Not ebook: current affairs

Creat ed: 21-Dec-14 4:02 PM

URL: http://currentaffairs.gktoday.in/category/current-affairs-november-2014

Current Affairs : November 2014 Current Affairs - Current Affairs Today

Chinas Yan Bingtao Becomes YoungestPlayer to Win World Snooker TitleNovember 30, 2014No comments

Yan Bingtao, the 14-year-old prodigy from China, has created history by becoming the youngestplayer to win the mens title in the IBSF World Snooker Championship. He defeated PakistansMuhammad Sajjad 8-7 in the final match held in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Earlier, Yan had defeated 12 time World titles holder Pankaj Advani by 6-4 to storm into the menssemi-finals.

PM flags off Meghalayas first trainNovember 30, 2014No comments

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged-off the first train from Mendipathar, Meghalaya, to Guwahati.This was an important occasion in the history of Indian Railways, as Meghalaya was being added tothe rail network of India for first time. He also unveiled the plaque for a new rail line from Bhairabito Sairang.

WCCB develops app to track wildlife crimesacross countryNovember 30, 2014No comments

For the first time, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) under Environment Ministry incoordination with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) have developed Android based smartphoneapplication that will enable users to report wildlife crimes, from any part of the country using theirmobile phones

Features of applications

This application provides a secure platform for real time exchange of wildlife crime relatedinformation between WCCB and relevant stakeholdersThe app allows an individual to report a wildlife crime quickly and efficiently as the lead willbe automatically delivered to a designated email id of WCCB.The user who reports crime can also remain anonymous and WCCB will be the solecustodian of the collected information.Further, no details of the person reporting the crime will be shared without the priorconsent of the individual.This interactive app has a simple user interface replacing the written reporting and records.It is also integrated with digital version of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. The updatedversion will provide regular wildlife crime news alerts and updates on anyamendments/notifications related to the Act.

Further, WTI is in consultation with its partner International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is alsotrying to develop an application for identification of wild animals which is expected to be integratedin the next version of the present app.

Thus this application may contribute greatly in improving wildlife crime enforcement in India.

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Page 2November 29, 2014No comments

Renowned Crime novelist Phyllis Dorothy James has passed away in Oxford, UK. She was 94. Shewas referred as queen of crime fiction and well-known for her series of detective novels starringthe policeman and poet Adam Dalgliesh.

About Phyllis Dorothy James

Phyllis Dorothy James usually known as PD James was born in Oxford, UK was acclaimedBritish writer.She began her writing career in the 1950s.Her first novel Cover Her face was published in 1962 which featured the investigator andpoet Adam Dalgliesh named after a teacher at Cambridge High School.She had held a job in the forensic science department and then the criminal law departmentuntil 1979.She had gained international recognition in 1980 after the publication of her eighth book,

Innocent Blood.Many of her detective novels were adapted by television in the UK in 1980s.She was awarded the Crime Writers Associations Diamond Dagger award in 1987 forlifetime achievement, and had also received the Medal of Honour for Literature in 2005 byNational Arts Club.She has over 20 novels to her credit.She was British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) governor from 1988 to 1993.

RBI releases final guidelines for the BharatBill Payment System (BBPS)November 29, 2014No comments

Reserve Bank of India issued the final guidelines for the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS). It is anintegrated bill payment system offering inter-operable and accessible bill payment service tocustomers through a network of agents, enabling multiple payment modes, and providing instantconfirmation of payment.

Key Facts

It will help consumers pay multiple bills like electricity, telephone and school fees at a singlepoint of transaction.

The National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) has been appointed as the nodal bodywhich will set the standards, and also take care of clearing and settlement as the Bharat BillPayment Central Unit (BBPCU).In the two tiered BBPS set-up, there will be authorised operational units called Bharat BillPayment Operating Units (BBPOUs) with an agent network under the BBPCU.RBI has set a Rs 100-crore networth and domestic registration as qualifying conditions forthose seeking to be authorised collection agents.Participants in the BBPS will include authorised entities such as BPCU, BBPOUs as well astheir authorised agents, payment gateways, banks, billers and service providers, and otherentities, including authorised prepaid payment instrument issuers.

Thus, BBPS will help track all the payments being made in economy, including cash payments toutilities, schools, and telcos among others.

Mount Aso erupts in JapanNovember 29, 2014No comments

Mount Aso, a volcano in southern Japan has erupted. It is the first such eruption in 22 years,causing flight cancellations and prompting warnings to stay away from its crater. This eruption hasspewed out lava debris and smoke, shooting plumes of ash a kilometre into the sky.

Earlier, Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) had reported earthquakes and other seismic activity inlate August on Mount Aso.

About Mount Aso

Mount Aso is the largest active volcano in Japan, and is among the largest in the world. It is locatedin Aso Kuju National Park in Kumamoto Prefecture, on Kyushu Island. Its peak is 1592 m above sea

level. Mount Aso has one of the largest calderas in the world (25 km north-south and 18 km east-west). The caldera has a circumference of around 120 km.

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Page 3

The Union Government has granted Rs. 444 crore for the Phase-2 work of the Sabarmati RiverConservation Project. This fund will help to beautify Sabarmati Riverfront Project.

The National River Conservation Director (NRCD) has also given nod for the purification of theSabarmati River.

As per the approval

70 per cent of the cost i.e. Rs. 311.72-crore would be borne by the Centre.Remaining 30 per cent i.e. Rs. 132.72-crore will be jointly borne by Government of Gujarat(GOG) and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

This project will be executed as per the provisions of Central Public Health EngineeringEnvironment Organisations (CPHEEO) Revised Guidelines.

After the completion of Phase-2 of the River Conservation Project, no untreated or half-treatedsewage water could be released into the Sabarmati.

Similarly, industrial waste waters could also be released into the sewage line only after primarytreatment as per the provisions.

Earlier, Centre had earlier granted Rs. 90-crore for the Phase-1 of the project under which 22-kmof sewage network, two terminal pumping stations and two sewage treatment plants, besides twocrematoria and five toilets were constructed.

Page 4November 29, 2014No comments

Namibia has become first country in Africa to use electronic voting in their presidential election. Forthe first time 1.2 million Namibians are expected to cast their votes electronically in the countrys

5th election since independence.

Around 3400 India-made Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be used for this elections.

In April 2014, Namibian government had purchased these EVM form Indias public sector unit,Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL), Bangaluru.

This purchase was done after, the seven-member delegation from the Electoral Commission ofNamibia (ECN) were impressed by the EVM system after they had visited polling stations inKarnataka including Bengaluru, during Lok Sabha polls in April, 2014 17.

Other countries using Indian made EVMs: Asian countries Nepal, Bhutan have purchasedIndia-manufactured EVMs and using it. Fiji is expected to use Indian EVMs.

India and Mozambique sign MoU forcooperation in oil & gas sectorNovember 29, 2014No comments

India and Mozambique have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in theoil and gas sector for a period of five years.

This MoU seeks cooperation in oil and gas in both upstream and downstream sectors in the areasof enhancing capacity-building, forging closer cooperation between research and training centresand intensifying technology transfer, among others.

The MoU was signed at a meeting held at New Delhi between Petroleum Minister DharmendraPradhan and Mozambiques Minister of Foreign Affairs Oldemiro Julio Marques Baloi.

Background

Earlier, Union cabinet had given their nod on 29th October 2014 for the MoU between bothcountries.

Mozambique is strategically located near India and is ideally suited for bringing Liquefied naturalgas (LNG) to India at market-determined price. Participation of Indian energy companies in theproject will facilitate access to LNG for the growing Indian gas market. This project plans toproduce 34 million tonnes of LNG annually from its biggest gas field the Rovuma Area 1 offshoreblock of Mozambique.

State-run ONGC Videsh Ltd, Oil India and Bharat Petroleum Corp already have bought 30 percentstake and will also participate in the LNG project.

70 crore Aadhaar cards generated so farNovember 29, 2014No comments

Government has announced that as many as 70.43 crore Aadhaar numbers have been generatedby the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as on November 15, 2014.

It was notified by Planning Minister Rao Inderjit Singh in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

As per Government

The Aadhaar saturation level is more than 90 per cent in 9 states and union territories(UTs).Between 75 per cent and 90 per cent in another 8 states/UTs.In the remaining 12 states/UTs, the Aadhaar saturation level is under 50 per cent.Government has allocated 24 states/UTs to UIDAI for Aadhaar enrolment and the remaining12 states/UTs to Registrar General of India (RGI) for enrolment under National PopulationRegister (NPR) process.At present, Aadhaar enrolments in the state/UTs not allocated to UIDAI are beingundertaken by Registrar General of India under NPR process.

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Page 5November 29, 2014No comments

Thailands parliament has voted to ban commercial surrogacy. This decision was taken byThailands military Junta which came to power in May, 2014.

A voted draft bill has provision which mentions that anyone profiting off surrogacy will be given amaximum ten year prison sentence. The bill also forbids any middlemen or agencies, receiving anyassets or benefits through the surrogacy process

This decision was outcome of outrage that had erupted over the largely unregulated commercialsurrogacy industry following allegations that an Australian couple abandoned a baby with Downssyndrome.

In 1997, commercial surrogacy was supposedly banned by Thailands Medical Council. But, thebooming surrogacy industry had sprung up in Thailand which had attracted many foreigners.

This industry came under intense scrutiny after a series of surrogacy scandals broke involvingforeigners.

WTO approves trade facilitation agreement(TFA)November 28, 2014No comments

The World Trade Organization (WTO) approved the first world-wide trade deal- Trade Facilitationagreement (TFA). It was approved by WTOs 160 member nations in Geneva after months ofdeadlock.

This announcement comes after India and the US earlier had resolved their differences over publicstockholding of food in November 2014.

The approval of TFA deal will possibly help to meet a permanent solution for the publicstockholding of food in the WTOs Ministerial Conference 2015 as 160 members agreed to make allefforts to find a permanent solution to the issue.

Summary

The Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) is the WTOs first-ever multilateral accord. It was outcome

of 9th Ministerial Conference of WTO for broader reform to boost global trade held in Bali,Indonesia in December, 2013.

The agreement includes provisions for

Lowering import tariffs and agricultural subsidies: It will make it easier for developingcountries to trade with the developed world in global markets.Abolish hard import quotas: Developed countries would abolish hard import quotas onagricultural products from the developing world and instead would only be allowed tocharge tariffs on amount of agricultural imports exceeding specific limits.Reduction in red tape at international borders: It aims to reduce red-tapism tofacilitate trade by reforming customs bureaucracies and formalities.

Implications

If this agreement is properly implemented, it may create US$1 trillion worth of global economicactivity which may add 21 million new jobs and lower the cost of doing international trade by 1015percent.

Centenary Celebrations of Shiksha MandalWardha beginsNovember 28, 2014No comments

On 26th November 2014, centenary celebrations of national institution- Shiksha Mandal Wardhabegan. President Pranab Mukherjee was Chief Guest of the celebration function.

Governor of Maharashtra, C Vidyasagar Rao was also present along with Chief Minister ofMaharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways in the CentralGovernment (and a Shiksha Mandal Alumni) Nitin Gadkari .

About Shiksha Mandal

Shiksha Mandal is a pioneer national institution in higher education in Central India. It was foundedin 1914, by Jamnalal Bajaj and Shrikrishnadas Jajoo, associates of Mahatma Gandhi, at Wardha foreducating the youth of India.

During Independence, this Mandal was a part of the national movement and received support forseveral national leaders including Gandhiji, Sardar Patel, Shri PC Ray etc.

During pre-Independence time, some of its students and faculties were involved in the Quit Indiamovement and for few months during this movement its buildings were seized by the British.

It was also the first institute in India to prepare text books and conduct examinations in Hindi and

Marathi at the graduate level.

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Page 6November 28, 2014No comments

Government has revised the target for opening of accounts under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana(PMJDY) from 7.5 crore to10 crore by 26th January, 2015.

It was announced by Finance Ministry in order to open one account bank account for eachhousehold in the country.

According to Finance Ministry

Till 18th November 2014, 7.64 crore bank accounts have been opened under PMJDY.Out of 7.64 crore bank accounts, Public Sector Banks (PSBs) have opened 6.15 croreaccounts, Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) have opened 1.28 crore accounts and private sectorbanks have opened 0.20 crore accounts.In terms of deposits, Rs. 6015 crore has been collected up to 18th November, 2014 underPMJDY. Out of 7.64 core accounts opened, 5.74 crore accounts opened are zero balanceaccounts.Under PMJDY scheme, Madhya Pradesh has achieved more than 90% of the target ofopening of accounts and is likely to achieve the target of 100% soon.

Finance Ministry, is also seeking to connect Aadhar card numbers with bank accounts which willhelp in directly transferring the subsidies to the bank accounts of the desired sections of the societyunder Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana(PMJDY)

PM of India, Narendra Modi had launched the ambitious PMJDY which aims to achievecomprehensive financial inclusion. It provides universal access to banking facilities starting with

Basic Banking Accounts and RuPay Debit card with inbuilt accident insurance cover of Rs. 1 lakh andRuPay Kisan Card.

The slogan for the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan mission is Mera Khata Bhagya Vidhaata.

India launches E-Visa facility for 43countriesNovember 28, 2014No comments

India has launched the tourist visa on arrival facility (VoA) enabled by electronic travel authorizationi.e. E-Visa facility. It was launched by Home Ministry and Tourism Ministry.

This system will be applicable for 43 countries and will make travel seamless and hassle-free forforeign tourist in India.

The addition of 43 countries is the first phase of this facility and more countries will be added soon.

Key Facts

In order to get e-visa facility, foreign tourists will have to apply online at the Web site byuploading their photo and passport and pay a fee online.Within 72 hours, the applicant will receive an Electronic Travel Authorization, ETA by an e-mail.It will be 30-day permit which will include sightseeing, visiting friends and family, recreation,short duration medical treatment, and casual business visit.This facility will be available to tourist twice a year.Through this facility, foreign tourists will be allowed to enter and depart from nine airports.They are Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi,Thiruvananthapuram and Goa.In the first phase e-visa facility will be provided to countries like Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, UAE,Jordan, Kenya, Fiji, Finland, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Mauritius, Mexico, Norway,

Oman and Philippines, US, Germany and Israel.But Government has barred a few countries from e-Visa Facility like Pakistan, Sudan,Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Somalia.

Thus, government has changed the current procedure of Visa approval from manual system to ITbased system which will benefit of tourists and will bring the revolution in the tourism sector andboost the economy.

Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes diesafter head injuryNovember 28, 2014No comments

Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died after he had suffered a severe head injury due to a bouncerduring a match. He was 25. He was in coma for three days following the injury sustained whileplaying in a Sheffield Shield game in Sydney Cricket Ground.

After this incident, Hughes had undergone emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain afterbeing struck on the head by a ball. The cricket fraternity across the world today reacted with shockand sadness at the sad demise of Phil Hughes.

About Phillip Hughes

Phillip Joel Hughes was an Australian Test and One-Day International (ODI) cricketer. He hadplayed for domestic cricket for South Australia and Worcestershire. He was a left-handed opening

batsman who played for two seasons with New South Wales before making his Test debut in 2009at the age of 20.

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Page 7November 28, 2014No comments

Punjab government has banned the sale of flavoured tobacco and e-cigarettes with immediateeffect throughout the state. This decision was taken in at a state-level coordination committee heldin Chandigarh as various firms were bypassing Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act(COTPA), 2003 by selling flavoured, scented tobacco and e-cigarettes in the state.

Under the new notification, even e-commerce companies can be booked as e-cigarettes containnicotine in chemical form.

State-level coordination committee had expressed concern over sale of cigarettes near educationalinstitutions, especially colleges and coaching institutes. They have strictly imposed ban on sale oftobacco within 200 metres of educational institutions.

Thus, Punjab has become the first state in the country to ban e-cigarettes and users of any otherelectronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS). Under these new regulations, promoters will beprosecuted under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act for selling unapproved drugs and could end upserving a year in jail.

E-cigarette

It is a battery-powered vaporizer which has the feel of tobacco smoking.They do not producesmoke like regular cigarette but rather an aerosol (mist), which is inaccurately referred to asvapor. They have a heating element that atomizes a liquid solution known as e-liquid. E-liquids areusually a mixture of propylene glycol, glycerin, nicotine, and flavorings. Using an E-cigarette iscalled Vaping.

Boxer Manoj Kumar receives prestigiousArjuna AwardNovember 27, 2014No comments

Boxer Manoj Kumar was awarded prestigious Arjuna Award by Sports Minister SarbanandaSonowal in New Delhi. He was awarded this award after winning a High Court case against Sportsministry. Manoj Kumar is 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medalist.

Case

Earlier, Kapil Dev-led award selection committee had denied Manoj this award, due false belief thathe was involved in a doping case. Instead of Manoj, the committee had recommended name ofanother boxer Jai Bhagwan for this award.

After this denial, Manoj had approached the Sports Ministry who had assured him that his namewould be added to the list in a review meeting. But he was again sidelined by the Sports Ministry.

After he was sidelined, he took the legal route and filed a case in the Delhi High Court against theministry. He won this case and that led to the ministry accepting his nomination for the award.

About Arjuna Award

The Arjuna Awards are given by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports tosportsperson for their recognition and outstanding achievement in National sports. It wasinstituted in 1961.

The award carries a monetary prize of Rs. 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and ascroll.From the year 2001, the award is given only in disciplines falling under the followingcategories:

1. Olympic Games / Asian Games / Commonwealth Games / World Cup / World ChampionshipDisciplines and Cricket.

2. Indigenous Games.3. Physically Challenged Sports.

93rd birth anniversary of Dr.VergheseKurien observed as National Milk Day inGujaratNovember 27, 2014No comments

National Milk Day was observed in Gujarat to mark 93rd birth anniversary of Dr.Verghese Kurien. Itwas the first of its kind initiative organized by all dairy majors to celebrate November 26 asNational Milk Day in the memory Dr Verghese Kurien.

The idea of celebrating Indian Milk Day was first mooted by Indian Dairy Association (IDA).

Events organized on National Milk Day

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), IDA along with around 22 state level milkfederations including Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) that marketsbrand Amul took part in this initiative.200 lakh milk pouches of Amul will carry the National Milk Days logo featuring Dr Kurien fora week across the country.District level milk unions who are part of Milk federation had organized district level

celebrations which were attended by around 10,000 milk producers.Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel addressed mega gathering of farmers in aprogramme organized by Banas Dairy in Palanpur district.In Anand district, all institutes founded by Mr Kurien i.e. Amul, Institute of RuralManagement Anand (IRMA), Anandalaya and NDDB participated to celebrate this day.

About Dr.Verghese Kurien

Verghese Kurien was renowned social entrepreneur. He was best known as the Father of theWhite Revolution.

Operation Flood: His billion-litre idea-Operation Flood which was the worlds largest agriculturaldevelopment programme, helped to transform India from a milk-deficit country into the worldslargest milk producer.

Milk Co-operatives Movement: He had founded around 30 institutions of excellence (like AMUL,GCMMF, IRMA, NDDB) which are owned, managed by farmers and run by professionals. As thefounding chairman of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), Kurien wasresponsible for the creation and success of the Amul brand of dairy products.

Milk powder: Under his chairmanship, Amul achieved key invention of milk powder processedfrom buffalo milk.

Awards conferred to Verghese Kurien for his contribution are

1963- Ramon Magsaysay Award.1989- World Food Prize by World Food Prize, USA.1965- Padma Shri.1966- Padma Bhushan.1999- Padma Vibhushan.

World Milk Day: Globally, 1st June is annually celebrated as World Milk Day. In 2001, this day wasdesignated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO).

It aims to publicize activities related to milk and milk industries and raise public awareness aboutthe importance of milk and milk products for everyone throughout life.

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Page 8November 27, 2014No comments

Lok Sabha has passed the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2014. The Bill waspassed by voice vote.

The Bill amends the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 for the changing the provisionrelated to appointment of Director of CBI.

The Bill amends the provision in relation to the Leader of Opposition (LoP) and states that wherethere is no LoP, the Leader of the single largest Opposition Party in that House would be part of thecommittee for appointment of Director of CBI.

In the present Lok Sabha there is no LoP in Lok Sabha, since no party have the numbers to get thepost. Now Congress is the largest Opposition party.

Summary

Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 constitutes a special investigation police forceknown as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).Earlier the Act had provision for a three member committee to make recommendations tothe central government for appointment of the Director of CBI.This committee comprised of Prime Minister (Chairperson), the Chief Justice of India or aSupreme Court judge nominated by him, and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Thus this amendment bill, will pave the way for the appointment of a new CBI Director in

December as incumbent CBI Director Ranjit Sinha is to retire on 2nd December 2014.

Anoop Mishra to be the new SecretaryGeneral of the Lok Sabha

November 27, 2014No comments

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Anoop Mishra, will be the new Secretary-General of the LokSabha. It was announced by the Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. He will have the rank and

status of Cabinet Secretary with effect from 1st December 2014 to 30th November 2016 or untilfurther orders.

About Anoop Mishra

Mr. Mishra is a former IAS officer of the 1978 batch of Uttar Pradesh cadre. He has held severalimportant positions at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.

He was the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh for a year with overall responsibility of the Stateadministration, superintendence of law and order and development and infrastructure schemes.

At Centre he has held several important posts like Joint Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, with theresponsibility of strategic Ministries of Home, Defence, External Affairs, Atomic Energy and Spaceand the economic Ministries of Finance and Commerce, besides the Planning Commission.

Supreme Court opines to terminate IPLteam Chennai Super KingsNovember 27, 2014No comments

Supreme Court while hearing on the Mudgal report Committee probe on IPL spot-fixing case hasopine to terminate Indian Premier League (IPL) team Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

This hearing was given by two member special bench headed by Justice T S Thakur and JusticeFakkir Mohamed Ibrahim Kalifulla.

SC hearing

Disqualification of CSK: The bench mentioned that being Board of Control for Cricket inIndia (BCCI) chief and by owning CSK, Srinivasan had breached the provision of conflict ofinterest. So, CSK needs to be disqualified.

BCCI not taking any action: The bench has also questioned that BCCI over not taking anyaction against CSK, Rajasthan Royals -the other team whose owner Raj Kundra wasallegedly involved in betting, and their officials on the basis of findings of Mudgal Committeereport.Fresh Elections of BCCI: The court also suggested there must be fresh election processfor the Board. In these elections the people whose names are mentioned in the Mudgalreport should not take part. Afterwards newly elected board should decide what actions areto be taken on the basis of findings of the report.

Earlier SC hearing: SC while hearing on the IPL spot-fixing case probed by the Justice MudgalCommittee had disclosed names of few persons those who had alleged links with this case. Theywere

Srinivasan- Former President of BCCI and owner of CSKSunder Raman- BCCI chief operating officer (COO).Raj Kundra- Rajasthan Royals co-owner.Gurunath Meiyappan- Chennai Super Kings team principal and son-in-law of N. Srinivasan.

About Mudgal Committee

In 2014, SC has constituted Justice Mukkul Mudgal Committee to conduct an independent inquiryover allegations of corruption, betting and spot-fixing in IPL matches.

Members of committee: Retired Justice Mukkul Mudgal (Head), former Solicitor-General of IndiaL.Nageshwara Rao, former Umpire Nilay Dutta, Deputy DG of Narcotics Control Bureau B.B.Mishraand former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly.

They had submitted its findings in the form of a final Report to the SC in a sealed cover onNovember 3, 2014.

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Rajya Sabha has passed Labour Laws Amendment Bill, 2011 which simplifies labour lawprocedures for establishments employing up to 40 workers. This bill amends the Labour Laws(Exemption from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments)Amendment and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1988.

The Amendment Bill, proposes to change the original Act of 1988 by

Increasing the number of laws under which small establishments are exempted fromfurnishing returns and maintaining registers.Amending the definition of small establishments to cover units employing between 10 to40 workers as against the limit of 19 workers at present.The seven Acts that are added to the list includes

1. Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961.2. Payment of Bonus Act, 1965.3. Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act,

19794. Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of

Service) Act, 1996.5. Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966.6. Dock Workers (Safety, Health and Welfare) Act, 1986.7. Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986.

The Bill also adds that the employer may maintain the returns filed and the registers on acomputer, computer disk or other electronic media.

Background

The Act of 1988, defines small establishments as any place which employs between 10and 19 people on any day of the preceding 12 months. A very small establishment is aplace that employs nine or less people.Under it, these small and very establishments are exempted from furnishing returns andmaintaining registers under certain labour laws.Small establishments were also exempted from furnishing returns and maintaining registersunder certain laws.Under the Act of 1988, the establishments were required to furnish returns and maintainregisters in a specified format.

Thus this Amendment Bill seeks to widen the earlier Act to more establishments and adds morelaws from which these establishments were exempted earlier.

Page 10November 26, 20141 Comment

Haryana government has reduced retirement age of government employees from 60 to 58 years.

This decision was taken in cabinet meet headed by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. It was alsoannounced that the upper age limit for fresh recruitment will remain 42 years. Earlier, Congress-

led Bhupinder Singh Hooda government in Haryana had announced to increase retirement age forgovernment staff from 58 to 60 years.

It was a populist decision announced by then Congress government just before the 15th October2014 assembly election in the state.

Pakistani writer Bilal Tanweer wins 2014Shakti Bhatt First Book PrizeNovember 26, 2014No comments

Pakistani writer, Bilal Tanweer has won the 2014 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize for his novel TheScatter Here Is Too Great. The award carries a cash component of Rs. 2 lakh.

This years judges for Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize were authors Amit Chaudhuri, Aatish Taseerand Mridula Koshy (2009 winner of the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize).

For 2014 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize, six books were shortlisted. They are

A Bad Character by Deepti Kapoor .The Scatter Here Is Too Great by Bilal Tanweer.The Vanishing Act by Prawin Adhikari.a cool, dark place by Supriya Dravid.The Competent Authority by Shovon Chowdhury.The Smoke Is Rising by Mahesh Rao.

All the six books including Tanweers have been published by Indian publishers.

About Bilal Tanweer

Bilal Tanweer was born and raised in Karachi. He is Lahore-based author.He has published fiction, poetry and translation in various international journals. In 2011, hewas selected for Granta New Voice.His book The Scatter Here Is Too Great underlines the crucial importance of literature in

larger cultural landscape. It balances the universality of existential torment with the oftenhorrifying nitty-gritty realities of its location, Karachi.

About Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize

The Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize is an award named after journalist Shakti Bhatt, who passedaway in 2007. It was set up in 2008 to encourage authors from the Indian sub-continent. 2014 wasseventh year of this prize and the prize money was increased to Rs 2 lakhs with support from PritiPaul and the Apeejay Trust.

Other Pakistani writers who have won this prize:

In 2008- Mohammed Hanif.In 2011- Jamil Ahmad.

Government launches Swachh Bharat KoshNovember 26, 2014No comments

Government recently launched the Swachh Bharat Kosh- a fund that will be utilised to buildtoilets in schools, rural and urban areas to achieve the objective of cleanliness across the country.

It will seek to attract donations under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from Corporate Sectorand contributions from individuals and philanthropists to achieve the objective of Clean India(Swachh Bharat) by the year 2019.

Key facts about Swachh Bharat Kosh

Objective: Funds will be used for improving cleanliness levels in rural and urban areas,including in schools. As a top priority, funds will be used to bring out innovative projects andgirl toilets.Governing Council: It will be under the Ministry of Finance and will be managed by aGoverning Council headed by Expenditure Secretary.Monitoring: Its functioning will be monitored on quarterly basis by the Finance Minister andby the Prime Minister from time-to-time.Activities:

Projects under it will be implemented and carried out by the existing institutions at the state,district, and sub district level and no new institutions would be created.

These funds will finance activities such as construction of new toilets as well as repair andrenovation of dysfunctional toilets in rural areas, urban areas, elementary, secondary and seniorsecondary government schools, aanganwaadis.

It will be also used for constructing water lines to the toilets, training and skill development tomaintain hygiene in the toilets as well as other activities to improve sanitation.

Prime Minister himself will acknowledge contributions of over Rs 1 crore made by individuals and ofover Rs 20 crore by corporates.

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Page 11November 26, 2014No comments

Kathak queen and legend Sitara Devi passed away. She was 94. She was living legend and arenowned exponent of the classical Indian dance Kathak and was well known for her own nichestyle of Kathak.

About Sitara Devi

Sitara Devi was born in Kolkata in 1920. After her birth she was named as Dhanalakshmi,and called as Dhanno.

She was renamed as Sitara-the star by her father after she impressed her teachers andthe local media with her Kathak performance in a dance drama, Savitri Satyavan inKolkatta.Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore described her as Nritya Samragini- the empress ofdance, after watching her performance when she was just 16 years old.Bollywood career: At the age of 12 she started performing dances in various Bollywoodfilms. She has danced in Bollywood films like Usha Haran, Nagina, Roti, Vatan, and Anjali. In1957, she performed her last dance in Mother India. She stopped performing dances inmovies as it was adversely affecting her passion for excelling in the classical dance Kathak.International performances: She has given performances in several parts of India, andin several other countries, including at the Royal Albert Hall, London in 1967 and at theCarnegie Hall, New York in 1976.Blending the elements of two schools of Kathak: She played important role inblending the elements of two schools of Kathak, one which was developed in Banares (eastUttar Pradesh) and one from Lucknow (Oudh or north Uttar Pradesh) and represented aforgotten era of Kathak.Personnel life: She was married to K. Asif, director of Bollywood epic Mughal-e-Azam andthen to Pratap Barot.Awards: Over the years, she has been conferred a number of awards for her life-timecontribution to Kathak. They are

1. 1969- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.2. 1973- Padma Shree.3. 1995- Kalidas Samman.4. Nritya Nipuna.5. 2011- Legends of India Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to the classical

dance genre for over six decades.

Kathak, which literally means katha, is a narrative drama which has evolved out from ancienttimes. It is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dance.

Indo-China joint military exercise Hand inHand 2014 concludes in PuneNovember 26, 2014No comments

The Hand-in-Hand 2014- joint military exercise of India and China for Counter Insurgency (CI)and Counter Terrorism (CT) concluded in Pune, Maharashtra. In the concluding ceremony, defenceestablishments of both countries agreed to continue such friendship efforts in future.

This joint military exercise provided platform for both nations to join of hands which will help at theglobal level not only for peace, but also for prosperity.

The exercise had started in Aundh Camp, Pune on 16th November 2014. It was 12 days exercisebetween both countries.

Some facts

The exercise was planned at the company level with respective battalion headquarterscontrolling the training. It was supervised by a Joint Directing Panel comprising seniorofficials of both the nations.The training and manoeuvres, were conducted at Aundh Military Cantonment, College ofMilitary Engineering and firing ranges at Dighi, PuneIn this exercise, Chinese counterpart performed wrestle skills and traditional Chinese martialarts including swordsmanship, sabre-play and Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, while the Indiandetachment performed traditional martial arts and saber dance and physical exercise.Helicopters of Indian Air Force (IAF) also took active part in the various maneuvers of theexercise.On the last day of the session, a joint tactical exercise was conducted where a cordon andsearch operation was carried out by troops.The joint teams of Indian and Chinese army men fought dummy terrorists using modernweaponry, helicopters and water boats.

First Commonwealth Science Conference isinaugurated in BengaluruNovember 25, 2014No comments

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated First Commonwealth Science Conference (CSC) held inBengaluru. It is organised for the first time in nearly after 50 years. Special guest at the inauguralevent was Duke of York Prince Andrew.

This four-day conference is being organised by Royal Society, London and is supported by theUnion Government, Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust and Bengaluru based Jawaharlal NehruCentre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCAR).

Indian scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee Prof C N R Rao, is co-chair of the steering committee ofthe conference.

Key highlights of summit

The summit will witness about 500 delegates, including 300 top scientists and 70 researchscholars from 30 commonwealth nations.In this summit topics covered will include physical sciences, life sciences, mathematics,engineering, climate change, global health as well as science policy.Keynote lectures will be delivered by Nobel laureates Sir Paul Nurse and Sir Martin Reesfrom Britains Astronomer Royal. Paul Nurse is president of the Royal Society in London.At a special session, Former Indian space agency (ISRO) chairman and PlanningCommission member K. Kasturirangan, Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy and Bioconchairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw will share their vision on Entrepreneurship andInnovation in India.From India around 300 science graduates and faculty will get an opportunity to participate inthe event and listen to renowned scientists and experts presenting their papers andresearch findings on diverse topics.

Background

Royal Society: It is science academy of the Commonwealth nations. It promotesdevelopment of science and scientific temper among the stakeholders, including policymakers, governments, academia and industry.Commonwealth Science Conference (CSC): It aims to

1. Celebrate excellence in Commonwealth science.2. Provide opportunities for cooperation between researchers in different Commonwealth

countries.3. Inspire young people.4. Build scientific capability in developing nations within the Commonwealth.

Earlier in 1967, the last CSC took place at Oxford in Merton College. It was small conference andabout 80 people had participated in it. Among them half were from Britain and other half from restof the Commonwealth counties.

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Page 12November 25, 2014No comments

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari flagged off the Delhi-Kathmandu busservice from Delhi. This bus service aims to boost trade and tourism and will also strengthen the

bilateral ties between India and Nepal.

Key Facts

The bus will run between Delhi and Kathmandu daily. It will cover the distance of 1,250 kmin around 30 hours.The bus will travel via the Yamuna expressway to Agra, Firozabad, Kanpur, Lucknow,Gorakhpur and Sunauli and thereafter will enter Nepalese territory to reach Kathmandu.This bus service will be a direct one and not pick up and drop passenger anywhere inbetween the route.There is a provision of advance booking for this bus service. The passengers will have tocarry proof of identification while purchasing the ticket.

It is the second international bus service by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). Firstinternational bus service was Delhi-Lahore service, launched in 1999. In future, Indian Governmentis also planning to start similar bus services to every neighboring country.

Sarjubala Devi gets Silver medal in WorldWomens Boxing ChampionshipsNovember 25, 2014No comments

Indian Women Boxer, Sarjubala Devi has won Silver medal in the World Womens BoxingChampionships held in Jeju City, Korea. In the final match of the 48kg division, she lost to NazymKyzaibay of Kazakhstan by 0-3.

About Sarjubala Devi

Sarjubala Devi is from Manipur. She was born in farmers family.In 2005, she started her boxing career after getting inspired from the success stories of

famous Indian boxer Mary Kom.She joined boxing at school in 2005. In 2007 she joined a Sports Authority of India (SAI)training centre for boxing in Imphal, India.In 2011, she won gold medal in Youth World Women Boxing Championship organised inTurkey.She also has won medals in Sub-Junior, Junior Women National Championships andNational Boxing Championships.In 2012, Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) had announced to support her to prepare for 2016Olympics as she isexpected to be serious medal prospect.

Iran and six world powers extend deadlinefor nuclear talksNovember 25, 2014No comments

The deadline to reach a comprehensive agreement for a Irans Nuclear Programme deal with sixworld powers i.e. P-6 or P-5 +1 countries has been extended to the end of June, 2015 after recenttalks in Vienna, Austrian failed.

P-6 countries include the five permanent members of the UN Security Council viz., USA, Russia,China, UK, France and non- permanent member Germany.

Failure in the talks came after intensive five-day diplomatic push in Vienna involving the foreignministers of Iran, the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.

It is the second extension this year as Iran and P-6 nations failed to reach any agreement overIrans Nuclear Programme deadlock.

Now they have agreed to extend discussions, with the aim of reaching a high-level politicalagreement by 1 March, 2015 and confirming the full technical details of the agreement by 1 July,2015.

Summary Background

There is decade long deadlock between Iran and Western countries over the issue of Irans NuclearProgramme and safety concerns of uranium enrichment.

Western Countries allegations: Western countries especially US is alleging Iran, thattheir Nuclear Programme may be used by them to produce enriched uranium to developnuclear warheads.Irans response: However, Iran has refused the allegations of western countries and hasclearly mentioned that it is its sovereign right to continue its nuclear programme to theirenergy demand. Even they had mentioned that their Nuclear programme is completelypeaceful and not for defence purpose.

P-6 countries want Iran to reduce its uranium enrichment programme to make sure it cannotproduce nuclear warheads.

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Page 13November 25, 2014No comments

The UK Government has unveiled new package of counter-terror measures. This new package ispart of UKs new Counter Terrorism and Security Bill.

The counter-terror package includes tough new measures, including a ban on insurance companiescovering the cost of terrorist ransoms and stripping teenage jehadis of their passport, to counterthe growing threat of terrorism.

Key facts about UKs Counter Terrorism and Security Bill

It will ban, UK-based insurance companies covering the cost of terrorist ransoms. TheGovernment hopes that insurance firms and families will be deterred from paying ransoms ifthe money cannot be claimed back. This will make ransom payments to terrorists, illegalunder UK and international law.It includes barring jehadists from returning for at least two years in UK and strippingteenage jehadists of their passport.Internet companies will be required to store details linking individual users with internetprotocol (IP) addresses, and hand them over to police when asked to assist in identifyingsuspected terrorists and paedophiles.Thus, it will also allow the police to force internet service providers to hand over datashowing who is using a computer or smartphone at any particular time.More than 6,000 people at schools, universities, airports, shopping centres, cinemas andfarms across the UK will be briefed by counter-terror officers.

NSA Ajit Doval to be SpecialRepresentative (SR) for boundary talkswith ChinaNovember 25, 2014No comments

NDA Government has named National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval as Indias SpecialRepresentative (SR) for boundary talks with China. NSA Ajit Doval role of SR will be to conductboundary negotiations and strategic consultations with China. This arrangement will be part ofNSAs overall assignment.

Background

In 2003, India and China had established the mechanism of Special Representatives (SR) tothrash out a resolution to the vexed boundary question and work out a settlement over thedisputed 3,500-km border.Under it two sides have so far held 17 rounds of talks, making some progress. Indian side isrepresented by NSA, while Chinese side is represented by a vice minister-level official.The last round was held in February, 2014 in New Delhi between the then NSA ShivshankarMenon and Chinese state councillor Yang Jiechi.

Earlier in July, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian PM Narendra Modi during their first meetingon the sidelines of BRICS Summit in Brazil had pledged to resolve the border dispute at the earliestaccepting that this has hampered economic ties between the two countries.

Key facts on Border dispute

Indias stance: India has clearly mentioned that China occupies 38,000 square km of itsterritory on the Aksai Chin plateau in the west. India has even claimed that Chinese borderpatrols have been intruding deeper into its side of the border. Many times Indian andChinese armies were locked in a face-off in the Ladakh sector and other parts.Chinas stance: China claims more than 90,000 sq km disputed land in the eastern sectorof the Himalayas is acquired by India.

India is planning to beef up defences and improve infrastructure along the border with China ineastern and western sectors. But China has expressed concern about Indias plan to build roadsand border outposts in Arunachal Pradesh.

Former Union Minister Murli Deora PassesawayNovember 25, 2014No comments

Former Union Minister and Senior Congress leader Murli Deora passed away after prolongedillness. He was 77. Mr. Deora, had held several important portfolios at local and national levelpolitics during his decades-long political career.

About Murli Deora

Murli Deora was popularly known as Murli bhai. He was an economics graduate, industrialistand social worker-turned-politician.He started his political career after contesting for the civic elections in Mumbai in 1968 andwas elected as corporator . He was Mayor of Mumbai from 1977 to 1978.Later he was elected to the Lok Sabha four times from Mumbai South, a seat later held byhis son, Milind, who is also a former MP and ex Union minister. Currently, he was servinghis third term as a Rajya Sabha MP. For 22 years, he was President of Mumbai Congress.He was Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas during the UPA-1 regime.In 2006, he joined the Union Cabinet shortly before he turned 70 and led oil diplomacy inMyanmar, Algeria and Egypt, and held talks with ministers from Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia andComoros.In November 2007, as Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, he successfully hosted thefirst India-Africa Hydrocarbon Conference and Exhibition.After 2009 Lok Sabha elections, he retained the portfolio of Petroleum and Natural Gas inthe UPA-2 government under former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

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Page 14

India and the UNSECO have signed a letter of intent (LoI) for better cooperation in the field ofreducing disaster risks and capacity-building In Earth Sciences. The LoI was signed betweenMinistry of Earth Sciences and UNESCO in the presence of Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for

Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and Irina Bokova, Director General, UNESCO.

Key facts

The cooperation between India and UNSECO has been going on for several years now inreducing disaster risks.This LoI is considered as historic moment and will help to open up of new vistas ofcooperation in not only the ocean-related studies but other areas of cooperation in differentfields of scientific activities.It will help India to upgrade tsunami warning system and improve the capacity to alertnations about it.India has done a considerable research in the field of oceanography and also in terms ofdisaster management.The cooperation is also at the level of universities and institutions. Such cooperation helps inrisk reduction especially in situation like tsunami and other natural disaster.

Page 15November 24, 2014No comments

Government has decided to open three new child helpline centres in Kolkata, Gurgaon and Chennaiwhich will cover 500 cities and towns to provide prompt help to distressed children across thecountry.

In 1996, Childline-the 24-hour helpline was started in Mumbai. Currently, it reaches out to 282locations across India with the help of 543 partners, among which are the Tata Institute of SocialSciences (TISS) and Tata Consultation Services (TCS).

But, it is becoming difficult for the Mumbai centre to attend to all the calls made to the helpline,resulting in many calls getting abandoned. It only covered calls from North and West (India)effectively.

Now by introducing 3 more centres, will help to reduce burden of Mumbai centre and help to caterall calls from children in the South and East. Thus, help to cover entire country effectively.

The three new centres would be nodal bases providing service to the rest of the locations. Theservice reach of the new centres will be expanded to 500 cities and towns in next two years.

This Childline, can be reached on the number-1098 and so far this year received 38,22,081 calls ofwhich 4 per cent were about missing children.

With all the regional centres in place, the service would become more prominent as anyone canimmediately contact the nearest NGO to reach out to the child to provide prompt help.

Two Indians from Kerala conferredSainthood at VaticanNovember 24, 2014No comments

Two Kerala-born Indian Catholics Father Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Sister Euphrasia havebeen canonised by Pope Francis at St Peters Square in Vatican.

Pope Francis pronounced them as saints at a special mass held at St Peters Square, Vatican. Theceremony included a Latin hymn and a recommendation by a representative of the Congregationfor the Saints. Earler, in April this year, Pope had cleared their names for sainthood.

With these canonisation of sainthood, the centuries-old Syro Malabar Church, Kerala now has threeSaints, the first being Sister Alphonsa, who was declared a saint in 2008 by the Vatican.

About Father Kuriakose Elias Chavara

Father Kuriakose Chavara lived in the 19th He was a visionary priest and social reformerwhose contributions spread across education, media and social justice.He fought for appointing Kerala priests as bishops instead of foreign missionaries and hadfounded the first Catholic religious congregation for men and women in the country.As a social reformer, he believed that intellectual development and education of women wasthe first step towards overall social welfare.He was first to start schools for f weaker sections and introduce the system called A schoolalong with every church, which was successful in making free education available foreveryone.He died in on 3 January, 1871, aged 65.

About Sister Euphrasia

Sister Euphrasia led a more secluded life, devoted to prayers.She was known as a praying mother and a saint among nuns, who, according tofollowers, had several miracles to her credit.She had been a member of the congregation Carmelites of Mother Carmel (CMC), foundedby Chavara.She died on Aug 29, 1952 at the age of 75 and is buried at Ollur, Thrissur.

To celebrate their sainthoods, prayers and masses were held at churches across Kerala. Christians

constitute 23 percent of Keralas 33 million population and 50 percent of them are Catholics.

Martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadurobserved on 24 NovemberNovember 24, 2014No comments

Martyrdom Day of 9th Sikh guru, Guru Teg Bahadur was being observed on 24th November 2014. Itwas on this day in 1675, Guru Teg Bahadur had sacrificed his life in Chandni Chowk, Delhi on theorders of the sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

Events organised to observe Martyrdom Day of Guru Teg Bahadur

In Punjab, main religious congregations were being organised at Anandpur Sahib in Ropardistrict where Gurus head was cremated and in the Gurudwaras which are related to thememory of Guru.Community kitchens have been set up at many places. Devotees visited the Gurudwarassince morning and continuous gurbani recitation took place.A special journey known as Rin Uttar Yatra to pay gratitude to great guru has started from

Anandpur Sahib, Rupnagar district, Punjab on 23rd November 2014 and it will conclude atGurudwara Sis Ganj Delhi.Seminars were organized at many places in Punjab and Haryana by the Sikh scholars toapprise younger generation about gurus sacrifice.

About Guru Tegh Bahadur

Guru Teg Bahadur is also known as Hind Di Chadder- Protector of India. He had sacrificed his lifefor the unity of the society of that period and to stop religious tyranny under the rule of sixthMughal Emperor Aurangzeb. He became the 9th Guru of Sikhs on 16 April 1664, a position earlieroccupied by his grand-nephew, Guru Har Krishan.

He had travelled in different parts of the country, including Dhaka and Assam, to preach theteachings of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed on the orders of

Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for resisting the forced conversions of Hindus in Kashmir.

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Page 16

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has inaugurated the Information Management and AnalysisCentre (IMAC) located in Gurgaon. It is a joint initiative of Indian Navy, Coast Guard and BharatElectronics Ltd to improve coastal surveillance and to provide coastal security to avert incidents likethe 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai.

Key facts about Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC)

IMAC will be the single point centre interlinking the newly formed coastal radar chain ofIndia. It will be manned by the Navy and function under the National Security Adviser (NSA).It is the nodal centre of the National Command Control Communications and IntelligenceNetwork (NC3I Network) and National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA).The NC3I will link 20 naval and 31 Coast Guard monitoring stations with IMAC to generate areal-time picture of the nearly 7,500-km long coastline.The system currently comprises 46 radars and 30 additional radars are planned to fill all thegaps in coastline security.In this system the remote hubs are linked with the centre by high speed optical fibrenetworks and satellite links- for backup in case of emergency.Apart from coastal radars and optical sensors, it also draws information from automaticidentification systems fitted on merchant ships and has a comprehensive shipping databaseof world registers of shipping for analysis of traffic.The software on which the coastal surveillance will be carried out incorporates hi-techfeatures like data fusion, correlation and decision support features thus facilitating betterdecision making.

Thus, Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) project would go a long way in beefingup the maritime surveillance, thereby, enhancing the National Maritime Domain Awareness Project.

Page 17November 24, 2014No comments

Government has appointed former IAS officer Deepak Gupta as a new chairman of the Union Public

Service Commission (UPSC). He took over as the chairman of UPSC on 22nd November 2014 afterthe tenure of then UPSC chairman Rajni Razdan came to an end.

He is the first chairman of UPSC, appointed by breaking away from the tradition of appointing thetop post from the serving members of the Commission.

As per convention, the UPSC chairman is appointed from among the members of the Commission.This time it was the turn of former Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer Alka Sirohi, to be appointedUPSC Chairman who is working as member in the Commission but instead non-member ofcommission Deepak Gupta was appointed.

About Deepak Gupta

Deepak Gupta is a retired IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre of 1974 batch. He is younger

brother of former Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta.

About Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

UPSC is constitutional body which conducts the prestigious civil services examination to select IAS,IFS and IPS officers among others. It has been established under Article 315 of the Constitutionand consists of a Chairman and ten Members; appointed and removed by President. The chairmanand members of the Commission hold office for a term if six years or until they attain the age of 65years, whichever is earlier.

At present there are 10 members in UPSC

Alka Sirohi former Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer, academician David R Syiemlieh, retired IFSofficer Manbir Singh, former CBI Director Amar Pratap Singh, former Navy Vice Chief D K Dewan,former Railway Board Chairman Vinay Mittal, educationists P Kelimsungla and Hem Chandra Gupta,and former IAS officer Chhatar Singh are members of the Commission.

Government clears procurement of 814artillery guns under buy and make in IndiapolicyNovember 23, 2014No comments

Defence Ministry has cleared the proposals for acquiring 814 long-range mounted artillery guns inline with Prime Minister Narendra Modis buy and make in India policy. The final nod was given bythe Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired for the first time by the new Defence MinisterManohar Parrikar.

Key decisions taken by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)

Out of 814 long-range mounted artillery guns, Army will buy 100 guns off-the-shelf fromvendor. The remaining guns will be manufactured within the country.DAC also gave nod to addition of 4 more nodes to Indian Air forces (IAF) Integrated AirCommand and Control System (IACCS). At present, India has 5 IACCS nodes. This systemintegrates air sensors and radars to protect Indian airspace. The additional four more nodeswill help to cover isolated islands thereby providing a security umbrella to the entire country.DAC has postponed the decision on a Tata-Airbus joint venture for manufacturing 60 lighttransport aircraft to replace similar number of ageing Avros. The main reason forpostponing Tata-Airbus joint venture was due single vendor has bided for the project. Asper Indian rules, the deal cannot be inked in such a situation.DAC has refrained from taking a call on the IAF requirement for 106 more Pilatus traineraircraft. The IAF has already bought 75 Pilatus aircraft to train new fighter pilots and needs106 more.

As per the Make in India policy the Indian manufacturer will have to tie up with the selectedforeign vendor for building the defence artillery guns and other defence related equipments in thecountry.

Some Indian companies like Tata, Kalyani and Larsen & Toubro besides public sector OrdnanceFactory Board (OFB) have manufactured prototypes of 155mm 52 calibre guns and they are likelyto take part in the bid in future for this project.

Three projects under the Make in India category have been already cleared by NDA Government.They are

Six conventional submarines project.Light transport aircraft deal.197 light utility helicopter deal.

66th anniversary of NCC observed on 23Nov, 2014November 23, 2014No comments

National Cadet Corps (NCC) is celebrated its 66th anniversary on 23rd November 2014 withtraditional fervour.

23rd November is traditionally celebrated as the NCC Day to mark the function of raising the firstNCC Unit at Delhi which was presided over by the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawahar LalNehru held in 1948.

Event marking this 66th anniversary

At headquarters level, the raising day function was marked by paying homage at the AmarJawan Jyoti, India Gate to the martyrs of the Indian Defence forces who made the supremesacrifice.

Wreaths were laid on behalf of 17th Directorate of the NCC, Cadets, Associated NCC Officersand the three services.A tree plantation drive was undertaken by the NCC Cadets along with 132 TA Battalion (Eco)Rajput at Asola Wildlife Sanctuary, Chattarpur.The NCC raising day is also celebrated in the state capitals, where cadets participate inmarch past, cultural activities and social development programmes.

About National Cadet Corps (NCC)

The NCC is the Indian military cadet corps with its Headquarters at New Delhi.It is the largestuniformed youth organisation in the world and is open to school and college students on voluntarybasis.

In 1948, NCC came into existence after National Cadet Corps Act was accepted by the GovernorGeneral.

It is a Tri-Services Organization, comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force engaged in groomingthe youth of the country into disciplined and patriotic citizens.

It is a voluntary organization which recruits cadets from high schools, colleges and Universities allover India. The Cadets are given basic military training in small arms and parades.

The officers and cadets have no liability for active military service once they complete their coursebut are given preference over normal candidates during selections based on the achievements inthe corps.

NCC always has been at the forefront of contribution towards social causes and communitydevelopment activities.

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Page 18November 23, 2014No comments

The year 2015-16 will be observed as water conservation year in India. Recently, it wasannounced by the Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister UmaBharti while inaugurating an international seminar on water risk and water stewardship held atNew Delhi.

To mark this conservation year, a public movement will be launched. The cooperation of stategovernments, NGOs, civil society, youth and retired personnel will be taken to meet efforts aimedat conserving water.

As per minister, public movement has become a necessity for conservation of water and river inthe country as it is an important element of development.

Environment Ministry approves waiver ofmandatory green clearances for strategic

border roadsNovember 22, 2014No comments

Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has given in-principle approval to Union Home Ministryand Ministry for Road Transport and Highways for waiver of mandatory forest and environmentclearances for construction of strategic roads and bridges along border.

This in-principle approval by MoEF was granted in order to expedite strategic border projects underthe Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for diversion of forest land for creation of border securityrelated infrastructure within five kilometres aerial distance from the International Border.

Earlier, Union Home Ministry had requested MoEF to exempt environment clearance forinfrastructure projects falling within 100 km from Line of Control (LoC), Line of Actual Control (LAC)and International Border (IB).

In response to this request, MoEF has allowed diversion of land for setting up of surveillanceequipment within 5 km from the International Border and 100 km from LAC.

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways also had requested MoEF to give environment and forestclearances at their respective state level in order to expedite these infrastructure projects along theStates having borders.

The states mentioned were: Bihar, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh,Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat.

MoEF gave approval to Ministry of Road Transport and Highways under Forest (Conservation) Actfor creation of security related installations for all states having international border except to thestate of Jammu & Kashmir as this Act do not extend to it.

Implications of this decision on strategic border projects

Paramilitary organisations like Border Security Force (BSF) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)are the first line of defence along the IB. This approval will help them to meet their most ofinstallations requirements such as border roads, fencing, Border Outposts, floodlights,surveillance and power infrastructure are required to be created along or near the IB.Due to the inhospitable terrain along the LAC, installations of the Indo-Tibetan Border Policedeployed along the LAC as first line defence, are required to be created at far away distancefrom the LAC. Now they can construct strategic installations within 100kms of LAC.These strategic projects will help to tackle repeated incursions along LoC, LAC and IB.

US President Barak Obama to be chiefguest on Republic DayNovember 22, 2014No comments

US President Barack Obama will be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade on 26th January2015. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited him for this occasion. By accepting PMNarendra Modis invitation, Mr. Barack Obama has become the first US President to attend IndiasRepublic Day celebrations as chief guest.

This visit of US President to India will help to strengthen and expand the US-India strategicpartnership.

This will be US President Obamas second visit to India during his tenure as the US President.

Last time Mr Obama had visited India in November 2010 during the UPA Governments regimewhen Dr Manmohan Singh was the PM.

In 2010, Mr Obamas stay in India was one of his longest foreign trips, during which he addresseda joint session of Parliament, declared a major policy shift and the support of United States forIndias permanent membership of an expanded UN Security Council.

Earlier Chief guests of Republic Day parade

2014- Shinzo Abe (Japanese Prime Minister).2013- Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (King of Bhutan).2012- Yingluck Shinawatra (Then Prime Minister of Thailand).2011- Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono(Then President of Indonesia).

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Page 19November 22, 20141 Comment

Visitors from over 40 countries, including Germany, the US, Israel and Palestine, will soon be ableto avail the electronic visa (E-Visa) facility of India. The tourism ministry along with the home

ministry will launch the facility on 27th November 2014.

Key Facts

In order to get an e-Visa, foreigners/tourists would need to apply on the designated websitealong with the required fees.Within 96 hours of applying on designated website, foreigners will be granted an electronicversion of the visa.The software arrangements needed for providing e-Visa Facility are now ready and wouldbecome operational at nine international airports Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata,Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Goa.As per the government decision, all countries, except a few in the prior list, would bebrought into the e-visa regime over the next two years. But Government has barred a fewcountries from e-Visa Facility like Pakistan, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, SriLanka and Somalia.The countries which currently have Visa on Arrival (VOA) facility in India will also be coveredunder the new scheme.All countries will be included under this facility in a phase-wise manner by 2015. Russia,Brazil, Germany, Thailand, UAE, Ukraine, Jordan, Norway and Mauritius, among others,would be getting the e-visa facility in the first phase.

e-Visa facility is expected to give a big boost to foreign tourist arrivals in India and help to trap fullpotential tourism industry.

India clinches third South Asian Football

Federation Womens ChampionshipNovember 22, 2014No comments

India has clinched their third South Asian womens football (SAFF) championship. This hatric winfor India comes after defeating Nepal by 6-0 goals in a one-sided final match held in Islamabad.This is the first time that India has won SAFF Womens Championship in Pakistan.

Ngangom Bala Devi of India was the star of the match as she scored 4 goals in the final match.

This win cements Indias place as the dominant force in womens football in the region as theyhave won all three editions of the championship since it was launched in 2010. In all last threefinals of this Championship, Nepal was been Indias companion and was defeated by India.

About South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Womens Cup

The SAFF Womens Championship is the association football competition of the womens nationalfootball teams governed by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). SAFF WomensChampionship was established in 2010. The championship is held every two years. In thisChampionship 8 members compete in the tournament. The SAFF 8 members are Afghanistan,Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

CBI Director Ranjit Sinha ousted from 2GprobeNovember 21, 2014No comments

The Supreme Court has removed CBI Director Ranjit Sinha from 2G case investigation and ruledthat CBIs senior most officer will now oversee 2G probe after removal of Sinha from the case.

This judgment was given three members SC bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu andcomprising justices M B Lokur, A K Sikri on a plea filed by NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation.

However while ruling this decision the SC refused to pass an elaborate order on the issue sayingthat it would tarnish the image and reputation of the Indias premier investigative agency. After thecourts decision to ousted CBI Director from 2G probe, Additional Director of CBI Rupak Kumar Duttawill now head the CBI probe in the 2G spectrum scam.

R K Dutta is a 1981-batch IPS officer from the Karnataka cadre, and now he is the overall inchargeof the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the CBI which is probing the 2G cases.

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Page 20November 21, 2014No comments

Kotak Mahindra Bank has announced that it would acquire Bengalaru-headquartered ING VysyaBank in an all-stock deal. The deal will be final after regulatory approvals, including those from theReserve Bank of India (RBI) and Competition Commission of India (CCI). The management of thebanks expects that the new merged entity will be operational by April 1, 2015.

The acquisition will help Kotak Mahindra Bank to widen its reach in South Indian market and alsohelp in acquiring SME customers as ING Vysya Bank was having stronghold in SME customers. Aftermerger the combined banking entity will have a widespread network of 1,214 branches across panIndia.

The deal will make Kotak the fourth-largest private bank in the country in terms of total business.The biggest three private banks are ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank.

Union Cabinet approves three big powerschemesNovember 21, 2014No comments

The Union cabinet has approved three major projects for the power sector. They are Deen DayalUpadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, Integrated Power Development Scheme and the North EasternRegion Power System Improvement Project.

Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS)

It aims to strengthen the transmission and distribution (T&D) networks, 100 per centmetering urban areas and smarten it with information technology.In this scheme IT enablement will help in reduction in AT&C losses, establishment energyaccounting /auditing system, improvement in billed energy based on metered consumptionand improvement in collection efficiency.

Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana(DDUGJY)

DDUGJY project is based on the Gujarat model of power reforms for feeder separation ofagricultural and domestic usage and strengthening of T&D infrastructure in rural areas.This scheme aims to help in improving in hours of power supply in rural areas, reducingpeak load, improving in billed energy based on metered consumption and providing accessto electricity to rural households.

North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP)

NERPSIP is for six north eastern states viz Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripuraand Nagaland. It is meant for strengthening of the Intra State Transmission and DistributionSystem.This project will be taken up under a new Central Sector Plan Scheme of Ministry of Power(MoP) and implemented with the assistance of World Bank loan and the budget of MoP.Implementation of this project will create a reliable State power grid and improve itsconnectivity to the upcoming load centres, and thus extend the benefits of the gridconnected power to all the consumers.It will also provide the required grid connectivity to such villages and towns of the six states,where development of distribution system at the downstream level has been taking placeunder previous Government of Indias (Gol) sponsored electrification schemes.

These projects are considered as major step towards meeting the NDA governments nationalobjective of Power to All by enhancing access of consumers to grid connected power supplythrough improving its availability and reliability. Power to All aims facilitating inclusive growth.

Union Cabinet approves SAARC FrameworkAgreement for Energy CooperationNovember 21, 2014No comments

Union Cabinet has given its final nod for signing of SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy

Cooperation (Electricity) among the SAARC Member States during the forthcoming 18th SAARCSummit. This Union Cabinet meeting was chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

The 18th SAARC Summit scheduled to be held at Kathmandu, Nepal on 26-27 November, 2014.

Key facts of SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation (Electricity)

It will enable greater cooperation in the power sector among SAARC countries.It is expected to improve the power availability in the entire SAARC region.It would facilitate integrated operation of the regional power grid among member States.

Implications of this framework

This agreement will boost the implementation of common power grid between SAARCmembers. Thus help them to share the hydroelectric power generated in North East India toBangladesh, Nepal and other countries.Excess electricity from India and Pakistan can be supplied to electricity deficient Afghanistan.Offshore wind projects could be set up in Sri Lankas coastal borders to power southern partof India and Sri Lanka.

Background of SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation

In 2000, the process of regional cooperation in energy sector began between SAARC MemberStates with the establishment of a Technical Committee on Energy. Thereafter, the Islamabad

Declaration at the 12th SAARC Summit in 2004 constituted, Ministerial level Energy Forum for

regional cooperation in energy sector. Later on, 5th SAARC Energy Ministers Meeting finalized theSAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation (Electricity). This has been a significantachievement of the Ministers meeting, as this Agreement has been pending since 2010 and is acrucial step towards developing a SAARC Market for Electricity (SAME) on a regional basis.

Indias Stance: India in this meet had called for building SAARC power grid so that excessproduction of power in one region can easily be used to meet deficit elsewhere.

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Page 21November 21, 2014No comments

45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2014, kicked-off at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjeeindoor stadium, Panaji, Goa. During the opening ceremony two of the biggest stars of the Indianfilm industry, Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth, came together. Amitabh Bachchan was the chiefguest for the ceremony while Rajinikanth was honoured with the Centenary Award for the FilmPersonality of the Year.

Key Facts:

The 11-day festival began with screening of Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbafs The

President film.The Hong Kong-based director Wong Kar-wai, film will be also screened in the festival. He isgoing to receive the lifetime achievement award on the last day of the film festival.This edition of festival will screen around 179 films from 75 countries across differentcategories which include World Cinema (61 films), Masterstrokes (11 films), FestivalKaleidoscope (20 films), Soul of Asia (7 films), Documentaries (6 films), and Animated Films(6 films).The Indian Panorama section will include 41 feature and non-feature films.As part of special package, seven films from the Indias North-Eastern region will also bescreened at the event.Other attractions this year festival is: retrospective sections on Gulzar and Jahnu Baruah,special homage films on Richard Attenborough, Robin Williams, Zohra Sehgal, Suchitra Sen,and special tribute to Farooq Sheikh.A special section of films that focus on dance, personality based retrospectives, andmasterclasses or specialised workshops conducted by master artistes will also form a partof IFFI 2014

About International Film Festival of India (IFFI)

IFFI was founded in 1952. It is held annually in the state of Goa.

It is the biggest state-backed film festival and conducted jointly by the Ministry of Information andBroadcasting, Directorate of Film Festivals and the Government of Goa.

This film festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to

Project the excellence of the film art.Contribute to create awareness for understanding and appreciation of film cultures ofdifferent nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos.Promote friendship and cooperation among people of the world.

SEBI approved new Insider trading rulesNovember 21, 2014No comments

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has revamped the rules related to the Insidertrading for the protection of the smaller investors. Insider trading refers to the trade of acompanys stocks or other securities and making unethical profits with access to the non-publicinformation. This is detrimental to the other / small investors who dont have such information.

The new rules align the insider trading rules to current international practices. The key changesare as follows:

The biggest problem under the current rules is that the burden of proof (whether a personindulged into insider trading) was on SEBI. It was very difficult to prove that someone wasinsider. In the new rules, the burden of proof is on the accused and not the regulator.In the new rules, the definition of the term insider has been broadened. The new rules saythat anyone who is in contractual, fiduciary or employment relations with the promoters willbe presumed to be insiders. Thus, the new rules include the immediate relatives ofpromotes, directors and employees who are in possession or have access to suchinformation, within the scope of insiders.The new rules make it mandatory that the perpetual insiders such as promoters anddirectors will have to disclose their future trading plan in advance to the stock exchanges.They are required to trade strictly as per that plan.The definition of the price sensitive information has been broadened. Earlier, it hasreference to only to company but now, it will have reference to company as well assecurities.

The menace of Insider trading is not among the small firms but in big companies as well. It is aknown fact that most of the profits are earned by the promoters and for SEBI it was very difficult toprove if someone was really an insider. The new rules give more teeth to SEBI to crack down oninsider trading.

India announces $80 m assistance and

VoA for FijiNovember 20, 2014No comments

During his recent visit to Fiji, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced Lines ofCredit and development assistance of around USD 80 million for Fiji and. The Visa on Arrival (VoA)scheme has also been announced for all the 14 Pacific Island countries. A number of measureshave also been announced to strengthen Indias relationships with Pacific Islands.

Narendra Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit these Pacific countries after IndiraGandhi who visited in 1981.

Summary of Measures Announced:

Visa on arrival (VoA) to Pacific Island Countries

The VoA scheme has been extended to the nationals of all the 14 Pacific Island countries.These countries include: Cook Islands, Kingdom of Tonga, Tuvalu, Republic of Nauru,Republic of Kiribati, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Niue, Republic of Palau, FederatedStates of Micronesia, Republic of Marshall Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

Forum of India-Pacific Island Cooperation

A Forum for India- Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) is to be held on a regular basis.

Trade Office in India

India has announced to set up Trade Office at an existing diplomatic representation in New

Delhi to promote trade between India and Pacific Island Countries.

Special Adaptation Fund of 1 million US dollars for Climate change

Money from this fund has to be used for adaptation to Climate change. Climate change is amajor concern in Pacific Island Countries.India can also use this fund to provide technicalassistance and training for capacity building to Pacific Island Partners.

Pan Pacific Islands Project

Akin to the Pan-Africa Project, India has decided to formulate Pan Pacific Islands Project fortelemedicine and tele-education in the Pacific Island countries.

Solar energy project

India will also work on a solar energy project with the Pacific Islands at the community level.The regional hubs will be developed in the pacific Islands

Joint research in traditional medicine

India looks forward to do joint research in traditional medicine and explore options ofdeveloping healthcare facilities for the benefit of people in the region.

Deputation of experts

India has proposed to depute technical experts to share experience and expertise withpacific Island countries in the fields of agriculture, healthcare and IT.

Training to Diplomats from Pacific Island Countries

Foreign Service Training Institutes of India will organise training programmes for theDiplomats of Pacific Island countries. These training will be held in both the countries(respective country and India).

Distinguished Visitors Programme

India has proposed a Distinguished Visitors Programme to organise seminars and invitefriends from the region. This will help to explore new ideas to strengthen the mutualbeneficial economic cooperation.

Space Cooperation

India proposed cooperation in use of Space technology applications for improving the qualityof life of people and communications in this region. India may help these nations by sharingdata that could be used for monitoring climate change, disaster risk reduction andmanagement, resource management.

Page 22November 20, 2014No comments

Sri Lanka has released five Indian fishermen, who were sentenced to death on charges of drugtrafficking. The release was secured after diplomatic intervention by Indias Prime Minister,Ministry Of External Affairs (MEA), Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka.

Background

Five fishermen from Rameswaram were arrested in November 2011 on charges of smugglingnarcotics from India to Sri Lanka after they crossed the International Maritime Boundary Line. Highcourt of Sri Lanka sentenced three Sri Lankans and five Indian fishermen death penalty in this case.These fishermen were caught from Rameswaram by Sri Lankan Navy in November 2011 oncharges of drug smuggling in Sri Lankan waters. They were sentenced to death by Colombo High

Court on 30th October 2014.

Nanavati Commission submits final reportNovember 20, 2014No comments

Justice Nanavati Commission has submitted its final report on the 2002 Gujarat riots to state chiefminister Anandiben Patel. The final report of the commission on the 2002 riots, in which more than1,000 people, mostly of minority community, were killed, comes after extensive investigation whichran over a period of more than 12 years and has more than 2,000 pages.

The commission members:

Retired d Supreme Court justice G T Nanavati and Retired High Court Justice Akshay Mehta.

In 2008, the inquiry panel had submitted one part of its finding with regard to the Godhra trainburning incident.

In the part one report, the commission had concluded that the burning of S-6 coach of SabarmatiExpress near Godhra railway station was a planned conspiracy.

Initially, the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the commission were to inquire into the facts,circumstances and course of events that led to the burning of the S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express.

About Nanavati Commission

On 3rd March 2002, Gujarat government under the Commission of Inquiry Act had constitutedcommission comprising of Justice K G Shah in the wake of the Godhra train carnage on February27, 2002, and the subsequent communal riots across the state.

In May 2002, the state government appointed retired Supreme Court justice G T Nanavati as thechairman of the commission and the TOR were further amended in June 2002, as per which thepanel was also asked to inquire the incidents of violence that took place after the Godhra incident.

In 2008, after the death of justice K G Shah, retd high court Justice Akshay Mehta was appointed tothe panel. The commission was given 24 extensions of around six months each to complete itsinvestigations.

The commission investigated roles of then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, as per the TOR, hisCabinet colleagues of that time, senior government and