Current Affairs - 20 October 2015

General Affairs

Parliament's Winter Session Likely to Start Around November 20

• NEW DELHI:  The Winter Session of Parliament is expected to commence around November 20 and is likely to be a month-long affair.
  
  A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, is scheduled on Wednesday to finalise the dates.
  
  The Monsoon Session was a near washout over allegations against some top BJP leaders.
  
  The Congress had not allowed Parliament to function in the last session, demanding the resignations of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje for allegedly helping former IPL chief Lalit Modi get UK travel documents. It had also sought the ouster of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the multi-crore Vyapam scam.
  

Quota Leader Hardik Patel Arrested on Sedition Charge

• SURAT/RAJKOT:  Firebrand quota agitation leader Hardik Patel was today arrested twice, first on the charge of insulting the national flag and the second time on the serious charge of sedition.
  
  The 22-year-old commerce graduate, detained yesterday by Rajkot Rural Police ahead of the India-South Africa One-Day International which he had threatened to disrupt, was arrested this morning for allegedly insulting the national flag.
  
  Just after he was granted bail in the evening by a Rajkot Court, Surat Police arrested him on sedition charge for allegedly instigating a Patel community youth to kill policemen instead of committing suicide.
  
  

  "A team of Surat Crime Branch has arrested Hardik from Rajkot and bringing him to the city. We have lodged a complaint of sedition against him in Amroli Police Station," Surat Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana said.
  
  "We checked all the relevant video footage, which clearly suggested that Hardik did commit an offence of insulting the national flag. Thus, police lodged an FIR against Hardik at Paddhari Police Station today after which we have arrested him," Rajkot-Rural Superintendent of Police Gagandeep Gambhir said earlier in the day.
  
  Rajkot Police produced Hardik Patel before a Magisterial Court. After hearing the arguments, Judicial Magistrate AS Kherjawala granted him bail on a Rs. 10,000 bond. He was then taken into custody in the sedition case.
  
  "We had filed a case of sedition against Hardik for his October 3 comments telling his friends to kill policemen," Surat Deputy Commissioner of Police Makrand Chauhan, the complainant in the case, said.
  
  The quota stir leader was booked under Section 124(A) of the Indian Penal Code. A person convicted of sedition faces a minimum jail term of three years, while the maximum punishment is life sentence.
  
  The Section reads, "whoever, by words, either spoken or written..brings hatred or contempt, or excites disaffection towards the Government shall be punishable with imprisonment for life...or with minimum imprisonment up to three years."
  
  Other Indian Penal Code Sections included in the First Information Report against Hardik Patel are 115 (Abetment of offence), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups, 505-2 (incite one community against another) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
  
  The fiery leader had allegedly advised a young man from his community to kill policemen rather than ending his own life.

No PM Modi Rally in Bihar for 10 Days, Amit Shah Faces Questions

• PATNA:  The BJP had to face multiple questions today at party chief Amit Shah's press conference in Patna on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's absence from campaigning in Bihar for more than 10 days. The period - October 16 to 25 - will lead up to the crucial third phase of the assembly elections.
  
  The anti-BJP coalition -- Janata Dal United and the Rashtriya Janata Dal -- has been claiming that the BJP's poor performance in the first two phases of elections is the reason for PM Modi's absence from the frontlines.
  
  

  "The BJP has been deflated. They are bringing Hema Malini now, as if she will get victory for them," said RJD Chief Lalu Prasad today. The lawmaker from Mathura has been campaigning in Bihar for some time.
  
  Mr Prasad's son and the party's candidate from Raghopur, Tejaswi Yadav, said, "The BJP is trying to decide whom they should pin the loss on."
  
  Some BJP insiders too, have been raising questions, including dissenter Shatrughan Sinha, who tweeted two days ago:
  
  At the press meet, Mr Shah sounded irked: "Sometimes I don't understand what your agenda is. Not one question here is on Bihar's development. Why are you not asking me questions on bijli-paani?"
  
  "The leader of the election campaign comes only at the end," he added, dismissing reports of a setback. "There is a big gap in the elections, there are so many festivals, no rallies have been curtailed."
  
  Party sources said while earlier, PM Modi was to address 20 rallies, the figure has been increased to 22; 13 rallies will be held after October 25.
  
  But in the same festive season, Mr Prasad and his ally and chief minister Nitish Kumar will address as many as 50 meetings, taking a break only on Dusshera.
  
  On the ground, BJP candidates like youth leader Nitin Naveen said big rallies make a difference, but they will manage to get votes anyway. "The big leaders charge the workers and leaders alike... but I will use Modiji's name and ask for votes and it won't make a difference," said the candidate from Pataliputra.

Air India Rejigs Domestic Flight Operations for Winter

• NEW DELHI:  National carrier Air India has rejigged its domestic flight operations for the winter schedule, that comes into effect this Saturday, and has also increased the frequency of its service to London's Heathrow airport during the period.
  
  As part of the winter schedule, the airline has also added capacity on certain routes by replacing Airbus A319s with A320s, among others.
  
  Air India will operate a third daily flight on the Delhi-London route from November 1, it said in a release in Delhi. It already operates two services per day on this route.
  
  

  The state run-carriers fly daily to London from Mumbai as well.
  
  Air India has already announced the launch of a non-stop flight to San Francisco from December 2 as part of a move to expand international operations during winter.
  
  The airline currently flies to and from New York, Chicago and Newark in the US.
  
  Also, as part of the winter operations, it has restructured its 13 domestic transit flights and will now operate these flights without a stopover, it said.
  
  According to the release, the Delhi-Mumbai-Coimbatore flight will now be operated as two separate flights on the Delhi-Mumbai and Mumbai-Coimbatore sectors. Similarly, the Mumbai-Chandigarh flight will now operate as Mumbai-Delhi and Delhi-Chandigarh flights.
  
  The airline said it has also changed the aircraft type from A319 to A320 on 18 sectors, while replacing A320 with A321 on six sectors and A319 with A321 on two sectors, thereby offering more capacity in these sectors.
  
  To improve regional connectivity, Air India will also commence flight services between Mumbai and Diu, which would be operated by its regional arm, Alliance Air, from October 26, it said, adding that the decision comes after the Union Territory administration evinced an interest in the airline's proposal.
  
  Alliance would operate a 72-seater ATR 72-600 on the said route, it said.
  
  Air India had approached various state governments and UTs to operate flights to tier-II and tier-III cities under Viable Gap Funding (VGF).
  
  Other state governments have also shown interest and are in the process of finalising the terms of operations under the VGF route, the release said.
  
  Meanwhile, the national carrier also announced an extension of its "free ticket" offer, rolled out earlier for premium class passengers, to economy class fliers as well. Air India's economy class travellers also can avail the offers under the eSuperSaver scheme from next month.
  
  The government-owned airline had in August last year announced a promotional single-user scheme for business class flyers on its select domestic sectors. The scheme is valid till March next year.

Cancer Drug Shows Promise Against Parkinson's Disease

• WASHINGTON:  A cancer drug may be helpful in improving memory and motor skills in patients with Parkinson's disease, according to preliminary research presented at a US medical conference this weekend.
  
  The trial at Georgetown University involved 12 people who had Parkinson's or a related condition called Lewy body dementia.
  
  All 11 who completed the trial using the drug nilotinib -- marketed by Novartis as Tasigna, which has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for leukemia -- showed improvements in movement and mental function by the end of the study, according to the findings presented at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Chicago.
  
  

  For some, the gains were dramatic, particularly those who were treated early in the course of their disease. One person who had been confined to a wheelchair was able to walk again, researchers said. Three others regained their ability to speak and hold conversations.
  
  "To my knowledge, this study represents the first time a therapy appears to reverse -- to a greater or lesser degree depending on stage of disease -- cognitive and motor decline in patients with these neurodegenerative disorders," said a statement by researcher Fernando Pagan, a Georgetown University associate professor of neurology.
  
  "But it is critical to conduct larger and more comprehensive studies before determining the drug's true impact."
  
  The drug appears to work by clearing toxic proteins in the brain. Patients were given nilotinib, a treatment for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), in escalating doses of 150 to 300 milligrams over the course of six months.
  
  The doses used were much smaller than the amount used to treat cancer -- which is up to 800 mg daily -- and patients experienced no major side effects.
  
  The study was designed to test safety, and did not compare the drug to other treatments or to a placebo.
  
  The drug is costly, however. The 800 mg daily dose used for cancer treatment costs $10,360 per month, according to the researchers.
  
  Larger clinical trials with nilotinib for patients with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's could begin as early as 2016.

Business Affairs 

Sensex ends 150 points up; Nifty at 8,275 level

• Extending gains for the third straight session, the domestic markets closed higher on Monday as Reliance Industries surged after posting a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit, while sentiment was supported after Chinese economic growth data eased fears of a hard landing.

  The S&P BSE Sensex surged 150 points to close at 27,364.92 level, while broader CNX Nifty settled above its key support level of 8,250, up 36.90 at 8,275.05.  

  Market breadth remained positive with 19 of the 30 Sensex stocks ending the day in red.

  Investors were comforted after China's economy grew slightly better than forecasts in the July-September quarter, even as it dipped below 7 per cent for the first time since the global financial crisis.

  Still, traders worried the gains might not sustain. October contracts for NSE index futures were trading not far from the 50-share spot index, indicating little potential upside.

  "Selective companies, especially leaders in sectors, would show better results than others as the economy improves," said Deven Choksey, managing director at KR Choksey Securities.

  "Derivatives are also adding to the pressure."

  Reliance Industries ended the day 5.5 per cent up after the company reported 12.5% rise in net profit to a record Rs 6,700 crore beating street expectations, supported by gross refining margins (GRMs), which soared to a seven-year high of $10.6 for each barrel of crude processed.

  HCL Tech ended 1.8 per cent up after slipping 2 per cent in the early trade post the IT firm reported 2.7 per cent drop in consolidated net profit at Rs 1,823 crore for the first quarter ended September 30, 2015, released before market hours on Monday.

  Among Asian markets, China's Shanghai Composite ended the day with a downtick of 0.14 per cent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng settled 0.04 per cent up, while Japan's Nikkei closed the day 0.88 per cent lower.

  On Friday, US Market showed a lack of direction throughout much of the trading day but managed to end the session moderately higher.

  Markets through the day

  9:30 am

  Sensex at 27,261.57, up 46.97 points

  Nifty at 8,244.80, up 6.55 points.

  11:30 am

  Sensex at 27,264.10, up 49.50 points

  Nifty at 8,242.45, up 4.30 points
  
  12:05 pm

  Sensex: 27313.61, up 99 points

  Nifty: 8253.80, up 15 points 

  14:19 pm

  Sensex at 27,359.23, up 144.63 points

  Nifty at 8,270.75, up 32.60 points

  15:20 pm

  Sensex at 27,362.36, up 147.76 points

  Nifty at 8,273.40, up 35.25 points

S&P retains India rating, maintains stable outlook

• Indians' low incomes, high government debt and supply constraints are the key barriers to an improvement in the country's sovereign rating, said Standard & Poor's in a release on Monday.

  S&P retained its lowest investment grade BBB- rating with a 'stable' outlook on India and said it was unlikely to change the rating until at least next year.

  "The stable outlook balances India's sound external position and inclusive policymaking traditions against the vulnerabilities stemming from its low per capita income and weak public finances," Standard & Poor's said.

  "The outlook indicates that we do not expect to change our rating on India this year or next based on our current set of forecasts."

  Besides S&P, Fitch also has a 'stable' outlook on India while Moody's raised it to 'positive' in April.

  India's ratings could improve if the government undertook reforms which would improve the fiscal deficit and bring down net government debt to below 60 per cent of gross domestic product, S&P said.

  However, the ratings could come under downward pressure if growth disappoints or the Reserve Bank of India's proposed new monetary policy committee fails to achieve its targets.

  Indian economic growth slowed to 7 per cent in the April-June quarter, casting doubt on the ability of Narendra Modi's government to achieve its estimate of 8.0-8.5 per cent expansion for the fiscal year ending in March.

  S&P expects India to grow at 7.4 per cent in 2015, similar to the central bank's forecast for the fiscal year ending in March.

PM Modi's budget cuts hurt fight against malnutrition: Maneka Gandhi

• Country's main programme to fight child malnutrition has been hit by budget cuts that make it difficult to pay wages of millions of health workers, a Cabinet minister said on Monday in a rare public criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's policies.

  Modi's government in February slashed social sector budgets to boost infrastructure spending in a bid to fasten the pace of economic recovery. States were asked to fill the gap from the larger share of federal taxes they receive from New Delhi.

  But the cuts drew criticism for blunting India's efforts to tackle one of the world's highest rates of child malnutrition. Four of 10 stunted children in the world are Indian and about 1.5 million children die annually before turning five.

  Maneka Gandhi, the women and child welfare minister who oversees a scheme to feed more than 100 million poor people, said the current budget was only enough to pay salaries of her 2.7 million health workers until January.

  "We still have problems because our cut has still not been restored. Literally, it's a month-to-month suspense on whether we can meet wages," Gandhi told Reuters in an interview.

  "It really calls for huge attention."

  She said the February budget cut, which saw her ministry's budget slashed by half to $1.6 billion, had hit her plans to strengthen the fight against malnutrition.

  Gandhi said that even before the cuts the food programme was in urgent need of modernization, with lax supervision of health workers using training programmes not updated in the last four decades and the food on offer she described as "rubbish."

  She said about half the food was lost due to mismanagement.

  Reuters reported in May that Gandhi had privately sought additional funds from the finance minister after the budget cut. She also warned him the reduced funding could backfire politically if focus on her programmes is reduced.

  The government in July approved an additional $618 million for her ministry. Gandhi indicated that was not enough.

  "It's not a question of giving a little bit back ... we actually need every little bit to pay workers and retrain them," she said.

  Modi's budget changes have affected several social sectors in recent months. They have delayed salaries to millions of health workers in the national health scheme and the AIDS control programme.

  The finance ministry says social budgets have not been squeezed and states will pitch in with the difference. But many states are cash-strapped and cite confusion about new the funding arrangement with New Delhi.

  An official at Gandhi's ministry, who did not wish to be named, said states had cited fiscal strains and conveyed they were not willing to fund salaries.

  Gandhi, however, said she was hopeful the programme will revive.

  "It will come back," Gandhi said, adding that finance ministry officials had assured her of more funds. "...Nobody can afford to let this programme go."

RBI's Raghuram Rajan urges IMF to act against 'extreme' policies

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan urged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday to stop "sitting on the sidelines" and instead play an active role in questioning the easy money policies adopted by developed economies.

  Raghuram Rajan, a former chief economist of the IMF, said countries were putting these policies in place without consideration for the negative impact they have on the global economy.

  "Extreme" measures had steered volatile capital flows to emerging markets, while exchange rate intervention risked spurring competitive devaluations, he said in a speech ahead of a G20 summit in Turkey next month.

  "The IMF has been sitting on the sidelines and applauding these kinds of policies right from when they have been initiated, and hasn't really questioned the value of these kinds of policies," he told a G20 consultation meeting.

  "We can do better," he said, calling on emerging markets to push back against such policies.

  Rajan didn't single out any single country for criticism, but he has emerged as a leading critic of easy money policies.

  Some central banks, including those in the United States and the euro zone, adopted so-called quantitative easing policies to counter the global financial crisis. After cutting rates to zero, they pumped cash into their economies to try to revive economic activity.

  Media has speculated that Rajan could be a contender to head the IMF. The current head, Christine Lagarde, was appointed in July 2011 for a five-year term. Rajan denies having any interest in the position and his three-year tenure at the RBI doesn't end until September 2016.

  Since his RBI appointment in 2013, Rajan has called on emerging markets to have a bigger voice globally, including at the IMF. Otherwise, industrialised economies will always lead the debate, he says.

  Rajan said it was critical emerging markets develop more capable economists, who can help steer discussions among policymakers globally.

  "We must, across the emerging world, realise that some of the reasons why global governance seems to be against us is we are not putting enough resources into this," he said.

  "Yes, we go to our think tanks, etc. But we don't have people working in government who have that kind of training, that kind of capacity," he added. 

General Awareness

Symbols of States of India

• • Indian state have their own state symbols including animal,bird,flower,tree etc.For some states there is no state flower,bird etc.The given below list contains the list of symbols of each state.

Andhra Pradesh

• • Animal – Blackbuck
    Bird – Indian Roller
    Flower -Water Lily
    State Dance – Kuchipudi
    Tree – Neem
    Sport – Kabaddi

Arunachal Pradesh

• • Animal – Mithun(Gayal)
    Bird – Great Hornbill
    Flower – Foxtail Orchid
    Tree – Hollong

Assam

• • Animal – One Horned Rhinoceros
    Bird – White Winged Wood Duck
    Flower – Foxtail Orchid(Kopou phul)
    Tree – Hollong

Bihar

• • Animal -Gaur
    Bird – House Sparrow
    Flower – Marigold
    Tree – Peepal

Chhattisgarh

• • Animal – Wild Buffalo
    Bird -Hill Myna
    Tree – Sal

Delhi

• • Animal – Nilgai
    Bird – House Sparrow

Goa

• • Animal – Gaur
    Bird – Black-crested bulbul
    Tree -Matti

Gujarat

• • Animal – Asiatic Lion
    Bird – Greater Flemingo
    Flower – Marigold
    Fruit – Mango
    Tree – Banyan

Haryana

• • Animal – Blackbuck
    Bird – Black Francolin
    Flower – Lotus
    Tree – Peepal

Himachal Pradesh

• • Animal – Snow leopard
    Bird – Western Tragopan
    Flower – Pink Rhododendron
    Tree – Deodar

Jammu & Kashmir

• • Animal – Kashmir Stag(Hangul)
    Bird – Black necked Crane
    Flower- Lotus
    Tree – Chinar

Jharkhand

• • Animal – Asian Elephant
    Bird – Koel
    Flower – Palash
    Tree – Sal

Karnataka

• • Animal – Elephant
    Bird – Indian Roller
    Dance – Yakshagana
    Flower – Lotus
    Tree – Sandalwood

Kerala

• • Animal – Elephant
    Bird – Great Hornbill
    Dance – kathakali
    Flower – Kanikonna
    Fruit – Mango
    Tree – Coconut

Madhya Pradesh

• • Animal – Swamp Deer
    Bird – Asian paradise flycatcher
    Flower – Parrot Tree
    Tree – Banyan

Maharashtra

• • Animal- Giant Squirrel
    Bird – Yellow-footed green pigeon
    Butterfly – Blue Mormon
    Flower – Jarul
    Tree – Mango

Manipur

• • Animal – Sangai
    Bird – Mrs. Hume’s pheasant
    Flower – Shirui lily
    Tree – Toon

Meghalaya

• • Animal – Clouded leopard
    Bird – Hill Myna
    Flower – Lady slipper orchid
    Tree -White teak

Mizoram

• • Animal – Serow
    Bird – Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant
    Flower – Red vanda
    Tree – Indian rose chestnut

Nagaland

• • Animal – Mithun
    Bird – Blyth’s tragopan
    Flower- Rhododendron
    Tree – Alder

Odisha

• • Animal – Sambar deer
    Bird – Blue jay
    Dance – Odissi
    Flower – Asoka
    Tree – Ashwatha

Punjab

• • Animal – Blackbuck
    Bird – Northern goshawk
    Tree – Sheesham

Rajasthan

• • Animal – Camel
    Bird – Great Indian bustard
    Dance – Ghoomar
    Flower – Rohira
    Game – Basketball
    Tree – Khejri

Sikkim

• • Animal – Red panda
    Bird – Blood pheasant
    Flower – Noble orchid
    Tree – Rhododendron

Tamil Nadu

• • Animal – Nilgiri tahr
    Bird – Emerald dove
    Dance – Bharatanatyam
    Flower – Gloriosa lily
    Fruit – Jack fruit
    Sport – kabaddi
    Tree – Palm tree

Telangana

• • Animal – Deer
    Bird – Indian roller
    Flower – Tangedu
    River – Godavari
    Tree – Jammi Chettu
    Woman – Chakali Ailamma

Tripura

• • Animal – Phayre’s langur
    Bird – Green imperial pigeon
    Flower – Nageshwar
    Tree – Agar

Uttarakhand

• • Animal – Musk deer
    Bird – Himalayan monal
    Flower – Brahm kamal
    Tree – Burans

Uttar pradesh

• • Animal – Swamp deer
    Bird – Sarus crane
    Dance – Kathak
    Flower – Brahm kamal
    Sport – Field Hockey
    Tree – Ashok

West Bengal

• • Animal – Fishing cat
    Bird – White-throated Kingfisher
    Flower – Night-flowering jasmine
    Tree – Devil tree

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

• • Animal – Sea cow
    Bird – Andaman wood pigeon
    Flower – Phalaenopsis speciosa
    Tree – Andaman padauk

Chandigarh

• • Animal – Indian grey mongoose
    Bird – Indian grey hornbill
    Flower – Dhak flower
    Tree – Mango

Puducherry

• • Animal – Squirrel
    Bird – Koel
    Flower – Cannonball
    Tree – Bilva tree

Lakshadweep

• • Animal – Butterfly Fish
    Bird – Noddy tern
    Tree – Breadfruit