First smart city project to get boost
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As the government draws out the blueprint of 100 smart cities across the country, India’s first smart city project at Dholera is expected to get a boost at the seventh edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit.
The Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) is expected to be one of the main investment draws at Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015 that is also seeking investments for another smart city in the state –the Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) City as well as other infrastructure and manufacturing projects in the state along with the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.
The Dholera smart city, being developed along the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor has already initiated the tendering process. “We have begun issuing the request for qualifications for building trunk infrastructure. By March, RFQs and RFPs for the initial 22.5 square kilometre area will be issued and we are expecting response from investors across the world,” said Talleen Kumar, CEO of DMIC Development Corporation (DMICDC).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced plans to build 100 smart cities across the country to take care of growing needs of urbanisation that would also help bridge the rural-urban divide. Seeking investments for these projects, the Vibrant Gujarat Summit that kicks off from Sunday is also hosting a seminar on smart cities on January 12 that will be addressed by Union minister for urban development, housing and urban poverty M Venkaiah Naidu.
“We will be announcing the blueprint for smart cities very soon. But the actual implementation and financing has to be done by the state governments along with the local bodies,” said a senior official of the ministry of urban development.
To be spread on a 920 square kilometre area, the Dholera smart city is located about 110 kilometre from Ahmedabad along the DMIC. Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was the chief minister of Gujarat had said the port city of Dholera would be better developed than Delhi and would be six times the size of Shanghai.
“There is obviously a lot of excitement over Dholera SIR this time, which is the Prime Minister’s pet project. There are huge expectations and we expect at least a few memorandum of understandings to be signed with potential investors for the region,” said a state government official who did not wish to be named.
Modi kurtas, jackets on sale as souvenirs
Investors coming to the Vibrant Gujarat Summit will not only get a chance to listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi hardsell the state as an investment opportunity, but would also have the chance to partake in his sartorial style.
Amidst the souvenir shops being set up at the Mahatma Mandir complex in Gandhinagar that is hosting the summit, is a stall selling Modi jackets and kurtas in the PM’s trademark style inviting visitors to “take home the original souvenir”.“We have been making these kurtas and jackets for nearly a decade and they are available at all our outlets but this is the first time that we have set up a stall here during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and the Vibrant Gujarat Summit,” said Chirag Diwan, marketing manager at Jade Blue.
Available in vibrant and sober colours the kurtas and jackets are made in cotton, linen blend and jute. Prices start at Rs 1,400 for a kurta and Rs 3,000 for a jacket.
The Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) is expected to be one of the main investment draws at Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015 that is also seeking investments for another smart city in the state –the Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) City as well as other infrastructure and manufacturing projects in the state along with the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.
The Dholera smart city, being developed along the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor has already initiated the tendering process. “We have begun issuing the request for qualifications for building trunk infrastructure. By March, RFQs and RFPs for the initial 22.5 square kilometre area will be issued and we are expecting response from investors across the world,” said Talleen Kumar, CEO of DMIC Development Corporation (DMICDC).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced plans to build 100 smart cities across the country to take care of growing needs of urbanisation that would also help bridge the rural-urban divide. Seeking investments for these projects, the Vibrant Gujarat Summit that kicks off from Sunday is also hosting a seminar on smart cities on January 12 that will be addressed by Union minister for urban development, housing and urban poverty M Venkaiah Naidu.
“We will be announcing the blueprint for smart cities very soon. But the actual implementation and financing has to be done by the state governments along with the local bodies,” said a senior official of the ministry of urban development.
To be spread on a 920 square kilometre area, the Dholera smart city is located about 110 kilometre from Ahmedabad along the DMIC. Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was the chief minister of Gujarat had said the port city of Dholera would be better developed than Delhi and would be six times the size of Shanghai.
“There is obviously a lot of excitement over Dholera SIR this time, which is the Prime Minister’s pet project. There are huge expectations and we expect at least a few memorandum of understandings to be signed with potential investors for the region,” said a state government official who did not wish to be named.
Modi kurtas, jackets on sale as souvenirs
Investors coming to the Vibrant Gujarat Summit will not only get a chance to listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi hardsell the state as an investment opportunity, but would also have the chance to partake in his sartorial style.
Amidst the souvenir shops being set up at the Mahatma Mandir complex in Gandhinagar that is hosting the summit, is a stall selling Modi jackets and kurtas in the PM’s trademark style inviting visitors to “take home the original souvenir”.“We have been making these kurtas and jackets for nearly a decade and they are available at all our outlets but this is the first time that we have set up a stall here during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and the Vibrant Gujarat Summit,” said Chirag Diwan, marketing manager at Jade Blue.
Available in vibrant and sober colours the kurtas and jackets are made in cotton, linen blend and jute. Prices start at Rs 1,400 for a kurta and Rs 3,000 for a jacket.
Accept EC’s suggestion on NRIs voting rights
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New Delhi:The Centre today told the Supreme Court that the EC’s recommendation to extend voting rights to NRIs through postal ballots have been accepted in letter and spirit.
Taking note of the submissions, a bench comprising Chief Justice H L Dattu and A K Sikri asked the Centre to inform it about “further steps taken to implement the suggestions.”
The bench posted the matter after eight weeks, asking the Centre to do the needful at the earliest.
“Since the views and recommendation have been accepted let them go ahead with the follow-up. They will have to carry out the follow-up process at the earliest,” the bench said.
The Centre’s stand was clarified by Additional Solicitor General P L Narasimha, who said certain amendments are required to be carried out and the ministry of law is working on them, taking into consideration the EC recommendations.
On November 14 last year, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to make its stand clear on the EC’s proposal for allowing NRIs to cast their votes through proxy voting and e-ballots in polls in India.
The apex court had then granted four weeks time to the government to respond to the proposal prepared by a 12-member committee led by Vinod Zutshi, Deputy Election Commissioner, for ‘Exploring Feasibility of Alternative Options for Voting by Overseas Electors’.
In the report, the committee has said it is of the view that e-postal ballot, where blank postal ballot is transferred electronically to NRIs and returned by post, can be employed after validation of the process and pilot implementation in one or two constituencies.
The report further said the process can be scaled up for Parliamentary elections, if found feasible, practicable and meeting the objectives of free and fair polls.
The committee comprising officials from the EC, Law Ministry and MEA had gathered opinion from all sections before submitting a report to the apex court.
Taking note of the submissions, a bench comprising Chief Justice H L Dattu and A K Sikri asked the Centre to inform it about “further steps taken to implement the suggestions.”
The bench posted the matter after eight weeks, asking the Centre to do the needful at the earliest.
“Since the views and recommendation have been accepted let them go ahead with the follow-up. They will have to carry out the follow-up process at the earliest,” the bench said.
The Centre’s stand was clarified by Additional Solicitor General P L Narasimha, who said certain amendments are required to be carried out and the ministry of law is working on them, taking into consideration the EC recommendations.
On November 14 last year, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to make its stand clear on the EC’s proposal for allowing NRIs to cast their votes through proxy voting and e-ballots in polls in India.
The apex court had then granted four weeks time to the government to respond to the proposal prepared by a 12-member committee led by Vinod Zutshi, Deputy Election Commissioner, for ‘Exploring Feasibility of Alternative Options for Voting by Overseas Electors’.
In the report, the committee has said it is of the view that e-postal ballot, where blank postal ballot is transferred electronically to NRIs and returned by post, can be employed after validation of the process and pilot implementation in one or two constituencies.
The report further said the process can be scaled up for Parliamentary elections, if found feasible, practicable and meeting the objectives of free and fair polls.
The committee comprising officials from the EC, Law Ministry and MEA had gathered opinion from all sections before submitting a report to the apex court.
New Generation Electronic Warfare Equipment Integrated on Tejas Aircraft
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An advance Electronic Warfare suite (EW suite) developed by Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE), a DRDO laboratory, flew for the first time onboard the “Tejas-PV1 Light Combat Aircraft” today at Bengaluru. In addition to the Radar Warner, the EW suite is also equipped with jammer. It gives to the pilot an additional capability of nullifying the effect of detected Radar threat by appropriate mode of jamming. Existing EW systems fitted on various combat aircraft are basic EW equipment known as Radar Warner Receiver to provide warning to the aircraft pilot in case of detection of a Radar threat. After obtaining due flight clearances and certification, the first flight sortie of LCA PV1 with the EW equipment operational, took place today. The equipment was noted to be detecting Radar signals operating in and around the flight path.
Dr. Avinash Chander, Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri, Secretary Deptt. of Defence R&D & DG DRDO congratulated the team on the achievement and said, “this warfare suite adds an important capability to our LCA”. Shri SS Sundaram, Distinguished Scientist and DG (ECS) called it a “new generation electronic warfare equipment integrated on TEJAS aircraft”. Ms. J Manjula, OS and Director DARE said “LCA is the first fighter aircraft of India fitted with a Radar Warner and Jammer equipment with capability for both Radar warning and jamming using a Unified EW Technology. Over the coming few months, ADA and DARE will be scheduling further sorties to evaluate the system in various signal scenarios”.
Dr. Avinash Chander, Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri, Secretary Deptt. of Defence R&D & DG DRDO congratulated the team on the achievement and said, “this warfare suite adds an important capability to our LCA”. Shri SS Sundaram, Distinguished Scientist and DG (ECS) called it a “new generation electronic warfare equipment integrated on TEJAS aircraft”. Ms. J Manjula, OS and Director DARE said “LCA is the first fighter aircraft of India fitted with a Radar Warner and Jammer equipment with capability for both Radar warning and jamming using a Unified EW Technology. Over the coming few months, ADA and DARE will be scheduling further sorties to evaluate the system in various signal scenarios”.
Govt told to disclose Cabinet note on NJAC Act
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The Central Information Commission (CIC) has ordered the Union government to disclose the Cabinet note and other documents relating to the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act to an information seeker under the Right to Information Act.
The transparency panel held that once the bill was presented in Parliament, it could not be exempted from disclosure.
Acting on Lucknow-based S N Shukla's plea, Information Commissioner M Shridhar Acharyulu said such documents could not be held as secret.
The NJAC Act, as passed by Parliament and ratified by over 15 states, got the President's assent recently. It replaced the two-decade-old collegium system of appointment of judges in high courts and the Supreme Court.
Shukla has sought from the Law Ministry a copy of the NJAC bill as cleared by the Cabinet in 2013, along with the Cabinet note.
The ministry maintained that the bill, as presented last year in Rajya Sabha, had not attained finality, and in the meantime the government had also changed, so there was no point disclosing the details.
The transparency panel held that once the bill was presented in Parliament, it could not be exempted from disclosure.
Acting on Lucknow-based S N Shukla's plea, Information Commissioner M Shridhar Acharyulu said such documents could not be held as secret.
The NJAC Act, as passed by Parliament and ratified by over 15 states, got the President's assent recently. It replaced the two-decade-old collegium system of appointment of judges in high courts and the Supreme Court.
Shukla has sought from the Law Ministry a copy of the NJAC bill as cleared by the Cabinet in 2013, along with the Cabinet note.
The ministry maintained that the bill, as presented last year in Rajya Sabha, had not attained finality, and in the meantime the government had also changed, so there was no point disclosing the details.
Isro-Saarc satellite to be a communication vehicle
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The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has decided the Saarc satellite would be a communication-cum-meteorology satellite to aid the neighbouring countries with their need for satellite transponders for communication and weather forecasting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had mooted the idea of a Saarc satellite almost six months ago.
“It would be a communication satellite and Indian industry would be roped in for making it,” reliable Isro sources told Deccan Herald. The satellite’s configuration would be similar to the INSAT series satellites that had dual purpose. The launch is likely in 2016.
While visiting Isro in June, Modi proposed the idea of a Saarc satellite. Its genesis, however, was in an alert from the external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing that warned the government about the Chinese plan of boosting space cooperation in India’s neighbourhood.
In the last three years, Beijing launched two satellites from Sri Lanka and Pakistan and signed an agreement for a third launch.
In November 2012, the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) ferried a five-tonne communication satellite from a Sri Lankan private firm SupremeSAT (Supreme SAT-1) to the orbit. Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s son Rohita, played a key role in developing the satellite as he is the technical director of the firm.
The same Sri Lankan company in 2013 signed a $ 215 million agreement with the CGWIC to launch a second satellite, Supreme Sat-II in 2017. The CGWIC also launched Pakistan’s first communication satellite PakSat-1R from its Xichang base in Sichuan province in 2011.
At the Saarc summit in Kathmandu in November, 2014 Modi said India’s Saarc satellite would be launched by December, 2016 (Saarc day). “We will also host a conference in India for all South Asian partners next year, to strengthen our collective ability to apply space technology in economic development and governance,” he said.
Though Isro’s commercial arm, Antrix Corporation signed agreements with many countries to launch lighter satellites with PSLV, there are barely any discussions within Saarc, where only India and Pakistan have satellites.
As Isro does not have a reliable indigenous launch vehicle to ferry heavy 3-5 tonne class satellites (GSAT) to the geosynchronous orbit at an elevation of 36,000 km, the space agency sends its own communication satellites using the French ArianeSpace rockets.
The Saarc satellite would benefit education, tele-medicine, disaster response, resource management, weather forecasting and communication sectors.
DH News Service
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had mooted the idea of a Saarc satellite almost six months ago.
“It would be a communication satellite and Indian industry would be roped in for making it,” reliable Isro sources told Deccan Herald. The satellite’s configuration would be similar to the INSAT series satellites that had dual purpose. The launch is likely in 2016.
While visiting Isro in June, Modi proposed the idea of a Saarc satellite. Its genesis, however, was in an alert from the external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing that warned the government about the Chinese plan of boosting space cooperation in India’s neighbourhood.
In the last three years, Beijing launched two satellites from Sri Lanka and Pakistan and signed an agreement for a third launch.
In November 2012, the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) ferried a five-tonne communication satellite from a Sri Lankan private firm SupremeSAT (Supreme SAT-1) to the orbit. Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s son Rohita, played a key role in developing the satellite as he is the technical director of the firm.
The same Sri Lankan company in 2013 signed a $ 215 million agreement with the CGWIC to launch a second satellite, Supreme Sat-II in 2017. The CGWIC also launched Pakistan’s first communication satellite PakSat-1R from its Xichang base in Sichuan province in 2011.
At the Saarc summit in Kathmandu in November, 2014 Modi said India’s Saarc satellite would be launched by December, 2016 (Saarc day). “We will also host a conference in India for all South Asian partners next year, to strengthen our collective ability to apply space technology in economic development and governance,” he said.
Though Isro’s commercial arm, Antrix Corporation signed agreements with many countries to launch lighter satellites with PSLV, there are barely any discussions within Saarc, where only India and Pakistan have satellites.
As Isro does not have a reliable indigenous launch vehicle to ferry heavy 3-5 tonne class satellites (GSAT) to the geosynchronous orbit at an elevation of 36,000 km, the space agency sends its own communication satellites using the French ArianeSpace rockets.
The Saarc satellite would benefit education, tele-medicine, disaster response, resource management, weather forecasting and communication sectors.
DH News Service
NASA satellite to track droughts
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NASA is launching a new satellite this month that will improve drought monitoring and flood warnings.
The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite will provide the best maps yet of soil moisture levels from pole to pole, scientists said.
For the first time, scientists will get a bird’s-eye view of drought patterns; for instance, they will watch where droughts begin and end, and how droughts spread across large areas.
Scientists said the soil moisture maps will help farmers who depend on rain to irrigate crops.
The soil moisture maps could also help improve flood warnings because forecasters will know how wet the ground is before an intense storm, ‘Live Science’ reported.
Data from the satellite will track global soil moisture levels for the top 5 centimetres of Earth’s surface every two to three days.
The mission is planned to last three years, at a cost of USD 916 million, but the instruments could last several years longer, mission scientists said.
The SMAP satellite, which will be carried aloft by a Delta II rocket, is scheduled to launch on January 29 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite will provide the best maps yet of soil moisture levels from pole to pole, scientists said.
For the first time, scientists will get a bird’s-eye view of drought patterns; for instance, they will watch where droughts begin and end, and how droughts spread across large areas.
Scientists said the soil moisture maps will help farmers who depend on rain to irrigate crops.
The soil moisture maps could also help improve flood warnings because forecasters will know how wet the ground is before an intense storm, ‘Live Science’ reported.
Data from the satellite will track global soil moisture levels for the top 5 centimetres of Earth’s surface every two to three days.
The mission is planned to last three years, at a cost of USD 916 million, but the instruments could last several years longer, mission scientists said.
The SMAP satellite, which will be carried aloft by a Delta II rocket, is scheduled to launch on January 29 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Algae blooms create their own favorable conditions
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Fertilizers are known to promote the growth of toxic cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater and oceans worldwide, but a new multi-institution study shows the aquatic microbes themselves can drive nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in a combined one-two punch in lakes.
The findings suggest cyanobacteria -- sometimes known as pond scum or blue-green algae -- that get a toe-hold in low-to-moderate nutrient lakes can set up positive feedback loops that amplify the effects of pollutants and climate change and make conditions even more favorable for blooms, which threaten water resources and public health worldwide. The findings shed new light on what makes cyanobacteria so successful and may lead to new methods of prevention and control.
"We usually think of cyanobacteria as responders to human manipulations of watersheds that increase nutrient loading, but our findings show they can also be drivers of nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in lakes," says Dartmouth Professor Kathryn Cottingham, one of the study's lead authors. "This is important because cyanobacteria are on the increase in response to global change -- both warming temperatures and land use -- and may be driving nutrient cycling in more lakes in the future, especially the clear-water, low-nutrient lakes that are so important for drinking water, fisheries and recreation."
Biogeochemical cycling is the natural recycling of nutrients between living organisms and the atmosphere, land and water. The researchers found that cyanobacterial blooms can influence lake nutrient cycling and the ability of a lake to maintain its current conditions by tapping into pools of nitrogen and phosphorus not usually accessible to phytoplankton. The ability of many cyanobacterial organisms to fix dissolved nitrogen gas is a well-known potential source of nitrogen, but some organisms can also access pools of phosphorus in sediments and bottom waters. Both of these nutrients can subsequently be released to the water column via leakage or decomposing organisms, thereby increasing nutrient availability for other phytoplankton and microbes.
The findings suggest cyanobacteria -- sometimes known as pond scum or blue-green algae -- that get a toe-hold in low-to-moderate nutrient lakes can set up positive feedback loops that amplify the effects of pollutants and climate change and make conditions even more favorable for blooms, which threaten water resources and public health worldwide. The findings shed new light on what makes cyanobacteria so successful and may lead to new methods of prevention and control.
"We usually think of cyanobacteria as responders to human manipulations of watersheds that increase nutrient loading, but our findings show they can also be drivers of nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in lakes," says Dartmouth Professor Kathryn Cottingham, one of the study's lead authors. "This is important because cyanobacteria are on the increase in response to global change -- both warming temperatures and land use -- and may be driving nutrient cycling in more lakes in the future, especially the clear-water, low-nutrient lakes that are so important for drinking water, fisheries and recreation."
Biogeochemical cycling is the natural recycling of nutrients between living organisms and the atmosphere, land and water. The researchers found that cyanobacterial blooms can influence lake nutrient cycling and the ability of a lake to maintain its current conditions by tapping into pools of nitrogen and phosphorus not usually accessible to phytoplankton. The ability of many cyanobacterial organisms to fix dissolved nitrogen gas is a well-known potential source of nitrogen, but some organisms can also access pools of phosphorus in sediments and bottom waters. Both of these nutrients can subsequently be released to the water column via leakage or decomposing organisms, thereby increasing nutrient availability for other phytoplankton and microbes.
Australia confident of early nuclear cooperation agreement with India
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Australia on Monday expressed confidence that negotiations on the civil nuclear deal with India will not “drag on” as political clearance has already been given and only technical issues are required to be resolved.
“I just don’t know because the issues are technical, the political issues have been resolved and that’s broadly been approved,” Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb told reporters here when asked about a timeline for conclusion of talks on the nuclear cooperation agreement.
He noted that when Prime Minister Tony Abbott came here in November last, the “green light” was given to the deal.
“The government has approved the programme but it is subject to the instruments of administering this. There has got to be an agreement between the two countries. I don’t know the timing. But it is not something that’s going to drag on,” the Australian Minister added.
The deal will be beneficial for India as Australia is known to have 40 per cent of the world’s uranium reserves and this country is facing dearth of the fuel for nuclear plants.
Giving some details, Mr. Robb said the negotiations relate partly to the aspect about provision of information each year to “all relevant other parties and international authority” to demonstrate that none of the uranium imported from Australia is being used for any purpose other than peaceful power generation.
“...We just haven’t reached agreement yet on the set of procedures. I think that’s the essence of it, how much oversight will be given by the international authority within power stations, within uranium plants across India,” he added.
Mr. Robb, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his current visit, said they did not have a discussion on the nuclear deal “because the issues to be resolved are technical, not political.”
The two countries had commenced negotiations for the nuclear deal in early 2012.
“I just don’t know because the issues are technical, the political issues have been resolved and that’s broadly been approved,” Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb told reporters here when asked about a timeline for conclusion of talks on the nuclear cooperation agreement.
He noted that when Prime Minister Tony Abbott came here in November last, the “green light” was given to the deal.
“The government has approved the programme but it is subject to the instruments of administering this. There has got to be an agreement between the two countries. I don’t know the timing. But it is not something that’s going to drag on,” the Australian Minister added.
The deal will be beneficial for India as Australia is known to have 40 per cent of the world’s uranium reserves and this country is facing dearth of the fuel for nuclear plants.
Giving some details, Mr. Robb said the negotiations relate partly to the aspect about provision of information each year to “all relevant other parties and international authority” to demonstrate that none of the uranium imported from Australia is being used for any purpose other than peaceful power generation.
“...We just haven’t reached agreement yet on the set of procedures. I think that’s the essence of it, how much oversight will be given by the international authority within power stations, within uranium plants across India,” he added.
Mr. Robb, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his current visit, said they did not have a discussion on the nuclear deal “because the issues to be resolved are technical, not political.”
The two countries had commenced negotiations for the nuclear deal in early 2012.
Current Affairs 2014 at a glance
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❖ Latvia adopted the Euro currency on January 1, 2014 and became the 18th member of the Eurozone.
❖ Corey Anderson of New Zealand scored the fastest century in One Day International cricket history on January 1, 2014. He scored a hundred in just 36 deliveries against the West Indies. He beat the previous record of 100 off 37 balls set by Shahid Afridi of Pakistan in 1996.
❖ Sheikh Hasina was sworn in on January 12, 2014 for the third time as Bangladesh's Prime Minister. Her party is Awami League.
❖ India's first monorail service was started in Mumbai on February 2, 2014.
❖ Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and eminent scientist CNR Rao were conferred the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of India on February 4, 2014. The award was announced on November 16, 2013.
❖ Harish Rawat was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand on February 1, 2014.
❖ 'Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer' is a book written by Cyrus Mistry, which won the DSC Prize for
South Asian Literature at the Jaipur Literary Festival 2014. This award in 2013 was won by Jeet Thayil for his novel 'Narcopolis'.
❖ Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland beat Spain's Rafael Nadal to win the 2014 Australian Open men's singles tennis title. Li Na of China won the women's singles title by defeating Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia.
❖ The prestigious Padma Awards for 2014 were announced which includes Padma Vibhushan for two individuals, Padma Bhushan for 24 and Padma Shri for 101 people. Out of 127 awardees 27 are women. Padma Vibhushan awardees are Raghunath Mashelkar (Science & Engineering) and yoga guru B.K.S. Iyengar.
❖ Shinzo Abe became the first Japanese Prime Minister to be the chief guest at India's 65th Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2014.
❖ Janet Yellen is the first woman ever to head the United States central bank Federal Reserve.
❖ Sub-Inspector K. Prasad Babu was conferred the Ashok Chakra posthumously on the 65th Republic Day by the President Pranab Mukherjee. K. Prasad Babu was from Andhra Pradesh. He was given this award for an anti-Maoist operation near Andhra Pradesh- Chhattisgarh border. Ashok Chakra is India's highest peacetime gallantry award.
❖ Matteo Renzi became the youngest Italian Prime Minister in February 2014. He is 39 years old.
❖ Sushil Koirala assumed office as the Prime Minister of Nepal on February 11, 2014. He is also the President of the Nepali Congress Party.
❖ N.Ramachandran was elected the new President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in February 2014. He is also the World Squash Federation President.
❖ Satya Nadella, an Indian American, was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft on
February 4, 2014. He succeeded Steve Ballmer.
❖ Former Supreme Court judge Ashok Kumar Mathur has been appointed the Chairman of the
7th Pay Commission.
❖ Eminent Gandhian and environmentalist Chandi Prasad Bhatt was selected for the 2013 Gandhi Peace Prize. He is one of the pioneers of the Chipko movement. He was awarded the Ramon
Magsaysay Award in 1982.
❖ Famous Hindi writer Vishwanath Tripathi has been selected for the prestigious Vyas Samman for the year 2013 for his memoir 'Vyomkesh Darvesh'. Vyas Samman is a literary award given by
the K.K. Birla Foundation.
❖ Odia became the sixth language to get classical language status after Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu,
Kannada and Malayalam.
❖ The Expert Committee to Revise and Strengthen the Monetary Policy Framework, headed by RBI Deputy Governor Urjit Patel suggested the central bank to adopt the new consumer price index for anchoring the monetary policy.
❖ Facebook announced its acquisition of WhatsApp Inc. for $19 billion. WhatsApp was founded in 2009 by Brian Acton and John Koum. It is an instant messaging app for smartphones.
❖ The Winter Olympics were held in Sochi, Russia in February 2014. Russia topped the medals table with13 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze. It won a total of 33 medals. India did not win any medal. Next Winter Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang in South Korea in 2018.
❖ Michelle Bachelet was sworn in as the President of Chile on March 11, 2014. She already served as the President once from 2006 to 2010.
❖ The third edition of the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) was held in The Hague, Netherlands in March 2014. The NSS aims to prevent nuclear terrorism by reducing the amount of dangerous
nuclear material in the world.
❖ Renowned Hindi author Govind Mishra was selected for the Saraswati Samman for the year 2013 for his book "Dhool Paudho Par". He is the second Hindi author to receive the honor after the late Harivansh Rai Bachchan in 1991.
❖ ESPN cricinfo presented the Cricketer of the Generation award to Sachin Tendulkar.
❖ The International Women of Courage Award 2014 was presented by the US first lady Michelle Obama to Laxmi, a Delhi acid attack survivor.
❖ Mortal remains of about 282 Indian soldiers of 1857 mutiny were exhumed from a well at Ajnala
in Amritsar district of Punjab in March 2014.
❖ The Reserve Bank of India had extended the deadline for Indian banks to meet capital requirements under the Basel III norms by a year to March 31, 2019.
❖ Mizoram defeated Railways to win the 68th Santosh Trophy Football championship in Siliguri in
March 2014. It is the maiden Santosh Trophy title for Mizoram.
❖ Viswanathan Anand won the World Candidates chess tournament title at Khanty Mansisyk, Russia.
❖ Khushwant Singh, a renowned author, passed away on March 20, 2014. He authored books such as 'Train to Pakistan', 'With Malice towards One and All', 'The Sunset Club', 'Truth, Love and a Little Malice', etc.
❖ Eminent film lyricist Gulzar was chosen for the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2013. This award is the highest film award in India.
❖ The people of Crimea voted to become part of Russia in a referendum in March 2014. The leaders of Group of Eight (G8) countries suspended Russia from the group on the issue of annexation of Crimea by Russia. Crimea was separated from Ukraine.
❖ The third Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral, Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit was held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar in March 2014. India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand are the seven members of this group. Sumith Nakandala of Sri Lanka is the Secretary General. The Secretariat of BIMSTEC is established in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
❖ Assam is the first State in India to observe Child Protection Day to secure the future of children
on March 4, 2014.
❖ The armies of Nepal and India held a joint military exercise named Surya Kiran VI in Nepal.
❖ Admiral Robin K. Dhowan assumed office as the Chief of Naval Staff on April 17, 2014. He succeeded Admiral D.K. Joshi.
❖ R. Gandhi has been appointed as a Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India. RBI has four deputy governors.
❖ The 2014 Goldman Environmental Prize was awarded to Ramesh Agrawal of Chhattisgarh.
❖ Koyal Rana won the Miss India 2014 crown.
❖ India - born poet Vijay Seshadri won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for his collection of poems "3 Sections".
❖ Ex-coal secretary P.C. Parakh released his book titled "Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and Other Truths".
❖ Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Colombian novelist, died on April 17, 2014. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982. His major books include One Hundred Years of Solitude, Autumn of the Patriarch, Chronicle of a Death Foretold and Love in the Time of Cholera.
❖ Renowned cinematographer V.- K. Murthy passed away. He won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2008. He shot India's first cinemascope movie 'Kagaz ke Phool'.
❖ RBI gave approvals to IDFC Ltd and Bandhan Financial Services Private Limited to start new banks. IDFC is an infrastructure finance company based in Mumbai and Bandhan is a micro lender based in Kolkata.
❖ Sun Pharmaceuticals will buy Ranbaxy Laboratories.
❖ Sri Lanka won the World Twenty 20 title for the first time defeating India by six wickets in Mirpur, Bangladesh in April 2014.
❖ Australian women cricket team won the Women's World Twenty 20 Cup 2014 by defeating England in the final in Mirpur, Bangladesh. This is the third successive Women's World Twenty20 title for Australia.
❖ Latvia adopted the Euro currency on January 1, 2014 and became the 18th member of the Eurozone.
❖ Corey Anderson of New Zealand scored the fastest century in One Day International cricket history on January 1, 2014. He scored a hundred in just 36 deliveries against the West Indies. He beat the previous record of 100 off 37 balls set by Shahid Afridi of Pakistan in 1996.
❖ Sheikh Hasina was sworn in on January 12, 2014 for the third time as Bangladesh's Prime Minister. Her party is Awami League.
❖ India's first monorail service was started in Mumbai on February 2, 2014.
❖ Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and eminent scientist CNR Rao were conferred the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of India on February 4, 2014. The award was announced on November 16, 2013.
❖ Harish Rawat was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand on February 1, 2014.
❖ 'Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer' is a book written by Cyrus Mistry, which won the DSC Prize for
South Asian Literature at the Jaipur Literary Festival 2014. This award in 2013 was won by Jeet Thayil for his novel 'Narcopolis'.
❖ Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland beat Spain's Rafael Nadal to win the 2014 Australian Open men's singles tennis title. Li Na of China won the women's singles title by defeating Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia.
❖ The prestigious Padma Awards for 2014 were announced which includes Padma Vibhushan for two individuals, Padma Bhushan for 24 and Padma Shri for 101 people. Out of 127 awardees 27 are women. Padma Vibhushan awardees are Raghunath Mashelkar (Science & Engineering) and yoga guru B.K.S. Iyengar.
❖ Shinzo Abe became the first Japanese Prime Minister to be the chief guest at India's 65th Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2014.
❖ Janet Yellen is the first woman ever to head the United States central bank Federal Reserve.
❖ Sub-Inspector K. Prasad Babu was conferred the Ashok Chakra posthumously on the 65th Republic Day by the President Pranab Mukherjee. K. Prasad Babu was from Andhra Pradesh. He was given this award for an anti-Maoist operation near Andhra Pradesh- Chhattisgarh border. Ashok Chakra is India's highest peacetime gallantry award.
❖ Matteo Renzi became the youngest Italian Prime Minister in February 2014. He is 39 years old.
❖ Sushil Koirala assumed office as the Prime Minister of Nepal on February 11, 2014. He is also the President of the Nepali Congress Party.
❖ N.Ramachandran was elected the new President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in February 2014. He is also the World Squash Federation President.
❖ Satya Nadella, an Indian American, was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft on
February 4, 2014. He succeeded Steve Ballmer.
❖ Former Supreme Court judge Ashok Kumar Mathur has been appointed the Chairman of the
7th Pay Commission.
❖ Eminent Gandhian and environmentalist Chandi Prasad Bhatt was selected for the 2013 Gandhi Peace Prize. He is one of the pioneers of the Chipko movement. He was awarded the Ramon
Magsaysay Award in 1982.
❖ Famous Hindi writer Vishwanath Tripathi has been selected for the prestigious Vyas Samman for the year 2013 for his memoir 'Vyomkesh Darvesh'. Vyas Samman is a literary award given by
the K.K. Birla Foundation.
❖ Odia became the sixth language to get classical language status after Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu,
Kannada and Malayalam.
❖ The Expert Committee to Revise and Strengthen the Monetary Policy Framework, headed by RBI Deputy Governor Urjit Patel suggested the central bank to adopt the new consumer price index for anchoring the monetary policy.
❖ Facebook announced its acquisition of WhatsApp Inc. for $19 billion. WhatsApp was founded in 2009 by Brian Acton and John Koum. It is an instant messaging app for smartphones.
❖ The Winter Olympics were held in Sochi, Russia in February 2014. Russia topped the medals table with13 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze. It won a total of 33 medals. India did not win any medal. Next Winter Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang in South Korea in 2018.
❖ Michelle Bachelet was sworn in as the President of Chile on March 11, 2014. She already served as the President once from 2006 to 2010.
❖ The third edition of the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) was held in The Hague, Netherlands in March 2014. The NSS aims to prevent nuclear terrorism by reducing the amount of dangerous
nuclear material in the world.
❖ Renowned Hindi author Govind Mishra was selected for the Saraswati Samman for the year 2013 for his book "Dhool Paudho Par". He is the second Hindi author to receive the honor after the late Harivansh Rai Bachchan in 1991.
❖ ESPN cricinfo presented the Cricketer of the Generation award to Sachin Tendulkar.
❖ The International Women of Courage Award 2014 was presented by the US first lady Michelle Obama to Laxmi, a Delhi acid attack survivor.
❖ Mortal remains of about 282 Indian soldiers of 1857 mutiny were exhumed from a well at Ajnala
in Amritsar district of Punjab in March 2014.
❖ The Reserve Bank of India had extended the deadline for Indian banks to meet capital requirements under the Basel III norms by a year to March 31, 2019.
❖ Mizoram defeated Railways to win the 68th Santosh Trophy Football championship in Siliguri in
March 2014. It is the maiden Santosh Trophy title for Mizoram.
❖ Viswanathan Anand won the World Candidates chess tournament title at Khanty Mansisyk, Russia.
❖ Khushwant Singh, a renowned author, passed away on March 20, 2014. He authored books such as 'Train to Pakistan', 'With Malice towards One and All', 'The Sunset Club', 'Truth, Love and a Little Malice', etc.
❖ Eminent film lyricist Gulzar was chosen for the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2013. This award is the highest film award in India.
❖ The people of Crimea voted to become part of Russia in a referendum in March 2014. The leaders of Group of Eight (G8) countries suspended Russia from the group on the issue of annexation of Crimea by Russia. Crimea was separated from Ukraine.
❖ The third Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral, Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit was held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar in March 2014. India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand are the seven members of this group. Sumith Nakandala of Sri Lanka is the Secretary General. The Secretariat of BIMSTEC is established in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
❖ Assam is the first State in India to observe Child Protection Day to secure the future of children
on March 4, 2014.
❖ The armies of Nepal and India held a joint military exercise named Surya Kiran VI in Nepal.
❖ Admiral Robin K. Dhowan assumed office as the Chief of Naval Staff on April 17, 2014. He succeeded Admiral D.K. Joshi.
❖ R. Gandhi has been appointed as a Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India. RBI has four deputy governors.
❖ The 2014 Goldman Environmental Prize was awarded to Ramesh Agrawal of Chhattisgarh.
❖ Koyal Rana won the Miss India 2014 crown.
❖ India - born poet Vijay Seshadri won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for his collection of poems "3 Sections".
❖ Ex-coal secretary P.C. Parakh released his book titled "Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and Other Truths".
❖ Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Colombian novelist, died on April 17, 2014. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982. His major books include One Hundred Years of Solitude, Autumn of the Patriarch, Chronicle of a Death Foretold and Love in the Time of Cholera.
❖ Renowned cinematographer V.- K. Murthy passed away. He won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2008. He shot India's first cinemascope movie 'Kagaz ke Phool'.
❖ RBI gave approvals to IDFC Ltd and Bandhan Financial Services Private Limited to start new banks. IDFC is an infrastructure finance company based in Mumbai and Bandhan is a micro lender based in Kolkata.
❖ Sun Pharmaceuticals will buy Ranbaxy Laboratories.
❖ Sri Lanka won the World Twenty 20 title for the first time defeating India by six wickets in Mirpur, Bangladesh in April 2014.
❖ Australian women cricket team won the Women's World Twenty 20 Cup 2014 by defeating England in the final in Mirpur, Bangladesh. This is the third successive Women's World Twenty20 title for Australia.
❖ Corey Anderson of New Zealand scored the fastest century in One Day International cricket history on January 1, 2014. He scored a hundred in just 36 deliveries against the West Indies. He beat the previous record of 100 off 37 balls set by Shahid Afridi of Pakistan in 1996.
❖ Sheikh Hasina was sworn in on January 12, 2014 for the third time as Bangladesh's Prime Minister. Her party is Awami League.
❖ India's first monorail service was started in Mumbai on February 2, 2014.
❖ Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and eminent scientist CNR Rao were conferred the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of India on February 4, 2014. The award was announced on November 16, 2013.
❖ Harish Rawat was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand on February 1, 2014.
❖ 'Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer' is a book written by Cyrus Mistry, which won the DSC Prize for
South Asian Literature at the Jaipur Literary Festival 2014. This award in 2013 was won by Jeet Thayil for his novel 'Narcopolis'.
❖ Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland beat Spain's Rafael Nadal to win the 2014 Australian Open men's singles tennis title. Li Na of China won the women's singles title by defeating Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia.
❖ The prestigious Padma Awards for 2014 were announced which includes Padma Vibhushan for two individuals, Padma Bhushan for 24 and Padma Shri for 101 people. Out of 127 awardees 27 are women. Padma Vibhushan awardees are Raghunath Mashelkar (Science & Engineering) and yoga guru B.K.S. Iyengar.
❖ Shinzo Abe became the first Japanese Prime Minister to be the chief guest at India's 65th Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2014.
❖ Janet Yellen is the first woman ever to head the United States central bank Federal Reserve.
❖ Sub-Inspector K. Prasad Babu was conferred the Ashok Chakra posthumously on the 65th Republic Day by the President Pranab Mukherjee. K. Prasad Babu was from Andhra Pradesh. He was given this award for an anti-Maoist operation near Andhra Pradesh- Chhattisgarh border. Ashok Chakra is India's highest peacetime gallantry award.
❖ Matteo Renzi became the youngest Italian Prime Minister in February 2014. He is 39 years old.
❖ Sushil Koirala assumed office as the Prime Minister of Nepal on February 11, 2014. He is also the President of the Nepali Congress Party.
❖ N.Ramachandran was elected the new President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in February 2014. He is also the World Squash Federation President.
❖ Satya Nadella, an Indian American, was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft on
February 4, 2014. He succeeded Steve Ballmer.
❖ Former Supreme Court judge Ashok Kumar Mathur has been appointed the Chairman of the
7th Pay Commission.
❖ Eminent Gandhian and environmentalist Chandi Prasad Bhatt was selected for the 2013 Gandhi Peace Prize. He is one of the pioneers of the Chipko movement. He was awarded the Ramon
Magsaysay Award in 1982.
❖ Famous Hindi writer Vishwanath Tripathi has been selected for the prestigious Vyas Samman for the year 2013 for his memoir 'Vyomkesh Darvesh'. Vyas Samman is a literary award given by
the K.K. Birla Foundation.
❖ Odia became the sixth language to get classical language status after Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu,
Kannada and Malayalam.
❖ The Expert Committee to Revise and Strengthen the Monetary Policy Framework, headed by RBI Deputy Governor Urjit Patel suggested the central bank to adopt the new consumer price index for anchoring the monetary policy.
❖ Facebook announced its acquisition of WhatsApp Inc. for $19 billion. WhatsApp was founded in 2009 by Brian Acton and John Koum. It is an instant messaging app for smartphones.
❖ The Winter Olympics were held in Sochi, Russia in February 2014. Russia topped the medals table with13 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze. It won a total of 33 medals. India did not win any medal. Next Winter Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang in South Korea in 2018.
❖ Michelle Bachelet was sworn in as the President of Chile on March 11, 2014. She already served as the President once from 2006 to 2010.
❖ The third edition of the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) was held in The Hague, Netherlands in March 2014. The NSS aims to prevent nuclear terrorism by reducing the amount of dangerous
nuclear material in the world.
❖ Renowned Hindi author Govind Mishra was selected for the Saraswati Samman for the year 2013 for his book "Dhool Paudho Par". He is the second Hindi author to receive the honor after the late Harivansh Rai Bachchan in 1991.
❖ ESPN cricinfo presented the Cricketer of the Generation award to Sachin Tendulkar.
❖ The International Women of Courage Award 2014 was presented by the US first lady Michelle Obama to Laxmi, a Delhi acid attack survivor.
❖ Mortal remains of about 282 Indian soldiers of 1857 mutiny were exhumed from a well at Ajnala
in Amritsar district of Punjab in March 2014.
❖ The Reserve Bank of India had extended the deadline for Indian banks to meet capital requirements under the Basel III norms by a year to March 31, 2019.
❖ Mizoram defeated Railways to win the 68th Santosh Trophy Football championship in Siliguri in
March 2014. It is the maiden Santosh Trophy title for Mizoram.
❖ Viswanathan Anand won the World Candidates chess tournament title at Khanty Mansisyk, Russia.
❖ Khushwant Singh, a renowned author, passed away on March 20, 2014. He authored books such as 'Train to Pakistan', 'With Malice towards One and All', 'The Sunset Club', 'Truth, Love and a Little Malice', etc.
❖ Eminent film lyricist Gulzar was chosen for the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2013. This award is the highest film award in India.
❖ The people of Crimea voted to become part of Russia in a referendum in March 2014. The leaders of Group of Eight (G8) countries suspended Russia from the group on the issue of annexation of Crimea by Russia. Crimea was separated from Ukraine.
❖ The third Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral, Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit was held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar in March 2014. India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand are the seven members of this group. Sumith Nakandala of Sri Lanka is the Secretary General. The Secretariat of BIMSTEC is established in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
❖ Assam is the first State in India to observe Child Protection Day to secure the future of children
on March 4, 2014.
❖ The armies of Nepal and India held a joint military exercise named Surya Kiran VI in Nepal.
❖ Admiral Robin K. Dhowan assumed office as the Chief of Naval Staff on April 17, 2014. He succeeded Admiral D.K. Joshi.
❖ R. Gandhi has been appointed as a Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India. RBI has four deputy governors.
❖ The 2014 Goldman Environmental Prize was awarded to Ramesh Agrawal of Chhattisgarh.
❖ Koyal Rana won the Miss India 2014 crown.
❖ India - born poet Vijay Seshadri won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for his collection of poems "3 Sections".
❖ Ex-coal secretary P.C. Parakh released his book titled "Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and Other Truths".
❖ Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Colombian novelist, died on April 17, 2014. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982. His major books include One Hundred Years of Solitude, Autumn of the Patriarch, Chronicle of a Death Foretold and Love in the Time of Cholera.
❖ Renowned cinematographer V.- K. Murthy passed away. He won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2008. He shot India's first cinemascope movie 'Kagaz ke Phool'.
❖ RBI gave approvals to IDFC Ltd and Bandhan Financial Services Private Limited to start new banks. IDFC is an infrastructure finance company based in Mumbai and Bandhan is a micro lender based in Kolkata.
❖ Sun Pharmaceuticals will buy Ranbaxy Laboratories.
❖ Sri Lanka won the World Twenty 20 title for the first time defeating India by six wickets in Mirpur, Bangladesh in April 2014.
❖ Australian women cricket team won the Women's World Twenty 20 Cup 2014 by defeating England in the final in Mirpur, Bangladesh. This is the third successive Women's World Twenty20 title for Australia.
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