ga 2013 current affairs

7/30/2019 GA 2013 CURRENT AFFAIRS

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INTERNATIONAL

Palestinian Authority to be Named State of Palestine

On 7 January Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has signed a decree changing the name

of the Palestinian Authority to the State of Palestine," according to the organizations official newsagency.

Pakistani Supreme Court Orders Arrest of Prime Minister

On 15 January 2013 Pakistans Supreme Court ordered the arrest of the prime minister in connection witha corruption case linked to power projects. The Supreme Court gave authorities 24 hours to arrest PrimeMinister Raja Pervez Ashraf and 16 others.This is the first in the history of Pakistan to arrest a PrimeMinister. The orders of the Court came following the allegations in connection with a corruption caselinked to power projects, done during his office of the Water and Power Minister.

Obama Signed 23 Executive Orders on Gun Safety

On 16 January President Barack Obama announced 23 executive actions on gun control laws, makingthem stricter,which would come into effect immediately after his signatures. One of these measuresinclude requiring the target shooters to keep their guns locked and also to ban military-style assaultweapons, high capacity magazine as well as to make the background check mandatory.Obamaannounced that this was his attempt to keep children safe, keeping in view the massacre of Newtownwhere 20 first grade children along with six adults were killed.

140 Nations Agreed On Global Mercury Limits

On 19 January , More than 140 nations have agreed on the first legally binding treaty to curb mercurypollution.Delegates at UN discussed in Geneva approved measures to control the use of the highly toxicmetal, which is widely used in chemical production and small-scale mining, in order to limit mercury

emissions.The governments agreed to ban the production, export and import of a range of productscontaining mercury by 2020.The treaty has been discussed for four years, but it is only now that thenegotiators agreed over the final version of the document. The treaty, known as the MinamataConvention on Mercury, provides controls and reductions across a range of products and processeswhere mercury is used, released and emitted.

Milos Zeman Elected as Czech Republic new President

On 25 January A leftist candidate Milos Zeman won the Czech Republics first presidential electiondecided by direct vote.Milos Zeman, a former prime minister and head of the Citizens Rights Party, wonwith 54.8% of the vote.He defeated Karel Schwarzenberg, an aristocratic foreign minister with the TOP09party, who garnered 45.2%.Zeman replaces Vaclav Klaus, who must step down after serving themaximum of two terms.

INDIA & WORLD

India Pakistan Exchanged Nuclear Units Lists


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On 1 January India and Pakistan exchanged their nuclear units lists , as it is customary since 20 years.The list which contains the names of nuclear units of two countries, are exchanged between India andPakistan as a custom and part of an agreement which prevents them from aiming the nuclear installationsof each others nations.

Thousands of illegal Indian Migrants in UK

According to a 2012 UK Home Office report, India has been named along with Pakistan, China, Nigeria,Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Brazil and Iran as the main sources of illegal immigrationto Britain.What the report does not mention is how many of the 863,000 illegal migrants that it says areliving in the UK are students. This is a contentious area because critics of the coalition government claimit is counting students among overall immigrants.

World Economic Forums Global Risks Report

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) report , India ranks lowest among the worlds majoreconomies for its preparedness to tackle global environmental risks and second-lowest for economicrisks.Switzerland is best placed among the worlds 10 major economies for adapting to or recovering fromglobal economic and environmental risks.While India is ranked 9th in terms of its ability to tackle global

economic risks, it comes last at 10th position for environmental risks.However, India fared relativelybetter at 6th position in terms of the governments risk management effectiveness.The US and Chinawere ranked fourth and fifth respectively.

Indians Top the List of Working in Dream Jobs

According to survey conducted by networking website LinkedIn,Indians have emerged at the top of the listof people working in their dream job.The dream job league table:1. India 44 percent 2. Indonesia 42percent 3. United Arab Emirates 35.7 percent 4. Germany 33 percent 5. Brazil 32 percent 6. Austria 31 percent 7. Switzerland 30 percent 8. USA 29 percent 9. France, Canada, Sweden, South Africa 28 percent 13. Singapore, Hong Kong 27 percent 15. Australia 26 percent 16. New Zealand 25percent 17. UK 21 percent

India Vietnam Signed on Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises

On 15 January India and Vietnam signed an MoU aimed at building capacity for developing institutionalframework and identifying thrust areas and opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises in thiscountry.The MoU was signed here between the Ministry of Planning and Investments of Vietnam andMinistry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of India .

India and Sri Lanka signed Anti-terror, Tax evasion Agreements

On 22nd January India and Sri Lanka signed two separate agreements on combating internationalterrorism and avoidance of double taxation, eyeing elevation of robust bilateral ties to building of aspecial economic partnership.The two key accords were signed after the 8th India-Sri Lanka Joint

Commission meeting held at New Delhi , both countries discussed enhanced cooperation in a range ofareas including civil nuclear energy.At the meeting, the Indian side was led by External Affairs MinisterSalman Khurshid while the Lankans were led by his counterpart G.L. Peiris.During the meet, both theparties also decided setting up of the Special Economic Zone at Trincomali and a textile andpharmaceutical cluster in Sri Lanka.

International Tea Producers Forum formed


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On 22 January India, along with five other tea producing countries, has formed the International TeaProducers Forum (ITPF) at Colombo.Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry D Purandesarisigned the joint communique on behalf of India along with representatives of Kenya, Sri Lanka, Indonesia,Rwanda and Malawi in Colombo.The ITPF will initially be an independent body but in future may getaffiliated to Food & Agriculture Organisation of United Nations.

India , Bangladesh Signed Extradition and Visa Agreements

On 28 January Bangladesh and India signed an extradition treaty and struck a deal to relax businessvisa restrictions between the neighbouring countries. However, refusal provisions were incorporated intothe extradition treaty.Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde signed the agreement with his Bangladeshicounterpart Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir at the end of their bilateral talks.

India Dropped to 140th Rank in Press Freedom

According to the report Reporters Without Borders India has dropped nine places to the 140th rank in thelist of 179 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index.China (173rd, +1) shows no sign ofimproving. Its prisons still hold many journalists and netizens, while increasingly unpopular Internetcensorship continues to be a major obstacle to access information.As last year, the list is topped by three

European countries Finland, Netherlands and Norway.Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea continueto be at the bottom of the list as has been in the last three years.

NATIONAL

Govt Launched Direct Cash Transfer Scheme in 20 Districts

On 1 January 2013 The government launched its scaled down Cash Transfer Benefit (CBT) in 20districts,but food, fertiliser and fuel subsidies will not be covered in the initial phase. All 26 schemes are

ready for rollout. On 1 January 2013 the seven schemes in which payout is due in the (20 selected)districts, the money will be transferred through the direct benefit transfer system using the UIDAIplatform.The scheme is going to be rolled out in 43 districts by 1 March 2013, 20 districts from January 1,11 districts from February 1 and 12 districts from March 1. By end of 2013, the direct cash benefit transferwill be rolled out in all the districts of the country.

PA Sangma launched National Peoples Party

PA Sangma, who broke away with the NCP in 2012 to contest the presidential elections, thoughunsuccessfully, on 05 January 2013 launched National Peoples Party (NPP), and chosen a book as itssymbol. Sangma has chosen to align his party with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

President Released Stamps on Swami Vivekananda

On 12 January The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee released the Commemorative Postage Stamps, atthe Commemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, in New Delhi .

Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2012

On 17 January According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2012 report has found thatlearning levels have dipped to an all-time low. So, almost half the 6-7 year-olds (Class I) in India cannot


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read even one letter in any language, over 57% cannot read any English while almost 40% cannotrecognize numbers between 1 and 9.The 12.8% children between Class I and V could not read a singleletter while 10.7% could not recognize numbers 1 to 9. The number of children in Class V who could readClass II text fell from 53.7% in 2010 to 46.8% in 2012. In 2010, seven out of 10 children could solve atwo-digit subtraction problem with borrowing. This has come down to five out of 10 in 2012.

STATES

Odisha Launched Public Service Delivery System

On 2 January The Odisha government launched the much-sought after Public Service Delivery System for citizens under the Odisha Right to Public Service Act, 2012.Under the new act, people will getservices like issue of driving license, birth and death certificates, passport and trade license within astipulated time.Odisha is among the 12th state to implement the law.

Haryana Government announced Kanyadan Scheme for Bride participants of Mass Marriages

The Government of Haryana on 3 January 2012 announced its plan of launching a Kanyadan Scheme inthe state for brides participating in the mass marriage ceremony, which would be organised by any of theregistered NGO or the Red Cross Society. The scheme would carry an incentive amount of 11000 rupeesand would come into effect from 1 April 2012. The incentive amount of 11000 rupees would be given tobrides from all castes, creeds, race, religion and the income category to which the girl belongs.

Arunachal Pradesh Collaborated with NSDL for Adoption of National Pension Scheme

On 9 January The state of Arunachal Pradesh entered into an agreement with signing of MoU withNational Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL), permitting it to work as a Central Record Keeping Agency(CRA) for adoption of the National Pension System (NPS).National Pension Scheme NPS is an initiative

of the Union Government of India and Arunachal Pradesh is the 26th State to adopt it.

Gujarat Tops List of Indian States on Economic Freedom Policy

According to the Economic Freedom of States in India report which was released by former ReserveBank of India (RBI) Governor and present Rajya Sabha Member Bimal Jalan.The top state in India in(terms of) economic freedom in 2011 was western Indian state Gujarat. It displaced southern Indian stateTamil Nadu which had been at the top in 2009.Gujarat freedom index has been rising fast and estimatedat 0.64 points. The biggest improvement has been registered by Madhya Pradesh with freedom indexscore rose from 0.42 in 2009 to 0.56 in 2011 enabling it to move up from sixth to third position.

Assembly polls in Tripura,Meghalaya and Nagaland on Febrauary

Assembly elections in Tripura will be held on February 14 and in Meghalaya and Nagaland on February23 and their results will be out on February 28, the Election Commission announced on 10 January2013.The EC also announced byelections to nine assembly constituencies in Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh,West Bengal and Punjab on February 23 and in Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra on February 24, but theirresults will be out together on February 28.

Presidents Rule Imposed on Jharkhand


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On 18 January Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India imposed Presidents Rule in Jharkhand underArticle 356(1) of the Constitution.The Presidents Rule for the third time since its formation 12 yearsago.The decision came as a follow up of the recommendation made by the Union Cabinet of India and fallof the state machinery in form of Government on 8 January after the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha thesupporting party to BJP led Coalition Government withdrew its support from it. The state was placedunder Presidents Rule in 2009 and 2010.

Three New High Courts for North East

The Centre has constituted three new High Courts in the northeast Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripurataking the total number of High Courts in the country from 21 to 24.According to Law Ministry sources, thestrength of judges in each High Court will be as follows: Tripura 4 (including the Chief Justice), andMeghalaya and Manipur: three each (including the Chief Justice).

CONFERENCES

100th Indian Science Congress held in Kolkata

The 100th Indian Science Congress was held from 3 to 7 January in Kolkata (West Bengal) .The theme ofthe session is Science for Shaping the Future of India .The session was inaugurated by PranabMukherjee the President of India .In the session Prime Minister Manmohan Singh released TheScience, Technology and Innovation Policy(STI) 2013 .On 4 January Former President Dr. A.P.J.AbdulKalam inaugurated a Children Science Congress as part of the 100th Indian Science Congress .The100th Indian Science Congress (ISC 2013) is also organized a special programme Womenempowerment for the development of the country to showcase the contribution of women in science andtechnology.This is the 13th time the Indian Science Congress is being hosted by Kolkata

11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held in Kochi

11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) was held from 7- 9 January at Kochi (Kerala).Mauritius PresidentRajkeswur Purryag was the chief guest of this official inaugural session.2000 delegates from 40countries attended the convention.The theme for this years Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is EngagingDiaspora the Indian Growth Story.On 7th January in the event they discussed on problems that peoplefrom Kerala face in the region.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurated the annual flagship eventand released the postage stamp on Ghadar Movement on 8 January and President Pranab Mukherjeewill delivered the valedictory address on January 9 and also presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Sammanawards.Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on January 9 every year to mark the contribution ofoverseas Indian community in the development of India.The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the first of its kindinvolving the Indian Diaspora, was held in 2003 at New Delhi.

Fourth Meeting of ASEAN and India Tourism Ministers held in Vientiane

The Fourth meeting of ASEAN and India Tourism Minister (4th M-ATM+ India) was held in Vientiane, LaoPDR from 21 to January in conjunction with the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2013 (ATF2013).The Meetingwas jointly co-chaired by H.E. Prof. Dr. Bosengkham Vongdara, Minister of Information, Culture andTourism, Lao PDR, and H.E. Dr. K. Chiranjeevi, Minister for Tourism, Government of India.In the meetingBoth the Ministers have signed the Protocol to amend the Memorandum of Understanding betweenASEAN and India on Strengthening Tourism Cooperation.

World Economic Forum Summit Held in Davos


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The 43rd World Economic Forum Annual Meeting held from 23 27 January at Davos-Klosters inSwitzerland.The annual forum, which has been running for over 40 years, provides a platform fordecision-makers in politics, non-governmental organisations and businesses to gather and to exchangeviews on the worlds most pressing problems.The World Economic Forum (WEF) unites internationalpolitical leaders, business leaders and journalists from across the globe to discussed and shape global,regional and industrial agendas with regards to economics, health and the environment.The WEF was

founded in 1971 as a non-profit organization by the German Klaus Schwab, a business professor at theUniversity of Geneva.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Malala won 2012 Tipperary International Peace Award

On 3 January Malala Yousafzai, the teenaged Pakistani school girl shot by a Taliban gunman last year ,has been awarded the 2012 Tipperary International Peace Award from Ireland for her courage anddetermination to speak out in support of equal access to education for children.Malala is the secondPakistani to get the award. In 2007, it was given to late Benazir Bhutto.

Malala honored with the French Simone de Beauvoir Prize

On 9 January Malala Yousafzai (15), the schoolgirl from Pakistan shot by Taliban for campaigning girlseducation, received Frances Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Womens Freedom in Paris. Malalas fatherZiaudin Yousafzai received the honour on her behalf. he award is accompanied with 2.5 million RupeTeshonorarium.

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2013

On 9 January Pranab Mukherjee President of India presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Awards)

2013 to 14 people, included Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi and Mauritius President RajkeswurPurryag, He was also the Chief Guest of 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2013. In accordance to Tradition,Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Awards) 2013 have been given to notable Indians living abroad.

The other awardees are Prof Dr Gurusharan Singh Chhatwal of Germany for science, Dr Rasik VihariJoshi (Mexico) for Literature, Gilbert Canabady Moutien (Reunion Island) and Mohammed RabeehKaruvanthodi (Saudi Arabia) for business, Patricia Maria Rozario(UK) for Music, Dr NarendraRamakrishna Kumar (USA) for Healthcare, Subash Razdan (USA) and Islmail Ebrahim (South Afrcia) forPublic service.

Dr Satendra Kumar Singh (New Zealand), Australia India Society of Victoria (Australia) and BavaPandalingal (UAE), Ashok Shambhomal Vaswani (Guinea), Indian Doctors Forum, Kuwait for communityservice, Tan Sri Ravindran Menon from Malaysia for Community service, are among others on the list of

awardees.

Mamata Banerjee gets gift from PCB

Overwhelmed by the hospitality at the Eden Gardens during India-Pakistan second ODI in Kolkata, thePCB sent the gift as a silver-coated Quran to the Cricket Association of Bengal who handed it over to theCM during a function at the Netaji Indoor in Kolkata on 10 January 2013.

Mahaveer Golechha Bags Award for Alzheimers Drug


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On 17 January The London-based Indian researcher Mahaveer Golechha, was selected to be felicitatedfor an award that includes his work on a drug that can be a potential cure of Alzheimers disease.In thestudy conducted by Golechha, he found discovered that naringin has essential anti-Alzheimer activity.

70th Golden Globe Awards 2013

On January 13 The 70th Golden Globe Awards honored the best in film and television of 2012, waspresented in California .

Best Film :Argo

Best Actor : Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

Best Actress : Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)

Best Director - Ben Affleck (Argo)

Best Musical or Comedy -: Les Miserables

Best Foreign Language Film :Amour

Best Animated Feature Film -: Brave

Krishi Karman Awards 2011- 2012

On 15 January President Pranab Mukherjee presented the Krishi Karman awards for the year 2011-12at an award ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The awards were presented to the State Governmentsfor their excellent performance in increasing the production of food grains in their respective states.

Awards in Different Segments :-

- The Awards for Special Contribution to Total Food Grains Production - Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,Manipur and Nagaland

- Award for Contribution to Production and Productivity of Rice Bihar

- Award for Contribution to Production and Productivity of Wheat - Haryana

- Award for Contribution to Production and Productivity of Pulses - Jharkhand

- Award for Contribution to Production and Productivity of Coarse Cereals Uttar Pradesh

58th Filmfare Awards

The 58th Filmfare Awards were held honoring the best films of 2012 from the Hindi-language film industry(commonly known as Bollywood). The ceremony was held on January 20, 2013 at Mumbai.

Best Movie :- Barfi!

Best Actor :- Ranbir Kapoor (Film -Barfi!)


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Best Actress :- Vidya Balan (Film Kahaani )

Best Director :- Sujoy Ghosh (Film Kahaani )

Lifetime Achievement Award :- Yash Chopra (After Death)

Prof C N R Rao awarded by Chinese Academy of Sciences

The Chinese Academy of Sciences was awarded Prof C N R Rao, National Research Professor andHonorary President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCAR), theprestigious International Scientific Cooperation Award 2012. The award is designed to acknowledgeoutstanding scientists for their contribution to science and for promoting global networking of internationalscience cooperation.

Padma Awards 2013

President of India Approved the Conferment of 108 Padma Awards

On 25 January Pranab Mukherjee, the President of Union of India approved conferment of 108 PadmaAwards. Four people have been conferred with Padma Vibhusan, twenty four are conferred with PadmaBhushan and 80 people would be receiving Padma Shree Awards. Out of all the awardees twenty-fourare ladies and 11 people belong to categories like NRIs, PIOs, Foreigners and Posthumous awardees.

Padma Vibhushan

Raghunath Mohapatra, Art, Orissa

S Haider Raza, Art, Delhi

Prof Yash Pal, Science and Engineering, Uttar Pradesh

Prof Roddam Narasimha, Science and Engineering, Karnataka

Padma Bhushan

Sharmila Tagore, Art, Delhi

Dr (Smt) Saroja Vaidyanathan, Art, Delhi

Late Rajesh Khanna, Art, Maharashtra

Late Jaspal Singh Bhatti, Art, Punjab

Adi Burjor Godrej, Trade and Industry, Maharashtra

Prof Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Literature & Education USA

Rahul Dravid, Sports, Karnataka

H Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom, Sports, Manipur


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Padma Shri

Hosanagara Nagarajegowda Girisha, Sports, Karnataka ,

Subedar Major Vijay Kumar, Sports, Himachal Pradesh

Yogeshwar Dutt, Sports, Haryana

B Jayashree, Art, Karnataka

Sridevi Kapoor, Art, Maharashtra

Ramesh Gopaldas Sippy, Art, Maharashtra

359 Gallantry and Other Defence Decorations Announced

On 26 January President Pranab Mukherjee has approved awards of 359 Gallantry and other Defencedecorations to Armed Forces personnel and others on the eve of the 64th Republic Day Celebrations

.This includes 01 Kirti Chakra, 11 Shaurya Chakra, 56 Sena Medal (Gallantry), 01 Bar to Nao Sena Medal(Gallantry), 03 Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry), 03 Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry), 28 Param Vishisht SevaMedal, 03 Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, 06 Bar to Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, 44 Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, 12Yudh Seva Medal, 02 Bar to Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty), 37 Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty), 01 Bar toNao Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty), 07 Nao Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty), 14 Vayu Sena Medal(Devotion to Duty), 04 Bar to Vishisht Seva Medal and 116 Vishisht Seva Medal..Major Abup J Manjali ofthe Rashtriya Rifles was selected for the award of Kirti Chakra for his extraordinary bravery efforts incounter- terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

Taiwan Business Magnate Launched Tang Prize (Asian Noble Prize)

On 28 January Samuel Yin , A business magnate tycoon from Taiwan has launched the TangPrize(Asian Noble prize) for outstanding achievements in natural and social sciences.He announced that

he would establish Tang Prize Foundation which would have an initial donation of 103 million dollar.TangPrize Foundation was decided that the prizes under the Tang Prize Foundation will be awarded everyalternate year to the international leaders in sustainable development, biopharmaceutical science, therule of law as well as the study of China.

SPORTS & GAMES

Kohli is CEAT International Cricketer of the Year

On 4 January Vice-captain of Indian Cricket team Virat Kohli was named the International Cricketer ofthe Year while Pakistan cricket team was named as the Best International Cricket Team in the 2011-2012season at the CEAT cricket awards in New Delhi. Unmukt Chand, who led India to the U-19 World Cupwin last year, got the inaugural Indian Youngster of the Year award.The Former Pakistan cricket captainZaheer Abbas received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Uttarakhand won 63rd National Basketball Championship


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On 4 January Uttarakhand won 63rd National basketball championship mens title after defeated Punjabin the final at Ludhiana (Punjab).In the womens section, Railways won the title against by first-timefinalist Tamil Nadu in the final.

Tipsarevic won Chennai Open Tennis Title

On 6 January Second-seeded Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia has won the ATP Chennai Open Title afterdefeated Roberto Bautista-Agut of Spain in the final at Chennai.Tipsarevic won the chennai open title forthe first time in his career.

Nicol David won World Series Squash Title

On 6 January Nicol David won the World Series Squash Finals womens title after defeated EnglandsLaura Massaro in the final at London.In the mens final, Egypts Amr Shabana came from behind to beatEnglands Nick Matthew .

Australia Won Test Against Sri Lanka

Australia secured a five-wicket won in the third and final Test match against Sri Lanka on 6 January at theSydney Cricket Ground (SCG) .

Brisbane International Tennis Winners 2013

Womens Singles :Serena Williams (USA) won the WTA Brisbane International womens singles title on5 January with a straight sets demolition of Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Mens Singles : In the Mens singles Category Andy Murray from scotland won the title after defeatedBulgarian Grigor Dimitrov .

Womens Doubles : Sania Mirza and her partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands won the womens doublestrophy by winning against Kveta Peschke and Anna-Lena Groenefeld

Mens Doubles : Marcelo Melo Tommy Robredo won the doubles title after defeated Eric Butorac Paul Hanley .

Pakistan won the Three Match Series

On 6 January Pakistan won the three-match series by 2-1 against India.With this win over Pakistan, Indialost the three matches one day series .Nasir Jamshed of Paksitan was declared as the Player of thetournament.MS Dhoni was once again chosen as the Player of the match.

Lionel Messi, the man of the four Golden Balls

Lionel Messi became the first four-time winner of the FIFA Player of the Year award after shattering theworld record with 91 goals last year(2012) for Barcelona and Argentina.His 91 goals topped GerdMuellers mark of 85 for Bayern Munich and Germany in 1972.

Bangar quits first-class cricket

Former India player and Railways captain Sanjay Bangar announced his retirement from first-classcricket after guiding his team to a 122-run victory over Bengal in the final league game of the Ranji


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Trophy on 01 January 2013 in Kolkata.He played 165 first class matches amassing 8342 runs at anaverage of 33.35 and has 300 wickets to his credit.

National Table Tennis Championship Winners

On 11 January Soumyajit Ghosh became the youngest national champion after he defeated six-time

winner Achanta Sharath Kamal in the summit clash of the 74th National Table Tennis Championshipmens singles final at Raipur.Shamini Kumaresan won the womens singles title.Sourav Chakraborty andGaneshan Sathiyan won the doubles title.In the Women doubles category K. Spoorthy and Nikhat Banu(AP) defeated Madhurika Patkar and Pooja Sahasrabudhe in the final and got the title.

Haryana girls retain U-20 hockey title

Haryana defeated Uttar Pradesh 1-0 to retain their under-20 women hockey national championship at theGachibowli Stadium on 16 January 2013.

Kerala won 61st National Volleyball Championship Title

On 16 January Kerala defeated Tamilnadu to retain the mens title in the 61st Senior National VolleyballChampionship at the Sawai Man Singh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur.In the womens section, Railwaysdefeated Kerala and won the title in the final.

Malaysian Open Badminton Championship Winners

Mens Singles: Lee Chong Wei (Indonesia) won the Mens singles title after defeated Sony Dwi Kuncoroin the final at Kuala Lumpur on 20 January.

Mens Doubles: Mohd Ahsan (Indonesia) -Hendra Setiawan (China) defeated Ko Sung-hyun-Lee Yong-dae (Malaysia) in the final.

Womens Singles: Tai Tzu-ying (Thailand) won the womens singles title after defeated Yao Xue (Korea)

Womens Doubles: In the event Bao Yixin-Tian Qing (China) won the title after defeated MisakiMatsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi (Japan)

Lalith Babu takes top honours

Lalith Babu defeated Swapnil Dhopade in the final round to clinch the Chennai Super Kings InternationalGrandmaster chess tournament that concluded at the Nehru Stadium in Chennai on 23 January2013.Lalith Babu won Rs.200,000 and the trophy after becoming the first Indian player to claim theChennai Open

Australian Open Tennis Tournament 2013 Winners

Womens Singles :- Victoria Azarenka of Belarus won the Womens Singles title of the Australian OpenTennis tournament after defeated Li Na of China in the final at Melbourne on 26 January .

Mens Singles:- Novak Djokovic (Serbia) has won the mens singles title after defeating Andy Murray(Britain) in four sets. This is Djokovics fourth Australian Open and over all six Grand Slam single title.

Womens Doubles:- Top seeds Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci won the title, defeating wild cardsAshleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua in the f inal.


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Mens Doubles : Top seeded American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan won the mens doubles title.Americans Mike and Bob Bryan won their record 13th Grand Slam doubles title, defeating the Dutch teamof Robin Haase and Igor Sijsling .

Magnus Carlsen Won Tata Steel Chess Championship

Magnus Carlsen won Tata Steel 2013 Chess tournament title in the final at Netherlands on 27 January.In the final round tournament, he scored 10 points , winning clear first ahead of second-place finisherAronian (Armenia).World champion Viswanathan Anand at third position.

Mumbai won 40th Ranji Trophy Title

On 29 January Mumbai won its 40th Ranji Trophy title against Saurashtra by an inning and 125 runs inthe final at Wankhede at Mumbai .Wasim Jaffar was declared Man of the Match. Ajit Agarkar was thecaptain of the winning team.

ECONOMYPhilippines introduced sin tax

A sin tax on cigarettes and alcohol was introduced in the Philippines on 01 January 2013, as part of agovernment bid to boost finances.Many stores started selling tobacco and drink at inflated prices beforemidnight , ahead of the official implementation of the tax hikes on January 01, hitting partygoers in thepocket.Tax on cigarettes will gradually be raised to 30 pesos ($0.72) per pack by 2017, roughly doublingthe current price to around 52 pesos.Duty on alcohol will also increase gradually until 2017, increasingthe price of a bottle of beer by 23.50 pesos, with varying levels for other drinks including wine and spirits.

LIC Launched New Jeewan Nidhi & Flexi Plus Policies

The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India launched two new Insurence policies New Jeevan Nidhi, apension scheme, and Flexi Plus on 3 January .New Jeewan Nidhi provides the facility of insurancecoverage of full amount while the insured person keeps depositing premiums.The Flexi policy is a unitlinked insurance product. The plan not only provides a lump sum benefit on death but also maturitybenefit irrespective of survival of the policy holder

Mukesh Ambani 18th richest man in world

Indian business magnate Mukesh Ambani is the 18th richest person in the world with a personal wealth of$24.7 billion in 2012, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the worlds 100wealthiest individuals. Mexican telecommunications magnate Carlos Slim remained the worlds richest

person last year holding a personal fortune of more than $70 billion.Microsoft founder Bill Gates and thefounder of fashion retailer Zara, Amancio Ortega, got a second and third places respectively.

Indian Companies Top Globally in R&D Investment

According to the European Commission report Indian companies have come on the top globally when itcomes to growth in their research and development (R&D) investments, leaving their counterparts in theUS and Europe far behind.Indian firms rank far below when it comes to absolute R&D investments madeby them and the top-ranked company from the country.These are the only 14 Indian companies present


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in a list of top-1500 entities worldwide in terms of their annual R&D investments.The top-ranked Indiancompany is Infosys at 329th place and Japanese company Toyota Motor appears at the top of theranking in the 2012 Scoreboard.

IMF forecasted Indian Economic Growth Rate to be 5.9 percent in 2013

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 23 January 2013 pegged Indias economic growth rate in 2013at 5.9 per cent and projected a higher growth of 6.4 per cent next year in line with the gradualstrengthening of global expansion.

World Banks Global Economic Prospects 2013 Report

According to the World Bank Global Economic Prospects 2013 report , Indias growth is expected toinch closer to that of China in near future, in which the economies of developing countries like India,China and Brazil are projected to be recovering and higher growth rate.The World Bank expects that by2015, the growth rate of China would be 7.9% and that of India 7%.While the growth of the worldeconomy growth is projected to inch up from 2.3% in 2012 to 2.4% in 2013, with the high-incomecountries remaining at the same level of growth of 1.3% in both 2012 and 2013, it is the emergingmarkets like India, China and Brazil that would show significant signs of recovery.They are expecting a

recovery in India from 5.1% growth in 2012 to 6.1% growth in 2013.

India 119th on Economic Freedom Index

According to the Heritage Foundation 2013 Index of Economic Freedom survey report , India has beenranked as the 119th freest country in the world and Indias economic freedom score stood at 55.2, as itsinstitutional shortcomings continue to undermine the foundations for long-term economicdevelopment.The top ten countries in the list include Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand,Switzarland, canada, Chili, Mauritius, Denmark and US.

India second in steel production globally

India is second only to China in terms of steel production. In the last 5 years Indias production grew by33 percent, thus making it behind China among the top 5 steel producing nation. World Steel Association(WSA) data has revealed that Chinas production grew by 39 per cent during 2008-2012, Indias by 33percent and Indias production grew constantly in the last five years from 57.8 MT in 2008 to 63.5 MT in2009, 69 MT in 2010, 73.6 MT in 2011 and 76.7 MT in 2012

RBI cuts CRR, Repo Rates

On 29 January The Reserve Bank of India slashed its key interest rates by 0.25 per cent and released18000 crore rupees additional liquidity into the system to perk up growth through reduced cost ofborrowing. RBI in its third quarter monetary policy review surprised the market by cutting short-termlending rate called repo, by 0.25 per cent to 7.75 per cent and Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by similarmargin to 4 per cent.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

US approved First new Tuberculosis Drug


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On 1 January The US Food and Drug administration approved a Johnson & Johnson tuberculosis drugin 40 years .This is the first new medicine to fight the deadly infection in more than four decades.Thedisease is rare in the US, but kills about 1.4 million people a year worldwide.

Spiral galaxy IC 2233

Astronomers had captured one of the flattest galaxies known in the universe, sitting like a silver needle inthe haystack of space. The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope produced a beautiful image of the spiralgalaxy IC 2233, one of the flattest galaxies. The IC 2233 is located about 40 million light-years away fromEarth. This galaxy was earlier discovered by British astronomer Isaac Roberts in 1894.

Immune system booster may hit cancer

Japanese research where stem cells were used to clone and produce large numbers of a specialized typeof white blood cell. These cells, known as cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), are produced by the immunesystem and are able to recognize specific markers on the surface of various tumour cells, causing them tolaunch an attack to kill the tumour cells.The researchers are succeeded in using stem cells to mass-produce CTLs in laboratory conditions.

Chinese Biologists Discovered Antibiotic In Panda Blood

Chinese biologists have discovered that the blood of the endangered giant panda includes a compoundcalled Cathelicidin-AM which acts as a natural antibiotic. The nature of the blood compound makes itan attractive treatment for so-called superbugs, those strains of disease that have become immune orresistant to traditional antibiotics.

India to make worlds largest solar telescope

India is likely to begin construction of the worlds largest solar telescope on the foothills of the Himalayasin Ladakh to understand the fundamental processes taking place on the Sun by year-end.A 2-metreclass, state-of-the-art National Large Solar Telescope (NLST), built by Bangalore-based Indian Institute of

Astrophysics (IIA), will permit Indian scientists to carry out cutting edge research aimed to study Sunsatmosphere.

Internet emits 830 mt of carbon dioxide annually

According to Researchers from the Centre for Energy-Efficient Telecommunications (CEET) and BellLabs, Internet and other components of information communication and technology (ICT) industryannually produces more than 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas, andis expected to double by 2020

Lakshya Missile Successfully Tested

Indias indigenously developed, Lakshya was sucessfully tested on 7 January .It was launched from theIntegrated Test Range ITR, at Odisha .25 meters in length, 100 km away from the target to the missile .

17 billion Earth-sized planets in Milky Way

The Milky Way contains at least 17 billion planets the size of Earth.Astronomers using NASAs Keplerspacecraft found that about 17 percent of stars in our galaxy have a planet about the size of Earth in aclose orbit.The Milky Way is known to host about 100 billion stars, meaning that about one of every sixhas an Earth-sized planet around it.


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Brahmos cruise missile test fired in successfully

Supersonic cruise missile BrahMos scored once again in its 34th launch on 09 January 2013 offVisakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal, hitting a decommissioned vessel with accuracy.As it took offvertically from a naval warship, reached an altitude of 14 km, levelled out and started cruising at threetimes the speed of sound, it performed a double manoeuvre in S-form and hit the decommissioned ship,

about 290 km away.

Astronomers Found NGC 6872 Largest known Spiral Galaxy

A team of astronomers from the United States, Chile and Brazil has crowned it the largest-known spiralgalaxy, a spectacular behemoth five times bigger than our own Milky Way, based on archival data fromNASAs Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) mission.The title-holder is now NGC 6872, a barred spiralfound 212 million light-years away in the southern constellation Pavo. The distance between NGC 6872 stwo huge spiral arms is 522,000 light-years, compared to about 100,000 light-years for the Milky Way.

Indian Scientists Discovered Molecule for Cancer Treatment

A team of Indian researchers, led by Dr Sathees C Raghavan of the Indian Institute of Science atBangalore, have identified a molecule which they claim will revolutionise the cure for cancer.The moleculehas been named after Sathees as SCR7 and a detailed account of it has been carried in theinternational scientific journal Cell".Scientists world over believe that the double strand break (DSB) ofDNA is one of the most lethal form of DNA damage, resulting in drastic consequences such as genomeinstability, and cancer.

Largest Space structure in the Universe:Large Quasar Group

An international team lead by astronomer Roger Clowes of the University of Central Lancashire inEngland discovered the largest known structure in the universe, a clump of active galactic cores thatstretches 4 billion light-years from end to end.This is the largest Space structure in the Universe.Thisstructure is known as a Large Quasar Group(LQG).

Indian Scientists Discovered Molecule for Cancer Treatment

A team of Indian researchers, led by Dr Sathees C Raghavan of the Indian Institute of Science atBangalore, have identified a molecule which they claim will revolutionise the cure for cancer.The moleculehas been named after Sathees as SCR7 and a detailed account of it has been carried in theinternational scientific journal Cell".Scientists world over believe that the double strand break (DSB) ofDNA is one of the most lethal form of DNA damage, resulting in drastic consequences such as genomeinstability, and cancer.

Worlds First Global Renewable Energy Atlas Launched

On 13 January Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) launched the worlds

first clean energy atlas at IRENAS General Assembly , currently offers open-access information on solarand wind power throughout the world and the creators plan to expand to other renewable energyresources over the next two years.The atlas includes information on clean energy resources in 37countries, including those which have no diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates.TheInternational Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is working in partnership with the Renewable EnergyPolicy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) to build a qualitative and quantitative data framework forrenewable energy in developing countries.

Ancient River Found on Mars


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On 17 January The European Space Agency scientists have revealed a 1500 km long and 7 kilometrewide river that once ran across Mars.The images which were captured by the ESAs Mars Expressshowed Reull Vallis, the river-like structure, which is believed to have formed when water ran from thesurface of Mars in distant past. The structure which surprised the astronomers stretches for around 900miles or 1500 km across the Martian surface and also shows various tributaries. These structures, it isbelieved, were formed somewhere around 3.5 billion years ago.

India Increased Rafale Fighter Jets Order

India could buy up to 189 of the Rafale fighter jets currently being used by France to bomb Islamistmilitants in Mali, sources close to negotiations on the multi-billion dollar deal .The possibility of anadditional 63 jets being added to an expected order for 126 was raised by India .The Indian press hasestimated the value of the deal for 126 Rafales at $12 billion (nine billion euros).A 50 per cent increase inthe number of planes ordered would take it to around $18 billion, in a huge boost for the French defenceindustry.

Japan to replace Fukushima plant with worlds largest wind farm

In the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan had decided to build the worlds largest

offshore wind farm to replace the crippled nuke plant.The country plans to build a total of 143 windturbines on platforms 16 kilometres off the coast of Fukushima by 2020, which is home to the strickenDaiichi nuclear reactor that hit the headlines in March 2011 when it was damaged by a severe earthquakeand tsunami.The wind farm will generate 1 gigawatt of power once completed, and is part of a nationalplan to increase renewable energy resources following the post-tsunami shutdown of the countrys 54nuclear reactors.The wind farm will surpass the 504 megawatts generated by the 140 turbines at theGreater Gabbard farm off the coast of Suffolk, UK currently the worlds largest farm.

India, US finalise Rs 3,000 crore deal for jet engines

India and the US have finalised a Rs 3000-crore deal for supplying 99 jet engines to be used in theindigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas being developed by the DRDO.Around two years ago, India hadselected the American company General Electric over its rival European Eurojet 2000 for the LCA Mark IIprogramme expected to be ready around 2014-15.The deal worth Rs 3,000 crore has been finalised withthe US for procuring 99 engines for the LCA Tejas MkII.As per the contract, the order could be for 99engines initially but India will have the option of ordering another 100 engines in the future.

INS Saryu Inducted into Indian Navy

On 21 January Air Marshal PK Roy, Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command,commissioned INS Saryu into the Indian Navy at Goa .INS Saryu is the lead ship of the indigenous NavalOffshore Patrol Vessel (NOPV) Project designed and built by Goa Shipyard Limited, the ship aptlydemonstrates the immense potential of the countrys indigenous designing and ship buildingcapabilities.Capable of carrying a helicopter (ALH) onboard, the ships weapon and sensor outfit includesa SRGM 76.2 mm gun with an electro-optic fire control system, two 30mm guns as close in weaponsystems, latest navigational and early warning radars, chaff launchers for self protection and anintegrated ESM system to undertake all assigned missions.

MIT researchers Created Moisture Powered Polymer

MIT ( Massachusetts Institute of Technology ) researchers have created a new polymer film that cangenerate electricity by drawing on a ubiquitous source: water vapor.The new material changes its shapeafter absorbing tiny amounts of evaporated water, allowing it to repeatedly curl up and down. Harnessingthis continuous motion could drive robotic limbs or generate enough electricity to power micro- andnanoelectronic devices, such as environmental sensors.


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India Sucessfully Test Fired K-5 Ballistic Missile

On 27 January India successfully test fired medium range K-5 ballistic missile ,with a strike range ofaround 1500 kilometres, from an underwater platform in Bay of Bengal.K-5 is part of the family ofunderwater missiles being developed by Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) forthe Indian strategic forces underwater platforms.

Iran successfully sent monkey into space

Iran on 28 January 2013 announced that it had successfully send a monkey to the space.It also declaredthat the monkey come back to the Earth successfully.The rocket called Pishgam (meaning Pioneer)reached at a height of 120 km (75 miles) for a sub-orbital flight before returning its shipment intact. Thefirst country to launch the primate into space was US.

PERSONS IN NEWS

A) APPOINTMENTS

Asif Ibrahim appointed as chief Intelligence Bureau

Indian Police Service officer SA Ibrahim appointed as chief of the Intelligence Bureau on 01 January 2013and he becoming the first from the countrys main minority community(Muslim Community) to hold thepost. Ibrahim, an IPS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has taken over as from Nehchal Sandhu whoretired December 31. He will hold the post for two years.

Urjit Patel appointed as RBI deputy governor

On 02 January 2013 Urjit Patel, a consultant at Boston Consulting Group, had been appointed a deputygovernor at the Reserve Bank of India, succeeding Subir Gokarn who was aiding the governor in shapingthe monetary policy.

YV Reddy to head 14th Finance Commission

On 02 January 2013 former RBI governor YV Reddy was appointed chairman of the 14th financecommission to suggest principles of sharing of revenues between the Centre and the states and insulatepricing of public utilities like electricity, water and public transport from policy fluctuations.

Ami Bera and Tulsi Gabbard Sworn In As US Lawmakers

On 4 January Indian American physician from California, Ami Bera, and the young Iraq war veteran fromHawaii, Tulsi Gabbard, created history after being sworn in as new members of the US House ofRepresentatives.Bera is only the third Indian American have ever been elected to the House ofRepresentatives.Tulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu ever to won the Congressional election.

Malalas Father Appointed as Education Attache in Birmingham

On 3 January Malalas father Ziauddin Yousafzai has been appointed as the education attache at thePakistan consulate in Birmingham, England.The job is believed to be for up to three years.


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Indian American Srinivasan re-nominated as Federal Judge

On 4 January Srikanth Srinivasan a brilliant Indian American legal mind has been re-nominated by USPresident Barack Obama to serve as Federal Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit.In June 2012 hewas nominated by Obama to serve on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Justice D K Jain appointed new Law Commission chief

The Union Cabinet of India on 7 January 2013 appointed Justice D K Jain as Chairman of 20th LawCommission of India. He gives advice to the government on complex legal issues. Justice Jain, 64, willtake over as the chief of the law panel on January 24 after retiring from the Supreme Court on the sameday.

John Brennan as a CIA director

U.S. President Barack Obama announced on )7 January 2013 John Brennan wasnominated as directorof the American Intelligence Agency(CIA) and Chuck Hagel as a Defense secretary. John Brennanplayed a key role in encounter the Osama Bin Laden.

Indian-origin politician to be Singapores first woman speaker

Indian-origin politician Halimah Yacob elected as the first woman Speaker of Singapores Parliament on08 Janauary 2013.She take charges from 14 January 2013.Halimah, a former labour lawyer, is a memberof Parliament from the ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP).

Kulwant Singh Gill Took charge as new Commandant of NDA

On 8 January Air Marshal Kulwant Singh Gill took charge as the new commandant of the NationalDefence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla, Pune.The NDA provides three-year training in defence andacademics to its cadets before they move on to their respective officers training academies for anotherone-year course and get commissioned into the armed forces.

R.K. Dubey Took Charge as Canara Banks new CMD

On 11 January R.K. Dubey has assumed charge as the Chairman and Managing Director of Canara Bank.Mr. Dubey was previously worked as a Punjab National Bank General Manager in 2008 and wasappointed as Executive Director of Central Bank of India in 2010.

Rajkumar Goyal Took Charge as Central Bank of India new ED

On 11 January Rajkumar Goyal has took charge as Executive Director (ED) of Central Bank of India(CBI).He was previously with the bank of India as the General Manager of Human Resources Department

Obama nominated Jack Lew as new Treasury Chief

On 11 January President Barack Obama nominated his chief of staff, Jack Lew, to become the nextTreasury secretary and succeed Timothy Geithner.Last year, Lew was named Obamas chief of staff, andbefore that he had served as the White House budget director.

First Gujarati in UK cabinet


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Lord Dolar Popat has appointed a minister in the UK cabinet .He become the first Gujarati taking hisplace in the UK cabinet .Popat was appointed minister for business, innovation & skills and transport.

Mohan Pieris assumes duties as 44th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka

On 15 January 2013 ,Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed his cabinets legal advisor as

the countrys new Chief Justice to succeed Shirani Bandaranayake. Rajapaksa sworn in new ChiefJustice Mohan Peiris to replace Sri Lankas first woman chief justice who was impeached by theparliament in a controversial move.Peiris, a British qualified solicitor who retired in 2011 as the AttorneyGeneral was serving as the legal advisor to the Cabinet.

Ved Prakash is UGC chairman

Ved Prakash, serving as acting chairman of the University Grants Commission, had been appointed as itschairman on 18 January 2013.The chairmans post remained vacant ever since S. Thorat retired inFebruary 2011. Since then Mr. Prakash had been the acting chairman.

Obama Sworn in as the US President for Second Term

On 20 January US President Barack Obama Barack Obama was sworn in as the President of the countryfor a second four-year term.Obama as the 44th president of the United States and also he is the thirdconsecutive president to win two terms, after Bush and Clinton. Joe Biden sworn-in for second term asUS vice-president.

Suchitra Ella, Founding Chairwoman of CIIs women wing

Suchitra K. Ella, Joint Managing Director, Bharat Biotech International, had been nominated as theFounding Chairwoman of the Indian Women Network of CII. The network aims to provide a platform forworking women to come together and discuss issues and opportunities and share best practices. She iscurrently the Chairperson of CII Andhra Pradesh State Council for 2012-13. She had earlier been electedto the CII Andhra Pradesh State Council. She has been awarded the International Women

Entrepreneurial Challenge award 2007 by the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona, the ManhattanChamber of Commerce and the FLO GR8 Women Achievers Award 2008 for entrepreneurial excellence.

B)RESIGNS

Jharkhand CM Arjun Munda resigned

Political uncertainty deepened in Jharkhand on 08 January 2013, with Chief Minister Arjun Mundasubmitted his resignation to Governor Syed Ahmed. On 07 January 2013, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha(JMM) announced the withdrawal of its support to the BJP-led government.

Rajapaksa Dismissed First Woman Chief Justice of the Country

On 13 January Mahinda Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka dismissed the first woman chief justice ofthe country, Shirani Bandarnayake after endorsing her impeachment by the Parliament that caught herguilty on the corruption charges.She appointed as a chief Justice on May 2011.

C)DEATHS

Violin maestro MSG passes away


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M.S. Gopalakrishnan legendary violinist known for his mastery of both the Carnatic and Hindustanisystems of classical music passed away on 03 January 2013 in Chennai.In his career spanning 75years, he not only broke new ground as an accompanist, but also rose to become one of the best soloviolinists in the country, along with Lalgudi G. Jayaraman and T.N. Krishnan. The three are consideredthe violin trinity of south Indian classical music.Despite enviable success and accolades that came in theform of national honours such as the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, and innumerable titles, including

the Sangita Kalanidhi title awarded by The Music Academy, Chennai.

Pakistani singer Mehnaz Begum is no more

Renowned Pakistani singer Mehnaz Begum died on 19 January 2013.Mehnaz specialized in ghazal,thumri, dadra, khayal, drupad and reciting salam, noha and marsiya.Mehnaz was the daughter of popularsub-continental singer Kajjan Begum.She sang over 2,500 songs for radio television and films in a varietyof genres like ghazal, thumri, dadra, khayal and drupad.

D)VISITORS

Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag Visited India

Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag visited India from 3 10 January .During the visit Purryag metPrime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee on 4 January in New Delhi. In Bihar , he visitedhis ancestral village , Bojeetpore near Patna.President Purryag also the chief guest of Pravasi BharatiyaDivas .He attended the 3 days event 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held in Kochi (Kerala).

Vice President Hamid Ansari Visited Vietnam

Vice President Hamid Ansari visited Vietnam from 14 to 17 January.During the visit Ansari met VietnamsDeputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh and discussed the both countries bilateral issues , signed severalagreements .Ansari attended the closing ceremony of the celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of theIndia-Vietnam diplomatic ties.

Bhutan King Wangchuck Visited India

The King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck visited India from 23-30 January.During the visithe attended the Indias Republic Day celebrations as a Chief Guest.Wangchuck met President PranabMukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and the United Progressive Alliances Chairperson, SoniaGandhi.This is the fourth time since 1954 that a Bhutanese King will be a Chief Guest at Indias RepublicDay celebrations.

E)MISCELLANEOUS

Ex-Haryana CM Chautala, son get 10 years jail

Former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay had been sentenced to 10 yearsin jail in connection with a teachers recruitment scam.Special CBI Judge Vinod Kumar sentenced theChautalas and seven others to 10 years in jail while one convict was given five years in jail and 45 othersfour years in jail.

Swaminarayan sect opens $100-million quake-proof temple near Hollywood


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One of the biggest Hindu temples in the US, built at a whopping cost of $100 million near the Hollywoodcity in Los Angeles .The 68th Swaminarayan temple of Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar PurushottamSwaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) had been built using 35,000 pieces of meticulously hand carved ItalianCarrara marble and Indian Pink Sandstone.

Premlata Conquers Summit of Mt Vinson in Antarctica

On 17 January Premlata Agrawal, the oldest woman in India to have climbed Mt. Everest, has conqueredMt. Vinson in Antarctica in pursuit of the Mountaineering Challenge of climbing the Seven Summits.Shecompleted her Mt. Vinson expedition on January .The person successful in conquering all the sevensummits is considered a member of the Hall of Fame for mountaineers.Premlata will become the firstIndian woman and one of the oldest in the world to conquer all seven summits.

Ex-ISRO chairman Inducted in to Satellite Hall of Fame

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced its former chairman and Department ofSpace secretary Prof U R Rao by inducting him as the member of the prestigious Satellite Hall of Fame , Washington.Since 1987, the SSPI Hall of Fame has been recognising the invaluable contribution of thevisionaries who have transformed life on planet earth for the better through satellite technology. Members

of the Hall of Fame are recognised pioneers in communications, satellite related aerospace scientificresearch or development and delivery of applications for business, institutions and government viasatellite.

David Headley sentenced for 35 years for 26/11 role(Mumbai attacks)

Pakistani-American Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist David Headley was on 24 January 2013 sentenced to 35years in jail by a Chicago court for his unquestionable role in the massacre of 166 people in the 2008Mumbai attacks.

Forbes India Celebrity 100 List

According to the Forbes India Celebrity 100 List The Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, toppedthe inaugural Forbes India Celebrity 100 list.Forbes India estimates, the total earning of Shah Rukh fromOctober 2011 and September 2012 was 202.8 crore Rupees.The ranking was given based on thepopularity as well as income of the biggest entertainers of India. Second on the list was Salman Khan andMS Dhoni followed in the third position.The special edition of Forbes India judged in eight differentcategories directors, film actors, TV personailities, models, comedians, sports stars, authors andsingers/musicians.The youngest celebrity in the list of Forbes India was Saina Nehwal, aged 23 years.

Switzerland best place to be born, India 66th

Switzerland has been called the best place in the world to be born in 2013 according to the TheEconomist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a sister company of The Economist. The worst place for a baby to startlife was violence-hit African country Nigeria. The survey included 80 nations and Australia ranked second

followed by Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Singapore, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Canada and NewZealand were also ranked among top 10. India was ranked 66th place.The survey included significantparameters to judge the best country to be born and these factors included demography, geography,cultural and social characteristics, state of economy, future income per head as well as public policy.

PLACES IN NEWS


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Strong Quake in Indonesia

On 22nd January A strong, shallow earthquake rocked parts of western Indonesia early killed 30persons and panicking residents and ruining homes. Several other people were injured.Indonesiasmeteorology and geophysics agency put the preliminary magnitude at 6.0 and said the inland quakecaused no tsunami. It was centered southwest of the city of Banda Aceh and 10 miles (6 kilometers)

beneath the earths crust, according to the U.S. Geological Survey..

233 People Killed in Brazil Night Club Fire Accident

On 27 January The blaze in the university town of Santa Maria nightclub fire killed at least 233 people insouthern Brazil .Most of those who died were suffocated by toxic fumes that rapidly filled the crowdedclub after sparks from pyrotechnics used by the band for visual effects set fire to soundproofing on theceiling.

ABBREVIATIONSCBT-Cash Transfer Benefit

EIUEconomist Intelligence Unit

CBSCentral Bureau of Statistics

NLST-National Large Solar Telescope

CEET-Centre for Energy-Efficient Telecommunications

CIAAmerican Intelligence Agency

WEF-World Economic Forum

PBSPravasi Bhartiya Divas

MSMEMinistry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

BWFBadminton World Federation

BOOKS IN NEWSSwami Vivekananda The Monk as Man Book Released

The renowned Bengali writer Shankar wrote a The Monk as Man book on Swami Vivekananda ,whospread the message of Indias spiritual heritage across the world.In the book Shankar describedVivekananda used to emphasise greatly on physical strength and is known for the shocking statementBetter to play football than read the Gita.


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McChrystal My Share of the Task: A Memoir Book Released

General Stanley McChrystal, the former American commander in Afghanistan, wrote a My Share of theTask: A Memoir, book which was released on 7 January .In the book Chrystal explained that tensionsbetween the White House and the Pentagon were evident in the Obama administration from its openingmonths in office.This book is not just for aficionados of military history or for students of American foreign

policy .

COMMITTEES

Vijay Kelkar Committee for Fiscal Consolidation

The Vijay Kelkar Committee, which was appointed by Finance Ministry to suggest a roadmap for fiscalconsolidation, has suggested immediate hike in fuel prices and complete deregulation of diesel prices bystart of 2014-15 fiscal.It also suggested raising kerosene and LPG rates.Now the Kelkar committee

recommendation is still at proposal stage.

Justice Verma Committee Submitted Report

On 23 January The three-member committee included former Chief Justice of India, J S Verma, whoheaded the committee, Justice (Retd.) Leila Seth, former Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Courtand Gopal Subramanian, former Solicitor General of India , set up to suggest ways to make rape lawsstronger in the country, has submitted its report with recommendations to enhance and amend existinglaws dealing with cases of sexual crime.The Justice Verma panel recognised failure of governance asprimary cause of sexual crimes.The Panel suggested Trafficking should be made punishable withimprisonment ranging from not less than 7 years to 10 years .There was a need for the separate Bill ofRights for women that will make sure that women would have their own rights for having sexualautonomy.

INTERNATIONAL

UK, Afghan, Pakistan Leaders Hold Talks in Britain

On 4 February The leaders of Britain, Afghanistan and Pakistan pushed for the Taliban to come to thetable for peace talks to end Afghanistans protracted conflict and gave themselves a six-month deadlineto get a deal.British Prime Minister David Cameron hosted Afghanistans President Hamid Karzai andPakistans President Asif Zardari for trilateral talks on Afghanistans floundering peace and reconciliationprocess.

UNICEF Syria Crisis Humanitarian Situation Report

On 8 February According to the UNICEF (United Nations Childrens Fund )Syria Crisis HumanitarianSituation Report, The vaccination effort in collaboration with the Ministry of Health is well underway, withover 53,000 children receiving measles vaccinations, over 44,000 receiving vitamin A supplements, andover 10,000 polio doses administered.

Pakistan to Renamed Sindh Province to Sind


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On 12 February 2013, the Sindh Assembly approved a bill to rename the southern Pakistani province asSind.The assembly approved the Sindh Laws Amendment Bill of 2012, whereby the letter h will beremoved from the name of the province.

Russia Rejected U.S. Nuclear Warheads Proposals

On 14 February Russia rejected U.S. president Barack Obama proposals , which deployed nuclearwarhead delivery systems including bombers, missile launchers and nuclear submarines a cut of about60%.In 2010 Russia and the United States signed on New START agreement.The New Start treatylimits each side to no more than 800 deployed nuclear warhead delivery systems including bombers,missile launchers and nuclear submarines a cut of about 50%.

Rafael Correa Re-elected for 3rd term as Ecuadors President

On 17 February Ecuadoreans president Rafael Correa has been re-elected for a third term with morethan 50 percent of votes in his favour.As per the results, Rafael Correa got 56.7 percent while his closestcompetitor Guillermo could secure only 23.3 percent.Correa is a socialist leader who was first elected in2006 December and he was sworn in on 15 January 2007 as the 56th president of Ecuador.Correa wasre-elected to a second term in 2009.

Pakistan Hands Over Strategic Gwadar Port To China

On 18 February Pakistan and China signed an agreement to hand over control of the strategic Gwadarport on the Arabian Sea to a Chinese company.Under the agreement for transfer of concession rights, thedeep sea port will remain the property of Pakistan while the Chinese company will share profits from itsoperation. China Overseas Port Holdings Limited will fully assume responsibility for Gwadar port inBalochistan province.

Israels Netanyahu Announced Coalition Deal with Tzipi Livni

On 19 Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has announced a coalition deal with former Foreign Minister and

the rival centrist Hatnua Party Chairwomen Tzipi Livni, at Jerusalem. Under the deal agreement, Livni willserve as the new Justice Minister and will oversee the peace efforts with the Palestinians.Tzipi Livni is anIsraeli Politician and the first women to be the leader of opposition in Israel. She is the leader of the newcentrist party, Hatnuah. She served Israel as its Foreign Minister from 2006 to 2009.

Russia and Brazil Signed on Defence Cooperation Agreements

On 20 February Russia and Brazil signed a Defence, Energy and Agricultural agreements .Brazil agreedto negotiate the purchase of Russian anti-aircraft missile batteries on the condition that Russia transferthe technology to Brazilian defense companies without restrictions.The agreements are signed byRussian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff .

Nicos Anastasiades Elected as Cyprus New President

On 24 February the centre-right DISY (the Democratic Rally) party leader Nicos Anastasiades, has wonthe presidential elections of Cyprus with 57.5 percent votes.Nicos Anastasiades had a very easy goingvictory over Communist-backed Stavros Malas who secured 42.5 percent votes in the election.

Raul Castro re-elected for Second Term as Cubas President

On 25 February Raul Castro has been re-elected as Cubas president officially to his last five-yearterm.The National Assembly of Peoples Power approved, in the capital Havana, Army General Raul


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Castro Ruz as president of the Council of State, and elected Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, as its first vicepresident.Raul Castro became interim president when his brother, revolution icon Fidel, took ill in 2006.He then formally became president in 2008.

INDIA & WORLD

India-Malaysia Double Taxation Agreement in Force

On 2 February India and Malaysia signed on double-taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA). Dividendspaid by Indian companies to Malaysian investors or entities will attract a lower withholding tax of 5percent against 10 per cent earlier. The new agreement has also, in line with international practice,introduced a new article for taxing capital gains from alienation of property.

India Failed To Curb Sexual Violence Against Women

According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW) World Report 2013 India has been accused of failure tocurb incidents of sexual violence against women and for restrictions on right to free speech, India has athriving civil society, free media, and an independent judiciary, the city-based rights group said in itsassessment of rights abuses in India.

Six Indian Institutes in Global 150 Top Think-Tanks

On 3 February Six Indian research institutes, including Centre for Civil Society (CCS), are among top 150global think tanks in the annual list released by the University of Pennsylvania for the year 2012.The listwas topped by Brookings Institution (United States) followed by Chatham House (United Kingdom) andCarnegie Endowment for International Peace (United States).Other Indian think-tanks featured in the listare:- Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis , Indian Council for Research on International EconomicRelations , The Energy and Resources Institute , Observer Research Foundation and Development

Alternatives.

India and Austria Signed a Social Security Agreement

On 5 February India and Austria signed a social security agreement at Vienna, under which the Indianprofessionals working in Austria would be exempted from paying the social security contribution of thecountry, if such payments are already made in India. Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi andAustrian Minister for Labour and Social Security, Rudoulf Hundstorfer signed on the agreement.

India Pledges $100m For Mali Reconstruction

On 5 February India pledges $100m for Mali reconstruction .India has committed to giving $1 million for

the upgrade of the Malian army with a pledge to ramp up contributions for reconstruction to $100 millionafter the situation stabilizes.

India and China Tourists Triple Australian Visits

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics report , Chinese and Indian visitors, with tourist numbersfrom those countries tripled in the past decade.630,000 visits from Chinese tourists in 2012 comparedwith 190,000 in 2002. Indian visits went from 45,000 to 160,000 in the same period.Despite a high


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Australian dollar, Australias short-term visitor numbers were up by nearly five percent since 2011 with 6.1million short trips made to Australia 270,000 more than in 2011.

Special Purpose Vehicle Formed for TAPI Pipeline Project

On 7 February The Union Cabinet gave its approval for formation of the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)

for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Pipeline Project and to permit GAIL India Ltd. tojoin the SPV. The four countries involved in the TAPI Gas pipeline project, signed an Inter-GovernmentalAgreement along with a Gas Pipeline Framework Agreement (GPFA).Turkmenistan and Pakistan agreedto the formation of TAPl Ltd. The 1,680 km pipeline will carry 90 million metric standard cubic metres aday (mmscmd) of gas, and is scheduled to become operational in 2018.

India and Japan to Strengthen Cooperation in Tourism Sector

India and Japan have resolved to strengthen cooperation in tourism sector. This was decided at ameeting between the visiting Japanese Senior Vice-Minister of Tourism, Mr. Hiroshi Kajiyama and UnionTourism Minister Shri K Chiranjeevi in New Delhi on 12 February 2013.

India and France Signed 22 Agreements

On 14 February France and India have signed on 22 agreements after French President FrancoisHollandes meetings with the Indian president and the prime minister in New Delhi.Both nationsexchanged views on a number of bi-lateral, regional and multilateral issues and signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) in order to facilitate technical cooperation in Railways to each other.Chairman,Railway Board, India and Chairman and CEO SNCF from the French side signed this MoU.Both thenations also concluded negotiations on the short range surface to Air missile to be co-produced in India.They also agreed on the need to reinvigorate economic engagement between the two countries.

India and Bangladesh Signed Land Boundary Agreement

On 16 February India and Bangladesh held the second Joint Consultative Commission meeting in Dhaka

.After the meeting , both countries exchanged one strip map as part of the process of the implementationof the agreement signed to resolve land boundary issues between them.In addition, two MOUs were alsosigned for the construction of a rail link to connect Akhaura in Bangladesh to Agartala in India and forsetting up a thinktank to be called Bangladesh-India Foundation.The India-Bangladesh Joint ConsultativeCommission is an interministerial body of the two countries headed by the Minister of External Affairs ofIndia and Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.

CBI probe Ordered into Rs 3700 crore Italian Chopper Deal Scam

In February 2010, India had inked the deal with Italain Finmeccanica to acquire the 12 three-engine AW-101 helicopters from AgustaWestland for IAFs elite Communication Squadron ,which ferries around thePresident, PM and other VVIPs.The deal came under the scanner of Italian agencies after allegations ofkickback given in India surfaced.The agencies arrested Giuseppe Orsi, the head of Italian defence and

aerospace giant Finmeccanica as part of their probe related to international corruption.Around 50 millioneuros , about 10 per cent of the deal, were alleged to have been given as bribes to ensure that thecompany won the contract.On February The Defence Ministry has ordered CBI probe into alleged scamin a Rs 3600 crore defence helicopter deal after arrest of head of Italian firm Finmeccanica on charges ofbribery.

India and Britain Discussed on Nuclear Cooperation


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On 19 February Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Britain Prime Minister David Camerondiscussed on regional and global issues ,which included key issues of nuclear energy cooperation,security, terrorism and trade .The two sides have also decided to commence negotiations on a bilateralCivil Nuclear Agreement.Britain has assured that it will extend all cooperation to any Indian probe into themulti-million-dollar helicopter scam which involves Italian defense giant Finmeccanicas UK-basedsubsidiary AgustaWestland.David Cameron announced that his country is going to introduce sameday

visa service for Indian businessmen in a bid to accelerate the bilateral trade between the two sides.

India won Kishanganga Case Against Pakistan

On 18 February the Court of Arbitration at the Hague allowed India to go ahead with the Construction ofthe Kishanganga hydroelectric project in Gurez valley near Bandipura in North Kashmir, the court rejectedthe plea of Pakistan that the construction was a violation of 1960 Indus Water Treaty.The Court ofArbitration, chaired by Stephen M. Schwebel in its orders stated that India can move ahead with thediversion of water plans of Kishanganga that is a tributary of Jhelum, for generation of hydro-electricpower. But it restrained India from adoption of the drawdown technique of flushing for clearing thesedimentation of the run-of-the river project that had been designed and asked it to adopt a differenttechnique for generation of 330 MW power facilities.

NATIONAL

President Gave Assent to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2013

On 3 February President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the Criminal Law (Amendment)Ordinance, 2013 which provides for, amongst other things, stricter punishment for crimes against women.The Ordinance was to be largely based on the recommendations of the Justice VermaCommittee.However, the Ordinance will have to be passed by Parliament within six months otherwise thesame shall lapse.

All Juvenile Crimes 64% by 16-18 yr Old Age Group

On 4 February According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data shows that most juvenilecrimes are committed by those in the age group of 16-18 years.In 2011 the growth in rape by juveniles(34%) over 2010 was again among the highest.In 2011, 64% of all juvenile criminals fall in the age groupof 16-18. In 2011, 33,887 juveniles were arrested for 25,178 instances of crime.All together make for over50% of all rape cases by juveniles.

Aero India 2013 Held in Bangalore

The Asias biggest airshow Aero India 2013, a biennial air show and aviation exhibition held from 6 10th February at the Yelehanka Air Force Station in Bangalore .In the event displays magnificent

aerobatic skills and belongings that created a chance of winning potential business tieups andnetworking. Defence Minister of India, A K Antony inaugurated the Air Show on 6 February .In the event53 civil and military aircraft and 27 countries participated and 78 delegations attended from US, Israel andRussia.The first Edition of the show was organised for the first time in 1996.The next Aero India show isscheduled to be held from 18 February to 22 February 2015 at Bangalore.

Cabinet Approved Rs.38500 cr Rural Road Development Plan


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On 7 February The Union Cabinet approved a Rs 38,500 crore rupees for road connectivity under thePrime Ministers Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).The schemes approved were mainly for connectivity tovillages in tribal areas, desert and hilly areas, with a population of at least 250 each.In 82 areas hit byNaxalite violence, villages with less than 250 people are also to be connected under the scheme.

Parliament Attack Case Convict Afzal Guru Hanged

On 9 February in a top secret operation , the 2001 Parliament attack case convict Mohammed Afzal Guruwas hanged in Delhis Tihar jail.Afzal Guru was given the death sentence by the Supreme Court in2004.The President rejected the Afzal Gurus mercy petition on 23 January 2013.The code name of thesecret operation was Operation Three Star .

Centre Notified Cauvery Dispute Tribunal Award

After six years,on the directions of the Supreme Court, the Central Government of India has notified thefinal award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on sharing the waters of the Cauvery systemamong the basin States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala and Union territory of Puducherry on 20February.The Tribunal, comprising chairman Justice N.P. Singh and members N.S. Rao and SudhirNarain, in a unanimous award in February, 2007 had determined the total availability of water in the

Cauvery basin at 740 thousand million cubic (TMC) feet at the Lower Coleroon Anicut site.In, what wasthen described as a balancing act, the Tribunal gave Tamil Nadu 419 TMC of water (as against thedemand of 562 TMC); Karnataka 270 TMC (as against its demand of 465 TMC); Kerala 30 TMC andPuducherry 7 TMC.After the issuance of the notification, institutions like the Cauvery River Authority(CRA) chaired by the Prime Minister and the CMC will cease to exist.

STATES

Sonia Gandhi Launched Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram Scheme

On 6 February Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi launched Rashtriya BalSwasthya Karyakram (RBSK), a new children health care project initiative in Palghar, a tribal block inThane district of Maharashtra.The Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, is a part of the National RuralHealth Mission of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The scheme is aimed at improvingoverall quality of life of children through early detection of birth defects, diseases and deficiencies, whichare among key factors for child mortality.

Maharashtra Promulgates Ordinance To Amend Cooperative Societies Act

On 15 February the Maharashtra Government promulgated an ordinance to amend the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, which aims to promote voluntary formation, autonomous functioning, democraticcontrol and professional management of co-operative societies.The ordinance is to amend the Act to

make it in consonance with the 97th constitutional amendment by Parliament last year.

Indias First Geothermal Plant in Chhattisgarh

On 17 February Chhattisgarh has signed an agreement with the National Thermal Power Corporation(NTPC) to set up the countrys first geothermal power plant in its newlyformed Balrampur district.Amemorandum of understanding (MoU) for the project was signed between the NTPC and theChhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA). The plant will come up at Tata Pani inBalrampur, a district located in extreme northern region of the state.


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Rajasthan Constituted a Task Force to Check the Spread of Swine Flu in State

On 19 February the State Government of Rajasthan decided to constitute a task force to control SwineFlu effectively. Chief Secretary of the State, CK Matthew was appointed as the head of the task forceconstituted.The state had witnessed 148 cases of death and 834 positive cases since April 2012. Acentral team that constitutes of five doctors and microbiologist is on the state visit and would pay a visit to

Jodhpur, Ajmer and Bikaner, areas worst affected from the disease.

Cabinet Approved NTPC Power Project in Jharkhand

On 20 February the Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) approved the setting up of the 1,980 MWNorth Karanpura Super Thermal Power Plant in Jharkhand by the National Thermal Power Corporation(NTPC).The Cabinet committee of investment also agreed for restoring the original coal linkage for theproject and declared that the project will be based on environment friendly super-critical technology. Thissupply will be made available in the 13th Five Year Plan.

Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland Assembly Elections Results

Northeastern states of Tripura ,Meghalaya and Nagaland Assembly election was released on 28February .The Assembly elections in the three states, having 60 seats each, were held February 14 andFebruary 23.In Tripura the CPI-M on its own won 49 seats out of the total 60 seats and stormed back topower in Tripura for the fifth straight term.Chief Minister Manik Sarkar won from Dhanpur by a margin ofaround 5,000 votes. It was Sarkars sixth win.Meghalaya The Indian National Congress here has won29 seats in the election to the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly with Chief Minister Mukul Sangma,winning with huge margins.Nagaland Ruling Naga Peoples Front combine returned to power with anabsolute majority in Nagaland winning 39 seats in the 60-member Assembly.The ruling NPF-ledDemocratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) alliance will form government for a third consecutiveterm.Congress managed to win eight seats. Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio won from NorthernAngami II seat by defeating his nearest Congress rival Kevise Sogotsu of Congress by 12,671 votes.

Desalination Plant in Tamil Nadu Commissioned

On 22 February J. Jayalalithaa, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu inaugurated a desalination plant at Nemmeliin Kanchipuram district of the state.The plant which will benefit over 15 lakh residents in Velachery,Pallipattu and Tiruvanmiyur areas of south Chennai has been set up with an investment of Rs 871 crore.About 265 million ltrs of water will be drawn from the sea to realise 100 million ltrs per day of drinkingwater through the plant spread over 40 acre.

CONFERENCES

13th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS)

The 13th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) concluded on 2 February at NewDelhi.Thetheme of the summit is The Global Challenge of Resource Efficient Growth and Development.Amongfrom 30 countries Heads of Governments , research institutions, policy-makers, NGOs and corporatesattended the summit.The Summit organized annually since 2001 by The Energy and Resources Institute(TERI), is an international platform for exchange of knowledge on all nuances of sustainabledevelopment.

ga 2013 current affairs

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