 5 other nations.

Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) – India is elected for a 3 year period starting from January 2016. India was elected along with 19 other nations. Some of them are Iran, Pakistan, Austria, France, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and US.

Governing Council of United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) – India is elected for a 3 year period starting from January 2016 along with 13 other nations.

With this, India has created significant 100 percent record of winning the UNECOSOC elections.

Tags: India-UN • UNICEF • United Nations

Newly discovered Spider named after Telangana stateShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 10, 2015No comments

Newly discovered spiders of Thomisidae family have been named as Telangana crab spider (Thomisus telanganensis) i.e. after Indian state of Telangana.

These spiders were discovered by G.B. Pravalikha and Chelmala Srinivasulu, wildlife and taxonomy researchers from the Zoology Department of Osmania University at an expedition at Nagnur in Karimnagar district of Telangana.

Key facts Telangana crab spiders 

Morphologically they resemble crabs and are hence also called crab spiders. Have tendency to walk sideways like crabs. They lie on flowering plants and wait for prey so they are also known as flower spiders. Do not weave webs like traditional spiders. They attack immobilise their prey with venom and prey all of a sudden. Size is between 3 mm and 23 mm. Colour varies from dull to bright and colourful. Generally are bio-controlling agents and help to keep the insect population under control. Thus

are important to the ecosystem.

Tags: Biology • Science • Telangana

India successfully test-fired nuclear-capable Dhanush missile from shipShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 9, 20152 Comments

India on 9 April 2015 successfully test fired nuclear weapons-capable Dhanush missile from a ship, off the Odisha coast.

Test- The ship-based missile was launched from an Offshore Patrolling Vessel (OPV), deep inside the Bay of Bengal to test its full range. It successfully hit the target point with high degree of accuracy.

Facts about Dhanush Missile

Indigenously developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The surface-to-surface missile is a naval variant of Prithvi missile. Capable of carrying of 500 to 1000 kilogram conventional as well as nuclear payload. It is a single-stage, liquid-propelled missile and has range of 350 km. Capable to target both land-based and sea-based targets. It gives Indian Navy capability to strike

enemy targets with great precision.

It should be noted that Dhanush is one of the 5 missiles developed by the DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).

The previous trial of the missile was successfully conducted in November 2014.

Tags: DRDO • missile technology • Missiles

Nasim Zaidi appointed as Chief Election CommissionerShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 9, 2015No comments

President Pranab Mukherjee on 9 April 2015 appointed the senior most Election Commissioner (EC), Dr. Nasim Zaidi as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).

He will succeed incumbent CEC HS Brahma, who retires on 19 April 2015 after attaining age 65. Dr Zaidi will have tenure of two years i.e. till he attains the age of 65 in July 2017.

About Dr. Nasim Zaidi

Nasim Zaidi is 1976 batch IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He had served as the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

He had retired from IAS as Secretary to the Union Government in Ministry of Civil Aviation in July 2012.

About Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)

As per the provisions of Article 324 of Constitution, Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners are appointed by the President.

They hold office for the term of 6 years or until they attain age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office only through impeachment by

Parliament.

Tags: Article 324 • Election Commission • Ministry of Civil Aviation • Nasim Zaidi • Pranab Mukherjee

Legendary Tamil writer Jayakanthan passes awayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 9, 2015No comments

Legendary Tamil writer Jayakanthan passed away on 8 April 2015 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was 81.

He was known for charting a new course in Tamil literature with his bold and progressive works.

About Jayakanthan

Jayakanthan was born on 24 April, 1934 in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu. He was famously known as JK among novelists and literary enthusiasts.

Apart from being novelist, he was also journalist, essayist, pamphleteer, filmmaker and critic. In his entire career, he had written around 40 novels and 200 short stories. His work mostly

highlighted social injustices and economic inequality.

Jayakanthan’s novels Cinemavukku Pona Chithalu, Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal, Oru Nadigai Nadagam Paarkiral and Yaarukkaga Azhudhaan were adapted into films.

He was also associated with undivided Communist Party of India (CPI). He was founder of the Indo-Russian Cultural and Friendship Society. Awards- Sahitya Akademi Award (1972) for his Tamil novel Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal,

Jnanpith Award (2002), Padma Bhushan (2009). Russian government had conferred Order of Friendship (2011) on him for his translation works

of Russian novelist Pushkin.

Tags: Author • Obituary • Tamil Nadu

UP government confers Sahitya Shiromani Samman on Gopal Das NeerajShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 9, 2015No comments

Uttar Pradesh government has conferred Sahitya Shiromani Samman upon noted Hindi poet Gopal Das Neeraj.

The award carrying cash prize of 21 lakh Rupees was bestowed upon Neeraj by UP Chief Akhilesh Yadav. While presenting award, CM Akhilesh Yadav also announced to give Rashtra Ratn- Sitara-e Hind award to Neeraj for his lifelong service to Hindi literature.

Along with Gopal Das Neeraj, veteran Hindi litterateur Uday Pratap Singh was also conferred with Sahitya Shiromani award and cash prize of 21 lakh Rupees.

About Gopal Das Neeraj

Gopal Das Neeraj was born on January 4, 1925 in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh. He had written poems under the pen name Neeraj.

He is among the renowned poets and authors in Hindi literature and also is a famous poet of Hindi Kavi Sammelan.

He also was Professor of Hindi Literature in Dharma Samaj College, Aligarh and also a chancellor of Mangalayatan University, Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh.

Several of his poems have been used as songs in Hindi movies. Awards- Padma Bhushan (2007).

Tags: awards • Poet • Uttar Pradesh

Renowned Tamil singer EM Hanifa passes awayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 9, 2015No comments

Renowned Tamil Muslim devotional singer EM Hanifa passed away on 9 April 2015 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was 90.

He was well-known for his number of devotional songs and was a leading propagandist of Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) Party for more than five decades.

About EM Hanifa

EM Hanifa hailed from pilgrim town of Nagore in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu. His voice had transcended religious lines and Iraivanidam Kaiyenthungal (look up to God he

never says no) song of him was an evergreen which was liked by all crossing across religious barriers.

Apart from lending his voice for religious songs he was also well-known singer for popularizing the Dravidian ideals.

Political career- He was a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council (now defunct) in the early 1970s.

In 2002, he had contested as a DMK Candidate from Vaniyambadi but was not able to win.

Tags: Culture • Obituary • Singer • Tamil Nadu

India and US sign MoC on TransportationShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 9, 2015No comments

India and United States (US) have signed Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) transportation between both countries.

It was signed by Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari and Anthony Foxx, US Secretary of Transportation in New Delhi.

Key facts

The MoC aims at fostering cooperative work between both nations on key issues of mutual interest for all modes of transportation, coordinating public and private sector resources and expertise to advance safe, secure, efficient and integrated transportation systems.

It seeks to cover areas like urban transportation, highway transportation, safety and environmental protections.

It will also cover rail transportation, fuel efficiency, vehicle and behavioral safety, intermodal transportation and maritime shipping.

The MoC will enable India to make use of world’s latest technology which is available with the US for developments of waterways and multi-modal hub projects.

Tags: India-US • Transport and Highways

Union Government issues revised norms for disaster reliefShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 9, 2015No comments

Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued orders on revision norms with respect of the Centrally notified disasters. These disasters include tsunami, earthquake, floods, cyclones, drought, hailstorm, etc.

Facts about revised norms

Norms related to various aspects of response and preparedness like ex-gratia to the kin’s in case of loss of lives, disability and livelihoods have been revised.

Permitted State governments to use upto 10% of allocation of the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) on equipment. On capacity building, maximum of 5% of SDRF allocation can be spent.

State Governments also can use upto 10% of their SDRF allocation on local disasters. In this case the State Executive Committees have to work out the criteria and modalities.

Procedure for adjustment of available balances under SDRF is simplified while releasing assistance from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) in case of severe disasters.

Automatic annual updation of the norms by reference with the movement of wholesale price index (WPI) is also enabled.

Tags: Disaster Management • Ministry of Home Affairs • NDRF

Union Government allows pharmaceutical companies to hike rates of 509 essential medicinesShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 9, 2015No comments

Union government has allowed pharmaceutical companies to hike rates of 509 essential medicines by 3.84 per cent. The new prices will be effective from 1 April 2015.

In this regard, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has issued a notification under Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013 in line with the wholesale price index of 2014.

These essential medicines are used for treating various ailments like hepatitis B and C, diabetes, and cancer.

Presently, Union government regulates prices of a total of 348 essential medicines based on the simple average of all medicines in a particular therapeutic segment with sales of more than 1 per cent.

Union government also regulates prices of all other medicines and pharma companies are allowed to hike prices of such drugs by only up to 10 per cent in a year.

DPCO, 2013 was notified by the Union government with an effect from May 2014. It has replaced the 1995 order that regulated prices of only 74 bulk drugs and covers 680 formulations.

Tags: Business • Drugs • NPAA • Pharma sector • Socio-Economic

India registers record production of nuclear fuelShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 9, 2015No comments

India has registered a major milestone for the nuclear industry by producing record nuclear fuel i.e. producing over 1,252 Metric Tonne (MT) of uranium bundles.

Hyderabad-based Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) has contributed to achieve this milestone by producing over 30 per cent more fuel compared to its 961.023 MT fuel production in 2013-14.

The recorded production also has exceeded country’s annual fuel requirement of 650 MT for the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs). This surplus nuclear fuel production can last for at least a few months.

Nuclear fuel production in India

Since 2008, the nuclear fuel production in the country has seen a steady increase. This increase in production has been attributed to the Indo-US nuclear deal and the

Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) which had simplified the process of acquiring uranium. In 2008-09, NFC had produced 226.89 MT nuclear fuel, prior to signing Indo-US nuclear

deal in 2008. But after the Indo-US nuclear deal the production had increased to 600.91 MT in 2009-

10.

At present, India produces around 5,780 megawatts (MW) of nuclear power. Of this total power produced 4,780 MW of electricity is generated by fuel processed at the NFC.

Tags: India-US • Nuclear Power

PM Narendra Modi launches MUDRA Bank to provide credit to small entrepreneursShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 8, 2015No comments

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 April 2015 launched Micro Units Development Re-finance Agency (MUDRA) Bank in New Delhi.

MUDRA Bank will act as a regulator for ‘Micro-Finance Institutions’ (MFIs) involved in manufacturing, trading and service activities to promote their growth.

The Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana will be the main support system for the bank and will be the part of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).

The MUDRA bank was proposed in Budget 2015-16 by Union Government with an initial corpus of 20,000 crore rupees. Apart from this, 3,000 crore rupees also has been earmarked as credit guarantee corpus.

The envisaged roles for MUDRA Bank include

Formulate policy guidelines for micro-enterprise financing business and registration of MFI entities.

Undertake rating and accreditation of MFI entities. Develope standardized set of guidelines in order to govern last-mile lending to micro

enterprises. Promote appropriate technology solutions for the last mile. Formulate and operate a credit guarantee schemes in order to provide guarantees to loans and

portfolios that are extended to micro enterprises. Support promotional and development activities in the sector and create a good architecture for

last-mile credit delivery.

MUDRA Bank will provide financing on 3 stages- Shishu, Kishore and Tarun.

Shishu is first stage in which loan cover upto Rs 50,000 will be given to a business entity at start of business.

Kishore is second stage in which loan cover ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh will be given. Tarun is the third stage in which loan cover up to Rs. 10 lakh will be given.

Tags: Banking • Business • Economy • IBPS • MUDRA bank

Snapdeal acquires FreeChargeShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 8, 2015No comments

Online marketplace Snapdeal on 8 April 2015 acquired India’s fastest growing mobile transaction platform FreeCharge.

With this acquisition, Snapdeal has become India’s largest mobile commerce firm with 40 million users and the largest mobile transactions base for any company.

Now Snapdeal can offer wide range of services and products including financial services, mobile recharge and utility payments to its growing user base.

About FreeCharge

FreeCharge is a mobile commerce platform where users can recharge any prepaid mobile phone, postpaid mobile, DTH & Data Cards in India.

Founded in 2010 by Kunal Shah and Sandeep Tandon. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Since 2011, it had raised over $120 million in financing backed by top tier institutional investors.

About Snapdeal

Snapdeal was started in February 2010. It was founded by Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal, an alumnus of IIT Delhi. Since its formation Snapdeal has grown to become the largest online marketplace in India. At present it offers an assortment of 4 million+ products across diverse categories from over

50,000 sellers, shipping to 4,000 towns and cities in India.

Tags: Business • e-commerce • FreeCharge • Snapdeal

Gujarat wins Syed Mushtaq Ali T-20 trophy 2014-15Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 8, 2015No comments

Gujarat won the Syed Mushtaq Ali T-20 cricket trophy for the tournament season 2014-15.

In the final match played at KIIT Stadium, Odisha they defeated Punjab by two wickets. Punjab by batting first had scored 117 for 9 wickets in 20 overs. Gujarat by chasing the target had scored 123 in 19.5 overs for 8 wickets.

With this win, Gujarat has won this trophy for second, earlier they won in 2012-13 season.

About Syed Mushtaq Ali T-20 Trophy

Syed Mushtaq Ali T-20 Trophy is a Twenty20 cricket domestic championship in India named after famous Indian cricketer, Syed Mushtaq Ali.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) organizes the tournament and played among the teams from Ranji Trophy.

Inaugural season of tournament was 2008-09 and was won by Maharashtra cricket team.

Tags: Cricket • Gujarat • Punjab

Sumit Mazumder elected as new President of CII for year 2015-16Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 8, 2015No comments

Sumit Mazumder was elected as the President of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for the year 2015-16. He is Chairman & Managing Director (MD) of TIL Limited.

He will succeed Ajay Shriram, Chairman of DCM Shriram Consolidated Ltd.

Moreover, Shobana Kamineni was elected as Vice-President of CII for the year 2015-16. Presently, she is Executive Vice-Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Limited (AHEL).

Dr Naushad Forbes is the President-designate of CII for the year 2015-16. He is Director of Forbes Marshall.

About Sumit Mazumder

Mazumder is a graduate of St Xavier’s College, Calcutta and holds MBA from Sam Houston State University, US.

He also has undertaken the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA.

At present he is also the Executive Chairman of TIPL (Tractors India Pvt. Ltd.), distributor Company for Caterpillar.

In the past years, Mazumder was an active member of CII and had chaired its various Committees and Councils.

He also had served as President of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Director on the Board of West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC).

Tags: Business • CII • Industry • Manufacturing

Union Cabinet gives nod to Real Estate Regulation Bill to curb malpractices in real estate sectorShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 8, 2015No comments

The Union Cabinet on 7 April 2015 approved amendments to the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2013 to protect the interests of consumers and curb the malpractices in the real estate sector.  

Decision in this regard was taken by Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The bill seeks to create a uniform regulatory mechanism across the country and enhance the growth of construction sector.

It also ensures to bring transparency and accountability in the real estate sector to access capital and financial markets essential for its long term growth.

Facts about Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2013

Regulates transactions in real estate projects between the promoters and buyers. Establishes state level regulatory authorities called Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (RERAs)

and tribunals called Real Estate Appellate Tribunals to settle disputes. Promoters and real estate agents must register project details with RERAs who intend to sell any

plot, apartment or building. All information for registered projects must be disclosed on website of the RERA. It will include

details of promoters, land status, layout plan, schedule of execution and status of various approvals.

The bill enforces the contract between the developer and buyer and fast track the mechanism to settle disputes.

50% of the amount collected from buyers for a project must be maintained in a separate bank account and must only be used for construction of that project.

The Bill was initially introduced in Rajya Sabha by then UPA-2 government led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It was only applicable only for residential real estate and is still pending in Rajya Sabha.

The approved amendments by current Union Government seeks to bring commercial real estate under the ambit of bill.

Tags: Bills and Amendments • Business • Narendra Modi • Union Cabinet

Union Cabinet approves release of additional installment of DA and DRShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 8, 2015No comments

The Union Cabinet on 7 April 2015 gave its nod to release an additional installment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners.

The approved additional installment of DA/DR is at the rate of six percent increase over the existing rate of 107 percent with effect from 1 January 2015. This decision is going to benefit 48 lakh government employees and 55 lakh pensioners.

Decision in this regard was taken in Union meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in accordance with the accepted formula based on the recommendations of the 6th Central Pay Commission.

With this Central Government employees as well as pensioners are entitled for DA/DR at the rate of 113 percent of the basic pay with effect from 1 January 2015.

This decision will have combined impact on the exchequer on account of both DA and DR will be of the order of 6762.24 crore rupees per annum and 7889.34 crore rupees in the Financial Year 2015-16. FY 2015-16 will be for a period of 14 months from January 2015 to February 2016.

Tags: Cabinet Decisions • Socio-Economic

TRAI recommends 112 as single emergency number for IndiaShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 8, 2015No comments

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 7 April 2015 has proposed ‘112’ as a single emergency number that can be used all across the country including for police, fire and ambulance departments.

This emergency number will be similar to the ‘911’ an all-in-one emergency service in the United States.

At present, for emergency disaster management different numbers for different emergencies such as 100 for police, 101 for fire and 102 for ambulance are in existence.

TRAI has suggested that existing emergency numbers can be retained as secondary numbers and the calls made to them be re-routed to ‘112’. After time being, once a call to the secondary numbers significantly reduces, they can be withdrawn gradually.

Callers seeking help in emergency can dial ‘112’ from mobile or landline phones even when outgoing facility has been debarred or the service temporarily suspended. TRAI also has proposed SMS-based access for the emergency services.

The regulator also has recommended setting up of Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) – a call centre through which all calls to ‘112’ will be routed.

Depending upon type of emergency, PSAPs will send police, fire, medical and other emergency response servieces.

Tags: Disaster Management • TRAI

National Green Tribunal bans diesel vehicles older than 10 years in DelhiShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 7, 2015No comments

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on 7 April 2015 held that all diesel vehicles heavy or light which are more than 10 years old will not be permitted to ply in Delhi and NCR.

The judgment was given by bench headed by NGT Chairman Justice Swatanter Kumar on a petition filed by Vardhaman Kaushik who had contended that the level of particulates in Delhi is raising manifold.

NGT bench held that

Diesel is prime source of air pollution in Delhi. The current situation is so alarming that people have been advised to leave Delhi due to adverse effects on health.

Numbers of countries like Brazil, China, and Denmark etc are in the process or have prohibited diesel vehicles. They have achieved it by imposing stringent taxes on the vehicles.

Certain stringent measures need to be taken to ensure that residents of Delhi do not travel closer to ill-health with each breath they take.

In this regard, tribunal bench directed the Transport department of Delhi government and other concerned authorities to prepare a comprehensive data of registration of all such vehicles which are 10 or more years old.

Earlier in November 2014, NGT had banned all the petrol vehicles over 15-year old in Delhi and NCR.

Tags: Delhi • Environment • Health • NGT • Pollution

CCEA approves strengthening and widening of three sections of highways connecting Varanasi and MaduraiShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 7, 2015No comments

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 7 April 2015 approved strengthening and widening of three sections connecting the two temple towns of Varanasi and Madurai.

CCEA approved four laning of

Sultanpur-Varanasi section of National Highway-56 in Uttar Pradesh- This project will upgrade 138 km long stretch NH-56 at the cost of 3,800 crore rupees. It will substantially upgrade Varanasi’s connectivity to Lucknow and other parts of Central UP.

Varanasi to Ghazipur, Gorakhpur and Nepal section of NH- 29 in UP- This project will upgrade 200 km long stretch NH- 29 at the cost of 4,400 crore rupees. It will

improve regional connectivity and facilitate improved movement of people and goods in the region and across the border.

Madurai-Ramanathapuram section of NH- 49 in Tamil Nadu- This project will upgrade 115 km long stretch NH- 49 at the cost of 1,400 crore rupees. It will be undertaken under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) Phase-III.

Tags: CCEA • Tamil Nadu • Uttar Pradesh

April 7: World Health DayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 7, 2015No comments

World health Day was observed all over the world on April 7, 2015. Theme for year 2015 was “food safety” with the slogan from farm to plate, make food safe.

The theme highlights

Need to make food free from viruses, microbes and chemicals substances that are responsible for more than 200 diseases. Indirectly unsafe food is linked to the annual deaths of some 2 million people, mostly children.

Need to create awareness about food safety as it possesses challenges from the changes in food production, distribution and consumption.

Changes in the environment and new emerging pathogens and antimicrobial resistance are also challenge to food safety.

In this regard, WHO is also working with countries to strengthen efforts to detect, prevent and respond to foodborne disease outbreaks in line with the Codex Alimentarius.

About World Health Day

Every year on April 7, World Health Day is celebrated under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Purpose: To focus on increasing the life expectancy by adding good health to the lives of people and promoting healthier living habits.

This day marks the WHO’s founding and is observed since 1950, Since then April 7 every year is seen as an opportunity by the WHO to draw worldwide attention

to a subject of major importance to global health each year.

Tags: Events and Observances • Food Safety • Health • Socio-Economic

Pratap Singh wins Institute of Physics PrizeShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 7, 2015No comments

15-year-old Indian-origin student, Pratap Singh from United Kingdom (UK) has won prestigious award Institute of Physics (IOP) Prize.

Singh, who is a student at The Perse School, Cambridge received the prize for his experiment to verify an effect of Albert Einstein’s special relativity theory.

The award comprises £500 cash prize and a trip to a national physics-related activity. His research will be also published in international journal Physics Education.

Pratap Singh’s experiment

Singh in his experiment used two Geiger-Muller tubes to detect cosmic-ray muons. They are the high-energy particles created high above the Earth.

Using these tubes, he created a mathematical model for cosmic-ray muons arrival rate with and without time dilation.

By statistical analysis and using a Raspberry Pi computer he showed that these cosmic ray munons follow the model predicted by Einstein’s 1905 theory of special relativity.

Tags: awards • Science • United Kingdom

Dena Bank inks MoU with Life Insurance Corporation to provide insurance coverShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 7, 2015No comments

State owned Dena Bank has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India to provide insurance cover to its all Aadhaar-linked savings account holders in the age group of 18 to 50 years.

LIC will provide insurance cover under the Union Government’s flagship Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJBY) scheme.

Under the MoU

LIC will give a life cover of Rs 2 lakh in case of death of the insured person. In this regard, a nominal premium of 330 rupees per annum will be charged from account

holder. Those who join the scheme before completing 50 years can continue to have the risk of life

cover up to the age of 55 years.

Tags: Aadhaar • Banking • LIC

Bangladesh Cabinet approves revised trade deal with IndiaShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 7, 2015No comments

Bangladesh cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has approved the revised India-Bangladesh trade agreement.

The revised agreement will facilitate both countries to use each other’s land and water routes for trade with a third country and remove long standing barrier in regional trade.

With this Bangladesh will be able to use Indian railways, roads and waterways in transshipment of goods to Bhutan and Nepal. While, India will be able to send goods to Myanmar through Bangladesh.

Under the modified deal both countries will be able to use transport networks for transporting the goods for a fee. These fees and charges for transporting goods will be the same for both the countries and will be fixed through bilateral discussions.

The deal will be in force for 5 years instead of the existing tenure of 3 years, and further can amended through mutual agreement.

At present, India has similar agreement with Nepal and Bhutan but Bangladesh’s trade with Nepal and Bhutan was hindered for want of such a treaty with India.

Previously, trucks from Nepal and Bhutan entering from Bangladesh along the Indian border were required to park at a specific point near border. But under the revised deal, trucks from Nepal and Bhutan will enter Bangladesh through the Indian corridors.

Tags: Bhutan • India-Bangladesh • Myanmar • Nepal • Trade Policy

Dr. Mayilsamy Annadura took charge as Director of ISRO satellite centreShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 7, 2015No comments

Dr Mayilsamy Annadurai has assumed the office of Director, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) in Bengaluru, Karnataka. He replaced Dr. S.K. Shivakumar, who had retired on 31 March 2015.

About Dr Mayilsamy Annadurai

Annadurai had joined ISRO in 1982. He had started his career at ISAC as the team leader to design and develop Software Satellite Simulator.

He was Mission Director of ISRO’s INSAT Missions from 1992 to 2005. He was also lead member of ISRO’s satellite mission team and brought about the efficient ground automation for satellite operations.

Annadura also had served as Project Director of India’s first Lunar Mission, Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2.

In 2011, he was Programme Director of Indian Remote Sensing Satellites and Small Satellite Systems (IRS&SSS).

He also had served as Programme Director of India’s first interplanetary mission- Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also called Mangalyaan.

Annadura has authored 3 books and has 75 papers to his credit.

Tags: ISRO • Karnataka • Mars Orbiter Mission

BCCI re-appoints Rajeev Shukla as IPL Governing Council chairmanShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 7, 2015No comments

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has re-appointed Rajeev Shukla as chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council.

Previously, he was IPL chairman till 2013 but had resigned from the post after the IPL ‘spot-fixing’ scandal.

Former Indian Cricket team Captain Sourav Ganguly was also selected in the IPL Governing Council.

Head of Senior national selection committee, Sandeep Patil was retained for another season in the IPL Governing Council along with Team India Director Ravi Shastri.

Former captain Anil Kumble also has been retained as chairman of the Technical committee IPL Governing Council while Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia will head the powerful finance committee.

Other members of IPL Governing Council are

Jagmohan Dalmiya (BCCI president) – Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee.

Chetan Desai- Head the Marketing Committee. Gokaraju Gangaraju- In-charge of the Tours and Programmes Committee. Biswarup Dey- Head of the Media Committee. Anurag Thakur- Head of Affiliations Committee.

Tags: BCCI • Cricket

First indigenously-built Scorpene Submarine Kalvari undockedShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 6, 2015No comments

First indigenously-built Scorpene Submarine on 6 April 2015 was undocked at the Mazagaon Dockyard Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The undocked submarine was named Kalvari and is expected to be commissioned into Indian Navy by September 2016.

The submarine is part of the Indian Navy’s ambitious submarine programme- Project 75. This programme is undertaken in collaboration France to build fleet of six such submarines.

Remaining 5 Submarines will delivered by the MDL to the Indian Navy by 2020 and will form core of the navy’s submarine arm for the next two decades

Features about Scorpene submarine

Has superior stealth capability. Can undertake various operations including multifarious warfare, Anti-submarine warfare,

Intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance etc. Ability to launch attack on the enemy using precision guided weapons. The attack can be

launched from underwater or on surface. Designed to operate in all theatres including the tropics. Built using special steel that can withstand high yield stress that can withstand high hydrostatic

force and enabling to dive deeper. Equipped with Weapons Launching tubes (WLT) that can carry weapons on board and can be

easily reloaded at sea.

Tags: Indian Navy • Maharashtra • Mumbai

Arab poet Adonis chosen for 2015 Kumaran Asan World Prize for poetryShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 6, 2015No comments

Syrian-Lebanese Arab poet Adonis has been chosen for 2015 Kumaran Asan World Prize for poetry.

Adonis was born as Ali Ahmad Said Esber in Western Syria in 1930. Since 1985, he had settled in Paris, France.

He has been described as one of the greatest living poet of the Arab world. 

Adonis has authored more than twenty volumes of poetry in Arabic, which are widely translated into almost all languages.

His poems had helped him to be a perennial contender for the Nobel Prize for many years.

His famous work includes- If Only the Sea Could Sleep, Pages of Day and Night, Songs of Mihyar the Damascene, Not A Star, A Voice, A King is Miyhar, The Adoring Rock, Take me to God.

About Kumaran Asan World Prize for poetry

The award is instituted by Chennai based Kumaran Asan Memorial Association. Named after eminent Malayalam poet Kumaran Asan to honour poets of international stature

and introduce them to Indian readers. The award carries a cash prize of three lakh rupees, a memento and citation.

Tags: awards • France • Poet • Syria

Dronavalli Harika wins bronze in World Women’s chess championshipShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 6, 2015No comments

Indian chess Grandmaster Dronavalli Harika on 6 April 2015 won the bronze medal in the World Women’s chess championships along with Swedish Grandmaster Pia Cramling.

In the semifinal match played at Sochi in Russia, Harika lost to Ukraine’s Mariya Muzychuk and settled to Bronze medal with US $ 20,000.

World Women’s chess championship’s winners are

Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine) – Won Gold medal along with US $ 60,000 by 2.5 points. Natalija Pogonina (Russia) – Won Silver medal along with US $ 30,000 by 1.5 points.

About Women’s World Chess Championship

It is played to determine the women’s world champion in chess. It is administered by World Chess Federation (FIDE).

Tags: Chess • Sports

India to host 5th meeting of SAARC Health Ministers in New DelhiShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 6, 2015No comments

India is going to host the 5th meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Health Ministers in New Delhi.

The 5th meeting will start on 9 April 2015 and is being held in pursuance of decisions taken by the SAARC Summit of Heads of States held at Kathmandu in November 2014.

Purpose of the meeting- Find out ways and means to synergise collective efforts in order to provide better health and a better quality of life to the citizens of SAARC countries. It also seeks to implement identified best practices and share strategies among member countries.

The meeting will

Deliberate on key issues including HIV-AIDS, prevention of non-communicable and communicable diseases and to strengthen collaborations amongst the member nations.

Frame a road map for strengthening collaboration among SAARC countries on a number of issues and challenges faced by them.

Maldives had hosted the 4th meeting of the SAARC Health Ministers in April 2012.

Tags: Health • Maldives • SAARC

MoU inked for construction of BR Ambedkar memorial at Indu Mills landShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 6, 2015No comments

A three party MoU was signed between Union Ministry of Textiles, Maharashtra government and National Textile Corporation on 5 April 2015 for transfer of land for construction of the memorial for Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar memorial in Mumbai.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union textile minister Santosh Gangwar in New Delhi.

The agreement will

Pave the way for construction of memorial on the 12 acre land adjacent to the Chaityabhoomi in the Indu Mills Compound which belongs to the National Textiles Corporation (NTC).

Facilitate the transfer the land of NTC to the state government as per section 11 of The Textile Undertakings Nationalisation Act-1995 which mentions that it can be transferred with prior permission of Union government.

The memorial will be constructed on the site where the last rites of architect of the Indian Constitution, Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar were performed after he had died on December 6, 1956.

Tags: B R Ambedkar • Maharashtra • Mumbai • Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches National Air Quality Index to give pollution informationShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 6, 2015No comments

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched National Air Quality Index (AQI) to give pollution information on real time basis.

Initially the new index will cover 10 cities. They are Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Agra, Faridabad, Varanasi, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Later it will be extended to more than 60 cities with a population exceeding one million.

Facts about National Air Quality Index (AQI)

AQI will be used to inform people about daily air quality in turn it will provide advisories on health consequences.

It will also tell how clean or polluted the air is and what associated health effects. The AQI has been developed for six pollutants- nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, ozone,

Particle Pollution (PM)2.5, PM10 and carbon monoxide.

The new AQI is hosted on the website of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Tags: Environment • Narendra Modi • Pollution

Winners of 2015 Miami Open Titles

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April 6, 2015No comments

Men’s Singles Title

World No. 1 and Serbian ace tennis player Novak Djokovic has won the 2015 Miami Open Men’s Singles Title. In the final match he defeated Britain’s Andy Murray by 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-0 score. This was Djokovic’s fifth Miami Open trophy.

Women’s singles Title

World No. 1 and American ace tennis player Serena Williams has won the 2015 Miami Open Women’s singles Title. In the final match she defeated Spain’s Carla Suárez Navarro by 6-2, 6-0 score.

Men’s doubles Title

American Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan pair has won the 2015 Miami Open Men’s doubles Title. In the final match they defeated Vasek Pospisil (Canada) and Jack Sock (US) pair by 6–3, 1–6, 10–8 score.

Women’s doubles Title

India’s Sania Mirza and Switzerland’s Martina Hingis pair has won 2015 Miami Open Women’s doubles Title. In the final match they defeated Russian pair of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina by 7–5, 6–1 score.

Tags: India • Russia • Serbia • Spain • Tennis • United States

Delhi airport wins Golden Peacock National Quality Award 2015

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April 6, 2015No comments

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has won the prestigious Golden Peacock National Quality Award for the year 2015.

DIAL was bestowed this award for their efforts in building a culture of Total Quality across Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister for culture, youth and development Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan will present this award to DIAL at a specially organized presentation ceremony to be held in Dubai on April 20, 2015.

DIAL is a joint venture (JV) company comprising of Airports Authority of India (AAI), GMR Group, Fraport and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad.

About Golden Peacock National Quality Award

GPNA have been instituted in 1991 by Institute of Directors (IOD) a registered non-profit apex association of company directors.

Since its inception, it is globally regarded as a benchmark of corporate excellence. The Award is bestowed annually to encourage total improvement in each sector of the business.

Tags: awards • Delhi Airport

K.N. Tripathi sworn in as Governor of MizoramShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 4, 2015No comments

West Bengal and Bihar Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi took additional charge of Mizoram . He was sworn in as 16th Governor of Mizoram on 4 April 2015.

Justice Michael Zothankhuma of the Gauhati High Court administered oath of office to him at Raj Bhavan in Aizawal.

Tripathi was given additional charge of Mizoram after Union Government had sacked then Governor Aziz Qureshi.

About Keshari Nath Tripathi

Tripathi was member of Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly for six times and had represented BJP.

He also had served as the Speaker of the UP Legislative Assembly three consecutive times in 1991, 1997 and 2002.

He also had held position of Cabinet Minister from 1977-1979 in UP Government. Tripathi had practised as a lawyer in the Allahabad High Court from 1956. From 1987 to 1989, he

was the President of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association.

Article 153 of Constitution- It says that there shall be Governor for each state. 7th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956 facilitated the appointment of the same person as a governor for two or more states.

Tags: Article 153 • Bihar • Governor • Mizoram • West Bengal

Pedro Cateriano Bellido appointed as Prime Minister of PeruShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 4, 2015No comments

Pedro Cateriano Bellido was appointed as Prime Minister of Peru by the President Ollanta Humala.

He will replace Ana Jara, who had lost a confidence vote and was sacked by Peruvian Congress amid allegations of corruption.

About Pedro Cateriano Bellido

Prior to this appointment, he was serving as Peru’s Defence Minister and was appointed in July 2012,

Cateriano, by profession is a lawyer and is specialized in constitutional law. He was member of the Peruvian parliament from 1990 to 1992. Cateriano also had served as deputy justice minister from 2001 to 2002. He also teaches law at the University of Lima.

Tags: Peru • Prime Minister

Union Government launches ‘Give It Up’ movement in KarnatakaShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 4, 2015No comments

Union Government on 4 April 2015 formally launched the ‘Give It Up’ movement in Karnataka. It was launched by Union Minister of State (MoS) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradan.

The movement appeals to the rich people to voluntarily give up their subsidy amount given on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders.

The money surrendered under this movement will be utlised for poor to get LPG connection in rural as well as in urban areas who are still using firewood for cooking.

Earlier in this regard, Give it Up campaign was launched Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the annual energy-focussed summit Urja Sangam 2015. During this summit, Prime Minister had asked companies and banks to encourage their employees to give up the subsidy on LPG.

PM also had mentioned that Give it Up campaign should be taken up on the lines of Union Governments initiatives like Swacch Bharat and Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.

Tags: Government policy • Petroleum Industry • Subsidy

88th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan begins in Ghumaan, Punjab

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April 4, 2015No comments

88th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (All India Marathi Sahitya Sammelan) on 3 April 2015 began in Ghumaan village in Gurdaspur district of Punjab.

It was inaugurated by Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari along with the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The three-day long sammelan is dedicated to Marathi Saint Bhagat Namdev (Sant Namdeo). In this conference large contingent of Marathi litterateurs is going to take part.

The President of 88th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan is Dr. Sadanand More. Apart from inaugurated the sammelan, foundation stone of Bhagat Namdev Degree College was also laid in the Ghumaan village.

Village Ghumaan is the place where Marathi Saint Bhagat Namdev had spent 18 years of his life and gave valuable teachings to the society.

It is believed that in Ghuman, Sant Namdeo had composed his shlokas in Awadhi, Marathi and Punjabi. His 61 shabads were included in holy scripture of the Sikhs i.e. in Guru Granth Sahib.

Tags: Events • Punjab

Union Government extends National Food Security Act deadline by 6 monthsShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 4, 2015No comments

Union Government again has extended rolling out deadline for National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 by six months.

It was announced by Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan in order to give more time to states to roll out NFSA. The extension will help remaining states adopt and implement the law within next six months.

It is third time, this deadline has been extended and the second deadline was to end on 4 April 2015.

So far only 11 states and Union Territories (UTs) have implemented NSFA which was passed by Parliament in September 2013. Remaining 25 states/UTs have not implemented it yet.

11 states and UTs that have implemented NSFA fully or partially are- Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi and Chandigarh.

Facts about National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013

NSFA aims at providing legal entitlement to 5 kg of subsidised foodgrains to the identified person per month.

Grains like wheat, rice and coarse grain will be distributed at the price of 3 Rs. 3, Rs. 2 and Rs. 1.

Pregnant women and lactating mothers and children are entitled to get meals under the prescribed nutrition by MDM and ICDS. The age group would be 6 months to 14 years.

NFSA 2013 will provide high nutrition food to the age group of 6 years. Pregnant women and lactating mothers will be entitled to get maternity benefit of not less

than Rs. 6,000.

Tags: Bills and Acts • Food Security • Government policy • Subsidy

Malli Mastan Babu, India’s ace mountaineer passes away

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Malli Mastan Babu, one of India’s top mountaineers passed away. His dead body was recovered in the Andes Mountains between Argentina and Chile after  he went missing on 24th March, 2015 during an expedition to Cerro Tres Cruces Sur.

Babu was regarded as the fastest “7 summiteer” that is fastest mountaineer to climb summits in all seven continents from India. In 2006, he had famously scaled 7 summits of the world in record 172 days.

He was the first Indian mountaineer to summit the tallest peak in Antarctica, Mt Vinson Massif. He was also the first person from Andhra Pradesh to scale the Mt Everest.

He was also known for fast climbing and in 2005, he had summitted Mt Kilimanjaro in three and half days. In his 15 years mountaineering career, he had summitted more than 150 mountains.

Babu hails from Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh and was a 2000-2002 IIM Kolkata pass out. He also had a degree from IIT Kharagpur.

Tags: Argentina • Chile • Obituary • Sports

President Pranab Mukherjee gives assent to re-promulgation of Land OrdinanceShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 3, 2015No comments

President Pranab Mukherjee on 3 April 2015 gave his assent to re-promulgate the Land Acquisition Ordinance as per Article 123 of Constitution.

Earlier, in this regard Union Cabinet had made a recommendation to President as present Land Acquisition Ordinance promulgated in December 2014 is going to lapse on 5 April.  

The new ordinance includes 9 amendments that were part of Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015.

Lok Sabha had passed the bill in the budget session in March 2015. However, the bill is pending before the Rajya Sabha, where government is in minority.

Earlier, President had prorogued the 234th session of the Rajya Sabha in order to pave the way for re-issuing of the Ordinance as per provisions of Constitution.

Article 123 of Constitution

It gives legislative power to President. He can issue ordinances when Parliament is in recess i.e. not in session if there is urgent need to have a law on some urgent public matter.

The ordinance has similar effect to an act of parliament. However, every ordinance must be laid and approved by both houses of the parliament within 6 weeks from the reassembling.

If not placed and approved by both houses of the parliament after reassembling it becomes invalid or lapses.

Tags: Article 123 • Ordinance • President • Union Cabinet

Minor planet named as 4538 Vishyanand after Indian Chess legend Viswanathan AnandShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 3, 2015No comments

Minor planet was named after India’s chess legend and first grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand by the Minor Planet Center.

His name was given to the minor planet which was previously identified as planet 4538. Now the planet will be called as 4538 Vishyanand and is located somewhere between the Mars and Jupiter.

Minor planet 4538 Vishyanand was discovered on 10 October 1988 by Japanese astronormer Kenzo Suzuki. Initially, the planet was unnamed for almost 10 years.

With this, Vishwanathan Anand has joined the league of former world chess champions Alexander Alekhine and Anatoly Karpov who also have minor planets named after them.

What is Minor planet?

A minor planet is a term used to describe an astronomical object that is neither a dominant planet nor a comet and thus includes the dwarf planets that orbit around the Sun.

The orbital categories of these planets are the asteroids, Kuiper belt objects, trojans, centaurs and other trans-Neptunian objects.

The first minor planet discovered was Ceres in 1801.

Naming of Minor Planets

Traditionally, the practice of naming a minor planet is left to its discoverer. If the discovered minor planet remained unnamed for over 10 years, than International Astronomical Union (IAU) names the planet.

Tags: Astronomy • Chess • Science • Sports

India ranks 119 on 2015 FM Global Resilience IndexShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 3, 2015No comments

In recently released 2015 FM Global Resilience Index, India has been ranked a low 119 out of 130 countries.

India despite having scope and global potential was ranked 119 compared to 112th rank in 2014 Global Resilience Index.

Top 10 Countries- Norway (1), Switzerland (2), Netherlands (3), Ireland (4), Luxembourg (5), Germany (6), Qatar (7), Canada (8), Finland (9) and United States (10).

Bottom 4 countries- Dominican Republic (126), Nicaragua (127) Kyrgyz Republic (129) and Venezuela (130).

Facts about India’s ranking

India is ranked 115 position on the economic parameter that takes into account GDP, political risk and oil intensity. This rank is same as in year 2014.

In the risk quality factor, India is ranked 109 for its quality of natural hazard and fire risk management. In this parameter, India has shown slight improvement from its 113th rank in 2014.

In the supply chain category that looks at corruption control, local supplier quality and infrastructure, India is ranked 89th position. In this category, India has fallen 11 spots from the previous year 2014.

About FM Global Resilience Index

The Index measures business resilience of 130 nations. It is based on economic, risk quality and supply chain factors.

The higher ranking of country in this index indicates that it is best suited for companies seeking to avoid disruptions in their global supply chain operations.

Tags: Business • India • Netherlands • Norway • Switzerland

Captain Anoop Kumar Sharma takes over as CEO of Essar ShippingShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 3, 2015No comments

Captain Anoop Kumar Sharma has taken over as whole-time director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Essar Shipping Ltd (ESL).

He replaced Ramakrishnan A. R. who had retired from service on 31 March 2015.

Sharma has been associated with ESL since August 2008. Previously he was associated with Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) for 16 years.

In SCI he had served as the Senior Vice President of the Chartering division and was responsible for exploring global business opportunities for SCI.

Sharma is an Alumni of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai and was a fellow of Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, London. He is also member of the Governing council of Narottam Morarjee Institute of Maritime studies and Services export promotion council.

Earlier ESL also had appointed S. Gayathri as an Additional Director of the Company to fulfill the requirement of having at least one woman director on board.

Essar Shipping Ltd operates a diversified fleet of 15 vessels. It includes very large crude carriers (VLCCs), Capesize, Mini-capesize, Supramaxes, tugs and mini-bulk carriers.

Tags: Business • Persons in News

Kailash Vajpeyi, Renowned Hindi poet passes awayShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 3, 2015No comments

Kailash Vajpeyi, renowned Hindi poet passed away on 1 April 2015 in New Delhi due to cardiac arrest.

He was one of the prominent poets in a group known as San saatth ke baad ki kavita (Post-1960 poetry) that had shaped Hindi literature.

About Kailash Vajpeyi

Kailash Vajpeyi was born at Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh in 1936. He had completed his PhD in Hindi at the age of 24. He began his career as a journalist

and later taught at Delhi University. In his entire career, 28 books were published including 14 volumes of poetry. Some of his notable works includes Sankrant, Dehant Se Hatkar, Teesra Andhera and

Sufinama. Awards- He was conferred with Sahitya Akademi award (2009) for his work Hawa mein

hastakshar (Signature in the air). Lucknow University had awarded him with Vachaspati title.

Tags: Obituary • Poet

Union Government unveils new Foreign Trade PolicyShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 3, 2015No comments

Union Government has unveiled new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) to make India an exporting powerhouse in the next five years.

The new trade policy will incorporate government ambitious initiatives such as Make in India, Digital India mission, Skill India programme, ease of business in order to boost jobs and take India’s exports to 900 billion dollars by 2020.

The goals of the new policy will be achieved by simplifying complex procedures, addressing infrastructural bottlenecks and eliminating manufacturing hurdles.

Focus areas of the new FTP are

Labour intensive sectors to generate more employment. Boosting to environment-friendly products. High tech value addition. Involving skill India programme to promote entrepreneurship. Moving towards branding of products. Incentives for units located in SEZs. Making the life of traders easier.

Key facts

FTP also takes into consideration e-commerce. Under the new policy, India’s nascent, e-commerce sector would also be extended sops.

The new trade policy will be based on two new schemes- Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) and Services Exports from India Scheme (SIES). Under these two schemes, government has merged all earlier export promotion schemes.

MEIS is for export of specified goods in specified markets with the rate of rewards range from 2 to 5%. SIES is for increasing exports of notified services and the selected services will be rewarded at the rates of 3 to 5%.

The new also move towards paperless working. In this regard, a facility has been created to upload documents in exporter/ importer profile in order to avoid need of repeatedly submitting documents.

Tags: Business • Government policy • Trade Policy

Mariyam Asif Siddiqui, Muslim girl wins Bhagwad Gita contestShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 3, 2015No comments

Mariyam Asif Siddiqui, a 12-year-old Muslim girl from Mumbai has secured first place Shrimad Bhagwad Gita Champion League.

She won the first prize in an inter-school competition for explaining the teachings of the holy book- Bhagwad Gita. The Shrimad Bhagwad Gita Champion League was organised by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in March.

In this contest, around 4,500 students from 195 schools had participated. They were given the English version of Bhagwad Gita for a month for preparation purpose for explaining the teachings of the holy book. The competition included recitation of the Gita in English along with a written test.

Tags: awards • Mumbai

Sunita Tomar, poster girl of India’s Anti-Tobacco campaign diesShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 2, 2015No comments

Sunita Tomar, poster girl of India’s anti-tobacco campaign passed away at her hometown in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh. She was 28 and was diagnosed with oral cancer.

She had appeared in government’s 30-second video titled ‘Sunita’ which had highlighted the devastating effect of smokeless tobacco. The video had shown her personal testimony before and after an operation to remove the cancerous growth and a part of her mouth.

For this video Sunita had teamed with Voice of Tobacco Victims (VoTV) in order to create awareness about the tobacco-cancer.

It is estimated that tobacco causes 40% of the cancer in India. Around 10 lakh new cancer cases are reported every year. In fact, India has the highest incidence of oral cancer in the world, prompting its link to the habit of chewing tobacco among Indians. While, 60% of oral cancer patients in India die within a year or two of their diagnosis because of their late treatment.

Tags: Diseases • Health • Madhya Pradesh • Obituary • Sunita Tomar

Amaravathi named as new capital of Andhra PradeshShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 2, 2015No comments

Andhra Pradesh government has approved Amaravathi as name of the new capital city of the state coming up in the Vijayawada-Guntur region.

The name Amaravathi was chosen in view of the historical and spiritual significance as it was ancient seat of Satavahana ruler’s kingdom.

Decision in this regard was taken by Andhra Pradesh Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Apart from this, cabinet also approved the first phase of the master plan prepared by Singapore government.

Facts about ancient Amaravathi city

Amaravathi is located on the banks of river Krishna. It was the capital seat of Satvahana rulers for 400 years who ruled 2nd century BCE to 3rd century CE.

The city derives its name from Lord Amareswara temple in the village. It is also known as ‘Dakshina Kashi’ (Kashi of the south).

It also has Buddhist significance. It is believed that Lord Buddha had visited the city. It is also believed that King Ashoka and famed Chinese traveller Hsuan Tsang have visited the city.

Tags: Amaravathi • Andhra Pradesh • Culture • Singapore

Union Cabinet approves amendments to the Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 2, 2015No comments

Union Cabinet gave its approval for the amendment of the Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973. Decision in this regard was taken by Union Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The approved amendments in parent act aims at improving the quality of homeopathy education in the country to provide better healthcare through the homeopathy system of medicine.

The amendments will add provisions related to granting permission by Union Government to all homoeopathic medical colleges for continuing courses to impart quality education.

Amendments approved

Union Government’s permission is being made mandatory for all the homoeopathy colleges to undertake annual admissions.

Union Government can give permission for 5 years to homoeopathy colleges which conform to the prescribed standards as specified in the Act.

Background

The existing provisions of parent Act do not empower Union Government to stop admissions in existing homoeopathy colleges which are not conforming to standards specified in the Act. Thus, comprising the quality of homoeopathy education.

Tags: Bills and Amendments • Cabinet Decisions • Health • Medical • Narendra Modi • Union Cabinet

Odisha Government launches Aahar schemeShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 1, 20151 Comment

Odisha Government on 1 April 2015 launched ‘Aahar’- cheap meal scheme for providing subsidised food to urban poor.

It was launched by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar on the occasion  the foundation day of the state i.e. Utkala Dibasa.

Facts about Aahar- cheap meal scheme

It aims at providing meal at Rs. five to the urban poor. In the first phase scheme was launched simultaneously in five cities of state including

Bhubaneswar, Rourkela, Cuttack, Berhampur and Sambalpur. The subsidised meals will be provided at four crowded places each in these five cities to people

visiting urban areas for various work

Following companies have sponsored the scheme in particular city

Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Odisha Power Generation Corporation (OPGC) in Rourkela. Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) in Sambalpur. Tata Steel in Berhampur.

Tags: Government Schemes • Naveen Patnaik • Odisha • Tata Steel

Union Government launches FAME-India scheme to boost electric, hybrid vehicle salesShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 1, 2015No comments

Union Government on 1 April 2015 launched Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) – India Scheme.

The scheme was launched as part of the National Mission for Electric Mobility to boost eco-friendly vehicles sales in the country.

Facts about FAME India scheme

Objective- to support the hybrid or electric vehicles market development and its manufacturing eco-system in the country in order to achieve self-sustenance in stipulated period.

The overall scheme is proposed to be implemented over a period next 6 years i.e. till 2020. It envisages providing Rs 795 crore support till 2020 for the manufacturing and sale of electric

and hybrid vehicles. It also seeks to provide demand incentives to electric and hybrid vehicles from two-wheeler to

buses. Implementation- It will be implemented in phases. The Phase-1 will be implemented over a two

year period in FY15-16 and FY16-17. Based on the outcome and experience from the Phase-1, it will be reviewed for implementation

after 31 March 2017. Then appropriate fund will be allocated for future. Four focus areas of scheme- Technology development, Pilot Projects, Demand Creation and

Charging Infrastructure. In the first two years Rs 260 crore and Rs 535 crore will be spent on the focus areas.

The Department of Heavy Industries under the aegis of Union Ministry of Heavy Industries will be will be nodal department for the scheme.

Tags: Government Schemes • Manufacturing • Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

Gulshan Rai takes charge as India’s first cyber security chiefShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 1, 2015No comments

Gulshan Rai on 1 April 2015 took charge as India’s first cyber security chief under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as Special Secretary for cyber security.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2015 had created this new post in PMO and had appointed Rai as its head.

Prior to this appointment, he was Director-General Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) at the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY).

He also heads the E-Security and Cyber Law division in the Union Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

About Gulshan Rai

Rai has more than two decades of experience in different areas of IT and had served at various capacities in field of cyber security.

He also had served in various fields like e-governance, legal framework and the Information Technology Act for e-commerce.

Rai holds M.Tech and doctoral degree. He has published several reports and papers on e-commerce, cyber laws, cyber security and networking at several national and international conferences.

Tags: CERT • cyber security • DeitY • e-commerce • Gulshan Rai • Ministry of Communications and Information Technology • Narendra Modi

Misao Okawa, Worlds oldest person dies in Japan at age 117Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 1, 2015No comments

Misao Okawa, the World’s oldest person on 1 April 2015 died in Japan at the age of 117 and 27 days.

She was awarded the Guinness World Records title of oldest living person as well as the oldest living woman on 27 February 2013, a few days before her 115th birthday.

She was born in on 5 March 1898 in Osaka city of Japan. She is survived by three children and four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren.

Okawa was the 30th verified person who had reached the age of 115, the 10th verified person to reach the age of 116 and the 5th verified person to reach the age of 117.

Now the oldest living person is Sakari Momoi from Japan. He had turned 112 in February 2015.

According to Guinness World Records, the oldest person who has ever lived was Jeanne Calment of France. She had lived 122 years and 164 days and had died in August 1997.

Tags: Japan • Misao Okawa • Records

Punjab Government launches Padho Punjab- Khedo Punjab MissionShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 1, 2015No comments

Punjab Government has launched ‘Padho Punjab- Khedo Punjab Mission’ i.e. Learn Punjab- Play Punjab Mission.

It is a special mission launched to provide school students a separate period in the curriculum for playing along with studies.

The purpose of the mission is to encourage more youngsters towards sports to produce quality players for the country. This will also inculcate the sportsmanship spirit and competitiveness amongst them.

Under this mission a 40 to 50 minute special period has been kept for sports. During this period students of middle schools will be taught various games including the games played locally.

Mission’s pilot project was launched by State Education Minister Dr. Daljeet Singh Cheema at a government girl’s school in Rupnagar district of state.

As part of it five teachers have been trained for purpose Padho Punjab-Khedo Punjab Mission. They will further give training to other teachers to physically train students in sports.

Tags: Education • Government Schemes • Punjab • Sports

Pakistan 8th most dangerous country in the world: Country Threat IndexShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google April 1, 2015No comments

Recently released Country Threat Index (CTI) by US-based intelligence think tank- Intel Center has placed Pakistan eighth in the list of the most dangerous countries in the world as of March 2015.

Top 10 Most Dangerous Countries in the world

Rank Country CTI Score1 Iraq 8112 Syria 7173 Nigeria 2724 Somalia 2575 Afghanistan 1866 Libya 1577 Yemen 1328 Pakistan 1229 Ukraine 10310 Egypt 74

 Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two South Asian countries in the list.

The rankings were prepared based upon CTI after examining the volume of terrorist and rebel alerts, messaging traffic, videos, photos, incidents and the number of killed and injured in a country over the past 30 days.

Intel Center is a Washington-based company established in 1989. It works globally for intelligence agencies a by providing them counterterrorism intelligence services. 

Tags: Afghanistan • Egypt • Iraq • Libya • Nigeria • Pakistan • Somalia • Syria • Terrorism • Ukraine • Yemen

New Zealand cricketer Kyle Mills retires from international cricketShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 1, 2015No comments

New Zealand cricketer Kyle Mills on 1 April 2014 announced retirement from international cricket.

He made this announcement after New Zealand lost to Australia in ICC World Cup 2015 final.

Kyle Mills cricket career spanned 14 years. In his entire cricket career he had played 19 Tests matches, 170 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 42 T20s.

He had made his international debut in a ODI against Pakistan in 2001 and test debut in 2004 against England.

In 170 ODI matches he had taken 240 wickets, second highest wicket taker among New Zealand bowlers after Daniel Vettori. In 19 tests matches, he had taken 44 wickets and 43 wickets in his 42 Twenty20 internationals.

Tags: Cricket • Kyle Mills • New Zealand • Sports

Muhammadu Buhari elected as President of NigeriaShare on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print Share on google

April 1, 2015No comments

Former military ruler Genral Muhammadu Buhari won the Presidential election in Nigeria. He defeated incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan by more than two million votes.

With this historic win, Buhari became the first opposition candidate in history of Nigeria to win a presidential election.

In this election Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) party has received around 15,424,921 votes and Jonathan’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has recieved 12,853,162 votes.

About Muhammadu Buhari

He is native of Daura in Katsina State of Nigeria and belongs to Fulani ethnic background. Buhari was military ruler of Nigeria from 1984 to 1985 and had taken power by a military coup. He had served in Nigerian Army from 1961 to 1985 and had retired as a Major General.

Comment

Gen Buhari’s victory in this presidential election is considered as historic moment in Nigeria’s turbulent history. For the first time sitting president was defeated in an election.

Since independence from Britain in 1960, Nigeria had faced numerous military coups and most of the elections were rigged in the past.

2015 Presidential election is considered as important in Nigeria because it was conducted fairly indicating roots of democracy, deepening in Nigeria.

Tags: General Elections • Genral Muhammadu Buhari • Nigeria • President