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December 2012 Current Affairs

NatioNal EvENts

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SIs of Andhra Pradesh to get gazetted rank Andhra Pradesh police has decided to remove

negative marks system in the police recruitment tests. The decision comes after the department failed

to fill-up 6,000 vacancies during the previous recruitment drives because of the negative marks

system.The decision comes as a major boon for the aspirants of police jobs, since the government

needs to fill up thousands of vacancies in the department. Director General of Police V Dinesh Reddy,

Principal Secretary, Home, TP Das and a few other top officials

met Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy on Thursday and

discussed issues related to police reforms. The police

department has also decided to accord gazetted status for the

officers of the rank of sub- inspectors (SIs) and increase the

remuneration paid for home guards from Rs 200 to Rs 300 a

day. The top brass further decided to bring home guards

under the Arogyasri scheme besides providing them bus pass

and uniform. The home guards have been demanding these benefits for long.Also, the department will

soon reorganise the police sub-divisions in the State. After which, every Assembly constituency will

come under one police sub-division, unlike the present system where one constituency is divided

between two or more sub-divisions.With the reorganisation, 10 new sub-divisions and 35 new police

circles will be added to the existing system. The reorganisation will benefit the politicians to a great

extent, sources in the home department said. The reorganisation of sub-divisions has been a pet

project of the DGP, who has been speaking about it often.Sources said the government has already

accepted the recommendations and what remains to be done is only the formality of issuing an official

order.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar sworn in as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Nationalist

Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, who had resigned

as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra over the

irrigation scam, was re-inducted into the state Cabinet as

he took oath on 7December. The BJP and the Shiv Sena

have boycotted the swearing-in ceremony. Governor K

Sankaranarayanan administered oath of office to Pawar in

the presence of the Maharashtra Chief Minister. The

decision to re-induct Pawar in the cabinet came days after the White Paper on the irrigation scam in

the state was tabled. The White Paper on irrigation scam had given a clean chit to the NCP leader. www.Gr8

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Gujarat’s first industrial park in private sector launched Gujarat’s first industrial park in the

private sector, developed by TDT Infra Pvt Ltd was launched.Unlike other industrial parks, this park,

located near Vadodara on 105 acres

of the company’s free-hold land worth

Rs 100 crore, will sell the plots on a

permanent basis. “Since the industries

will buy these plots, there will be no

reversal of land to the original owner in

case the buyer does not set up the unit in a

specified timeframe. There will

also be no penal provisions for non-

utilisation of land.The industrial park that falls under the Halol-Savli Special Investment Region

(SIR) would get natural gas as industrial fuel from the Gujarat Government and would have water

harvesting facilities.

Bangalore best Indian city to live: Survey Technology hub Bangalore has emerged as the best

city to live in India, pipping other metro cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, in terms of

overall quality of living, according to a latest worldwide survey of cities by global HR consultancy

Mercer. Amongst Indian cities,

Bangalore (139) ranks higher than

New Delhi (143), Mumbai (146),

Chennai (150) and Kolkata (151) in

overall quality of living, according to

Mercer's 2012 Quality of Living Index.

"Bangalore's rise in its quality of living

ranking can be attributed to positive

ratings for international schools

which are suitable for expatriates,"

the report said. In terms of city infrastructure, however, Mumbai (134) was ranked highest among

Indian cities followed by Kolkata (141), New Delhi (153), Chennai (168) and Bangalore (170).

However, no Indian city could manage to find a place in the global list, which was topped by Vienna www.Gr8

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and was followed by Zurich and Auckland in second and third place, respectively. Other cities in the

top 10 include Munich in fourth place, followed by Vancouver (5th). Dusseldorf dropped one spot to

rank sixth followed by Frankfurt (7th), Geneva (8th), Copenhagen (9th), and Bern and Sydney tied in

10th place. Indian cities did not fare well compared to their global counterparts. Among Asia Pacific

cities, Australian and New Zealand cities rank higher on the index with Sydney (11), Wellington (13),

Melbourne (18) and Perth (21) following Auckland (3). Globally, the cities with the lowest quality of

living are Khartoum, Sudan (217); N'Djamena, Chad (218); Port-au-Prince, Haiti (219); and Bangui,

Central African Republic (220). Baghdad, Iraq (221) ranks last. Mercer's Quality of Living index list

covers 221 cities, ranked against New York as the base city.

EC directs government to defer

implementation of Direct Cash Transfer

Scheme in Gujarat & HP The Election

Commission (EC) on 4 December expressed

dissatisfaction with the government on the

announcement timing of Direct Cash Transfer

Scheme (DCT). EC directed the government to defer

the implementation of the scheme in four districts of

Gujarat and two of Himachal Pradesh till the state

assembly elections are over. In a stern message to the government, EC said that the timing of

government's DCT scheme was 'avoidable'. "The government should have maintained letter and spirit

of model code of conduct," it said.

Government eases visa norms for tourists The government has eased restrictions on tourist

visas which had mandated a two-month gap between consecutive visits by foreign nationals. However,

nationals of Afghanistan, China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, Bangladesh, foreigners of Pakistani and

Bangladeshi origin and "stateless persons" will continue to come under the 60-day gap rule. The move

is likely to breathe fresh life into the tourism industry and comes just ahead of the peak tourist season.

India's share of international tourist arrivals in 2011 was a mere 0.64%. The tourist visa restriction,

which was relaxed on 3 December, was introduced in November 2009 in the aftermath of the Mumbai

terror attacks when it was found that Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley had succeeded in www.Gr8

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breaching security norms to visit India several times over a period of 3-4 years. A decision to review

the visa restrictions was taken by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in January 2012 after concerns

were raised by the tourism ministry that the negative perception following the move had affected flow

of tourists to India.

Haryana Topped the Chart of States that exceeded Revenue Mop up Target Haryana

topped on the chart of states for significantly

exceeding the revenue mobilization targets as per the

report released in the first week of December by the

Planning Commission on State Finances during 11th

Five Year Plan. As per the report, the state of

Haryana was successful in mopping 64123 crore

rupees during the Five Year Plan, which was 192

percent of the targeted resource mobilization for the

11th Plan. As per the report released, Haryana, Goa, Assam, Karnataka, Odisha, Bihar and Arunachal

Pradesh were the only eight states of the nation that mopped up more than their target. Many of the

states even failed to meet the projected planned resources and were able to fetch 92.5 percent of the

target, collectively.

Andhra Pradesh SC, ST Sub-Plans Bill 2012 was passed by State Assembly The Andhra

Pradesh Assembly on 2 December 2012 passed Andhra Pradesh SC, ST Sub-Plans Bill 2012 providing

statutory status for implementation of the sub-plans for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The

legislation will ensure fund allocation proportionate to the SC and ST population and is expected to

prevent diversion of sub-plan funds for other activities and not allowing them unspent. There is also a

mandatory provision for allocation of nearly a fourth of the State’s annual plan of the budget for them

hereafter. The bill was introduced on the recommendations of the Cabinet Sub-Committee. The

demand for according legal status to the Sub-Plans was made on states for a long time by the Planning

Commission of India and National Development Council (NDC). With this, Andhra Pradesh has

become the first state in India to enact such legislation. The Opposition endorsed the legislation

except the Telugu Desam. The party sought an amendment by inserting a provision in the legislation

to provide proportionate allocations to ABCD groups within the SCs based on their populations and

socio-economic conditions. The proposal was defeated by 22 votes when it was subjected to voting. www.Gr8

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Since the state assembly had the power to adopt annual budget only for one year, there was no

constitutional provision to prevent lapsing of SC/ST funds.

The government on 7 December, won the vote in the Rajya Sabha on foreign direct

investment (FDI) in retail, two days after it

sailed through the Lok Sabha, finally getting

endorsement from Parliament for a policy seen as a

major step forward in its reforms process.Getting

support once again from the unlikely combination of

Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) and

Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the

government won the day in the Rajya Sabha by 14

votes.In the House, the opposition-backed motion got 109 votes and the government 123 votes. The

government's win on getting 51 percent foreign equity in multi-brand retail has long been a

contentious issue, stalling almost the entire first two weeks of the winter session of Parliament.With

this, global names like Carrefour, Tesco and Wal-Mart will set up stores in India.

The Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Vayalar Ravi replied for a question in the Rajya Sabha on 6

Decemer that the Government has launched

Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha

Yojana(MGPSY) on 1st May 2012 on a pilot basis.

The objective of MGPSY is to encourage and enable

overseas Indian workers having Emigration Check

Required (ECR) passports going to ECR countries, to (a)

save for their return and resettlement and (b) save for their

pension. They are also provided Life Insurance cover against natural death, during the period of

coverage, without any additional payment by them.The Government also contributes, for a period of

five years, or till the return of workers to India, whichever is earlier,

The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis presented its eleventh Annual Report

for the year 2011-12. The report was presented by Smt. Kamla Gurjar, Chairperson and

other members of the Commission to Kumari Selja, Union Minister of Social Justice and

Empowerment. The report contains wide ranging recommendations by the Commission for www.Gr8

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eradication of manual scavenging in the country and meaningful and dignified rehabilitation of

manual scavengers on a sustainable basis. The report highlights the social, living and working

conditions of the Safai Karamcharis working at Government and Local Self Government level,

Corporate and private level in rural and urban areas. The report, inter-alia, contains observations,

remedial measures and appropriate recommendations by the Commission on issues of Safai

Karamcharis like housing, education, safety aspect vis-à-vis occupational hazards, regular health

check-up etc.

The global Breastfeeding Initiative for Child Survival (gBICS), together with the Ministry of Health

and Family Welfare and Ministry of Women and Child Development, is organizing a 4-day World

Breastfeeding Conference – Babies Need Mom-made, Not Man-made, from 6th to 9th

December, 2012, at New Delhi. Smt. Krishna Tirath, Minister for Women and Child Development

will be the Guest of Honour and Salman Khurshid, Minister for External Affairs, will be the Chief

Guest. More than 900 experts from 86 countries, including more than 100 representatives from 50

governments, 30 UN representatives and 150 civil society groups will be coming together to discuss

the important public health imperatives of how to increase breastfeeding rates, save mothers from the

onslaught of the baby food industry, provide maternity protection for mothers and babies to stay

together and evolve a universal service of skilled counseling accessible to all women. The Conference

will position breastfeeding and infant and young child feeding interventions as a key to accelerate

progress on the Millennium Development Goals of reducing malnutrition and infant and child

mortality. According to WHO and UNICEF, following optimal feeding practices could save 1.5 million

infants every year, because under-nutrition contributes to more than one-third of these deaths.

Defence Minister AK Antony informed that in reply to a question

in the Lok Sabha on 10 December, the Union Cabinet on 13th

May, 2010, has decided "in principle" approval to setting up of

Indian National Defence University (INDU) at Binola in

District Gurgaon, Haryana. Government of Haryana has

acquired the land for INDU. Educational Consultant of India

Limited (EdCIL) has been appointed as consultant for

preparation of Detailed Project Report, Layout Plan andAct &

Statutes for setting up of the university. www.Gr8

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The Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) on 7 December 2012 asked Karnataka to

provide Tamil Nadu with 12 TMC feet of Cauvery water during December even as it asked

both the states to be more efficient in using available water. The meeting of the CMC came after the

Supreme Court of India on 5 December 2012 asked the multi-state panel to meet within the next two

days to decide on water requirement of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The states sharing the disputed

Cauvery River waters were informed that the final award of the Cauvery Waters Dispute Tribunal will

be notified by the end of December 2012.In 1997, the Union Government of India had proposed the

setting up of a Cauvery River Authority. Under this new proposal, the Government set up two

new bodies- Cauvery River Authority and Cauvery Monitoring Committee. The Cauvery

River Authority consisted of the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers of all four states(Tamil Nadu,

Karnataka, Pondicherry, Kerala) and its headquarter is in New Delhi. The Cauvery Monitoring

Committee is an expert body which consists of engineers, technocrats and other officers. This body

takes stock of the ground realities and report to the government.

India was ranked 94th out of 176 countries in Transparency International’s 2012

Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released on 5 December 2012. In 2011, India was ranked 95

out of 183 countries. Denmark, Switzerland and Finland topped the index with a score of 90 followed

by Sweden which scored 88 points. North Korea,

Afghanistan and Somalia scored a lowly 8,

ranking at the bottom of the index. India scored a

low score of 36 on a scale from 0 to 100 where

o implies most corrupt and 100 signifies least

corrupt. India’s low score was attributed to the

scams and incidents of corruption in the

public sector which involved government

officials, private officials and private companies. The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has been

developed since 1995 by Transparency International as a composite indicator that measures

perceptions of corruption in the public sector in different countries around the world. Transparency

International is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to fighting

corruption. It is best known for its Corruption Perceptions Index. Its secretariat is located in

Berlin, Germany. The organization is present in more than 100 countries. It came into existence in

1993. www.Gr8

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Congress Precident Sonia

Gandhi and Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh were

named in the list of top 20

most powerful people in the

world by the Forbes

Magazine in annual power

rankings which were declared on

5 December 2012. The US

President Barrack Obama got

first rank in the list second time

consequently. Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh was ranked

at no. 19. Sonia Gandhi stood at

no. 12 in 2012. Reliance

Industries chairman Mukesh

Ambani, the richest business

tycoon of India as well as Arcelor

Mittal CEO Lakshmi Mittal also

appeared in this list. Ambani is

ranked at number 37 and he

outranked Mittal by various

positions.

Get TB drugs at shops free, govt to pay up In a move to curb multi-drug resistant tuberculosis

cases caused mostly because of irregular medication, the government has decided that relevant

medicines will be available for free at all chemist shops and corporate hospitals. The scheme will be

rolled out across the country by next March. A patient, confirmed positive for TB by a qualified

doctor, simply needs to register with the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP).

The patient will then be issued a unique ID which will have all information on medicines prescribed

and the dosage. "Any hospital or chemist shop will be able to give the medicine to him/her as per the www.Gr8

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treatment schedule, which will be available online. The government will bear all costs," said Dr

Jagdhish Prasad, director general of health services (DGHS).The government presently spends about

Rs 250 crore on providing free medicines to TB patients. The new scheme will cost about Rs 100 crore

more."We are in talks with manufacturers of the medicines and hospital groups to finalise the

modality for reimbursement," Prasad said.

Nationwide Mobile Number Portability by February Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal on 13

December said nationwide Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is expected to be rolled out by February

2013, which will allow users to retain their numbers even if they move from one State to another. “For

the timely implementation of the National Telecom Policy

2012, the Department of Telecom has finalised broad

agenda for next three months from December 2012 to

February 2013,” Mr. Sibal said at India Telecom 2012

meeting in New Delhi. Some of the key initiative in course

to be completed by February 2013 are approval of

spectrum assignment and pricing, unified licences

regime, M&A guidelines, finalisation of guidelines for

spectrum sharing, creation of fund for R&D and

manufacturing and of course, MNP on a nationwide basis,

he added. Currently, a user is allowed to switch to a different operator within his/her circle, while

retaining his/her phone number. Under NTP 2012, the government had envisaged implementing

MNP on a nationwide level allowing users to retain their mobile numbers even when they shift to a

different telecom circle. India has 22 telecom circles.

Over 65,000 cases pending in Supreme Court till November this year A total of 65,703

cases are pending in the Supreme Court till November this year, out of which 6,445 cases have been

pending for more than five years, Law and Justice Minister Ashwani Kumar told the Rajya Sabha on

10 December. In written reply to a question, the Union Minister said, "There were a total of 65,703

cases pending in the SC as on November 30, 2012. Out of them 22,133 matters were upto one year old

and not in arrears. If connected matters were excluded, the pendency was only 37,230 cases as on

November 30." There were 6,445 cases pending for more than five years and 52,074 cases were

pending for less than five years as on December 31, 2011 in Supreme Court, he added. In effort to

reduce the pendency, Kumar said a drive was undertaken from July to December 2011 for clearing www.Gr8

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long pending cases and cases related to marginalised sections of the society in high courts and

subordinate courts under their jurisdiction. On recommendations of 13th Finance Commission, the

government has sanctioned Rs 5,000 crore as grants to the states for five years between 2010-15 for

undertaking various initiatives for reducing the pendency in courts.

Input subsidy hiked to Rs.10, 000 per hectare Cabinet sub-committee report recommends

increase in input subsidy to help farmers. The government has increased the input subsidy sanctioned

to farmers for the damaged paddy, groundnut, cotton and other crops from Rs.6,000 per hectare to

Rs.10,000 per hectare. Announcing this in the Legislative Council at the end of short discussion on

Relief and Rehabilitation taken up after Neelam cyclone here on 10 December, Chief Minister N.

Kiran Kumar Reddy said the decision was based on the report by the Cabinet sub-committee that

studied the need to increase input subsidy to help farmers. The increase in input subsidy is about 67

per cent, highest so far in the State, he said. The last time the government increased the input subsidy

to Rs. 6,000 per hectare was in 2010 and of it, the State government bore Rs. 1,500 per hectare. The

input subsidy increase for other crops would be on the pro-rata basis.

Ratio of girls to boys falls to new low in Andhra Pradesh Efforts to curb female foeticide and

pre-natal gender tests despite strong laws have

failed miserably and the Child Sex Ratio (CSR )

is falling drastically in Hyderabad and elsewhere

in the state , officials said two days before the

government and independent groups begin the

'Save the girl child' campaign. In Hyderabad, the

fifth largest city in South India , the CSR has

come down from 943 girls per 1,000 boys to 938

girls to 1000 boys in the past 10 years and the

situation in the districts is worse with the CSR in Warangal falling from 955 girls in 2001 to just 912

girl per 1,000 boys now . "The deplorable scenario is the result of increasing violence, foeticide,

infanticide , trafficking of poor women , forced polyandry and availability of advanced technology for

widespread use of sex determination and sex selective abortions ," said P Raghu , regional manager of

Actionaid , which is spearheading the campaign along with the government in collaboration with

other NGOs. www.Gr8

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According to a recent report by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), an approximate

7 crore people in India are either unemployed or under-employed. The figures were

revealed by Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge in Rajya Sabha."As per results of

the latest survey conducted by NSSO during 2009-10, the number of unemployed or under-employed

persons on usual status basis in the country was 95 lakhs and about six crore respectively," the

minister said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was on Dec 8 conferred with an honorary Doctorate

by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) with the citation describing him as the “architect

of economic reforms in the country.Besides the

Prime Minister, honorary degrees were

awarded to three others—Punjab Chief

Minister Parkash Singh Badal, former Director

General of ICAR, RS Paroda, and renowned

soil scientist Jaswant Singh Kanwar—at a

special convocation organized as part of the

university’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.“Dr

Manmohan Singh’s leadership as the Prime Minister of our country has won him wide acclaim. He is

respected the world over for his scholarship and his deep knowledge of the global economy,” the

citation of the Doctor of Science (honoris causa) conferred on him stated.The Punjab Agricultural

University (PAU) in Punjab has earned international reputation for excellence in agriculture. It

pioneered the Green Revolution in India in 1960s.

Following the Centre’s nod for Phase-IIA of ‘Project Seabird’ on 7 december, Karwar in

coastal Karnataka is set to become the country’s biggest Naval base by 2025.The official

sanction granted on 7 december for the latest phase of the ambitious project--with a whopping

`13,500 cr outlay-- has the potential to transform the region into the country’s most important Naval

base. It will also be home to the Navy’s submarine fleet in addition to having berthing facilities to

accommodate as many as the 50-odd frigates.The base will enhance the Navy’s operational flexibility

and strategic advantage in the Indian Ocean region, including in anti-piracy efforts.Actually, the move

to set up an exclusive Naval base at Karwar is intended to decongest Mumbai on the West coast and

Visakhapatnam on the East coast, as the two ports also have commercial shipping operations. Also,

the decision was prompted by Mumbai’s proximity to Pakistan and the Islamic nation’s growing www.Gr8

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missile arsenal.Karwar will also get a new Naval air station from where maritime planes

and helicopters, including combat aircraft, can operate.These apart, Karwar’s existing

Railway station will be upgraded and expanded to have a ‘siding’ for the Navy’s use.The Naval base,

when completed, will have over one lakh personnel working there, apart from their families living in

an upcoming residential township. Civilian facilities such as educational institutions, hospitals,

recreational centres and a sports complex too form part of the region’s expansion plans.Officials says

that the Karwar base has the facility to berth INS Vikramaditya, the erstwhile Admiral Gorshkov

aircraft carrier, which is scheduled to join the Navy in the last quarter of 2013. The expansion will

allow it to be home to two more aircraft carriers later.The 45,000-tonne Vikramaditya is currently

undergoing refit in Russia and its delivery schedule was revised in September.Apart from the one for

Vikramaditya, Karwar will get two more jetties under Phase-IIA to berth the under-construction

40,000-tonne Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), to be called INS Vikrant, and its follow-on warship,

which could weigh around 60,000-tonnes.By the end of Phase-IIA in 2018, Karwar will be home to

about 30 of the Navy’s 160 surface warships and submarines.Another key facility will be the 10,000-

tonne ‘ship lift’, the only one of its kind in this part of the world. And the facility will be expanded to

add two or three dry and repair berths.

Emboldened by Parliament's vote in favour of 51% FDI in multi-brand retail, the UPA Government on

13 December, gave up a big push to reformist agenda with the Cabinet clearing a much-awaited

proposal to set up the National Investment Board (NIB) and amendments to the Land

Acquisition Bill.The cabinet also approved the re auction of 1800 Mhz spectrum in three circles at a

base price which is 30% lower than what was fixed by the government in the auction concluded just a

month ago, which might help the government raise resources for its dwindling kitty.Besides, the

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave a nod to new investment policy on urea which

might help in garnering investment worth Rs 35,000 crore.The proposed NIB, to be now known

as the Cabinet Committee of Infrastructure, will be a body to speed up various

clearances for infrastructure projects above Rs 1,000 crore of projects. The body, to be

chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, would be set up at a time when the Planning

Commission envisages investment to the tune of Rs 56,14,730 crore in infrastructure sector in the

12th five year plan (2012-13 to 2016-17).Recently, Finance Minister P Chidambaram had said that

there were over 100 projects, each involving investment of Rs 1,000 crore or more, that have been

delayed due to various reasons.The cabinet also cleared the amendments to the Land Acquisiton bill,

though in a diluted form.The cleared Bill requires the consent of only 70% of land owners when the www.Gr8

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government acquires land for a public-private partnership (PPP) project. For all other types of

projects, 80% consent will be required.In its original form, the legislation, “The Right to Fair

Compensation, Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Bill”, had

required 80% consent not just from landowners, but also from the dependent farm workers.This

provision was removed after protests from industry and infrastructure lobbies.

India's commercial capital, Mumbai, has been named among the world's 'dirtiest'

cities, ranking last in the "cleanest streets" category, a global survey of 40 key tourist cities has

found. According to TripAdvisor's Cities Survey, Tokyo grabbed the first place while Mumbai

ranked last in “cleanest streets".Similarly in the

category of "ease of getting around", Mumbai ranked

at the last position while Zurich stood at first place,

the company said in a press release.The cities with the

rudest locals, dirtiest streets and worst shopping have

been revealed by the Survey which found that the

least-friendly locals were from Moscow.The Russian

city ranked last in a number of categories, including

"friendliest locals".Tokyo was the most highly decorated world city, ranking number one for best taxi

services, friendliest taxi drivers, best public transportation, cleanest streets and safety.New York City

took out the top gong for shopping, but travellers felt the city's streets could use a sweep with the Big

Apple ranking 28 out of 40 for cleanliness.The survey, completed by more than 75,000 people, looked

into how travellers and locals viewed 40 key tourist cities around the world.

New cases of HIV decreased by 57 percent in India: Union Health Minister

Addressing the India Health Summit which was organised by CII in New Delhi, the Union health

minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on 18 December 2012 declared that India was witnessing a steep decline

in fresh cases of HIV. The health minister announced that the fresh cases of HIV have dropped down

to 57 percent. Addressing the Summit, the heath minister also announced that there was a steep

decrease in measles, mumps and rubella, infant mortality rate as well as new HIV cases by 57 percent.

Also, it was declared that 2012 would be the second successive year to witness polio-free nation. The

credit for putting an end to H1N1 was given to Indian manufacturers as well as Indian Council of

Medical research (ICMR) for developing the vaccines as well as testing the regents. Apart from this, it www.Gr8

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was declared that ICMR was working on 75 leads of public health importance in order to develop as

well as evaluate affordable diagnostics which include test for diabetes, cancer and TB.

Congress wins Himachal Pradesh elections The Congress returned to power in Himachal

Pradesh after five years, defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party by a handsome margin on 20

December. The Congress put up a spirited campaign under former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to

emerge victorious by a comfortable margin. Being pitched as a strong CM contender, Singh led his

party while winning Shimla(Rural) constituency defeating his BJP rival Ishwar Rohal by 19,033

votes.

Big win for Modi in Gujarat Narendra Modi has once again defended his Gujarat citadel. The

incumbent Chief Minister scored a massive win on 20

December with the BJP winning 116 seats out of the total

182. As per the Gujarat Election Results 2012, the BJP has

won 116 seats, while the Congress finished a poor second

with only 60 seats. Modi’s challenger Keshubhai Patel of

Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) failed miserably in his

mission to uproot the man who had taken over from him as

Chief Minister in 2002 and has never looked back since. The GPP has won only two seats - one of the

two winners being Keshubhai himself. Others won four seats.

Government of Maharashtra ordered SIT Probe into Multi-Crore Irrigation Scam

Government of Maharashtra on 17 December 2012 ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe

into the matter of multi-crore irrigation scam. The announcement was made in both the legislative

houses of the state. The SIT would be headed by the Dr. Madhavrao Chitale and comprise experts

from law and judiciary and finance departments. Its deadline would be finalized by 31 December

2012. Dr. Chitale is a water expert and has worked for different commissions and at different

capacities and served the Union Water Resource Ministry as its Secretary.

AP Govt. agrees to exempt film industry from VAT The Andhra Pradesh State government has

agreed in principle to exempt the film industry in Andhra Pradesh from value added tax (VAT),

acceding to a long-pending request. Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy was said to have given the

nod for such an exemption and Government Order is expected to be issued very soon. Film producer www.Gr8

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D. Suresh Babu said it was a good augury that government had seen their reason. He recalled that the

industry was earlier exempted from General Sales Tax and, ever since VAT came into effect,, they

were demanding similar exemption. “Our demand was justified because it would mean double

taxation. We anyway pay 14 per cent as Entertainment Tax, through ticket sales, just like people do for

any product they

Indian girl Sherin Catherine in line for Oscar nomination Sherin Catherine, 24, who wrote

the lyrics of two songs for Rupesh Paul's 'Saint Dracula', is all smiles. The songs 'I Be Here' and 'I

Have Secrets' written by her and composed by Sreevalson J Menon have made it to the list of 75 songs

chosen for nominations in the original song category for the 85th Academy Awards 2012.

Surprisingly, this is her maiden effort. It was last

year when she noticed the Facebook notification

searching for young talents to write lyrics for the

movie 'Saint Dracula 3D'. She contacted the

administrative team of the movie and was asked to

send in a few of her original writings in prose. A

month later, she was offered the opportunity to write

the lyrics of two songs for the movie."It took me

three months to finish writing two songs for the

movie. The songs were rewritten four to five times

since then. Sreevalsan J Menon, the music composer, and myself would dedicate hours on

teleconferencing, getting the lyrics right. He would sing the songs over and over again on phone and I

would be correcting the lines accordingly. After a span of one and half years we finally emerged with

two amazing songs," Sherin, currently pursuing her doctorate in Cognitive Science from IIT-

Gandhinagar, said. Sherin, who is from Kottayam, feels this contention for nomination has changed

her life. "Of course, I enjoy the fame. And it makes me want to think serious about writing as a career.

I have got few offers in hand already. Parents, friends and folks seem to be happy. This is one of the

happiest moments in my life."The young writer is planning to come out with a collection of short

stories in Malayalam early next year. "I want to take writing more seriously now. Reading was always

my inspiration. I read and got inspired to write. It is good to read. Even better to write,"

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The Lok Sabha on 18 december, passed the Companies Bill aimed at overhauling

orporate governance norms. It will also grant shareholders with greater powers to defend their

rights and lay down rules for companies to spend on welfare activities under the broad head of

corporate social responsibility. The Bill seeks to legislate a framework for checks and balances to

prevent frauds, make corporate board room decisions transparent and hold auditors and directors

more accountable.The legislation, which has been in the works for several years, is a key reform

initiative of the UPA government that has announced a string of bold reformist moves since mid-

September.Replying to a debate before the Bill was passed by a voice vote, corporate affairs minister

Sachin Pilot said through this new legislation, the government intends to make India an attractive and

safe investment destination.He said special courts would be set up for speedy trials, as an assurance to

investors that cases will not linger on. He also said India will be become the first country to mandate

CSR spend through a statutory provision.It will allow shareholders' associations to take legal action

against companies' promoters and management through 'Class Action Suits'-a form of lawsuit where a

group of people bring a claim to court. This acts as a deterrent to carry out a fraud by tailoring and

influencing board decisions only to suit promoters' and managements' interests.

The Lok Sabha on 18 december, cleared a Constitution amendment bill granting special

status to the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, with provision for reservation in education

and jobs for locals. The Constitution (118th Amendment) Bill, 2012, to insert a new Article

371-J to provide special recognition for the six backward districts—Gulbarga, Yadgir, Raichur, Bidar,

Koppal and Bellary—was passed unanimously.As all the members present in the House voted in

favour, the bill was passed with an overwhelming majority. The bill, which required two-thirds

majority, got 347 votes and none against. It is not known when the government will table the bill in

the Rajya Sabha. The bill provides for establishing a separate development board and equitable

allocation of funds for development of the region. Apart from this, it will provide quota in public

employment through local cadres and reservation in education and vocational training institutions for

those who belong to the region by birth or by domicile.

Bihar became the Fastest Growing Indian State between 2006 and 2010 As per the data

released by the Planning Commission of India, Bihar became the fastest growing state in India at 10.9

per cent between 2006 and 2010 while Gujarat’s growth rate declined to 9.3 per cent and it lagged

behind Bihar and other four states- Orissa, Maharashtra, Haryana, Chhattisgarh in terms of growth

rate. Bihar was the slowest growing state during 2001-05 period with GDP figure of 2.9 percent www.Gr8

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whereas Gujarat was the fastest growing state between 2001 and 2005 with figure of 11 percent.

Chhattisgarh grew from 7.7 per cent in 2001-05 to 10 per cent growth between 2006 and 2010 while

Haryana grew from 8.4 per cent to 9.7 per cent, Maharashtra from 8.2 per cent to 9.6 per cent and

Orissa from 7.8 per cent to 9.4 per cent between 2006 and 2010. The period between 2004-05 and

2011-12 registered an average increase of 300 per cent in consumption in rural areas, minimizing the

gap between rural and urban area thus highlighting the inclusive growth.

Andhra Pradesh to setup special ministry for promotion of Telugu The fourth World

Telugu Conference (WTC) began in Tirupati on 27 December with Andhra Pradesh chief minister N

Kiran Kumar Reddy announcing that a separate ministry would be created for the promotion and

development of Telugu language in the state. Addressing the conference, which was inaugurated by

President Pranab Mukherjee, the chief minister promised that Telugu would be made the language of

administration and education. He said steps would also be taken to make Telugu as the medium of

instruction up to 10th standard. He said three academies for promotion of Telugu music, art and

literature would be revived. Speaking in

Telugu, Governor ESL Narasimhan described

it as a sweet language and said it has a bright

future. The president felicitated eminent

Telugu personalities from various walks of

life, including actor Akkineni Nageswara

Rao and former hockey player Mukesh

Kumar. The conference, being held

in Andhra Pradesh after a gap of 37 years,

got off to a glittering start at the sprawling

campus of the Veterinary University.

Over 5,000 delegates from India and abroad

are attending the three-day meet, which will discuss various issues for preserving the finesse of the

Telugu language for posterity. Various sessions will deliberate on culture, dance, song, food and other

aspects. There will also be sessions on films, plays and poetry besides cultural programmes.

Seventeen feature films depicting the greatness of Telugu would be screened at select theatres in the

town. Before the inauguration of WTC, the chief minister unveiled the statue of Telugu Talli (mother

Telugu). A massive procession with 1,500 artists was taken out to highlight the rich cultural heritage

of Telugu. Hundreds of students also participated in the procession. About 8,000 policemen have www.Gr8

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been deployed as part of the massive security arrangements for the conference. The first WTC was

held in Hyderabad in 1975. The second was held in Malaysia in 1981 and the third in Mauritius in

1990.

The Minimum Support Price of Wheat was increased to 1350 Rupees per Quintal

The Union government of India on 26 December 2012 raised the Minimum Support Price, MSP of

wheat by 65 rupees per quintal to 1350 rupees per quintal. The decision was taken in a Cabinet

meeting this morning in New Delhi Chaired by the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. The

government also decided to export additional 25 lakh tonnes of wheat from its go-downs. The CCEA

approved the disinvestment of 12.5 per cent paid up equity capital to the Rashtriya Chemicals and

Fertilizers. Current government holding is about 92.5 per cent. This will make the company compliant

with the SEBI norms that 10 per cent float should be there. CCEA approved the proposal to export an

additional 25 lakh tonnes of wheat. Earlier, we had approved export of 20 lakh tonnes of wheat of that

a little over 17 lakh tonnes have been contracted.

President Pranab Mukherjee on 27 December 2012 declared open the 4th World Telugu

Conference in the presence of thousands of Telugu-speaking people from across the

world in the temple town of Tirupati of Andhra Pradesh. The event was also marked with the

felicitation of 14 eminent Telugus. People were asked to pass on the rich Telugu culture, heritage and

tradition to the next generation with a resolve to preserve and promote the honey-laced aura of the

language. The inaugural also saw the laying of a foundation stone for an international convention

centre. Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy announced that a separate ministry would

be created in the Secretariat for protection and promotion of Telugu, and with this telgu is

goin to be introduced as a medium of instruction in primary education up to Class X. Also the

Sangitha, Nataka, Lalitha, Sahitya and Rangasthala akademis would be revived.World Telugu

Conference is held for promotion of Telugu language. Literary exemplary personalities attend and

share their views on spreading and preserving the rich language. First World Telgu Conference was

held in Hyderabad in year 1975. It was the then Minister of Education, Mandali Venkata Krishna Rao

instrumental in starting it.

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About 27 million households constituting 11% of the total households of the country are

headed by females. Kerala tops the list of States with 23% households having a female

as head. This finding has been revealed in the Household data released on 28

December, in New Delhi by Minister of State for Home Affairs R.P.N.Singh. Dr. C.Chandramouli,

Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India gave the main highlights from Census 2011.

Summary findings of the data are as below. a) There are about 27 million female headed

households(HHs) in the country. They constitute 10.9% of the total households in the country. b)

43.7% of households in Lakshadweep and 23% households in Kerala have a female as head. c) About

49 lakh Single-Member Female HHs are there in the country. Three-fourth of them live in rural areas.

d) In seven major States, namely Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh,

Maharashtra, Odisha and Gujarat, the proportion of Single Member Female Headed HH is more than

20%.e) The proportion of Male Headed HHs has declined by 0.6% in 2011 compared to 2001 while

proportion of Female Headed HHs has increased by 0.5% in the same period. f) More than 60% of

Female Headed HHs have permanent houses while in case of SC and ST categories amongst Female

Headed HHs the percentage reduces to 55.8% and 33.4% respectively.

The National Water Resource Council has adopted the National Water Policy

(2012). The consensus in this regard was made during 6th meeting of the council held on 28

December, in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr. Man Mohan Singh. This has

been stated by the Union Water Resource Minister Harish Rawat while addressing the media persons

. However, after elongated discussions there were broader consensus on the issues of community

management of water resources,

climate change adaptation strategy

particularly increasing water storage

through revival of traditional water

harvesting structures and water bodies

and efficient use of water. Rawat said

states have been assured that the

proposed National Water Framework

law and the law on River Basin Management would be drafted only after extensive consultation with

States so as to ensure that the powers of the States are not curtailed in any manner. Earlier , Dr.

Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister presided over the 6th Meeting of the National Water

Resources Council. Delivering his opening remarks, the Prime Minister stated that the National www.Gr8

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Water Policy (2012) was an effort to focus on the human cause in the water sector and would lay a

road map for the future based on the fundamental principles of equity, sustainability and good

governance. He called for a paradigm shift in the approach for judicious and wise management of

scarce water resources. The National Water Resources Council meeting was attended by several Chief

Ministers, Union Ministers and State Ministers.

The Cabinet on 26 December, approved setting up of a Commission of Enquiry to look

into the incident of rape and assault on a young woman on 16th December, 2012 in

Delhi and to suggest measures to improve the safety and security of women. The

Commission of Enquiry will be set up under the Chairmanship of Ms. Justice Usha

Mehra, retired Judge of the High Court, Delhi. The Commission shall go into the various

aspects of the shocking incident of rape and brutal assault of a young woman in Delhi on 16.12.2012;

identify the lapses, if any, on the part of the police or any other authority or person that contributed to

the occurrence; and fix responsibility for the lapses and / or negligence on the part of the police or any

other authority or person. The Commission shall suggest measures to improve the safety and security

of women, particularly in Delhi and North Commission shall submit its report to the Central

Government as soon as possible but not later than three months from the date of its first sitting. The

headquarters of the Commission shall be at New Delhi.

Government has decided on 24 December, to constitute a committee of eminent jurists

to look into possible amendments to the criminal law so as to provide for quicker trial

and enhanced punishment for criminals, accused of committing sexual assault of

extreme nature against women. Justice (Retd) JS Verma, former Chief Justice of India

will be the Chairman of the committee. Justice (Retd) Leila Seth, former Chief Justice of

Himachal Pradesh and Gopal Subramaniam, former Solicitor General of India will be the other

members. The committee shall submit its report within 30 days. In the light of the recent Delhi rape

incident, the Government has given anxious consideration to the need for reviewing the present laws

so as to provide for speedier justice and enhanced punishment in cases of aggravated sexual assault.

The 23-year old para-medical student who was gang raped in New Delhi on 16

December 2012 passed away in Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore on 29 December

2012.The victim died due to multiple organ failure and severe injuries to her brain and body. India's

High Commissioner to Singapore TCA Raghavan announced that the body would be brought back to www.Gr8

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India on 29 December 2012. According to the Singapore doctors, the victim lost the battle of her life

after two weeks of brutal sexual attack which horrified India. The chief executive of Singapore's

Mount Elizabeth Hospital announced on 28 December 2012 that she was suffering from severe organ

failure because of injuries to her brain as well as body. She was raped on 16 December 2012 by six

men who also assaulted her with iron rods. The victim was shifted to Singapore hospital on 27

December 2012.

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