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Current Affairs - 22 May 2016


General Affairs 

Shiv Sena Slams BJP, Says Don't Grab Credit For Results Of Assembly Polls
  • MUMBAI:  The Shiv Sena criticised ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the second consecutive day today, asking it "not to grab all credit" for the results of the Assembly elections in five states.

    The BJP could win only Assam, said the Shiv Sena, while the Left front bagged Kerala, Trinamool Congress swept West Bengal, AIADMK managed to retain Tamil Nadu and the Congress-DMK alliance accounted for Puducherry.

    "It is erroneous to say that the people have wholeheartedly supported the performance of the BJP government at the centre in the past two years," the Sena said in a sharp editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana.

    "If that was so, then besides Assam the people of the other four states should also have endorsed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government, its vision, its policies."

    That did not happen and the fact was that in each of the four other states -- Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry -- the parties fought the elections on their own independent local agendas which helped them emerge victorious, said the Shiv Sena.

    "Tomorrow, if Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton win in America or if Nawaz Sharif returns to office in Pakistan, can it be attributed to the performance of the Modi government?" the Sena asked sarcastically.

    The editorial criticised the BJP top brass for attributing the results of the elections to the good work of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

    The Sena on Friday had said the BJP could not defeat the leaders of regional parties and even in Assam its victory came in alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).

    The BJP was content merely by "opening accounts" in West Bengal and Kerala, drawing a blank in Tamil Nadu despite its all-out efforts, and Congress returning to power in Puducherry, the Sena had said.

    Though the 'Congress-mukt' India was a laudable objective, the election results proved the BJP failed to achieve this, said the Sena.

    "If we discount Assam where it achieved full majority ('100 per cent BJP') with AGP support, in the other four states, it did not even come up 'One Per cent BJP,'" said the Sena.

    "Yet the victory in Assam has invigorated the BJP like a new birth in the family after many years, but four other babies are also born in the neighbourhood," the Sena said, ridiculing the BJP's claims.

    So the BJP could not claim credit in these four states (barring Assam) for making them 'Congress-mukt' as the performance of the regional parties and their leaders was fully supported by the people.

    The Sena said history is witness that one cannot destroy the Congress even when it is down, citing the example of the four seat won by the Congress in the recent by-elections to Delhi's municipal bodies.

    "You must watch out - the Congress's tail will continue to wag in some or the other part of the country; so, even when that party is completely down, it cannot be ruled out," the Sena warned.

We Will Not Tolerate Violence Against Kerala Workers, Says BJP
  • NEW DELHI:  The BJP today said it will not tolerate violence against its cadres in Kerala, and blamed the Left Front for the attacks.

    "A series of violence is occurring in Kerala post elections on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh cadres and BJP workers. As many as 55 cases have been registered against CPI-M workers after the Assembly elections in Kannur district," BJP leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

    "We expect the CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) to behave properly and democratically after receiving the people's mandate. The BJP will not tolerate violence against its cadre and swayamsevaks in Kerala," he said.

    Mr Prasad said 26 workers of the BJP and RSS were hospitalised after the attacks, apart from four women family members of some party workers.

Making Of ISRO's Space Shuttle - The Inside Story
  • THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an unassuming hangar near a fishing village in Kerala, efforts of more than 600 scientists over the last five years have converged to bring India one of its most extraordinary milestones in space exploration.

    It was here that India's very own space shuttle dubbed the Re-usable Launch Vehicle (RLV) was conceived and nurtured by the Indian Space Research Organisation or ISRO.

    The project began more than a decade ago at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram - India's main rocket designing and fabrication laboratory.

    NDTV's Science Editor Pallava Bagla was given a very rare and unique access to view first-hand the making of the futuristic spacecraft.

    The 6.5 metre-long scale model of the re-usable launch vehicle weighs about 1.75 tonnes and has been made at a cost of Rs. 95 crore.

    Built as a technology demonstrator, ISRO plans to test two more such prototypes before the final version which will be about six times larger at around 40 metres and will take off around 2030.

    Shyam Mohan, Project Director on the RLV, says his team has spent endless hours over the years trying to make sure that all systems work perfectly.

    Mr Mohan, 53, who has spent three decades at ISRO, said he was chosen to design the RLV for India 15 years ago. "It was a dream come true as making a re-usable launch vehicle is a complex and challenging task," he said.

    Americans successfully flew their space shuttles 135 times until they retired it in 2011 over cost constraints and the Russians flew it only once in 1989. Now India is boldly attempting to go where other space agencies have tried but failed.

    K Sivan, director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, said, "These are just the first baby steps towards the big Hanuman leap."

    Weather and wind conditions permitting, the RLV-TD as ISRO calls this first experiment will be launched from India's rocket port at Sriharikota on the coast of the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh on Monday morning.

    The spacecraft will be launched atop a 9-ton solid rocket engine that has been designed to burn slowly to accommodate the vertical lifting of a winged body.

    After the launch, the space shuttle will fly to an altitude of 70 kilometres and then engage in a free-gliding flight that starts with an initial velocity five times that of sound. It will then land on a stretch of water in the Bay of Bengal some 500 kilometres from Sriharikota.

    On this first flight, the RLV-TD will not be recovered but the data collected will be used to improve the designs, paving the runway to the final model - one small step for ISRO, one giant leap for India.

PM Narendra Modi, Sheikh Hasina Invited For Mamata Banerjee's Swearing-In
  • KOLKATA:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi and Bhutanese counterparts are among several high profile personalities to be invited for Mamata Banerjee's swearing-in in Kolkata as West Bengal chief minister for a second term on May 27.

    Among others on the guest list are Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad.

    "A host of national and international leaders, including Modi and his Bangladheshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina and Bhutanese leader Tshering Tobgay are being invited for the ceremony," a Trinamool Congress leader said today.

    Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who on Friday staked claim to form the government in the state for the second term, said that unlike in 2011 when the oath-taking venue was the Raj Bhavan, the swearing in this time will be held at the Red Road (Indira Gandhi Sarani).

    "The oath taking ceremony will be held at the Red Road so that more people can witness it," Ms Banerjee said on Friday.

Gujarat To Get Institute For The Differently-Abled: Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot
  • AHMEDABAD:  Gujarat will get a national- level institute focusing on treatment and development of differently-abled persons, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot said today. The minister made the announcement while speaking at the inaugural event of a workshop under Centre's Accessible India Campaign.

    Gujarat Social Justice and Empowerment minister Ramanlal Vora had made a demand for such a centre to the Central government.

    "Ramanbhai Vora has asked for something...let me announce that Centre will provide all support and will work towards setting up a national institute and Gujarat will get it soon," he said.

    The institution will have various facilities related to treatment, training, skill development of mentally challenged people, he said.

    Mr Gehlot said his Ministry has completed the formalities on using "divyang" as the term for differently-abled persons after a call for the same was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his radio show 'Mann Ki Baat'.

    "People have accepted the term 'divyang' for differently-abled persons after the call made by the Prime Minister. And therefore, my ministry has also completed the formality on nomenclature 'divyang'," he said.

    He said four Gujarat cities are among 50 selected by his ministry under the Accessible India Programme where 100 buildings in each city will be made disabled-friendly.

    "The four cities selected in Gujarat are Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat. In the first phase, 100 buildings will be identified in each city which will get ramp, lift, sign language and toilet facilities, among other things which are disabled-friendly," the minister said.

    He praised 'BJP-ruled states' for being forthcoming in implementing Centre's programmes for the differently-abled.

    "BJP-ruled states have implemented our programmes primarily. We have also decided to set up national sports centre at five places across the country. We will also provide financial aid and loans for sports centres at district level with the help of state governments," he said.

    Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, on the occasion, announced that differently-abled persons in the state will no longer be required to renew their certificates as they will now remain valid for life time.

    Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar said the Central government will issue a universal ID card for them which will be valid across the country.

    "They (physically challenged people) face difficulties in getting the certificates. Also, the ID card is not valid from one state to another. So, our government has decided that we will make a universal ID card for divyangs. They are being rolled out in 11 states including Gujarat," he said.

Business Affairs 

Ratan Tata, Ronnie Screwvala invest in Artificial Intelligence startup Niki
  • Leading industrialist Ratan Tata has invested in niki.ai, an artificial intelligence (AI) based chatbot.
    The company has also received funding from existing investor Ronnie Screwvala-led Unilazer, it said in a statement.
    It, however, did not disclose the details of the funding or the total amount it has raised till date.
    The Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus has made more than 25 investments in startups in the last two years, including online marketplace Snapdeal, digital wallet provider Paytm, cab hailing service Ola, data analytics company Tracxn Technologies, online pet supplies store Dogspot.in and online lingerie store Zivame.
    Last year, Tata had invested in Infinite Analytics, an artificial intelligence-based predictive analytics startup.
    Founded in April 2015 by IIT Kharagpur alumni -- Sachin Jaiswal, Keshav Prawasi, Nitin Babel and Shishir Modi, the company now has 21 employees.
    Niki.ai leverages the technology of natural language processing and machine learning to converse with customers over a simple chat interface and places their orders within seconds with the partner businesses.
    Currently, niki.ai's chatbot offers services like bill payments, cab booking, recharge, food ordering, home services and cricket scores. It has partnered with over 25 brands.
    "It's a proud moment for the company to have an investment from Mr Tata and for Unilazer to do a follow on round. The vision with Niki is to be the enabler for everything commerce, across platforms whether Android, iOS, messaging or otherwise," niki.ai CEO Sachin Jaiswal said.
    Globally, chatbots have been much talked about in the recent weeks, with Facebook opening its Messenger platform for developers during the F8 conference.
    Other companies like Microsoft, Slack, Telegram and Kik have also opened their platforms to develop chatbots. 

    Cisco India Q3 revenue up 18%, makes Jaipur 'Lighthouse City'
    • Networking giant Cisco on Thursday said its revenues in India have grown 18 per cent in the January-March quarter, driven by significant traction in collaboration and security solutions.
      Globally, the US-based firm saw its net income dipping 4 per cent to $2.3 billion in the said quarter from the year-ago period, while revenue (excluding SP Video CPE business) grew 3 per cent y-o-y to $12 billion.
      It follows July-June as its financial calendar.
      Cisco also announced Jaipur as its first 'Lighthouse City' in South Asia.
      Cisco assigns the 'Lighthouse City' status credential to a select list of cities across the world. With this development, Jaipur will gain access to Cisco's global network and channel programme capabilities.
      "The Lighthouse City engagement will be enabled through a joint working group, which will focus on deploying next generation technologies to impact citizens and society," Cisco said.
      Other Lighthouse cities globally include Hamburg (Germany), Barcelona (Spain) and Adelaide (Australia).
      Cisco is collaborating with the city of Jaipur on a number of key initiatives, including smart city projects.
      On outlook, the company said it expects revenues to grow 0-3 per cent y-o-y for the fourth quarter. In November last year, it had completed its divestiture of the SP Video CPE business.
      "We delivered a strong Q3, executing well despite the challenging environment...Total emerging markets grew 4 per cent with the BRICs plus Mexico showing strength at up 4 per cent with China up 22 per cent and India up 18 per cent," Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins said on an investor call.
      He added that Brazil and Russia continue to be challenging.
      Cisco India has seen eight straight quarters of growth starting from the fourth quarter of 2013-14 (18 per cent) to January-March 2016 quarter.
      The company said it is seeing significant traction for its solutions in the enterprise space, especially UCS, networking and collaboration and security solutions.
      Cisco, in collaboration with Qualcomm, General Electrical and 3M India, has launched an Innovation Centre in Jaipur.
      The centre will be housed and operated by Genpact and will help accelerate co-innovation of Internet of Everything (IoE) based solutions.
      It will be hosted by Jaipur Development Authority and also team-up with startups, developers, government agencies, and academic communities.
      "Jaipur, as a Lighthouse City, will showcase to the world what's possible when visionary city leaders and urban planners design and build 21st century cities connected by a digital infrastructure," Cisco President India and SAARC Dinesh Malkani said.

      SEBI proposes changes in infrastructure investment trusts regulations
      • The Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Thursday decided to publish a consultation paper, proposing changes and clarification in the Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvIT) Regulations.
        "The paper will propose changes and provide clarification on InvIT process to invest in two-level special purpose structure," the market regulator said in a statement here.
        At a meeting earlier in the day here, the board also decided to consider reducing to 10 per cent from 25 per cent on mandatory sponsor holding in InvIT norms.
        "The consultation paper will also consider increasing sponsors to five from three and other operational needs in line with the provisions of Companies Act, 2013 and filing of project implementation agreement with other documents.
        "The paper will be placed on the official website for public comments," the statement added.
        The board also approved to set up two SEBI chairs at its National Institute of Securities Markets by contributing some corpus to it.
        "The chairs will provide research-based policy inputs and help in increasing academic interest and awareness about the regulator's activities," the statement noted.

        Lupin shares skid 9% as investors ignore stellar March quarter earnings
        • Shares of drug maker Lupin tumbled over 9 per cent in trade on Friday even as the company reported March quarter earnings above analysts' expectations with consolidated profit soaring 47.5 per cent to Rs 807 crore compared to year-ago period.
          The stock skidded as much as 9.62 per cent to Rs 1496.50 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and settled the day 9.10 per cent lower.
          The drug firm had reported Rs 547.01 crore in the corresponding quarter a year ago.
          Net sales jumped 33.96 per cent to Rs 4,091.32 crore against Rs 3,054.04 crore reported in the same quarter last year.  
          Brokerage Angel Broking maintained 'neutral' rating on the stock. 

          Newly designed Indian currency notes likely soon
          • Newly designed currency notes are likely to circulate in the country soon with the Reserve Bank of India board on Thursday recommending a new set of designs for the banknotes.
            "The Central Board also discussed and recommended to the government a set of designs for the new banknotes series which, on approval from the government, will be introduced in due course," said an RBI statement said.
            At its 557th meeting here, the board discussed the national and international macroeconomic scenario and also reviewed the working of specific areas of operations of the RBI, including information technology and cyber security, and setting up of an IT subsidiary, the statement added.
            Operations relating to government banking business, statistical and information management related activities, customer complaints of banking services and currency management operations were also reviewed.
            "Certain other issues of immediate concern to the working of the bank were also discussed and approved," RBI said.
            The meeting was chaired by RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, and attended by the four deputy governors, among others.
            Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das, who is the government nominee director on the board, also attended the meeting, the statement added.

          General Awareness

          RGI releases Census 2011 data on Households by religion, Sex of head of household and household size

            • Registrar General and Census Commissioner released the Census Data 2011 on Households by religion, sex of head of household and household size depicts the percentage of households to total households in main six religious communities.

              Table reveals the Total No. of household & % of Total Households
              Religious CommunitiesTotal no. of households
              (in million)
              Percentage to Total households
              123
              Total Households248.8100.0
              Hindu202.481.3
              Muslim31.212.5
              Christian6.32.5
              Sikh4.11.7
              Buddhist1.90.7
              Jain0.90.4
              The Data not to be tallied to cent percent whereas ‘Region not stated’ and ‘Others’ are not added
              The Highest & Lowest % of female headed

              1. 17.4% in Christian Community
              2. 15.9% in Buddhist Community
              The Lowest % of Female headed – 11.5% in Jain Community
              Graph depicts the Average Household Size in 2011.
              Green Depicts Men Headed and Pink depicts the Women Headed
              Observation from the Graph:
              Average households size is higher in male headed households as compared to female headed households in all the religious communities
              Sex wise variation is highest among Hindu community
              • Male headed Household – size 4.9
              • Female headed Household – size 3.8
              Sex wise Variation is lowest among Sikh community
              • Male headed Household size – 5.1
              • Female headed House Hold size 4.6


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