Sunday 30 December 2012

AWARDS AT A GLANCE 2012

Right Livelihood Award


Hayrettin Karaca, considered the grandfather of the Turkish environmental movement is recipient of the Right Livelihood Honorary Award for 2012.

Dhanvantri Award


Padma Bhushan Dr. S.K. Sarin, eminent gastroenterologist is the recipient of 41st Dhanvantari Award.



CNN IBN Awards for the year 2012


CNN-IBN Indian of the Year


World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand was named CNN-IBN 'Indian Of The Year' for the year 2012.

CNN-IBN Lifetime Achievement Award


Heroes of Rezang La, 13 Kumaon's C Company which beat back the Chinese in 1962 in a heroic battle was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award.

CNN-IBN Politician of the Year


Goa's Chief Minister Manohar Parikkar.

CNN-IBN Public Service Award


Healthcare legend Dr Devi Shetty of Narayana Hrudalaya

CNN-IBN Indian of the Year in Sports


Viswanathan Anand

CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Entertainment Award


Irrfan Khan

CNN-IBN Indian of the Year in Business Category


Yusuf Hamied of Cipla

CNN-IBN Special Achievement Award


  1. MC Mary Kom
  2. Aamir Khan and Team Satyamev Jayate and
  3. Agni Putri Tessy Thomas and team DRDO



Board of Control for Cricket in India Awards


Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Trophy 2011-12

Sunil Gavaskar, former Indian Test Captain has been chosen for the BCCI's Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Trophy 2011-12.

Polly Umrigar Award for India's best cricketer of 2011-12

Virat Kohli has been awarded the Polly Umrigar Award for India's best cricketer of 2011-12.

MA Chidambaram Trophy (Best woman cricketer of 2011-12)

Anagha Deshpande, wicketkeeper from Maharashtra was awarded the MA Chidambaram Trophy (Best woman cricketer of 2011-12)



Thomson Reuters India Innovation Awards - 2012


Pharma Academic and Government category


Department of Biotechnology

Pharma Corporate


Cipla Limited

Hi-Tech Corporate


Tata Consultancy Services

Hi-Tech Academic and Government


Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru



Infosys Prize 2012


Engineering and Computer Science category


Ashish Lele of National Chemical Laboratories, Pune

Social Sciences category


Arunava Sen of Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi

Humanities category - History


Sanjay Subrahmanyam of University of California

Humanities category - Contemporary Literature


Amit Chaudhuri of University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK

Life Sciences category


Satyajit Mayor of National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore

Mathematical Sciences category


Manjul Bhargava of Princeton University

Physical Sciences category


Ayyappanpillai Ajayagosh of National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology



SR Jindal Prize 2012


Crusade against Corruption category


  1. NHAI Engineer late Satyendra Dubey
  2. RTI activists Subhash Agrawal and Ajay Shankar Dubey and Sanjeeb Singh Katiyar.

Honorary Award


Dr. E. Sreedharan of Delhi Metro



Economist-Crossword Book Award 2011



Best Popular Book


The Incredible Banker by Ravi Subramanian

Indian Fiction category


The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy

Indian Non-Fiction category


A Free Man by Aman Sethi

Indian Language Translation category


17 by Anita Agnihotri and Kochareti - The Araya Women by Narayan



Biodiversity Awards - 2012


Awards given at the Biodiversity Summit 2012 in Hyderabad in Oct 2012.

About the Award


The awards carry Rs one lakh, a citation and recognise good practices in India — from community-run institutions, local self governance bodies, joint forest management committees and protected area management agencies. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is partnering the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in supporting these awards. They will be an annual feature to mark the International Biodiversity Day on May 22.

Category: COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP (Biodiversity governance driven by community institutions)

Tanda Panchayat in Wadala village of Maharashtra and Pir Jahania Jungle Suraksha Committee in Gundlaba village of Odisha

DECENTRALIZED GOVERNANCE (Biodiversity governance practices led by local self-government)

Shankarpur village gram panchayat in Maharashtra

CO-MANAGEMENT (Biodiversity governance undertaken jointly by communities and the government)

Van Utthan Sansthan in Rajasthan

PROTECTED AREA (Effective and innovative biodiversity governance practices demonstrated by management agencies of designated protected areas)

Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh and Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala



Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award for
Service to Children for 2011


About the award


The Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award was instituted on 20 Aug 1994 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The award is conferred on three individuals who make outstanding contribution in the field of Child Protection, Child Development or Child Welfare for over ten years. The Award carries a cash prize of Rupees One lakh and a citation to each awardee. The selection for the award is made each year by a National Selection Committee, from the candidates recommended by the State governments. The awards were announced by the Ministry of Women and Child Development on 19 August 2012.

  1. Shri R. Ravi Kumar,
    President Sri Gayatri Welfare and Cultural Youth Academy, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
  2. Swami Japananda,
    Chairman Swami Vivekananda IRHC, Pavagada, Karnataka
  3. Shri N. Thungdemo Kikon,
    Founder Secretary, Wondang-Ki-Charitable Foundation, Dimapur, Nagaland




Castrol Cricket Awards


The awards were presented on 29 August 2012 at Bengaluru.

Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year

M.S. Dhoni

Castrol Test Cricketer of the Year

Rahul Dravid

Castrol ODI Cricketer of the Year

Suresh Raina

Castrol Indian Bowler of the Year

Ravichandran Ashwin

Castrol Performance Under Pressure Award

Virat Kohli

Castrol Life Time Achievement Award

Ajit Wadekar

Castrol Junior Cricketer of the Year

Unmukt Chand

Castrol Indian Batsman of the Year

Sachin Tendulkar

Castrol stand out Performance Under Pressure Award

Gautam Gambhir



15th Bhagwan Mahaveer Foundation Awards


These awards are given in 4 categories and carry a cash component of Rs.10 Lacs each, a commendatory citation and a memento. The award was instituted in 1995. The 15th awards were given in October 2012.

Award For Excellence in the sphere of Non-violence & Vegetarianism
Chiranjee Lal Bagra

Award in the field of Medicine
Dr Anant Sinha

Award for Excellence in Education
Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences of Bhubaneswar

Award for Excellence in the sphere of Community and Social Service
Ramakrishna Mission Hospital at Itanagar





Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Awards 2010

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution announced the annual awards and commendation certificates for the seventeenth prestigious Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Awards for the year 2010 on 19 March 2012.

The Best of All Awards
Vikram Cement Works (A unit of Ultratech Cement Limited), Khor, Madhya Pradesh.

Large Scale Manufacturing Industry
Ashok Leyland Limited, Bhandara, Maharashtra

Small Scale Manufacturing Industry
Kudale Instruments Private Limited, Pune, Maharashtra

Small Scale Service Industry
Chaitanya Hospital, Chandigarh, Punjab
In addition to these awards, ten organizations have been selected for commendation certificates under various categories.
The awards, given annually, were instituted by the Bureau of Indian Standards in the year 1991 with a view to encouraging Indian manufacturing and service organizations to strive for excellence and giving special recognition to those, who are considered to be the leaders of quality movement in India.



National Tribal Awards 2011-12


Best Janjatiya Achiever for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Sports (Category A)
Smt. M.C. Mary Kom from Manipur

Best Janjatiya Achiever for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Tribal Art and Culture (Category A)
Shri Guru Rewben Mashangva from Manipur

Exemplary Community Service (Category B)
Smt. Binny Yanaga (Maya)
In Category ‘A’ - Best Janjatiya Achiever carries cash prize of Rs. 2.00 lakhs, a citation and a trophy and Category ‘B’ award carries cash prize of Rs. 5.00 lakhs, a citation and a trophy. The Awards were conferred to the recipients during the National Tribal Festival – Prakriti in March, 2012.

SAHITYA AKADEMI AWARDS 2012

Sahitya Akademi Award instituted in 1954, carries a prize money of Rs. 1,00,000/-, an engraved copper plaque and a shawl. The awards are given to authors of Twenty Four Indian languages (22 recognised languages as per the Constitution of India and Rajasthani and English). The following authors of various languages have been chosen for the Sahitya Akademi Awards 2012. The awards will be presented on February 18 during the Festival of Letters to be organised by Sahitya Akademi.

Poetry

Sl No.NameWorkLanguage
1.Guneswar MusaharyBoro KhonthaiBodo
2.Bal Krishan 'Bhaura' (posthumous)Tim-Tim Karde TareDogri
3.Jeet ThayilThese Errors Are CorrectEnglish
4.Chandrakant DevtalePatthar Fenk Raha HoonHindi
5.H.S. ShivaprakashMabbina Haage KaniveyaasiKannada
6.Makhan Lal KanwalYath Aangnas ManzKashmiri
7.Kashinath Shamba LolienkarKavyasutraKonkani
8.K. SatchidanandanMarannu Vecha VasthukkalMalayalam
9.Darshan ButtarMaha KambaniPunjabi
10.Aaidan Singh BhatiAankh Hinye Ra Hariyal SapanaRajasthani
11.Ramji ThakkuraLaghupadhyaprhbandhatrayiSanskrit
12.Krishna Kumar ToorGhurfa-i-GhaibUrdu

Novels

Sl No.NameWorkLanguage
1.Chandana GoswamiPatkair Ipare Mor DeshAssamese
2.Subrata MukhopadhyayaBirasanBengali
3.Jodha C SanasamMathou Kanba DNAManipuri
4.D. SelvarajTholTamil



Criticism

Sl No.NameWorkLanguage
1.Chandrakant TopiwalaSakshibhasyaGujarati

Autobiography

Sl No.NameWorkLanguage
1.Shefalika VermaKist-Kist JeewanMaithili

Short Stories

Sl No.NameWorkLanguage
1.Jayant PawarPhoenixchya Rakhetun Uthala MorMarathi
2.Uday ThulungEkantavasNepali
3.Gourahari DasKanta O' Anyanya GalpaOdia
4.Gangadhar HansdaBanchaw Akan Goj HorSantali
5.Indra Vaswani (posthumous)Miteea Khaan Miteea TaaeenSindhi
6.Peddibhotla SubbaramaiahPeddibhotla Subbaramaiah Kathalu - Vol-1Telugu


Sahitya Akademi Translation Award 2012

In addition to the above, names of winners of Sahitya Akademi Translation Award 2012 have also been announced. They are given to authors for their work of translation in 24 languages. The Prize carries an amount of Rs. 50,000 and a plaque which will presented to the authors in August 2013.

Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2012

Names of winners of Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2012 have also been announced. This years awards are being given in 19 languages. There is no award in Sindhi language and awards in Manipur, Nepali, Santali and Telugu will be announced later. The award carries an amount of Rs. 50,000 and a copper plaque.

SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI AWARDS 2012

SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI FELLOWSHIPS

The following Eleven eminent personalities have been chosen for the Akademi’s Fellowships - Akademi Ratna Sadasyata in Dec 2011
  1. Smt. N. Rajam - Violin maestro
  2. Shri T. H. Vinayakram - Ghatam exponent
  3. Shri Ratan Thiyam - Renowned playwright and director
The fellowship carries a purse money of Rupees three lakh, besides an angavastram and a tamrapatra.

Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2012

Awards in the field of Music
Sl No.NameDiscipline
1.Shri Rajashekhar MansurHindustani Vocal
2.Shri Ajay PohankarHindustani Vocal
3.Shri Sabir KhanHindustani Instrumental (Tabla)
4.Shri Bahauddin DagarHindustani Instrumental (Rudra Veena)
5.Shri O.S. ThyagarajanCarnatic Vocal
6.Shri Mysore M. NagarajaCarnatic Instrumental (Violin)
7.Shri K.V. PrasadCarnatic Instrumental (Mridangam)
8.Shri IllayarajaCreative and Experimental Music
9.Shri Bhai Balbir Singh RagiOther major traditions of music - Gurbani
Awards in the field of Dance
Sl No.NameDiscipline
1.Smt Priyadarsini GovindBharat Natyam
2.Shri Vijay ShankarKathak
3.Shri Vazhengada VijayanKathakali
4.Shri Vedantam Ramalinga SastryKuchipudi
5.Smt Sharmila BiswasOdissi
6.Shri Jai Narayan SamalChhau
7.Shri Painkulam Damodara ChakyarKutiyattam
8.Shri Jwala PrasadMusic for Dance
9.Smt Aditi MangaldasCreative & Experimental Dance
Awards in the field of Theatre
Sl No.NameDiscipline
1.Shri Arjun Deo CharanPlaywriting
2.Smt Kirti JainDirection
3.Smt Tripurari SharmaDirection
4.Shri Waman KendreDirection
5.Shri Parvesh SethiActing
6.Smt Nirmal RishiActing
7.Shri Purisai Kannappa SambandanActing
8.Shri Murari RoychoudhuryMusic for Theatre
9.Shri Ghulam Rasool BhagatMajor Traditions of Theare - Bhand Pather



Awards in the field of Traditional/Folk/Tribal Dance/Music/Theatre and Puppetry
Sl No.NameDiscipline
1.Shri Goru ChannabasappaFolk Music (Karnataka)
2.Shri Kinaram Nath OjaSuknani Ojapali, Assam
3.Shri Prem Singh DehatiFolk Theatre (Haryana)
4.Smt Sulochana ChavanLavani (Maharashtra)
5.Shri Mattannur Sankaran Kutty MararThayambaka (Kerala)
6.Shri Govind Ram NirmalkarNacha (Chhattisgarh)
7.Shri Heera Das NegiMask Making (Himachal Pradesh)
8.Shri Prafulla KarmakarTraditional Puppetry (West Bengal)
Awards in the field of Overall Contribution/Scholarship to Performing Arts
Sl No.Name
1.Smt Nandini Ramani
2.Shri Arun Kakade

CURRENT AFFAIRS OF DECEMBER 2012

The new Chairman of the Tata group of companies who took over from Shri Ratan TataCyrus Mistry
Leading Oriya novelist and academician who has been named for the prestigious Jnanpith Award for the year 2011Pratibha Ray
The actor who has been chosen as the Person of the Year by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)R. Madhavan
The noted painter who has been selected for Kerala government's prestigious Raja Ravi Varma award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to art.Yusuf Arakkal
The venue of fourth World Telugu Conference being held from 27 Dec 2012 (inaugurated by the President Pranab Mukherjee)Tirupati
As per Planning Commission data, the state which has been the fastest growing state during 2006-10Bihar
The minimum support price of wheat for 2012-13 season to be marketed in 2013-14 has been fixed by the Government at (the price is an increase of Rs.65/- per quintal over the last year’s MSP)Rs. 1350/- per quintal
The country which launched service on the world’s longest high-speed railway on 26 Dec 2012 with trains scheduled to run 2,298 kilometres in about eight hoursChina
The one-person Commission of Inquiry set up by the Government to identify lapses and fix responsibility in the gang rape of 23-year-old girl in New Delhi and also suggest measures to make Delhi and NCR safer for women is headed byJustice Usha Mehra
The first Coast Guard Station in the North Andaman Islands commissioned by the Government in December 2012 is namedICGS Mayabunder
The three-member committee of jurists, constituted to give recommendations on amending laws to provide speedier justice and enhanced punishment in sexual assault cases is headed byJustice J.S. Verma
The state which has been awarded the IBN7 Diamond state awards in the sectors of education, health, environment and poverty alleviation. Kerala
The state which has been awarded the Best Small State in the IBN7 Diamond State Awrds 2012Sikkim
Leslie Claudius, who died in Kolkata on 20 Dec 2012 was a renownedHockey player
The Mohan Bagan footballer who has been chosen as the All Indian Football Federation Player of the Year 2012Syed Rahim Nabi
The veteran Tamil playback singer who has been selected for the Swaralaya-Kairali-Yesudas award for outstanding contribution to musicT.M. Soundararajan
The literary critic and educationist who has been chosen for the 2012 Mathrubhumi Literary Award instituted by Malayalam daily MathrubhumiM. Leelavati
Olivia Culpo, who was crowned Miss Universe at the beauty pagaent in Las Vegas belongs toU.S.A.
The newly re-elected President of the United States who has been chosen as the Person of the Year 2012 by the prestigious Time magazine. He was earlier chosen as the Person of the Year in 2008.Barack Obama
The pair of satellites which were on a gravity mapping mission to the moon and were purposely crashed on its surface after the end of mission were namedEbb and Flow
The renowned actress and Bharatanatyam exponent who has been awarded the prestigious Bharat Muni Samman for 2012 instituted by Bhubaneswar based organisation Kalingayan TouryatrikamHema Malini
The ASEAN-India Car rally which was flagged of from Yogyakarta, Indonesia on 26 Nov 2012 ended on 17 Dec atGuwahati
N Joseph Woodland died on 09 Dec 12. He alongwith Bernard Silver was the co-inventor ofBar Code
Dr. Yusuf Hamied, who has been awarded the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year in Business category is the Chairman ofCipla Ltd
The Hindi film actor who has been awarded the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year in Entertainment categoryIrrfan Khan
The Chief Minister of Goa who has been awarded the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year in Politics categoryManohar Parrikar
The Indian sportsperson who has been awarded the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2012 and also the Indian of the Year in Sports categoryVishwanathan Anand
The venue of Eighth Asian Kurash Championships held from 10 to 11 Dec 2012Kochi, Kerala
The well-known Assamese writer who has been chosen for the prestigious Asom Ratna Award for the year 2012 in recognition of her contribution to the field of literature and towards promotion of peace and brotherhoodLate Mamoni Raisom Goswami
The International Master who has become the 30th Grandmaster from IndiaVidit Santosh Gujarathi
The country which has won the Hockey Champions Trophy 2012 making it their fifth consecutive Champions Trophy titleAustralia
The soccer player who has set the record for most goals in a calendar year by scoring his 86 goals in 2012Lionel Messi
The Union Minister who has been selected for the second K Karunakaran Foundation award for excellence in administrationP Chidambaram
The noted vocalist duo of who have been chosen for the prestigious 'National Tansen Samman' for year 2011-12 for their contribution to Hindustani classical musicRajan and Sajan Mishra
The actor and filmmaker who has been awarded the Tanveer Sanman-2012, an award instituted by noted actor Shriram Lagoo in the memory of his late sonGirish Karnad
The golf player who has been awarded the (Professional Golf Tour of India) PGTI Emerging Player of the Year 2012 AwardAbhijit Singh Chadda
The state whose Chief Minister's website has bagged the Icon of Excellence Web Ratna gold medal award instituted by the central government to promote innovative e-governance initiativesKerala
The film directed by Ang Lee which has been given two National Tourism Awards by the Tourism Ministry recognizing the impact it has had in promoting India as a tourism destination, especially Puducherry and MunnarLife of Pi
The video sharing site similar to Youtube launched by Iran is named Mehr
The Indian squash who has become the first Indian to break into top 10 of the world rankings (WISPA)Dipika Pallikal
The state in which week-long Hornbill festival aimed at showcasing both traditional and modern aspects of Naga life and culture in its entirety, is beingNagaland
The venue of 3rd World Cup Kabaddi being held from 01 Dec 2012Bathinda, Punjab
The Indo-Russian joint Naval exercise being held off Mumbai coast in the Arabian Sea is namedIndra
The place on the banks of Yamuna river where former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral was cremated with full state honoursSmriti Sthal

CURRENT AFFAIRS OF NOVEMBER 2012

The filmmaker who has been awarded a special peacock and a Centenary Film Award for her new Hollywood movie, "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" at the IFFI 2012Mira Nair
The Punjabi film which has been awarded the Golden Peacock Award at the International Film Festival of India 2012Anhey Ghoreh Da Daan
The US Tennis player who has been named the WTA Player of the Year 2012Serena Williams
The Government of India Act, on which the President of India released a commemorative stamp marking completion of 25 years since its enactmentConsumer Protection Act, 1986
The prominent Indian freedom fighter and educationist on whom an India-Nepal high level seminar is being held at Kathmandu, Nepal from 30 Nov 2012Madan Mohan Malviya
The German Formula 1 Race driver who has won the third consecutive Formula 1 World ChampionshipSebastian Vettel
Mt. Tongariro, the volcano which erupted on 21 Nov 2012 is located in (the volcano was used a backdrop in the award winning film trilogy "Lord of the Rings")New Zealand
Miss Tereza Fajksova who has been crowned Miss Earth 2012, at the beauty pageant in Manilla, Philippines belongs toCzech Republic
The Jamaican athlete who has been named IAAF's World Athlete of the Year 2012Usain Bolt
The former Brazilian President who has been conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development 2010Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
The country which has won the Davis Cup 2012 defeating Spain in the finalsCzech Republic
The Liberian President who has been chosen for this year's (2012) Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development. (She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011)Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
The Indian industrialist who has been honoured with James C Morgan Global Humanitarian Award, which recognises contribution of people using technology to change human livesNarayan Murthy
Director Ang Lee’s much acclaimed 3D film which has been chosen to be the opening film at 43rd International Film Festival of India, GoaLife of Pi
The renowned Polish filmmaker who has been chosen to be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 43rd International Film Festival of India to be held at Goa from 20 Nov 2012Krzysztof Zanussi
The place in Haryana where the foundation stone of Kalpana Chawla Medical College was laid by the Chief Minister Shri Bhupinder Singh HoodaKarnal
The eminent Urdu scholar who has been awarded the Moortidevi Award for 2010 for his outstanding work Urdu Ghazal aur Hindustani Zehan wa TehzeebProf. Gopi Chand Narang
The Indian literary critic who has been awarded the Kyoto Prize, the highest private award given in Japan for global achievementGayatri Chakravorty Spivak
The Jnanpith Award winning writer who has been chosen for the Asom Ratna AwardIndira Goswami
The University which has been selected for the Indira Gandhi National Service Scheme Award for the best UniversityRajiv Gandhi university of Health Sciences, Karnataka
The theme of 32nd India International Trade Fair being held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 14 Nov 2012Skilling India
The word which has been chosen by the Oxford University press as the word of the year 2012Omnishambles
The Serbian tennis player who won the ATP World Tour (Men's finals) defeating Roger Federer in the finalsNovak Djokovic
The public sector undertaking which has retained the Beighton Cup hockey title defeating Punjab National Bank in the finals at KolkataIndian Oil Corp.
The Talwar class stealth frigate which was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Yantar shipyard in KaliningradINS Tarkash
The state which has introduced its special woman force, Virangana, to tackle the growing trend of eve-teasingAssam
The place in Uttar Pradesh, where a rail coach manufacturing factory has been inaugurated by the Congress President, Smt Sonia GandhiRae Barelli
The Public Sector undertaking in which the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved divestment of 10 percent equity through an Initial Public Offer (IPO) in the domestic marketHindustan Aeronautics Ltd
The place in Harayana, where the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management has been inaugurated by the Union Agriculture Minister Shri Sharad PawarKundli, Sonipat
The Indian cricketer who has been awarded the membership of the Order of Australia, thus becoming the second Indian to receive the order after former Attorney General, Soli Sorabjee who received it in 2006Sachin Tendulkar
The organisation which has been awarded the tenth Dr. Durgabhai Deshmukh Award for Social Work for the year 2007 for its landmark work in the rehabilitation of women of the red light areas and other destitute women.Snehalaya of Ahmednagar, Maharashtra
The organisation which has been awarded the ninth Dr. Durgabhai Deshmukh Award for Social Work for the year 2006Sumangali Seva Ashram of Bangalore
The organisations which have been awarded the eighth Dr. Durgabhai Deshmukh Award for Social Work instituted by Central Social Welfare Board for the year 2005Mizoram Hmeithai (Widows) Association and the People’s Forum, Bhubaneswar
The Lotus Formula 1 racing driver who has won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 04 Nov 2012Kimi Raikkonen
The Indian actor who has been named among five most talented actors of Asia by the magazine Hollywood ReporterAnupam Kher
The Indian Language Festival being hosted by India Habitat Centre in New Delhi from 02 Nov to 04 Nov is namedSamanvay
The country which has been inducted as the Sixth dialogue partner in the 20-nation Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) grouping (the other five dialogue partners are China, Japan, France, Eqypt and the U.K.)United States of America
The Indian cricketer who has been chosen for the Polly Umrigar Award for the Best Cricketer 2011-12Virat Kohli
The Indian actress who has been conferred with the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) by the French Ambassador to India François RichieryAishwarya Rai Bachchan
The Indian Navy Sailing Vessel which was flagged off on 01 Nov 2012 from Mumbai to begin the Sagar Parikrama-II, a solo circumnavigation of the globe with Lt Cdr Abhilash Tomy on boardINS Mhadei
The place in Himachal Pradesh where an International Film Festival is being held for the first time from 01 Nov to 14 Nov 2012Dharamshala
The city in which its first Mahila Haat, showcasing handicrafts, fabrics, artifacts etc made by women, was opened for public on 01 Nov 2012New Delhi

Monday 26 November 2012

CURRENT AFFAIRS QUESTIONS


1.  The Indian national who was appointed as the as chief economist and Senior vice president of World bank?
Ans- Kaushik Basu

2. Who said “My father brought computers, we brought FDI”?
Ans- Rahul Gandhi.

3. Who won the inaugural Asian Cricket Council’s Twenty20 Asia Cup 2012?
Ans-The Indian women’s cricket team.

4. Who will take over as DGP of Haryana from Ranjeev Singh Dalal?
Ans-S N Vashisht.

5. Which company was downgraded on the lines of earnings outlook to underperform from neutral recently by Credit Suisse?
Ans- Oil and Natural Gas Corporation

6. Which stock exchange was shut for 2 days because of Hurricane Sandy?
Ans- New York Stock Exchange

FDI in Various Sectors

As per extant FDI policy, FDI, up to 26% is permitted, in the defence sector, with prior Government approval. Government has, further, interalia announced the following decisions:-

(i) Amendment of certain conditions relating to FDI, up to 100%, in single brand retail trading, vide Press Note No. 4(2012 Series) dated 20.9.2012

(ii) Permitting FDI, up to 51%, in multi-brand retail trading, subject to specified conditions, vide Press Note No. 5 (2012 Series) dated 20.9.2012

(iii) Permitting foreign airlines to invest, in the capital of Indian companies, operating scheduled and nonscheduled air transport services, up to the limit of 49% of their paid-up capital, vide Press Note No.6 (2012 Series) dated 20.9.2012

(iv) Permitting FDI, up to 49%, in power exchanges, vide Press Note No. 8 (2012 Series) dated 20.9.2012

The above mentioned decisions have been incorporated in the Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or Issue of Security by a Person Resident Outside India) Regulations, 2000 vide Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or Issue of Security by a Person Resident Outside India) (Sixth Amendment) Regulations, 2012 notified in the Gazette of India: Extraordinary vide G.S.R.795(E) dated 19.10.2012.

It is the Government’s assessment that implementation of the policy is likely to facilitate greater FDI inflows into front and back-end infrastructure; technologies and efficiencies to unlock the potential of the agricultural value chain; additional and quality employment; and global best practices. This, in turn, is expected to benefit consumers and farmers in the long run, in terms of quality and price. The 30% mandatory sourcing condition has been incorporated to encourage local value addition and manufacturing. The increased level of activity, in the front-end, as well as in the back-end, resulting from greater FDI inflows, is expected to create additional employment opportunities for rural and urban youth. It is, further, expected to encourage existing traders and retail outlets to upgrade and become more efficient, thereby providing better services to consumers and better remuneration to the producers from whom they source their products.

The consultations with key stakeholders regarding FDI in multi-brand retail trading brought out views both for and against FDI in multi brand retail trading. On balance, however, the discussions generally indicated support for the policy, subject to the introduction of adequate safeguards. The necessary safeguards have, accordingly, been incorporated in the policy and are expected to protect the interests of various stakeholders. Government has also decided to constitute a high-level group to make recommendations on internal trade reforms, with a view to ensuring distributional efficiencies and also that the benefits from trade are available to all sections of society.

Two proposals have been received for FDI up to 100% in single brand retail trading (from M/s Ingka Holding Overseas B.V, Netherlands and M/s Fossil India Private Limited). Further, seven proposals have been received, for single brand product retail trading, with foreign equity participation up to 51% (from M/s Fapa Company Ltd., Samoa; M/s Promod S.A.S, France; M/s Tommy Hillfiger B.V, The Netherlands; M/s NA Pali Europe SARL; M/s The Semex Alliance, Canada; M/s Le Cruset SAS France and M/s Sketchers South Asia Private Limited). No proposal has been received for FDI in multi-brand retail trading. 

Wednesday 14 November 2012

CURRENT AFFAIRS KEY POINTS



  1. Punjab Government has announced to launch biggest ever door-to-door campaign for early detection of Cancer.
  2. Canara Bank has been recently awarded gold trophy of Niryat Bandhu Award followed by Bank of India (silver) and Punjab National Bank (bronze). The award was presented by the President of India.
  3. Sanofi Indi pharmaceutical company has launched its first indigenously manufactured re-usable insulin pen ‘AllStar’ .
  4. Mohamed Nasheed, Maldivia country’s first democratically elected President has been issued an arrest warrant by the Maldiavian court beacuse he has challenged the legality of a criminal trial against him.
  5. Varsha Bhosle, daughter of the veteran playback singer Asha Bhosle, commited suicide at their peddar road residence on 8 october. She was suffering from depression and had attempted suicide on two previous occasions.
  6. Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit has stepped down making way for Michael Corbat. Pandit’s recent rifts and disaggrements with the board especially chairman Michael O’Neill has been termed as the reason for his sudden and abrupt departure.
  7. Satirist Jaspal Bhatti died in a road accident on 25 October 2012 near Punjab’s Nakodar town 40 km from Jalandhar. He was on his way to Jalandhar from Bathinda for Promotion of his upcoming Film Power Cut.
  8. The City of Hyderabad was named as World Third best city to visit in 2013 by Travel guide book Lonely Planet published on 22 October 2012. Hyderabad the capital city of Andhra Pradesh was described as “elegant and blossoming” by the Lonely Planet.
  9. London Olympic Shooter and silver medalist Vijay Kumar was honoured with the Services Best Sportsman award for 2012 at the Army Headquarters in New Delhi. He was also awarded with Arjuna Award in 2007 and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2011-12 by the Government of India.
  10. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched much awaited Aadhar-enabled service system. The launch, marking the second anniversary of Aadhaar project, is aimed at checking corruption and pilferage in schemes and to bring transparency in implementation.
  11. Recently World Food Day has been celebrated across the globe in honour of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It is celebrated every year on October 16.
  12. The Union Cabinet recently gave its nod for setting up of the National Automotive Board (NAB). The body will be responsible for promoting the research and development activities of the industry and act as a facilitator in between the industry and the government. NAB would also be responsible as a specialized body to promote sustainable development of the Nation’s Auto Sector along with skill development for the automobile sector.
  13. The Folded Earth written by Anuradha Roy and A Free Man by Aman Sethi won the 11th Economist Crossword Book Award. The Folded Earth was successful in securing its position in the English Indian Fiction Category, whereas, A Free Man by Aman Sethi was successful in the category of Indian Non-Fiction books
  14. Recently, Newsweek magazines has announced that it would shut down its print operations completely and go all-digital.
  15. Recently, Tata Starbucks, a joint venture between Tata Global Beverages (TGBL) and Starbucks Coffee Company, opened its first store in India at Mumbai.
  16. The Chief Minister of Kerela, Oommen Chandy declared that Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) would execute the Kochi Metro Rail Project in association with E. Sreedharan in next three years.
  17. Indian Railways launched RailRadar to find out the location of 6500 trains on real-time basis on Google Map.
  18. Smt Tessy Thomas has been conferred the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award 2012.
19) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed its 100th Mission:ISRO launched its 100th satellite named PSLV-C21 on Septmeber 7, 2012 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, 80 kms north of Chennai.

20) Kaushik Basu has been appointed as the chief economist and senior vice president of The World Bank whose term begin on October 1,2012. He succeeded Mr Justin Lin of China.

21) Raghuram Ranjan former IMF chief economist, took charge as the chief economic advisor (CEA) in Finance Ministry in New Delhi. He succeeded Kaushik Basu. Mr Ranjan will be a key official of finance minister P. Chidambaram’s team.

22) Sachin Pilot who is Minister of state for Communications and Information technology and also a young politician has recently been commissioned as Lieutenant in the territorial army.

23) New York became the first city in US to ban the sale of large sodas and sugary beverages in restaurants. This step is taken to curb Obesity.

24) End of IPL road for Deccan Charges- A Hyderabad based franchise: The BCCI terminated the IPL contract of debt-ridden Deccan Chargers stating that the  only reason to take this decision is  due to the absolute inability of the franchise to effectively run the team.

25) Andy Roddick’s Announced his retirement from Tennis: Andy Roddick’s US tennis star and former No. 1-ranked player has announced to leave the game he loves following the U.S. Open. He announced his planned retirement during a news conferences during his 30th birthday.

26) Salman Rushdie released his new book named “Joseph Anton” : Salman Rushdie’s new book reveals his life, at the time when he was issued an Iranian fatwa that ordered his death for the publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988. In the book, Salman Rushdie has characterized himself as Joseph Anton and the name is the combination of the first names of his favourite writers Joseph Conrad and Anton Chekhov.

27) Bank of Baroda one of the nationalised bank has recently opened its first branch in South Africa.

28) Aditya-1′ is India’s first Solar Satellite. It may help satellites dodge solar radiation.

29)  Vijay Kumar is World No. 2: London Olympics silver medallist Vijay Kumar (with 2871 points) has added another feather to his cap as he achieved the World No. 2 ranking in the latest list issued by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF).

30) Girisha bags first Paralympic medal for India: Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda gave India its first medal at the Paralympic Games after bagging a silver in the Men’s High Jump F42 event. Iliesa Delana of Fiji won the gold, while Lukasz Mamczarz of Poland settled for bronze.

31) Air India gets its first Dreamliner aircraft named Boeing 787. The 787 aircraft will allow Air India to open new routes in a dynamic marketplace and provide the best in-flight experience for the passengers.

32) Milk man of India is no more: Verghese Kurien, father of “White Revolution” and founder of the cooperative dairy movement in the country, died, aged 90.From one milk project to a larger one, the “Milkman of India” saw India emerge from a milk-deficient country into the largest milk producer in the world, overtaking even the once milk-abundant Netherlands. It is because of Dr. Kurien that India today contributes about 17 per cent of the total milk production in the world.

33)  India falls 3 places to 59th in WEF’s global competitiveness index: India’s ranking declined by three places to 59th position in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index 2012-2013, due mainly to ”disappointing performance” in the basic factors underpinning competitiveness.Switzerland, for the fourth consecutive year, tops the overall rankings in The Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013, released today by the World Economic Forum. Singapore remains in second position and Finland in third position.

34) Andy Murray first Britisher to win Grand Slam men’s singles title in 76 years: Andy Murray has overpowered Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in five gruelling sets in a classic US Open final to become the first Britisher to win a Grand Slam men’s singles title in 76 years.

35) Deveshwar appointed on RBI board: The government has appointed ITC chairman Y.C. Deveshwar as a director on the central board of directors of the Reserve Bank of India.

36) Aditi Mukherjee, a Delhi based scientist, won the prestigious Norman Borlaug Award in Field Research and Application. Mukherjee was picked for the award for her work in transforming access to water for thousands of farmers in West Bengal. The award carries 10000 dollar cash prize. The Borlaug Award is restricted to scientists under 40.

37) The Xenon pickup cab has been launched by Tata Motors.

38) 16th NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) summit was held at TEHRAN.The theme of the summit was Lasting Peace  through Joint Global Governance. Venezuela was selected the host for the 17th NAM Summit in 2015.

39) Vice president of India M. Hamid Ansari released a book “Muslim in Indian cities”. The book speaks about Muslim life in India. Numbering more than 150 million, Muslims constitute the largest minority in India, yet they suffer the most politically and socioeconomically.

40)  Panchayat Sanchar Sewa Kendras (PSSKs) under the ‘Panchayat Sanchar Sewa Yojana’ scheme are opened at the Gram Panchayat Headquarters which is without Post Offices to provide basic postal facilities at Gram Panchayat Headquarters.

41) PM congratulates Vijay Kumar, Mary Kom and Saina NehwalPrime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has congratulated Mary Kom on her winning the bronze medal in women’s boxing at London Olympics-2012. Following is the text of PM’s message: ‘I join the nation in congratulating boxer Mary Kom for winning the Olympic bronze medal in the 51 kg women`s boxing event.

42) India’s Ranking in Most Attractive Destination for Retail Investment According to US-based global management consulting firm, A.T. Keamey’s Report on 2012 Global Retail Development Index, India has been ranked the fifth most attractive destination for retail investment among 30 developing countries.

43) DR. Zaidi took Over as New Election Commissioner -- Dr. Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi has assumed the charge as Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India. He fills the vacancy in the Election Commission caused by the assumption of charge by Sh. V.S. Sampath as the 18th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) succeeding Dr. S.Y. Quraishi.

44) India is the Second-Largest Mobile Phone user in World 

45) Second term for Hamid Ansari History repeated after five decades when United Progressive Alliance nominee Hamid Ansari was re-elected as Vice President to get a second consecutive term after s. Radhakrishnan.who enjoyed two terms from 1952 to 1962. Mr. Ansari Won with a thumping majority against Jaswant Singh.

46) India and Belgium Sign MOU for Modernization of Railway A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by the visiting Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs of Belgium, Mr. Didier Reynders and the Union Minister of Railways of India Shri Mukul Roy on bilateral co-operation for the effective development and modernization of railway sector of both the countries.

47) The 31st edition of Summer Olympics will be held in Reo de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016. 

48) India Signed Tax Information Exchange Agreement with MonacoGovernment of India and Government of Principality of Monaco have signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA).

49) Union Cabinet Approved Three New Extension Lines in Delhi Metro
11) China signed Economic Agreements with North Korea which includes the Development of SEZs.

50) The Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs Didier Reynders visited India from 1-5 August and 8-12 August 2012.

51) Vilasrao Dagadojirao Deshmukh, the Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences died of multiple organ failure at the Global Health City Hospital in Chennai on 14 August 2012.

52) India’s exports for the month of July 2012 stood at 22.4 billion dollar registering a decline of – 14.8 percent as compared to 26.3 billion dollar during the same month of 2011.

53) London Olympics 2012 concluded as US topped the Medal Tally
• US topped the medal tally with a total of 104 medals (46 Gold+29 Silver+ 29 Silver) followed by China, which bagged a total of 88 medals (38 Gold+27 Silver+23 Bronze).
• Great Britain with 65 medals (29 Gold+17 Silver+19 Bronze),
• Russia with 82 medals (24 Gold+26 Silver+32 Bronze) and
• South Korea with 27 medals (13 Gold+8 Silver+6 Bronze) finished third, fourth and fifth respectively.
• India with a total of 6 medals (2 Silver+4Bronze) finished 55th on the medal tally.
54) Major Medal winning Performances at London Olympics 2012
• Michael Phelps bagged 6 medals (4 Gold+2 Silver) in swimming, becoming the most decorated Olympian ever with 22 medals.
• Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt clinched three gold in three separate events (100 meter race, 200 meter race and 4X100 meter relay team race). He won the 100 metres gold medal with a time of 9.63 seconds, setting a new Olympic record for that distance. He took 19.32 seconds to clinch 200 meters gold. With a storming victory in both 100 and 200 meters race he became the only sprinter in the history to defend both Olympic titles.
• Germany beat Netherlands 2-1 to win men’s hockey gold.
• Mexico beat Brazil 2-1 to win Soccer gold
• United States defeated Spain to win men’s Basketball gold
• Andy Murray of Great Britain beat Roger Federer of Switzerland to win tennis men’s singles gold
• Russia defeated Brazil to win men’s volleyball gold
• Dan Lin of China beat Malaysian Chong Wei Lee to clinch Badminton men’s singles gold
55) Mascots have been a part of Olympic Games since Munich 1972, when Waldi, a dachshund, was the symbol of the Munich games. The mascots of London Games were Wenlock and Mandeville.

56) Olympic Torch is the symbol of Olympic Games which is lit in Olympia (modern day Greece).

57) There were 4700 medals (Gold, Silver, and Bronze) up for grab at the London Olympics 2012. On every medal there is the image of Nike, the Greek Goddess of victory.

58) Rory Mcllroy won the US PGA Golf Championship at Kaiwah island on 12 August 2012, claiming his second major title with a record-setting eight-shot victory.

59) Moody’s Analytics cut India’s growth forecast to 5.5 percent for the fiscal year 2012-13

60) Sushil Kumar, the star Indian grappler, won India its sixth medal on the very last day in London Olympics 2012. The wrestler bagged the silver after his Japanese opponent Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu overpowered him 3-1 in the gold medal bout in the 66-kg freestyle category on 12 August 2012.

61) Raghuram Rajan, former chief economist of International Monetary Fund (IMF) was appointed as the Chief Economic Advisor in the Finance Ministry.

62) The Union government allocated 150 crore rupees as interim relief for the flood affected people of Uttarakhand CM “Vijay Bahuguna”.

63) Keshub Mahindra stepped down as the Chairman of 15.4 billion dollar business conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra on 8 August 2012.

64) Mary Kom bagged Bronze in Women Flyweight Boxing at London Olympics 2012

65) India successfully test-fired Medium Range Ballistic Missile Agni – II

66) Pakistan’s Supreme Court on 8 August 2012 ordered the Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to appear before judges for he failed to write Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against the president Asif Ali Zardari.

67) Jet Airways Tied Up with HDFC Bank and Launched Credit Cards

68) Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi, a 1976 batch IAS officer of UP cadre, was appointed as an Election Commissioner on 7 August 2012. His appointment was approved by President Pranab Mukherjee. Zaidi had retired as Civil Aviation Secretary on 31 July 2012.

69) Fitch Ratings revised the Indian Retail Sector Outlook for the second half 2012-13 to Negative

70) RBI permitted Banks to lend to Telecom Companies for the Upcoming Auction for Spectrum

71) The US space agency NASA landed Curiosity, a huge new robot rover on Mars on 5 August 2012.

72) Saina Nehwal clinched Bronze in Women’s Singles Badminton Event at London Olympics 2012

73) RBI directed NBFCs to maintain Net-owned Funds (NOF) at Rs 3 crore by 31 March 2013

74) Vijay Kumar bagged Silver in Olympics 25 Metre Rapid Fire Pistol Event

75) Hero MotoCorp invested 20 million dollar in US based Erik Buell for R&D

76) Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 2 August 2012 stepped down as the UN special envoy to Syria.

77) Kaushik Basu Ended Tenure as the Chief Economic Advisor in New Delhi

78) Government of Japan decided to honour Vandana Shiva with Fukuoka Prize 2012 on 23 July 2012. She will be honoured by this award in the ceremony which will be held by the Government of Japan in Fukuoka city in September 2012.

79) The Supreme Court of India on 23 July 2012 allowed Tamil Nadu government to carry out repair and maintenance works on the Mullaperiyar dam.

80) Bradley Wiggins of Britain became the first cyclist of the country, to win the coveted Tour de France Cycling race on 22 July 2012.

81) Pranab Mukherjee was elected as the 13th President (in person) of India on 22 July 2012. Pranab Mukherjee defeated his rival PA Sangma with a huge margin as he secured nearly 69 percent of total valid votes.

82)The ousted Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed is charged with illegally ordering the arrest of criminal court Chief Justice, Abdulla Mohamed. The charge was made on 15 July 2012.

83) Marissa Mayer appointed as the New President and CEO of Yahoo

84) EGoM recommended CDMA Airwaves in the 800 MHz band at 1.3 times the Base Price for GSM Airwaves.

85) Sally Ride, First US Woman to travel into Space, passed away.

86) SEBI permitted MCX Stock Exchange (MCX-SX) to operate as a Full-fledged Stock Exchange.

87) Spain beat Italy 4-0 to win UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Euro 2012.

88) The World Bank in its report named Global Economic Prospects released on 12 June 2012, projected Indian economy to grow by 6.9% in the financial year 2012-13.

89) The Beijing summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) concluded on 7 June 2012.

90)The Andhra Pradesh High Court on 28 May 2012 invalidated the 4.5 per cent sub-quota for minorities carved out of the 27 per cent.

91) Gambian lawyer Fatou Bensouda was sworn in on 15 June 2012 as the International Criminal Court’s new chief prosecutor.

92) Raja Parvez Ashraf, the senior Pakistan People’s Party leader, was appointed the 17th Prime Minister of Pakistan on 22 June 2012.

93) Mohammed Mursi, leader of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), on 24 June 2012 was declared victorious in Egypt’s historical presidential election.

94) Swiss Tennis maestro Roger Federer beat British player Andy Murray to win the Wimbledon Open Championship Gentlemen’s Singles Final 2012.

95) International donors meeting were held in Tokyo, on 8 July 2012.

96) Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma was signed as the Brand Ambassador of Unicharm’s Sofy.

97) Maruti Suzuki India Limited announced to close down its Factory at Manesar.

Tuesday 6 November 2012

CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR OCTOBER 2012

National News

  1. India’s National Security Advisor Sh. Shivshankar Menon recently released a report on the “Recommendations of Joint Working Group on Engagement with Private Sector on Cyber Security”.
  2. The Supreme Court recently made it mandatory for all the States, Union territories and the regulatory bodies to put in place a legal mechanism to implement the ‘guidelines in Vishaka case’.
  3. Union Home Ministry has begun discussing the broad contours of an agreement to solve the Naga problem with all regional stakeholders. 
  4. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently presented the 2011 Carbon Footprint Report for the Indian Aviation Industry, in line with India’s initiatives to address the climate change challenge.
  5. The Union Cabinet recently approved the introduction of Amendments to the “Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986″ in Parliament
  6. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up a high-level committee to spearhead efforts to ensure accessible financial services and to increase the speed of financial inclusion in the country. The committee will be called Financial Inclusion Advisory Committee (FIAC). It will be headed by RBI Deputy Governor K. C. Chakrabarty and has been asked to ensure that financial inclusion and financial stability move in tandem.
  7. A committee headed by Dr C Rangarajan has recommended allowing millers to freely sell sugar in the open market and share 75% of the sugar’s value with sugarcane farmers. Dr C Rangarajan is Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC)
  8. The Parthasarthi Shome committee that was looking at controversial tax proposals in the 2012 Budget has recommended that an amendment to the Income Tax Act seeking to tax indirect transfers of Indian assets should apply prospectively and only on those who make capital gains. The committee has also suggested that retrospective change in the law should be applied in rare cases. It has said that retrospective changes to the laws should be should be clarificatory, done through stakeholder consultations, and not implemented with the objective of enlarging the tax base
  9. The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on telecom has recommended that telecom service providers would have to pay a fee for their existing second-generation airwaves that will match the upcoming auction-determined price.
  10. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the first phase of the end-to-end computerization of Targeted Public Distribution System. The project will cost the Centre and states about Rs 884 crore and the Centre will bear half the cost.
  11. The Union Cabinet recently cleared the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill, 2012. Subsequently, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment introduced the Bill in the Lok Sabha on September 3, 2012. The Bill is aimed at prohibiting manual scavenging and employment of manual scavengers as sanitary workers.
  12. The Union Cabinet recently approved the constitution of 20th Law Commission for a period for three years from 01.09.2012 to 31.08.2015
  13. The Government is considering implementation of a number of steps that would quicken the shift towards a system of cash transfers that would put money directly in the hands of the targeted beneficiaries of Government welfare programmes.
  14. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has decided to introduce electronic IPOs from January 1, 2013.The facility would allow retail investors to submit bids for IPOs electronically
  15. Recently a report released by the National Institute of Medical Statistics (NIMS), which is part of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), shows that India will not meet the target of reducing infant mortality rate to 28 per 1,000 live births by March 2012 (end of the 11th five year Plan)
  16. A high-level panel on infrastructure financing, headed by HDFC Bank Chairman Deepak Parekh, has submitted its interim report to the Prime Minister. The report lays down detailed plans for every infrastructure sector, with special attention to the railways.
  17. The latest by the Registrar General of India Life  Expectancy (LE) of a rural Indian increased by 2.2 years between 2002 and 2008. The LE of an urban Indian was up by just 1.2 years over the same period.
  18. Ministry of Women and Child Development proposed the formulation of a bill through which a certain percentage of a husband’s salary would be compulsorily transferred to his wife’s bank account to compensate her for all the domestic work she performs for the family. 

International News

  1. In the Georgian parliamentary elections of 2012  the opposition Georgian Dream coalition won a majority of seats. The coalition is headed by billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili.
  2. The United Nations (U.N.) recently declared that the recent ethnic unrest in Myanmar has displaced an estimated further 26,500, in addition to some 75,000 people are already having taken refuge in the camps. These numbers include 4,000 who fled in boats to Rakhine State’s capital Sittwe — from mainly Muslim communities.
  3. The 5th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) was organised by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) in collaboration with the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) from 22 to 25 October at Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
  4. Russia agreed on sharing precision signal from the multi-satellite based Russian global navigation system – GLONASS with the Indian military set-up. These signals will allow Indian missiles, including those fired from nuclear submarine Chakra, to strike with great precision – within half a metre of distant targets
  5. The latest version of State of Food Insecurity in the World report has revised the number of people in hunger globally downwards from 1 billion to 870 million as of 2010-12
  6. Indian Finance Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram and the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Mr. Timothy Geithner, met in New Delhi for the third annual meeting of the India-U.S. Economic and Financial Partnership.
  7. The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony was on a three-day visit to Indonesia, beginning Monday (15 Oct 2012), to take part in the first Ministerial Level Biennial Defence Dialogue between the two countries.
  8. Hugo Chavez won the election of president in Venenzula. Mr. Chavez won 55% of the vote against 45% for MrCapriles, with 98% of the vote counted. Mr. Chavez’s new term will be beginning in February 2013.
  9. Global agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has warned that India’s rating could be downgraded to junk status if the Government failed to ensure implementation of key economic reforms, contain the fiscal deficit and improve the investment climate.
  10. The Union Cabinet recently approved the ratification of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing by India.
  11. The Nagoya Protocol is an addition to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It was formulated during the 10th Biodiversity Summit (also called COP-10 of CBD), which was held in Nagoya (Japan) in 2010.

Monday 5 November 2012

Sikkim to be 1st state to provide pucca houses to all citizens

Sikkim will soon be the first state in the country to provide 'pucca' houses to all its residents as it has launched a mega social housing mission of quality housing to families living in hutments.
 

Under the Rs 211.20 crore ambitious project, 6,000 poor household dwellers living in 'kutcha' houses will be given a single storey earthquake-resistant new 'pucca' house free of cost by the end of 2013.

The five-year project will solve the issue of homelessness among the poor in Sikkim permanently, project director of Chief Minister's Rural Housing Mission C C Wangdi said in a release.

Each spacious house will have a RCC structure with two bedrooms, a kitchen-cum-dinning room, a toilet and a verandah in front portion measuring a plinth area of 605 sq ft each.

The each owner-driven conversion of hutments to 'pucca' house would cost of Rs 3.50 lakh which will be constructed by the beneficiary through financial assistance to be received from the government in four instalments.

There will be no middle men or contractors and construction of each house is closely monitored by Block Rural House Construction Committees comprising both elected as well as official representatives, the release said.

All these 6,000 'katcha' house dwellers were identified through a rigorous baseline survey conducted by gram sabhas using transparent criteria followed by multiple level of supervision and cross checks by the Rural Management and Development Department.

The houses will be earthquake resistant and will be designed in such a way that the interiors get maximum sunlight and have air circulation.

As earth quake safety feature, foundation reinforcement, column size, plinth size of each house has been increased and additionally the GCI roof has been replaced by RCC slab roof with a three-feet parapet wall on all four sides.

The tiny northeastern state was hit by a major earthquake on 18th September 2011 in which more than 100 people lost their lives.

The Sikkim government is providing 0.25 acre land to each landless person living below the poverty line (BPL) to construct the house.

The administration has completed the construction work on 1,137 houses so far while construction work on 3,029 houses will be completed by December next.

The construction work on remaining 1834 houses is under various stages of completion which will be completed during next financial year, Wangdi said.

CURRENT AFFAIRS QUESTIONS

1.    The year by which India is expected to achieve total sanitation coverage, as per the Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India is - 2017

2.    Which film actress has been selected as the brand ambassador of Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan
      Vidya Balan

3.    The joint exercise carried out by the Army and the Indian Air Force in the desert of Rajasthan is named -   Exercise Shoorveer 

4.    For which region of the country the Union Government has cleared a 8,500 crore project under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)?
      Naxalite-affected districts

5.    As per data released by Indian statistical organisation in May 2012, India's Industrial production declined by 3.5 per cent in March 2012, the chief factor behind this decline is -
      Contraction in manufacturing and mining output

6.    Recently Wikipedia city Monmouth has been built. In which city is it located
      USA

7.    United States has decided to ease the stiff economic and diplomatic sanctions imposed on which country and appointed envoy to her after 22 years
      Myanmar

8.    The Government has launched a scheme called for encourages and enables Overseas Indian Workers to save for their return and resettlement and to save for their old age by providing a co-contribution from the Government, is
      Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana

9.    Who was the father of Operation Flood
      Dr Verghese Kurien

10.    Who is the winner of US Open Tennis 2012 in women section
      Serena Williams    
     
11.    Who is the winner of US Open Tennis 2012 men section
      Andy Murray

12.    Vedanta Alumina is a company operating in the area of
      Mining

13.    Which of  is used as a fuel in Nuclear power stations in India
      Thorium

14.    In which  State was the first UID card issued
      Maharashtra

15.    Expand the term MGNREGA.
      Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

16.    Which States has passed a legislation to confiscate the property of corrupt officials and to open schools in these properties
      Bihar

17.    In which  States, Jaitapur Nuclear Power plant is proposed to be set up
      Maharashtra

18.    The Eleventh 'Five-Year Plan' of India is for the Five years ranging from
      2007-2012

19.    The Government of India provides direct financial support to which scheme
      Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana

20.    Which  is the objective of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)issued by the Government?
      To ensure that Companies take steps for rehabilitation of project-affected people

21    Endosulfon, which has been in news these days, is
      a pesticide

21.    The disease which has been declared by the Union Government to be a mandatorily notifiable in order to provide better diagnosis and treatment and reduce its transmission is -
      Tuberculosis

22.    The first Credit Information Company in India was -
      CIBIL

23.    To review the determination of poverty line by Suresh Tendulkar Committee, Planning Commission has constituted a committee under the chairmanship -
      C. Rangrajan

24.    All services excluding services in negative list have been brought under the umbrella of service tax w.e.f. July 1, 2012. How many services have been included in the negative list?
      17

25.    For 2011-12, the external debt as percentage of GDP stands at -
      20%

26.    With reference to The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report
      Biodiversity has decreased by an average of 50 per cent globally since 1970

27.    With a view to strengthening regional financial and economic cooperation the Reserve Bank of India has announced Swap Arrangement of how much amount of US$ billion both in foreign currency and Indian rupee for SAARC member countries?
      USD 2 billion

28.    In the 12th Five Year Plan the Government of India has proposed to invest for development of various projects in port sector the amount of
      76,793.95 crore

29.    India has signed a key tax information exchange agreement and another pact on information technology to accelerate economic and joint investment with-
      Bahrain

30.    Which country took over the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council in June 2012?
      China

31.    Which country has increased its defence budget by nearly 10 per cent to 545 billion rupees ($ 5.8 billion) for the 2012-13?
      Pakistan

32.    Who authored the book Mind Positive, Life Positive ?
      S. Joginder Singh

33.    Who had been made the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)?
      Mr. Suma Chakrabarti

34.    The World Environment Day was observed across the globe on June 5,2012. Theme for the World Environment Day 2012 was -
      Green Economy : Does it include you

35.    IREDA (Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd.) an independent Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) was established in
      1987

36.    SSS-NIRE (Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Renewable Energy) working in bio-energy, bio-fuel, synthetic fuel etc is located at
      Wadala Kalan, Kapurthala (Punjab)

37.    RGAUD (Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Diwas) i.e. Rajiv Gandhi Renewable Energy Day, Sadbhavana Day is celebrate each year on the birth day of ex. PM Rajiv Gandhi. His birth day is
      20th August

38.    The Solar Evapo-Cooking System (SECS) for controlling excretion of CO2 in atmosphere and to save LPG amount during food cooking for 20000 people daily in Shri Sai Baba Institute Nyas, Shirdi (Maharashtra)was established in
      June 2010

39.    The estimates of National Income are prepared by-
      Central Statistical Organization

40.    The State who launched "Atal Khadyanna Yojna" is -
      Uttarakhand

41.    The first Lokpal Bill was presented in the Parliament in -
      1968

42.    Which is the latest country to reach an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation with India?
      Australia

43.    Montreal Protocol is related with the protection of -
      Ozone layer

44.    Which is the most fragile eco-system that will be first affected by global warming?
      Arctic and Greenland Ice sheet

45.    Who is the author of the book "To A Hunger Free World"?
      M.S. Swaminathan

46.    The Government of India has launched an Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) to monitor certain disease. Which is not covered under the project?
      Plague

47.   "Swayamsidha" is a scheme launched by the Government of India to help.
                Women only