last six months current affairs 2012-13

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August 2012 September 2012 October 2012 November 2012 December 2012 January 2013

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1. International 2. India and World3. National 4. States5. Conferences 6. Awards and Honours7. Sports News 8. Economy9. Science & Technology10. Persons in news11. Places In News12. Abbreviations13. Books in news14. Committees

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International

1. Somalia Assembly Passes the Endorses Draft Constitution :Somalia Constitution on

1 august 2012 endorsed a draft constitution billed a key step to ending the decades of the civilwar. The Horn of Africa country’s outgoing government hailed the end of an eight-yearinterim period. Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali expressed happy and announced thatSomalia has from now, left the transitional period. The special assembly chosen bytraditional elders in a U.N.-backed process took eight days to debate and vote on the newConstitution, as the graft-riddled government approaches the end of its mandate on

August 20.2. Myanmar abolished Direct Media Censorship : Myanmar on 20 august 2012 he latest dramatic reform by its quasi-civilian regime, but journalists face other formidable

restrictions including a ban on private daily newspapers and a pervasive culture of self-censorship. Under the new acts journalists no longer have to submit reports to state cen-sors before publication, ending a practice strictly enforced during nearly half a century ofmilitary rule that ended in March last year. Previously, every song, book, cartoon, newsreport and planned piece of art required approval by teams of censors rooting out politicalmessages and criticisms of one of Asia’s most repressive governments.

3. China to shut hundreds of coal mines this year : The State Admmministration ofWork Safety (SAWS) said the country(China) aims to close another 625 small coalmines this

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year in an attempt to reduce the number of deadly accidents, as the death toll in latestcoal mine explosion mounted to 43, raising concerns over safety

4. Pakistan Supreme Court annulled New Law Protecting the Prime Minister:Supreme Court of Pakistan on 3 August 2012 annulled the new law called Contempt ofCourt Act 2012(COCA 2012). Pakistan’s Supreme Court 3 August 2012 struck down a lawdesigned to protect the new prime minister from being charged with contempt and thrownout of office like his predecessor. The court ousted the previous prime minister, YousufRaza Gilani, from office in June by charging him with contempt of court for failing toreopen corruption proceedings against President Asif Zardari.

5. OIC suspended Syria: The Organisation Islamic Cooperation(OIC) suspended Syria on16th August 2012 saying the Muslim world can no longer accept a government that“massacres its people”,further isolating the embattled regime.

6. Senkaku Islands became the Bone of Contention between China and Japan : TenJapanese on 23 August 2012, made an unauthorized landing on Uotsuri, which is known inJapan as the Senkaku Islands and in China as the Diaoyu Islands. The uninhabited islandssurrounded by rich fishing grounds are controlled by Japan but also claimed by China andTaiwan.The Senkaku Islands dispute engulfs in itself a territorial dispute on a group ofuninhabited islands. Of the ten Japanese people who visited the island, five wereapparently conservative local assembly members.The Senkaku Islands are located in theEast China Sea between Japan, and the Republic of China. The archipelago contains fiveuninhabited islands.

7. Smita Shah first Indian-American to serve as DNC parliamentarian : Smita Shah aclose supporter of US President Barack Obama, is vice-chair of the Chicago PlanCommission, become the first Indian-American to serve as a Democratic NationalConvention parliamentarian on 5th September 2012.As per the publically availabledocuments, Smita has been an applauded donor to the campaign of the Democratic Partyand Obama.

8. US strikes Nepal Maoists from terror blacklist : On 06th September 2012 US haslifted sanctions and removed the Communist party of Nepal(Maoists) Organization of Nepalfrom the list of designated terrorist organisation,years after the rebels abandoned theirnamed struggle and entered open politics and signed a peace treaty.

9. U.S. designates Haqqani network a terrorist group : The United States said on 7thSeptember 2012 it is designating the Pakistan-based Haqqani network a terroristorganization, triggering sanctions against a group American officials blame for high-profileattacks in Afghanistan, and which they say has ties to the Pakistani state.

10. Army in Egypt reports 32 deaths in Sinai crackdown : Egyptian armed forces havekilled 32 “criminal elements” since launching an operation against Islamist militants inSinai on 8th September 2012.

11. Canada cuts diplomatic ties with Iran : John Baird,Foreign minister Canada said:“[Iran] is among the world’s worst violators of human rights; and it shelters and materiallysupports terrorist groups, requiring the government of Canada to formally list Iran as astate sponsor of terrorism under the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act.Canada cutsdiplomatic ties with Iran.So, Canada has closed its embassy in Tehran and ordered theexpulsion of Iranian diplomats from Ottawa, partly because of the country’s backing of theSyrian regime.

12. Somalia gets a new president : Somalia’s parliament elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamudas the new leader for the African nation on 10th September 2012.

13. Japan to buy disputed East China Sea islands : The uninhabited islands, known asSenkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, have long been a source of friction. Japan andChina have competing territorial claims to the islets and surrounding fishing areas andpotentially rich gas deposits.The Japanese government will buy the islets for 2.05 billionyen ($26.15 million) and the owners will sign a contract soon.

14. Biggest Fire Accident in Karachi 290 Members Die : At least 290 people have beenconfirmed dead in a fire that broke out in a garment factory in Karachi on 11th September2012 night.

15. Bill Gates remains the richest in U.S.: Forbes : Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates hasretained his position as the richest person in America for the 19th year in a row this year,according to Forbes’ annual ranking of the nation’s 400 super rich people who have acombined net worth of $1.7 trillion.Five Indian-Americans, including Silicon Valley venturecapitalist Vinod Khosla and founder of IT major Syntel, Bharat Desai (ranked 239),Founderand Chairman of the Symphony Technology Group Romesh Wadhwani(ranked 250),



Google board member and shareholder Kavitark Ram Shriram (ranked 298),Founder andCEO of the popular energy drink ‘5-hour energy’ Manoj Bhargava(ranked 311).

16. Zardari, Hillary discuss India-Pak trade ties : Improving trade ties between Pakistanand India, terrorism and violent anti-U.S. protests were among a host of issues thatPakistani President Asif Ali Zardari discussed with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clintonwhen they met NewYork on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly session on 25thSeptember 2012.

17. Buddhist temples attacked in Bangladesh: Thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims set fireto at least 10 Buddhist temples and 40 homes in Ramu town and its adjoining villages —some 350 km from Dhaka in anger over a Facebook photo of a burned Quran on 30thSeptember 2012.

18. 32 killed in blasts across Iraq : A wave of bombings and shootings in Iraq on 30thSeptember 2012 killed at least 32 people and wounded 104 .The violence was centred inBaghdad and the surrounding areas of Taji, Madain and Tarmiyah.

19. Worldwide protests against the film “Innocence of Muslims” : The attacks will becontinued on 14th September 2012 also in several countries, including Egypt, Iran, Kuwaitand Saudi Arabia due the release of the film Innocence of Muslims.UN Secretary GeneralBan Ki-moon has denounced as “hateful” an anti-Islam movie produced in the UnitedStates.

20. Russia to mine super hard diamonds: Russia has declassified a huge deposit of uniquesuper hard diamonds that dwarf the global reserves of the precious stone and can meetthe worldwide demand for another 3,000 years.The deposit, located in an asteroid crater120 km in diameter, has been kept under wraps for nearly 40 decades as the Soviet Unionmined enough diamonds elsewhere and also produced synthetic diamonds.

21. Imran Khan on anti-drone ‘peace march’ to tribal belt : Imran Khan on 6th October2012 set off on a motorcade “peace march” to the terrorists-riddled South Waziristan toprotest US drone strikes in the tribal belt.

22. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Re-Elected for fourth term : VenezuelanPresident Hugo Chavez has been re-elected for the third term. Mr Chavez defeatedopposition leader Henrique Capriles. Mr Chavez garnered 54.42 per cent of the vote whilehis rival bagged 44 per cent votes.

23. Pakistani youth support Malala Yousufzai : Pakistani teenaged rights campaigner,Malala Yousafzai, who was on 14th October 2012 shot by the Taliban for publicly opposingthem against the girl education.She got the support from all over the world.

24. Ali Zidan elected Libya PM : Libya’s 200-member General National Congress has electeda former congressman and human rights lawyer Ali Zidan as the country’s new PrimeMinister on 14th October 2012.

25. Austrian skydiver breaks sound barrier : Austrian national Felix Baumgartner, whojumped from a height of 39 km, became the first skydiver to record the highest everfreefall and also the first human to go faster than the speed of sound.

26. Five New Non-Permanent Member Countries Elected to UN Security Council : UNGeneral Assembly elected five new non-permanent members to the Security Council. TheNew Members are South Korea, Luxembourg, Argentina, Australia and Rwanda.

27. Iran bans export of 50 basic foods to preserve supplies : Iran has banned the exportof around 50 basic goods in order to preserve supplies of essential items in the wake oftightening Western sanctions

28. Barack Obama re-elected as President of US : Barack Obama re-elected as Presidentof US with a clear victory over Republican challenger Mitt Romney on 7th November 2012.

29. Hindu-American elected to US Congress for the first time : Tulsi Gabbard is the firstHindu-American elected as the US House of Representative from Hawaii in November2012 elections.

30. Nepal elected to UN ECOSOC board : Nepal elected a board member of the UnitedNations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for a three-year term starting in January2013. Nepal along with 17 other countries were elected board members of ECOSOC 8thNovember 2012 by the UN General Assembly.

31. Israel fires into Syria : Israel was drawn into the fighting in neighboring Syria for thefirst time on 11th November 2012, firing warning shots across the border after an errantmortar shell landed near an Israeli military installation in the Golan Heights.

32. China’s Communist Party selects new leadership : China elects the new President asXi Jinping and Prime Minister as Li Keqiang on 14 November 2012.



33. Japan to go to polls on 16 December 2012 : Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda dissolvedthe Lower House of Parliament on 16 November 2012 ,paving the way for elections inwhich his ruling party will likely give way to a weak coalition government divided over howto solve Japan’s myriad problems. Elections were set for 16 December 2012.

34. U.N. approves Palestinian ‘observer state’ bid : The United Nations General Assemblyon 30 November 2012 endorsed an upgraded U.N. status for the Palestinian Authority,despite intense opposition from the United States and Israel.The vote was 138 delegates infavor of the measure including India, nine against including America, Brazil and Canadaand 41 abstentions including Britain.

35. Mahama Re-elected as Ghana’s President : On 10 December Ghana’s incumbentPresident John Dramani Mahama of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) haswon the country’s presidential election.Mahama took 50.70 percent of the total valid votescast, while his closest challenger, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New PatrioticParty (NPP) obtained 47.74 percent.With his re-election, Mahama becomes the fourthpresident to be elected under the Forth Republic.He had served as Ghana’s vice presidentsince 2009.

36. UN, Pakistan Launched ‘Malala Fund’ : Pakistan joined forces with the United Nationson 10 December 2012 to launch a fund aimed at boosting girls’ education throughout theworld.The fund is named for Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani girl. Pakistan’sPresident Asif Ali Zardari also announced a $10-million donation for a global war chest toeducate all girls by 2015 set up in the name of Malala Yousafzai for campaigning for girls’education.

37. Shinzo Abe Elected As Japan’s New PM : The former Prime Minister and the Leader ofLDP Shinzo Abe elected as a Prime Minister with a clear victory over the Prime Minister and leader of the Democratic Party of Japan(DPJ) Yoshihiko Noda in the ParliamentaryElections on 26 December 2012.The lawmakers in Japan voted in favour of Abe by 328votes. Opponent Banri Kaieda, the newly chosen leader of DPJ received merely 57 votes.

38. Jacob Zuma re-elected as South Africa’s President : South Africa’s ruling AfricanNational Congress on 18 December 2012 re-elected President Jacob Zuma as the partychief with a thumping majority. Mr.Zuma received the support of over 75 per cent of thetotal voting delegates at the ANC National Conference held in Bloemfontein. Juma wasDeputy President of South Africa from 1999 to 2005

39. Park elected South Korean President : Park Guen-hye, the daughter of former militarydictator Park Chung-hee, beat her opponent on 19 December 2012 in the South Koreanpresidential elections. Park is the country’s first woman President. She is the former headof the ruling Conservative Saenuri Party, had secured the necessary votes and defeatedMoon Jae-in, of the Democratic United Party.

40. Pak Cleared Anti-terror Bill : On 20 December Pakistan’s National Assembly passed abill that will give intelligence and security agencies sweeping powers to conductsurveillance and collect data from SMS’s and emails.The National Assembly or lower houseof parliament approved the “”Fair Trial Bill 2012 “” after incorporating amendmentsproposed by the main opposition PML-N and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which is partof the ruling coalition led by the Pakistan People’s Party.

41. U.S. House Passed Defense Bill : On 20 December US (United States) House ofRepresentatives passed the Defence Authorization Act of 2013. The bill authorizing 633.3billion – dollar in defense spending for 2013, easing limits on satellite exports andproviding more Marines for embassy security.

42. Napolitano Dissolved Italian Parliament : On 22 December Italian President GiorgioNapolitano dissolved Parliament following the resignation of Prime Minister Mario Monti.Italian Government under the leadership of Mario Monti brought forward a series ofausterity reforms backed by EU and business leaders.

43. Morsi signed on Egypt’s New Constitution : On 25 December Egyptian PresidentMohamed Morsi signed into law a new Islamist-drafted constitution. He signed adeclaration enforcing the charter late after the official announcement of the result of areferendum approving the basic law. Two-thirds of the members of the 270-seat councilwere elected earlier this year in a vote in which only 12 per cent of registered votersparticipated. The remaining 90 were appointed by Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist president.

44. Pakistan Recognised the Republic of Kosovo : On 26 December Pakistan Governmentofficially recognised Kosovo as an independent state, almost five years after it declaredindependence from Serbia on 17 February 2008. Pakistan is the 98th country among the



193 U.N-member states to recognise Kosovo .Kosovo is a small south east European statelies between Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro.

45. Palestinian Authority to be Named ‘State of Palestine’ : On 7 January PalestinianAuthority President Mahmoud Abbas has signed a decree changing the name of thePalestinian Authority to the “”State of Palestine,”" according to the organization’s officialnews agency.

46. Pakistani Supreme Court Orders Arrest of Prime Minister : On 15 January 2013Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered the arrest of the prime minister in connection with acorruption case linked to power projects. The Supreme Court gave authorities 24 hours toarrest Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and 16 others.This is the first in the history ofPakistan to arrest a Prime Minister. The orders of the Court came following the allegationsin connection with a corruption case linked to power projects, done during his office of theWater and Power Minister.

47. Obama Signed 23 Executive Orders on Gun Safety : On 16 January President BarackObama announced 23 executive actions on gun control laws, making them stricter,whichwould come into effect immediately after his signatures. One of these measures includerequiring the target shooters to keep their guns locked and also to ban military-styleassault weapons, high capacity magazine as well as to make the background checkmandatory.Obama announced that this was his attempt to keep children safe, keeping inview the massacre of Newtown where 20 first grade children along with six adults werekilled.

48. 140 Nations Agreed On Global Mercury Limits : On 19 January , More than 140nations have agreed on the first legally binding treaty to curb mercury pollution.Delegatesat UN discussed in Geneva approved measures to control the use of the highly toxic metal,which is widely used in chemical production and small-scale mining, in order to limitmercury emissions.The governments agreed to ban the production, export and import of arange of products containing mercury by 2020.The treaty has been discussed for fouryears, but it is only now that the negotiators agreed over the final version of thedocument. The treaty, known as the Minamata Convention on Mercury, provides controlsand reductions across a range of products and processes where mercury is used, releasedand emitted.

49. Milos Zeman Elected as Czech Republic new President : On 25 January A leftistcandidate Milos Zeman won the Czech Republic’s first presidential election decided bydirect vote.Milos Zeman, a former prime minister and head of the Citizens’ Rights Party,won with 54.8% of the vote.He defeated Karel Schwarzenberg, an aristocratic foreignminister with the TOP09 party, who garnered 45.2%.Zeman replaces Vaclav Klaus, whomust step down after serving the maximum of two terms.

INDIA & WORLD

1. EC signs MoU with South Korean counterpart : The Election Commission of India on01 August 2012 signed an MoU with its South Korean counterpart to help each other instrengthening the electoral processes and political culture. The Memorandum ofUnderstanding was signed by ChiefElection Commissioner of India V S Sampath on behalf of the poll panel and by JusticeNung Hwan Kim of the Republic of Korea at a brief ceremony. This is the 13th MoU signedby ECI with other countries and international election panels.

2. India-Israel Sign MoU on research programme : India and Israel on 02 August 2012entered into a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for launching a programme thatwould promote collaborative research across a wide range of disciplines from medical andinformation technology to social sciences, humanities and arts. The programme, which willrun for five years will provide support up to $1,00,000 a research project for three years.The MoU was signed by Chairman of the Israel science Foundation professor BenjaminGeiger and Chairman of University Grants Commission ved Prakash.

3. India, Monaco ink tax information exchange agreement :Tata Communications’payment solutions providing arm has bagged an exclusive order to install and managenearly 14,000 ATMs for all public sector banks in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, WestBengal,Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands by 2013—14.”Government of India



and Government of Principality of Monaco have signed a TaxInformation Exchange Agreement (TIEA) on 02.August 2012″.

4. 4. India, Iran & Afghanistan to expand trade,transit through Chabahar port: India,Iran and Afghanistan have moved one step closer to expand their trade and economic ties.At a trilateral meeting in Teheran, they agreed to work for expanding trade, investmentand transit cooperation through Chabahar port in Iran. A joint working group consisting ofthe representatives of the three countries will meet within the next three months inChabahar to expedite the process.

5. 5.India to help Sri Lanka set up SEZs :India will help Sri Lanka establish a specialeconomic zone to manufacture auto components in Trincomaee, commerce minister AnandSharma said in colombo on 03 August 2012. The SEZ would promote exports to theproduction chains in India.

6. 6. Indian Scientist , Amitabh Ghosh in NASA team helped choose Curiosity’slanding site : An Indian scientist, Amitabh Ghosh part of the NASA team which hadidentified the landing site of the ‘Curiosity’ rover on Mars on 6August 2012 described theSpot as “very exciting and holding “great promise”.

7. Pakistan asked India to register Oil Marketing: Companies (OMCs) with PakistanState Oil In the wake of New Delhi’s decision to allow pakistani investments, Islamabadhas asked India to register its oil marketing companies(OMCs) with Pakistani State Oil totake part in spot tenders forsupply of petroleum products such as petrol,diesel, furnace oil and petcoke.

8. India Ranked Second in Search Queries for Education on Google :Indian Rankedsecond in education queries on Google.After the US, Indian people from IIT Delhi and IIMAhmadabad were the most searched in their respective categories. India was Ranked 8thin 2008, at present it is behind only to the US.

9. TB screening for Indians seeking UK visa :From August 16, Indians planning to travelto UK for more than six months will be screened for tuberculosis before they are given avisa under a pre-entry TB screening programme extended to India. However, thescreening will not be required for those travelling for six months or less.The Home Officeannounced that all such applicants would be required to submit a certificate from a localclinic approved by the British Government to show that they are “TB-free’’. There will be afee of Rs 1500 for screening, to be borne by the applicant.

10. India gets first Embraer jet with Indian airborne radar tech : India, with taking thedelivery of the first Embraer 145 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) in Brazil on17 August 2012, moved one more step ahead in aerial security.India and Brazil signed adeal reportedly worth $ 210 million for the supply of three aircraft by 2014. This includes acomprehensive logistic package that entails training, technical support, supply of spareparts and ground support equipment.

11. Government extends ban on import of milk, milk products from China :The FoodSafety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has recommended the extension of theban till June 2013 or until further orders.The banned milk products include chocolate,chocolate products, candies, confectionery, food preparations with milk or milk solids asingredient.

12. Sonia is Sixth in Forbes list of 100 most powerful Women : The Forbes magazine on22nd August 2012 ranked united progressive Alliance(UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi thesixth most powerful woman in the world in the list of 100women.Germany ChancellorAngela Merkel got the first place. United States Secretary Hillary Clinton got the secondplace and Michelle Obama got the 7th Place.

13. Ranking by World Bank : As per the World Bank Report, India has been ranked at 132amongst the sample 183 Countries.Recognising the need for Reforming the RegulatoryEnvironment for doing business in India, a Committee under the Chairmanship of Shri. M.Damodaran has been constituted on 23 August 2012 by this ministry to extensivelyexamine different areasof root functioning such as financial reforms, governance reforms, liberalized policyframework,process reforms etc, and to suggest a roadmap for improving business climatein India.

14. Pak hails India’s move to allow FDI : Pakistan 01 August 2012 welcomed India’sdecision to allow Pakistani Foreign Direct Investment, saying the move will create goodwilland give a boost to efforts to normalise bilateral relations. Foreign Office spokesmanMoazzam Khan welcomed the Indian government’s decision to allow Pakistani investmentsin all areas except defence, space and atomic energy. Pakistan can explore sectors like



cement, textiles and sports for investments in India. Besides, the FDI proposals fromPakistan need to be cleared from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).

15. America Court Summons to Parkash Singh Badal : Punjab Chief Minister ParkashSingh Badal, who was served summons by a US court last month in a case of allegedcustodial torture and extra judicial killings of Sikhs, has sought dismissal of the motionagainst him or additional time of 90 days to defend the charges.The US District Court forthe Eastern District of Wisconsin had issued Summons against Badal on August 8 when hewas in Wisconsin on a private visit to attend a marriage ceremony.

16. No mobile connection for more than 3 months to any foreign tourist: Government: To check misuse of SIM cards, the government has asked Telecom Service Providers notto provide mobile connection for more than three months to any foreign tourist visitingIndia.According to the fresh guidelines, which have come into effect recently, theDepartment of Telecom (DoT) has told the service providers that the proof for issuance ofa mobile connection to any foreigner would be the passport having a valid visa.

17. India, Pakistan to ink 3 pacts to boost economic activity :Hoping that theforthcoming visit of External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna would lead to a liberal visaregime agreement, Commerce and Industry Minister, Anand Sharma, on 04th September2012, said India and Pakistan would soon ink three agreements in the areas of customsco-operation, mutual recognition of standards and redressal of trade issues to give a fillipto economic activity.

18. India, China to resume joint military exercises : India and China announced on 04thSeptember 2012 they would resume joint military exercises after a four-year gap, a movedesigned to build trust in the often prickly relationship between the world’s two mostpopulous nations.

19. Five Indian firms in Forbes list of world’s most innovative companies : Five Indiancompanies including Larsen & Toubro, Hindustan Unilever and Infosys are ranked onForbes magazine’s list of “The World’s Most Innovative Companies” topped by four UScompanies.Larsen & Toubro got the ninth rank,Hindustan Unilever got the 12th rank,Infosys got 19th rank,Tata Consultancy Services got 29th rank and Sun PharmaceuticalIndustries got 38th rank.Four US companies- Cloud computing king Salesforce.com, drugmajor Alexion Pharmaceuticals, internet retail giant Amazon.com and open source softwareleader Red Hat took the top four places.

20. India, Pakistan ink visa agreement : Pakistan and India have announced on 8thSeptember 2012 that they will ease tough visa restrictions, an important step forward inimproving relations between the nuclear armed neighbours.

21. ECIL to supply converters to international science centre : Public sector electronicmanufacturing firm, Electronic Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), has been selected tosupply power converters to the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), aninternational science centre at Darmstadt near Frankfurt in Germany.ECIL signed abilateral contract for supply of convertors with Bose Institute, designated nodal agency tocoordinate between various departments involved in the project.Accordingly, ECIL wouldbe involved in design, development, manufacturing and supply of around 500 ultra stablepower converters that cost around 7.5 million Euros (about Rs. 50 crore) of the totalIndian contribution of around 36 million Euros.

22. Onno Ruhl appointed World Bank country director for India : The World Bank hasappointed Onno Ruhl as the country director for India. He will replace Roberto Zagha, whoretires in October. Ruhl, a Dutch national, was previously the director for operationservices and quality in the South Asia region of the World Bank, the multi-lateral fundingagency.

23. Saudi Arabia, India hold talks on defence ties : The first meeting of the India-SaudiArabia joint committee on defence cooperation was held on 10th September 2012 at NewDelhi and both sides discussed proposals for exchange of high-level visits, training andfunctional exchanges in various areas.

24. India pledges $10-million for Palestine : The Prime Minister Manmohan 11thSeptember 2012 announced to an assistance of $10 million to Palestine’s budget for thisyear to help address its financial requirements.Prime Minister made this announcementafter signing three bilateral pacts – the areas of information and communicationtechnology, vocational training and education with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,who is at present in New Delhi for his three-day long state visit.

25. India, Pakistan trade bodies sign Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) : TheIslamabad Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry(IWCCI)and the Punjab, Haryana



and Delhi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) on 12th September 2012 signedan MoU to promote trade and investment and improve linkages between businesscommunities of the two countries.

26. Highest under-5 deaths in India : In the Child Mortality Estimates Report 2012published by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), India was placed at the top positionin the chart of 10 countries that topped on the chart. The other countries with their nameson the chart are Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, China, Pakistan, Indonesia,Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

27. Delhi, Mumbai among least expensive cities around world : A report released Fridayby the Swiss bank UBS, covering 72 cities in 58 countries Capital Delhi and financial hubMumbai are the least expensive cities and Tokyo is the most expensive city for food in theworld.

28. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation won work in Jakarta Metro Rail Project : Delhi Metrohas bagged the work of Management Consulting Services for building the Phase- I ofJakarta Mass Rapid System in Indonesia.This is the first time that Delhi Metro has got aproject outside the country since its inception in 1997.

29. Afghanistan, US, India hold first trilateral meeting : India, Afghanistan and the USheld their first trilateral meeting in New York on 25th September 2012.The major point ofdiscussion was on the situation in Afghanistan along with the issue of terrorism.

30. India ranks lower than China in global food security index : India has been ranked66, much lower than neighbouring China, in the 2012 Global Food Security Index releasedby the American chemical company DuPont on 26th September 2012.India is ranked 66 ,China (ranked 39) , Sri Lanka (ranked 62),Pakistan (ranked 75) and Bangladesh ( ranked 81) in the list of 105 countries.

31. India, Australia signs MoU to strengthen bilateral cooperation : India and Austrliahas signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 1st October 2012 for strengtheninglong-term relationship and bilateral Cooperation on Road and Rail Infrastructure.Theagreement was signed between the Minister of Railways and Road Transport andHighways, Dr. C.P.Joshi and visiting Federal Minister of Transport, Innovation andTechnology of Austrlia, Mrs. Doris Burse in New Delhi.

32. India, Austrlia tie up to develop ‘smart cities’ : India tie up with Austrlia to developtwo “smart cities” in all states with a host of modern features like intelligent transport andcarbon neutral status in each of the states in the second phase of the Jawaharlal NehruNational Urban Renewal mission.Initially half a million to one million population cities willbe developed as smart cities with the help of Austrian Institute of Technology who isexpertise in this field.

33. India gets $500 mn World Bank fund for secondary education : World Bank, themultilateral lending agency, and the government of India 5th October signed a loanagreement worth $ 500 million for Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) in thecountry.

34. India lags behind China, Pak in reducing hunger level :India lags behindneighbouring China, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in reducing hunger level, says the 2012 GlobalHunger Index (GHI) released by US-based International Food Policy and ResearchInstitute.India is ranked 65th out of 79 countries in GHI, behind China at 2nd place,Pakistan at 57 and Sri Lanka at 37.

35. IOC signs MoU with Korea Gas : Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), on 17th October 2012,entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Korea Gas Corporation (Kogas)for jointly exploring opportunities in exploration of oil and gas and LNG business.

36. Cabinet clears Rs 8,000cr missile purchase for armed forces : Proposals worth overRs 8,000 crore for procuring around 10,000 ‘Invar’ missiles from Russia for the Army’s T-90 tanks and over 200 air-launched versions of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles forthe IAF were cleared on 18th October 2012 by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).

37. India and Australia Sign Four Agreements of Cooperation : India and Australiaagreed to expand cooperation in security and Defence including fight againstterrorism.They also agreed to begin negotiations for an agreement on Civil Nuclear EnergyCooperation which will precede actual cooperation. Both the countries also signed fouragreements in the field of space science technology and education, cooperation in studentmobility and welfare, skill development and textiles.

38. Iran to complete gas pipeline work by year-end : Iran has said it was for India andPakistan to sort out issues related to the proposed Indo-Iran gas pipeline, even as it



committed itself to complete its part of 800 km of gas pipeline to India till Irani boundariesby the end of this year.

39. India, New Zealand sign five pacts to cooperate in field of education : India andNew Zealand signed five Memoranda of Understanding in the different fields of educationon 19th October 2012.

40. India, Switzerland to cooperate in Transport sector : India and Switzerland on 19thOctober 2012 discussed ways and means for enhancing cooperation in the field ofTransport sector including roads and Railways.

41. India & Pakistan may introduce a common currency called “Papee” : After takinginto consideration the decade long success of Euro, and due to increasing demands ofbusinessmen of India (and terrorists of Pakistan), both countries’ ruling leaders (i.e.India’s UPA, and Pakistan’s Military) are thinking about introducing a common currency forIndia and Pakistan.The name with the highest votes , is a word derived by adding “pa”from ‘Pa’kistan and “pee” from Indian Ru’pee’ i.e. “Papee”

42. Hyderabad is world’s 3rd best city to visit in 2013 : Hyderabad has been named asone of the best cities in the world to visit in 2013 by travel guide book Lonely Planetpublished on 22nd October 2012.The top 10 cities according to Lonely Planet to visit in2013 are San Francisco, Amsterdam, Hyderabad, Derry/Londonderry, Beijing,Christchurch, Hobart, Montreal, Addis Ababa and Puerto Iguazu.

43. India, Japan focus on expanding defence cooperation : India and Japan on 22ndOctober 2012 discussed ways to expand their security and defence cooperation at ameeting of their foreign and defence secretaries in Tokyo.

44. ‘Super 30’ ties up with Tokyo University : The ‘Super 30’ programme for trainingstudents of the backward sections for the IIT-JEE tied up on 24th October 2012 with theUniversity of Tokyo, which will sponsor study of its students in Japan.This agreement is afollow-up of the Japanese Government Program named Global 30, of engagement withSuper 30 for increasing the flow of Indian Students to Japan.

45. 7th SAFF begins in Goa: The Seventh South Asia Film Festival (SAFF)-2012 held atPanaji in Goa from.

46. India-US-Japan trilateral meet : The US’ ‘pivot-to-Asia’ policy, Iran, China-Japanmaritime dispute and South China Sea will be among the issues to be discussed during the3rd round of India-US-Japan Trilateral dialogue in New Delhi on 29th October 2012. Themeet will also focus on finding areas of cooperation between the three countries.

47. India to give financial assistance to Nepal’s Palpa District :India is to provide anassistance of four crore and thirty-three lakh Nepali rupees for Palpa District in WesternNepal on 31st October 2012.

48. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) lift export ban on some milkproducts: Amid surplus availability of milk powder in the country, the government is likelyto decide on 1st November 2012 on lifting ban on export of milk products, especiallywhole milk powder, dairy whitener and infant milk foods.

49. US included as dialogue partner of Indian Ocean countries:The US was inducted asa sixth dialogue partner in the 20-nation Indian Ocean Rim-Association for RegionalCooperation (IOR-ARC) grouping on 3rd November 2012.The ministers of countries whichare members of IOR-ARC decided unanimously to give the US the same status that theyhad earlier accorded to the United Kingdom, France, Egypt and Japan.

50. Agreement with World Bank for Assam road project:India has signed a 320-milliondollar loan agreement with the World Bank for road projects in Assam on 5th November2012.

51. Canada to allow civil nuclear trade with India : India and Canada signed anagreement on 6th November 2012 in New Delhi for bilateral Cooperation in civil nucleartrade. So, India imports Uranium from canada for civil nuclear reactors.

52. DRDO ties up with York University, Canada : Defence Research and DevelopmentOrganisation and York University, Canada signed a memorandum of understanding fordoing collaborative defence research in the areas of advanced materials, nanotechnology,life sciences, bio-informatics, chemical and biological defence, sensors, and others.

53. Indian-origin CEO of Datawind and MIT professor among Forbes’ top 15education innovators list :Indian-origin CEO of Datawind, the maker of India’s low-costtablet Aakash, Suneet Singh Tuli and Massachusettes Institute of Technology professorAnant Agarwal named by Forbes magazine among the 15 “classroom revolutionaries” whoare using innovative technologies to reinvent education for students and teachers globally.



54. Mahatma Gandhi Grandson elected to Kansas State Assembly : Mahatma Gandhigrandson Shanti Gandhi elected to a State Assembly in the United States from Kansas’s

52nd Assembly District as a Republican Party candidate during the general elections heldon 6 November 2012.

55. India and Afghanistan signed four agreements : India and Afghanistan signed fouragreements to cooperate in areas of social welfare, fertilizer, coal mining and youth affairson 12th November 2012.

56. Dr Ami Bera is the third Indian-American elected to the US House ofRepresentatives : An Indian-American physician from California became only the thirdperson of Indian-origin to be elected to the US House of Representatives by defeatingRepublican Dan Lungren with just 184 votes lead.

57. Japan signs pact to import rare earths from India : India and Japan on 16 November2012 inked a strategic agreement on ”Tokyo to import rare earth minerals from India”.

58. Maldivian Airlines inks pact with Apollo Hospitals : Maldivian Airlines on 19November 2012 had signed a pact with the Chennai-headquartered Apollo Hospitals togive discounts to each others’ clients. For example, Apollo Hospitals will give a discount onits service charges for those who fly the airline, and the airline will give similar discounts tothe hospital’s patients on the airfare.

59. India adds 22 items in the list of border trade with Myanmar : India had notified 22additional items including agricultural tools, bicycles, coal and garments in the list of itemsfor border trade with Myanmar.According to a study conducted by Confederation of IndianIndustry (CII), bilateral trade between India and Myanmar is expected to double by 2015from $1.3 billion, on the back of free trade agreement between New Delhi and ASEANregion.

60. India votes against UN resolution on death penalty ban : India was among the 39countries that voted against a UN General Assembly draft resolution which called forabolishing the death penalty, saying every nation had the “sovereign right” to determineits own legal system.

61. India, China joint economic strategy held at New Delhi : The Second India-ChinaStrategic Economic Dialogue was held in New Delhi on 26 November 2012. In this meetingChina and India discussed several topics including greater cooperation at the global level,strengthening communication on macroeconomic policies, deepening and expanding tradeand investment and promoting bilateral cooperation in the financial and infrastructuresectors. The bilateral trade between these two countries enhanced from $74 billion to $100billion.

62. India- Maldives joint military training exercises held at Belgaum : The fourth jointmilitary training exercises between the Indian Army and the Maldives National DefenceForce (MNDF) – EKUVERIN 2012 – was held in Belgaum from 12 to 25 November 2012.

63. Nitish Kumar, Hazare, Malala Among “The Top 100 Global Thinkers” List : On 2December According to the United States-based Foreign Policy magazine has released itslist of the “100 Top Global Thinkers” from 2012. The magazine has placed the Indians inthe list include Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who features way below at the 77thplace, Anna Hazare who has been placed at the 37th position for his anti-corruptioncrusade in the country. 15-year-old Pakistani child rights activist Malala Yousafzai at 6thposition, Aung San Suu Kyi is ranked first in list.

64. Bangladesh Agreed on Zero Line Fencing along Tripura Border : On 2 DecemberBangladesh had agreed to set up barbed wire fencing along zero line in nine stretches onthe Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura. According to the MHA communique, fencing alongzero line was to be allowed in 9 areas.

65. India & Japan Signed Currency Swap Agreement : India signed a bilateral swaparrangement (BSA) with the Bank of Japan to swap their local currencies for an amount of$15 billion for a three year period on 4 December 2012.The BSA will effect from 5December 2012.

66. India is Among Top Five Terror-Hit Nations : The Australian think tank released TheGlobal Terrorism Index (GTI) on 4 December 2012, according to this GTI, India, Pakistanand Afghanistan were among the nations most impacted by terrorism in 2011. In 2011,the Middle East, India, Pakistan and Russia were the areas most impacted by terrorism.India’s GTI rank was 4 out of the 159 countries surveyed. While Iraq stood at number1,Pakistan at number 2, Afghanistan at number 3 and Yemen was number 5.

67. Bangalore Best Indian City To Live : Bangalore ranks better than New Delhi, Mumbai,Chennai and Kolkata amongst Indian cities in overall global quality of living index,



according to a Mercer 2012 Quality of Living Survey.Bangalore’s overall quality of livingrank went up from 141 in 2011 to 139 in 2012 and is highest amongst other Indian cities.

68. India Ranked 94th Position in Corruption : Denmark, Finland and New Zealandtied for the first place in watchdog Transparency International’s 2012 index of the leastcorrupt countries. India is on 94th position in the Corruption Perceptions Index. Mostcorrupted nations are Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia in 174th positions.

69. US Extends Exemptions For India to Iran Oil Sanctions : On 8 December the USSecretary of State Hillary Clinton has extended exemptions to India, China ,South Korea,Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan from Iranian SanctionsAct mainly because of their significant reduction in oil import from Iran.The 9 countrieshave again qualified for an exception to sanctions outlined in Section 1245 of the NationalDefence Authorisation Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012, based on additional reductions inthe volume of their crude oil purchases from Iran.This is for the second time that countriesincluding India has received waiver from US under the Iranian sanctions act.

70. 3 Indian Projects among Strategic- Global Infrastructure Projects List : ThreeIndian projects have placed in the new york’s Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum “Top 100 Strategic Global Infrastructure Projects “ list. GIFT city (Gujarat International FinancialTech city), Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project (Maharashtra) and the HyderabadMetro Rail (HMR) project (Andhra Pradesh).

71. India, Ukraine Signed on Five Agreements : India and Ukraine on 10 December 2012signed on five agreements in New Delhi to enhance cooperation including in areas ofdefence, Nuclear, Science and Technology and also to remove barriers in trade andcommerce.

72. Indians ‘Largest Ethnic Minority Group in UK :On 11 December According to the2011 Britain population census record Indians are the largest ethnic minority group in theUK.With 1.5 percent of the Hindu religion became a third-largest religion in the nation’s.The Christian population in the country is also a drop in the statistics.. The Muslimcommunity population in the country’s fastest growing increased by 3 percent to 4.8.

73. India& Pak Signed on New Visa Agreement : The new Visa Agreement between Indiaand Pakistan on 14th December, 2012 at New Delhi. However, the Visa-on-Arrival willcome into effect from 15th January, 2013. Shri Sushilkumar Shinde, Home Minister ofIndia and Mr. A. Rehman Malik, Pakistan Interior Minister singed on the agreement.

74. Cell Phone Connections to exceed the World Population by 2014 : TheInternational Telecommunications Communication Union (ITU) to be designed and releasedInformation Society 2012 – Observe report on 11 December. According to the reportnumber of cell phone connections exceeding the world’s population by 2014. Now 6 billion(hundreds of millions) cell phone connections they will reach 730 Millions by 2014 .Thenthe world’s population is 700 crore.Already in Russia 1.8 times cell phone accounts morethan 25 million people.

75. Indians now Live Longer but in Poor Health in Old Age : According to the theprestigious British medical journal, ‘The Lancet ‘ report the life expectancy (LE) at birth ofan average Indian male has gone up by 15 years between 1970 and 2010. An averageChinese male is living 10 years longer than an Indian male, while a Chinese woman isliving 11.5 years longer than her Indian counterpart. An average American lives nearly 13years longer than an Indian.

76. World Malaria Report 2012 : According to the WHO “ World Malaria Report 2012” India,the country most affected by malaria in the South East Asian Region, is projected to see adecrease of 50-75 per cent in malaria case incidence by 2015.In South East Asia Region,Bhutan, Korea, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand have registered decreases of 75 per cent ormore in the incidence of microscopically confirmed malaria incidence rates between 2000and 2011.

77. Hinduism Third Largest Religion of World :According to the ‘ Pew research ‘ surveyreport Hinduism is the third largest religion of the world after Christianity , Islam and 97per cent of all Hindus live in the world’s three Hindu-majority countries (India, Mauritiusand Nepal), and nearly nine-in-ten Christians (87 per cent) are found in the world’s 157Christian majority countries.In the total world population 2.2 billion Christians (32 per centof the world’s population), 1.6 billion Muslims (23 per cent) around the world as of 2010.

78. India & Russia signed Rs 22,000 crore Defence Deals : India and Russia signeddefence deals worth around Rs. 22,000 crore ($4 billion) on 24 December. According tothis pact Russia will sell India 71 military helicopters for $1.3 billion and technological kitsto assemble 42 Sukhoi jet fighters for $1.6 billion.



79. India – Pakistan Exchanged Nuclear Unit’s Lists : On 1 January India and Pakistanexchanged their nuclear units’ lists , as it is customary since 20 years. The list whichcontains 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 thenuclear installations of each others’ nations.

80. Thousands of illegal Indian Migrants in UK : According to a 2012 UK Home Officereport, India has been named along with Pakistan, China, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh,Afghanistan, Vietnam, Brazil and Iran as the main sources of illegal immigration toBritain.What the report does not mention is how many of the 863,000 illegal migrants thatit says are living in the UK are students. This is a contentious area because critics of thecoalition government claim it is counting students among overall immigrants.

81. World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report :According to the World EconomicForum (WEF) report , India ranks lowest among the world’s major economies for itspreparedness to tackle global environmental risks and second-lowest for economicrisks.Switzerland is best placed among the world’s 10 major economies for adapting to orrecovering from global economic and environmental risks.While India is ranked 9th interms of its ability to tackle global economic risks, it comes last at 10th position forenvironmental risks.However, India fared relatively better at 6th position in terms of thegovernment’s risk management effectiveness.The US and China were ranked fourth andfifth respectively.

82. Indians Top the List of Working in Dream Jobs : According to survey conducted bynetworking website LinkedIn,Indians have emerged at the top of the list of people workingin 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 – 32percent 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 – 25 percent 17. UK – 21 percent

83. India – Vietnam Signed on Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises : On 15 JanuaryIndia and Vietnam signed an MoU aimed at building capacity for developing institutionalframework and identifying thrust areas and opportunities for micro, small and mediumenterprises in this country.The MoU was signed here between the Ministry of Planning andInvestments of Vietnam and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) ofIndia .

84. India and Sri Lanka signed Anti-terror, Tax evasion Agreements : On 22nd JanuaryIndia and Sri Lanka signed two separate agreements on combating international terrorismand avoidance of double taxation, eyeing elevation of “robust” bilateral ties to building ofa special economic partnership.The two key accords were signed after the 8th India-SriLanka Joint Commission meeting held at New Delhi , both countries discussed enhancedcooperation in a range of areas including civil nuclear energy.At the meeting, the Indianside was led by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid while the Lankans were led byhis counterpart G.L. Peiris.During the meet, both the parties also decided setting up of theSpecial Economic Zone at Trincomali and a textile and pharmaceutical cluster in Sri Lanka.

85. International Tea Producers Forum formed : On 22 January India, along with fiveother tea producing countries, has formed the International Tea Producers Forum (ITPF) atColombo.Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry D Purandesari signed thejoint 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 bodybut in future may get affiliated to Food & Agriculture Organisation of United Nations.

86. India , Bangladesh Signed Extradition and Visa Agreements : On 28 JanuaryBangladesh and India signed an extradition treaty and struck a deal to relax business visa

restrictions between the neighbouring countries. However, refusal provisions wereincorporated into the extradition treaty.Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde signed theagreement with his Bangladeshi counterpart Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir at the end of theirbilateral talks.

87. India Dropped to 140th Rank in Press Freedom : According to the report ReportersWithout Borders India has dropped nine places to the 140th rank in the list of 179countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index.China (173rd, +1) shows no sign ofimproving. Its prisons still hold many journalists and netizens, while increasingly unpopularInternet censorship 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 continue to be at the bottom of the list ashas been in the last three years

NATIONAL

1. Ban on SIMI upheld by Tribunal: A special tribunal has upheld the ban imposed by theCentre on Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), which has links with Pakistan-basedterrorist outfits including Lashkar-e-Taiba and its front, Indian Mujahideen. The HomeMinistry on February 3 extended the ban on SIMI by two more years.

2. India is the second-largest mobile phone user in world : India is the second-largestmobile phone user with over 900 million users in the world said Union Health MinisterGhulam Nabi Azad in London on 03 August 2012. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI) announced that the mobile users in India are increased to 93.4 crore.

3. Hamid Ansari re-elected as India’s 14th Vice President : Hamid Ansari has been re-elected as the 14th Vice President of India.He received 490 votes in his favour.His rival,BJP nominee Jaswant Singh polled 238 voted.He became the only person afterDr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan to get a second term.

4. PSCC recommends declaration of tea as ‘national drink’: The Parliamentary StandingCommittee on Commerce (PSCC) headed by BJP Rajya Sabha member Shanta Kumar hasrecommended declaration of tea as a ‘national drink‘.Stating this at Palampur on Friday,Kumar said the 102nd report of the Committee on the Tea Industry had placed in bothhouses of the Parliament that 96 percent to 99 percent people in both Urban and Ruralareas of the country consume tea and as such it has already acquired the status of anational drink.

5. NRHM to be expanded to towns also : The government will expand the scope of theNRHM(National Rural Health Mission) to all towns and cities, by converting it into aNational Health Mission(NHM).

6. Mobile base Station radiation limit will be cut from September 1 : The Uniongovernment has told parliament that exposure limit of radio frequency fields(base stationemissions) will be brought down to one-tenth of the existing level from 1st September2012,because they receive petitions in High Courts and Supreme Court on fears of healthhazards like cancer from mobile tower radiations.RF signals produced by base stations arecaused for short and long term health effects.

7. Complete ban on child labour below 14 approved by Cabinet : The Union Cabinet on28th August 2012 approved a proposal for amending the Child Labour (Prohibition andRegulation) Act, 1986, to ban employment of children aged up to 14 in any form ofindustry. It will be an offence to employ such children not only in factories or industries butalso in homes or on farms, if their labour is meant to serve any commercial interest.

8. Supreme court upholds death sentence for Kasab : The Supreme court has upheldthe death sentence for pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab in the 26/11/2008 Mumbai terrorattack.

9. 2% Reservation to Sports Persons : Youth Services and Sports – Sports Policy -Incentives to Sports Persons – Extension of Sports Reservation to Two (2%) to meritorioussports persons in direct recruitment in Government Departments / Undertaking / Grant –in – Aid Institutions at all levels – Instructions and Guidelines – Notification Orders Issued.

10. Sebi plans investor website in 13 Indian languages : Market regulator Sebi isplanning to soon offer its investor website in as many as 13 Indian languages, besides theexisting one in English, to spread awareness among investors and to help resolve theirgrievances.

11. Supreme Court lifts ban on iron ore mining in Karnataka: Supreme Court partiallylifts ban on iron ore mining in Karnataka on 3rd September 2012, on the basis of therecommendations of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC). CEC divides the leases ofiron ore mines in three categories A,B,C.marginal irregularities and no irregularities ofleases come under A category, most irregularities in leases come under Ccategory,moderate irregularities come under B category.The Supreme Court has lifted thebanwould only be effective in 18 category A mines, subject to their compliance withstatutory clearances.The ban will continued on the remaining leases.



12. Lok Sabha passed two Bills on 3rd September 2012 : Lok Sabha passed two bills on3rd September 2012 They are 1.Sexual harassment may mean loss of businesslicence:Non-compliance with the provisions of the law will be punishable with a fine of upto Rs 50,000. Repeated violations may lead to higher penalties and cancellation of licenceor registration to do business.2.National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) expansion billpassed

13. 4.6 magnitude quake rocks Ladakh, no impact in Kashmir : A 4.6 magnitude quakerock Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir on 4th September 2012 afternoon. However, itwas not felt in the Kashmir valley.Its epicentre was in Southern Xinjiang China, located ata distance of 327 km from Leh.

14. MGNREGA work days raised to 150, crop loans cut to 7% : Empowered Group ofMinisters(EGoM) on drought headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar decided toincrease the number of guaranteed work days under Mahatama Gandhi National RuralEmployment Guarantee (MGNREGA) to 150 days and cut interest rates on crop loans to 7percent for one year for the farmers in drought-affected states.

15. Women and Child Development Ministry launched a Web Portal named TrackChild : The Union Women and Child Development Ministry on 18 September 2012 decidedto launch a web portal named Track Child, which will serve as a central database of allthose children who have gone missing in different parts of the country. The portal will actas a coordination mechanism between child homes, police departments and stategovernments.

16. Govt launches Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme : The Finance Minister PChidambaram on 21st September 2012 cut withholding tax on overseas borrowings to 5percent from 20 percent and approved the Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme(RGESS).While the RGESS is aimed at encouraging first time retail investors to invest instock markets through tax concessions, the cut in withholding tax to 5 percent seeks tolower the cost of foreign borrowings by the Indian companies.The RGESS will give taxbenefits to new investors who invest up to Rs 50,000 and whose annual income is belowRs 10 lakh.

17. C P Joshi given additional charge of Railways : Union Minister of Road Transport andHighways C P Joshi has been assigned the additional charge of the Ministry of Railways inplace of Mr Mukul Roy, who was among the six Ministers who resigned from the UnitedProgressive Alliance (UPA) government 22nd September 2012.

18. Election Commission Ban the usage of animal and birds in poll campaign : TheElection Commission of India (ECI) on 26th September 2012 issued an order banning theuse of animals and birds by political parties during campaigns. People for the EthicalTreatment of Animals (PETA) India said that following repeated requests by animal activist,the Election Commission asked political parties and candidates to refrain from usinganimals for their campaigns.

19. FICCI urges Centre to ban bauxite exports : Trade body Federation of IndianChambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has urged the Union ministry of commerceand industry to ban bauxite exports fearing closure of alumina refineries for shortage ofthe key raw material required to produce alumina.

20. Supreme Court directs Centre and states to provide basic facilities to students :The Supreme Court on 3rd October 2012 directed all schools across the country to providebasic infrastructure facilities like drinking water and toilets to school children within sixmonths and failure to implement will be viewed seriously. The order was passed on apetition filed by an NGO Environmental and Consumer Protection Foundation.

21. Kejriwal forms political party, promises to change the system : Social activistArvind Kejriwal added a new dimension to his movement against corruption as he formallylaunched his political party and said it belonged to the people of the nation. :

22. Ministry of Rural Development Launched Nirmal Bharat Yatra : Ministry of ruraldevelopment on 3 October 2012 started a campaign named Nirmal Bharat Yatra whichfocuses on making the country free from open defecation.The yatra will begin from WardhaDistrict of Maharashtra from 3 october 2012 and will go through Indore, Kota, Gwalior, andGorakhpur and end up in Bettiah district of Bihar on November 17, covering about 2000km of distance.

23. SC orders new survey to identify bonded labour : The Supreme Court on 15thOctober 2012 directed all states and Union Territories to conduct fresh surveys to identifybonded labour problems in the country and regretted that a large number of childrencontinue to work as domestic help even after the enactment of the Right to Education Act.



24. Centre to launch Aadhaar based delivery system : The much awaited Aadhaarenabled system for direct cash transfer to beneficiaries under social schemes such asMNREGA and pension will be launched on 19th October 2012 by PM Manmohan Singh atDudu, Rajasthan.

25. India’s infant mortality rate drops : India’s infant mortality rate (IMR) has come downby three points from 47 to 44 deaths per 1,000 live births during 2011.

26. Centre, states sign MoU for broadband linking of villages : The Central governmenthas signed a tripartite agreement with 16 states and union territories and a specialpurpose vehicle Bharat Broadband Network Ltd (BBNL) has been launched to expedite themission of connecting every gram panchayat with broadband network.

Reshuffling of Central Cabinet

Cabinet Ministers PortfolioM. Veeerappa Moily Petroleum & Natural GasS. Jaipal Reddy Science & Technology and Earth ScienceKamal Nath Urban Development & Parliamentary AffairsVayalar Ravi Overseas Indian AffairsKapil Sibal Communications & Information TechnologyC.P. Joshi Road Transport & HighwaysKumar Selja Social Justice & EmpowermentPawan Kumar Bansal RailwaysSalman Khursheed External AffairsJairam Ramesh Rural DevelopmentK. Rahman Khan Minority AffairsDinsha J. Patel MinesAjay Maken Housing & Urban Poverty AlleviationM.M. Pallam Raju Human Resource DevelopmentAshwani Kumar Law & JusticeHarish Rawat Water ResourcesChandresh Kumar Katoch Culture

Ministers of State with Independent Charge

Portfolio

Jyotiraditya Madharao Scindia PowerK.H. Muniappa Micro, Small & Medium EnterprisesSachin Pilot Corporate AffairsJitendra Singh Youth Affairs & SportsManish Tewari Information & BroadcastingK. Chiranjeevi Tourism

Ministers of State PortfolioE. Ahamed External AffairsD. Purandeswari Commerce & IndustryJitin Prasada Defence & Human Resource DevelopmentS. Jagathrakshakan New & Renewable EnergyR.P.N. Singh HomeK.C. Venugopal Civil AviationRajeev Shukla Parliamentary Affairs & PlanningShashi Tharoor Human Resource DevelopmentKodikunni Suresh Labour & EmploymentTariq Anwar Agriculture & Food Processing IndustriesK.J. Surya Prakash Reddy RailwaysRanee Narah Tribal AffairsAdhir Ranjan Chowdhury RailwaysA.H. Khan Choudhury Health & Family Welfare



Sarvey Sathyanarayana Road Transport & HighwaysNinong Ering Minority AffairsDeepa Dasmunsi Urban DevelopmentPorika Balram Naik Social Justice & EmpowermentKruparani Killi Communication & Inforamtion TechnologyLalchand Kataria Defence

Resigned Cabinet Ministers PortfolioS.M. Krishna External AffairsAmbika Soni Information and BroadcastingMukul Wasnik TourismMahadev Khandela Minister of State Justice and Empowerment

27. President Pranab Mukherjee released a commemorative postage stamp on lateRamgopal Maheshwari : President Pranab Mukherjee released a commemorativepostage stamp on late Ramgopal Maheshwari on 20 November 2012.

28. Arvind Kejriwal launches Aam Admi Party : Arvind Kejriwal announced the name forhis newly launched party as “Aam Admi Party” on 24 November 2012 in New Delhi.

29. Bangalore among top polluted megacities in the world : India’s silicone valleyBangalore was rated among top polluted megacities in the world, claims a new study,using data collected by NASA’s high-tech satellites.Scientists at Tel Aviv University trackedpollution trends for 189 megacities, including Mumbai, New York City and Tokyo, byanalysing eight years’ worth of data from three of NASA’s high-tech aerosol monitoringsatellites.

30. Sexual Assault a Gender-Neutral Offence Bill Passed by Lok Sabha : The CriminalLaw (Amendment) Bill, replacing the word ‘rape’ by the phrase ‘sexual assault’ and seekingto widen the scope of the offence passed by Lok Sabha on 4 December. Both men andwomen could soon be able to invoke the provisions of a criminal law in case of sexualassault .The amendment bill expands the definition so that cases of sexual assault wherevictims were male would fall under the same law along with cases where victims werewomen.

31. Cabinet Approved Naval Base Phase II of Project “Seabird “ : On 7 December TheCabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared a Rs 13,500 crore major expansion plan ofthe strategic Karwar naval base Phase II Alpha of the project “Seabird “in Karnataka is setto become the country’s biggest Naval base by 2025. The Karwar naval base is India’sthird major naval base after Mumbai and Visakhapatnam on the east coast.

32. Over 7 Crore Unemployed Youth in India : According to the National Sample SurveyOffice (NSSO) report an approximate 7 crore youth people in India are either unemployedor under-employed. The figures were revealed by Labour and Employment MinisterMallikarjun Kharge in Rajya Sabha.”As per results of the latest survey conducted by NSSOduring 2009-10, the number of unemployed or under-employed persons on usual statusbasis in the country was 95 lakhs and about six crore respectively.

33. Rajya Sabha Passed SC/ST Quota Bill : A Constitution 117th amendment bill providingfor quota for SCs and STs in government job promotions was on December 17 passed byRajya Sabha.

34. Unlawful Activities Amendment Bill Passed by Rajya Sabha : On 20 DecemberParliament passed a bill that makes economic offences, including circulation of highquality counterfeit currency, a terrorist act.The Rajya Sabha passed Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2012 by voice vote while several parties. The bill wasalready passed by Lok Sabha.

35. LokSabha Approved Company Bill 2011 : On 18 December Lok Sabha passed theCompanies Bill 2011 paving the way for a new modern company law.The Bill is aimed atimproving corporate governance. It contains provisions to strengthen regulations forcorporate as well as auditing firms.

36. Banking Bill passed by Lok Sabha : The Banking Laws Amendment Bill, 2011, havebeen passed in the Lok Sabha on 20 December .The amendments pave the way for theReserve Bank of India (RBI) to issue new bank licences, and also opens door for moreforeign investment into the sector.



37. Usha Mehra commission for Delhi incident victim Nirbhaya’s Case : A femalephysiotherapy intern student Nirbhaya beaten and gang raped in Delhi on 16 Decemberand died on 29 December while undergoing emergency treatment in Singapore for brainand gastrointestinal damage from the assault.The government has formed a committee ofenquiry under justice Usha Mehra to reconstruct the events leading to the incident identifylapses by police and other agencies and fix responsibility for the crime.

38. Microsoft Launches 14 Innovation Centres in India : Microsoft Corporation (India)Pvt. Ltd had launched 14 Microsoft Innovation Centres (MICs) in India. It has signedagreements with leading academic institutions across four States.As part of the globalprogramme, which currently has 75 MICs, Microsoft aims to launch a 100 such centres inIndia in the next two years.

39. Govt Launched Direct Cash Transfer Scheme in 20 Districts : On 1 January 2013The government launched its scaled down Cash Transfer Benefit (CBT) in 20 districts,butfood, fertiliser and fuel subsidies will not be covered in the initial phase. All 26 schemes areready for rollout. On 1 January 2013 the seven schemes in which payout is due in the (20selected) districts, the money will be transferred through the direct benefit transfer systemusing the UIDAI platform.The scheme is going to be rolled out in 43 districts by 1 March2013, 20 districts from January 1, 11 districts from February 1 and 12 districts from March 1. By end of 2013, the direct cash benefit transfer will be rolled out in all the districts ofthe country.

40. PA Sangma launched National People’s Party : PA Sangma, who broke away withthe NCP in 2012 to contest the presidential elections, though unsuccessfully, on 05January 2013 launched National People’s Party (NPP), and chosen a book as its symbol.Sangma has chosen to align his party with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

41. President Released Stamps on Swami Vivekananda : On 12 January The President,Shri Pranab Mukherjee released the Commemorative Postage Stamps, at theCommemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, in New Delhi .

42. Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2012 : On 17 January According to theAnnual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2012 report has found that learning levels havedipped to an all-time low. So, almost half the 6-7 year-olds (Class I) in India cannot readeven one letter in any language, over 57% cannot read any English while almost 40%cannot recognize numbers between 1 and 9.The 12.8% children between Class I and Vcould not read a single letter while 10.7% could not recognize numbers 1 to 9. Thenumber of children in Class V who could read Class II text fell from 53.7% in 2010 to 46.8% in 2012. In 2010, seven out of 10 children could solve a two-digit subtractionproblem with borrowing. This has come down to five out of 10 in 2012.

STATES

1. Orissa is the first state to provide e-payment : facility for government employeesOrissa became the First Indian state to provide epayment facility for governmentemployees from 1 August 2012.Now, the government employees in the state will receivetheir salaries and pensionsthrough the online Portal of Reserve Bank of India.Employees received their salaries andpensions directly to their bank account.

2. Keshubhai Patel launched Gujarat Parivartan (GPP) Party : Former Chief Minister ofGujarat, Keshubhai Patel launched Gujarat Parivartan (GPP) Party on 6 August 2012.Keshubhai Patel and the former union textile minister Kanshiram Rana resigned fromBhartiya Janta Party (BJP) on 4 August 2012. This Party would contest all the 182 seats inGujarat assembly elections which will be held by the end of 2012.

3. Himachal Bagged top slot in Environment Index :Environment PerformanceIndex(EPI)-2012 compiled on July Month.According to the Survey Report conducted acrossall 28 states and 7 Union territories, the EPI is an Indication of the “ Environmental well-being of a state”. Himachalbagged first and Andhra Pradesh bagged Second. The rankings, the report added, have



been decided based on five broad parameters: air pollution, forests, water quality, wastemanagement and climate change.

4. MJP merges with Keshubhai party : The anti-Narendra Modi factions in the BharatiyaJanata Party(BJP)in Gujarat under one umbrella, the Mahagujarat Janata Party(MJP),formed five years ago, was on 8 August 2012 merged with the Gujarat ParivartanParty(GPP) formed by the former Chief Minister and Mr. Modi’s arch rival Keshubhai Patel.

5. Maharashtra bans Bt cotton seeds : The Maharashtra government has banned the saleand distribution of the genetically modified Bt cotton seeds of Maharashtra Hybrid SeedsCompany (Mahyco), a partner of US multinational Monsanto, in the state with immediateeffect for supplying inferior quality seeds. “The government has banned the Mahycocompany with immediate effect,”agriculture commissioner Umakant Dangat told IANS(Indo-Asia News Service) 9 August2012, when asked about the canceling of the company’s license.

6. Haryana to ban food articles containing Nicotine and Tobacco : Haryanagovernment will impose a complete banon food articles containing nicotine and tobaccofrom 2012 August 15.

7. House Sparrow declared “State Bird of Delhi” : The good old house sparrow, which isbecoming rarer by the day, has been declared “State Bird of Delhi” by Chief Minister SheilaDikshit as part of a new campaign to save the species and enhance awareness about theirlife and habitat.High court imposed a fine of Rs.5000 rupees to State Government for theappointment of DGP

8. The State Government challenged the Central : Administrative Tribunal(CAT) order inthe High Court. Ironically for the State, the High Court imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on thegovernment, while declaring the appointment of Dinesh Reddy in the post of DGP asinvalid.

9. Drug Trial Related Deaths Highest in Maharastra : According to data released by theDrug Controller General of India Maharastra has recorded the maximum deaths number ofdeaths due to serious adverse events (SAEs) during drug trials, while Madhya Pradesh sawthe least number of such deaths.During the 49 months period (January 2008 to January2012) , the country had recorded the 2,061 drug trial related deaths. while maharastrarecorded maximum number of deaths 268 deaths to stand first among top five states.It isfollowed by Andhra Pradesh (153), Delhi/National Capital Region (97), Gujarat (87) andKarnataka (78). The number of deaths in Maharashtra was over 10 times that of MadhyaPradesh, which is the lowest among the top 10 States. :

10. Delhi launched the Kerosene-free Delhi scheme : Delhi Government set to launch anambitious scheme(Kerosene-free Delhi scheme ) on 21st August 2012 under which 3.56lakh households will get LPG cylinder and a gas stove free of cost.

11. Punjab Approves Rs.93crore Milk Production Scheme : The Punjab Government hasstarted a special programme to increase the milk production in the state by spendingRs.93crore during 2012-13. This was announced by Dairy Development Minister GulzarSingh Ranike. Punjab government has bought 3 lakh doses of foreign semen from Americaand Canada for improvement of cow breeds in the state.

12. Uttarakhand Cabinet increases age limit for jobs : Uttarakhand Cabinet the maximumage limit for government jobs had been increased from 35 to 40 years for general categorycandidates from 21 August 2012 onwords.Candidates belonging to other categories wouldalso get the benefit of the decision accordingly.

13. ‘Odisha tops in FDI proposals; Andhra, Gujarat next’ : Odisha attracted the largestvalue of investments from foreign direct investment (FDI) proposals filed in 2011-12,followed by Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.Odisha garnered 27 per cent of the totalinvestments (worth about Rs 49,527 crore), though barely 17 FDI proposals were filedfor the State. Andhra Pradesh ranked second with a share of about 19 per cent throughabout 70 proposals, attracting investment worth about Rs 33,936 crore.Gujarat, whichreceived 131 FDI proposals, ranked third with a share of over 11 per cent attractingproposed investment worth Rs 20,258 crore.

14. Jaane Apna Rajasthan’ scheme for NRIs : The Rajasthan Government on 27 Auglaunched a scheme aimed at making the young non-resident Indians(NRIs) familiar, withthe culture and traditions of the state under the ‘ Jaane Apna Rajasthan’(Know yourRjasthan)scheme announced by the chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. According to this schemethe NRIs who visit Rajasthan will be taken around” historical places, tourist



attractions,sanctuaries,famous educational institutions, ancestral villages and majorIndustrial projects” will be shown to them . :

15. HC(High Court) fixes quota in local bodies at 50 percent : The AP High Court on 04September 2012 ruled that the combined reservations for Backward Classes, ScheduledCastes and Scheduled Tribes in the Panchayat Raj local bodies should not exceed theupper ceiling of 50 per cent.The court directed the state to cut the quota for BCs and bringthe cumulative figure down to 50 per cent. :

16. Bill for special status for six districts in Hyderabad-Karnataka region introduced :In the Lok Sabha on 7th September 2012 ,Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde introduceda Bill to amend the Constitution and thus provide a special status to the Hyderabad-Karnataka region , under a new Article 371(J).Once it is approved by Parliament theHyderabad-Karnataka region covering six backwards districts – Bidar, Gulbarga, Koppal,Yadgir, Raichur and Bellary – will get more central funds for development and will be onpar with the Telananga region of Andhra Pradesh. Besides, there will be reservation in jobsand education for the locals. :

17. Supreme Court issues notice to Tamil Nadu government on 69 per centreservation : The Supreme Court 10th September 2012 issued a notice to Tamil Nadugovernment on a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the 69 per centreservation by the state government in employment and educational institutions. Thepetition, filed by students, challenged the government’s decision to exceed the 50 per centlimit in reservation mandated by the Mandal Commission judgement.The ten studentpetitioners from Tamil Nadu had approached the Court after failing to secure admission tothe Medical College despite having secured 198/200.

18. Punjab government amends Canal and Drainage Act : The offence of “theft of canalwater” can now attract both fine and 6 months imprisonment after an amendment in thelaw relating to canals and drainage.Punjab Irrigation Minister, Janmeja Singh Sekhoninformed that the Punjab government has amended section 70 of the Act for this. :

19. NHRC issues notice to Maharashtra over farm suicides: The National Human RightsCommission (NHRC) has sought a reply from the Maharashtra government over sevenfarm suicides that took place last week within a span of 72 hours in the state’s Vidarbharegion.A total of 528 farmers have committed suicide in the Vidarbha region between Jan 1and Sep 2 this year.

20. Ban on gutka in Delhi comes into effect : A blanket ban on manufacturing, sale,storage and display of all gutka products in the national capital came into effect from 13thSeptember 2012. States like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Kerala, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh andBihar have already announced ban on gutka products. A similar comprehensive ban cameinto effect in Gujarat from 12th September 2012.

21. Haryana government institute awards for women : Haryana government hasinstituted four state-level awards to felicitate women who have done outstanding work indifferent fields. These are 1.Indira Gandhi Mahila Shakti Award(given to those engaged inpromoting self help groups or women empowerment initiatives, established their ownbusiness or industry and have contributed to development of women besidesentrepreneurship and done exemplary work in public service.) 2.Kalpna Chawla ShauryaAward(who perform acts of bravery and meritorious services) 3.Bahin Shano DeviPanchayti Raj Award(exemplary work in promoting female literacy, health and nutrition,universalisation of education, sanitation, water, hygiene and other health determinants)and 4.Life time Achievers Award( given to woman of 60 years of age or above, who hasexcelled in administrative skills, career or profession, leadership quality, courage andcreative work) and Women Outstanding Achievers Award(women who have donecommendable work in their respective fields)

22. Door-to-door cancer campaign in Punjab : Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badalsanctioned the “biggest ever” door-to-door campaign for a symptoms-based early

detection and awareness about cancer.At least 50,000 personnel and volunteers wouldvisit 54 lakh households in 12,603 villages and 217 census towns, for the exercise thatbegins in Faridkot district on October 2.

23. In Goa Housewives with family income less than Rs 3 lakh to get Rs 1000 to fightinflation : Housewives in Goa just got a breather from rising inflation, the BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP)-led coalition government on 2nd October 2012 launched a scheme toprovide an allowance of Rs 1,000 a month to housewives in households whose annualincomes are less than Rs 3 lakh.



24. EC announces dates for assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh :TheElection Commission on 3rd October 2012 announced dates for Gujarat and HimachalPradesh Assembly elections. While Gujarat will have elections in two phases – December13 and 17, Himachal Pradesh will vote on November 4. The counting for both the assemblyelections will take place on December 20.

25. UP government announces ban on gutka industry from April 2013 : On 3rd October2012 Uttar Pradesh government decided to impose a ban on gutka industry in the statewith effect from April 2013.

26. Supreme Court bans mining activities in Goa : In Goa, the Supreme Court imposed acomplete ban on the mining activities as well as transportation of iron and manganese oreon 5th October 2012.

27. Arvind Kejriwal launches ‘bijli-paani satyagraha’ in Delhi : Activist Arvind Kejriwalon 6th Octomber 2012 launched a ‘bijli-paani satyagraha’ in Delhi to protest against“inflated” power and water bills and hike in tariffs by restoring electricity connection to thehousehold of a labourer which was disconnected for non-payment of bills.

28. EC fiat to Himachal Pradesh : On 7th October 2012 The Election Commission (EC)stopped the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh from distributing free PDS bags carrying

photographs of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.29. Maharashtra tribals demand ban on alcohol : Tribal women from Maharashtra’s

Chandrapur have sent 80,000 postcards to Chief Miniter Prithviraj Chavan asking to makethe district liquor-free.

30. UPRVUNL, NLC to set up thermal plant at Ghatampur : The UP Rajya Vidyut UtpadanNigam Ltd (UPRVUNL) and the central government PSU Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd(NLCL) signed a joint venture agreement (JVA) to set up a 2,000 MW thermal power plantat Ghatampur (Kanpur) on 7th October 2012 .

31. Union Government ruled out the decision of Cauvery River Authority : Decision of the Cauvery River Authority was ruled out by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 8October 2012. The Prime Minister ordered Karnataka to release 9000 cusecs of water toTamil Nadu every day, till 20 October 2012.

32. Railways put 400 CCTVs at 10 stations to improve security system : The Delhidivision of Northern Railway authorities have completed the installation of 400 CCTVs at10 stations with Rs. 20 crore to ensure better security and mobility at its stations.Only inthe New Delhi Railway station they installed more than 100 CCTV cameras as part of anintegrated security system (ISS).

33. President’s son Abhijit Mukherjee wins Jangipur Lok Sabha by-poll : AbhijitMukherjee, son of President Pranab Mukherjee and Congress candidate, on 13th October2012 won the Jangipur Lok Sabha by-election by 2,536 votes defeating the CPI-M rivalMuzaffar Hussain. :

34. Union Power Ministry gave its Nod to Implement Islanding Scheme in Delhi : TheUnion Power Minister Veerapa Moily on 17 October 2012 announced the implementation ofIslanding Scheme for Delhi by January 2013 to protect it from massive disruptions causeddue to grid failures in power supply. The scheme of Delhi is different to that of the existingones in cities like Mumbai and Kolkata because the transmission lines of different states isrouted through Delhi.

35. Haryana to give Rs.11,000 to couples at mass weddings : The Haryana Governmenthas announced on 20th October 2012 that it will give Rs.11,000 to each newly weddingcouple at a mass marriage.

36. Uttarakhand Named best Performing States in terms of Environmental standards : The state of Uttarakhand on 29 October 2012 tops the Environmental Performance Index(EPI) list of being best-performing States and Union territories in terms of environmentalwell-being released by Planning Commission.

37. 50% reservation for women in Assam Panchayat Elections : The Assam StateElection Commission has announced 50 per cent reservation of seats for women in theforthcoming panchayat polls as stated by State Election Commissioner Biren Dutta on 9thNovember 2012

38. Chain of static sensors positioned along the coast of Andhra Pradesh : UnionMinister of State for Defence Jitendra Kumar inaugurated a chain of static sensorspositioned along the coast of Andhra Pradesh at a programme organised at the CoastGuard district headquarters Visakhapatnam on 23 November 2012.This will improvesurveillance along coast.



39. Ban on plastic bags comes into force in New Delhi : The ban on manufacture, saleand use of most types of plastic bags in the Capital came into force on on 23 November2012

40. Delhi Government Launched “Delhi Annshri Yojna” : UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhiwas launched a major food security programme of Delhi Government “Delhi Annshri Yojna”on 15 December 2012.under which a monthly cash subsidy of Rs. 600 will be transferreddirectly into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of the senior-most female members of two lakhpoor families.

41. BJP Won in Gujarat Assembly Elections : The BJP registered its fifth consecutivevictory in Gujarat on 20 December 2012.This is the third victory under Modi leadership.BJP won the 115 seats. Congress won the 61 seats. Modi won by a landslide fromManinagar constituency in Gujarat, beating his nearest Congress party rival Shweta Bhattby a margin of 86,373 votes.

42. Congress has won Himachal Pradesh Elections : The Congress returned to power inHimachal Pradesh after five years, defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party in the HimachalPradesh State Assembly elections conduced on 4 November 2012.The Congress secured 36seats and the BJP 26 seats. The Congress Leader Virbhadra Singh won from Shimla (Rural)constituency and defeated the rival from BJP Ishwar Rohal by 19033 Votes.

43. Meghalaya Passed Lokayukta Bill 2012 : On 14 December the Meghalaya LokayuktaBill, 2012 was passed in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly and replaced the existingLokayukta Act, 2002 amidst opposition from legislators. The new act under the lokayuktabill covered the chief minister, governor and all public servants, but allowed the stategovernment through a clause to exclude the complaints by citing public interest.

44. Madhya Pradesh Government Set Up a Senior Citizen Commission : On 21December the Madhya Pradesh Government has set up a Senior Citizen Commission tolook into problems of the elderly in the State.

45. Assam Government Announced Special Health Scheme : On 12 December Assamgovernment announced that 50 riverine public health centres would be set up in the statesoon under the National Rural Health Mission.The public health centres would be locatedprimarily in the districts of Barpeta, Dhubri, Goalpara and Darrang.

46. 30% Reservation for Rural Candidates in Assam Govt. Jobs : Assam Chief MinisterTarun Gogoi on 26 December 2012 announced that 30 per cent state government jobs willbe reserved for candidates belonging to rural areas from 2013.

47. Odisha Launched ‘ Public Service Delivery System ‘: On 2 January The Odishagovernment launched the much-sought after ” Public Service Delivery System ” for citizensunder 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 tradelicense within a stipulated time.Odisha is among the 12th state to implement the law.

48. Haryana Government announced Kanyadan Scheme for Bride participants of MassMarriages : The Government of Haryana on 3 January 2012 announced its plan oflaunching a Kanyadan Scheme in the state for brides participating in the mass marriageceremony, which would be organised by any of the registered NGO or the Red CrossSociety. The scheme would carry an incentive amount of 11000 rupees and would comeinto 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 girlbelongs.

49. Arunachal Pradesh Collaborated with NSDL for Adoption of National PensionScheme : On 9 January The state of Arunachal Pradesh entered into an agreement withsigning of MoU with National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL), permitting it to work as aCentral 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 andArunachal Pradesh is the 26th State to adopt it.

50. 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 Reserve Bankof India (RBI) Governor and present Rajya Sabha Member Bimal Jalan.The top state inIndia in (terms of) economic freedom in 2011 was western Indian state Gujarat. Itdisplaced southern Indian state Tamil Nadu which had been at the top in 2009.Gujaratfreedom index has been rising fast and estimated at 0.64 points. The biggestimprovement has been registered by Madhya Pradesh with freedom index score rose from 0.42 in 2009 to 0.56 in 2011 enabling it to move up from sixth to third position.



51. Assembly polls in Tripura,Meghalaya and Nagaland on Febrauary : Assemblyelections in Tripura will be held on February 14 and in Meghalaya and Nagaland onFebruary 23 and their results will be out on February 28, the Election Commissionannounced on 10 January 2013.The EC also announced byelections to nine assemblyconstituencies in Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Punjab on February 23 and inAssam, Bihar and Maharashtra on February 24, but their results will be out together onFebruary 28.

52. President’s Rule Imposed on Jharkhand : On 18 January Pranab Mukherjee, thePresident of India imposed President’s Rule in Jharkhand under Article 356(1) of theConstitution.The President’s Rule for the third time since its formation 12 years ago.Thedecision came as a follow up of the recommendation made by the Union Cabinet of Indiaand fall of the state machinery in form of Government on 8 January after the JharkhandMukti Morcha the supporting party to BJP led Coalition Government withdrew its supportfrom it. The state was placed under President’s Rule in 2009 and 2010.

53. Three New High Courts for North East : The Centre has constituted three new HighCourts in the northeast Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura taking the total number of HighCourts in the country from 21 to 24.According to Law Ministry sources, the strength ofjudges in each High Court will be as follows: Tripura 4 (including the Chief Justice), andMeghalaya and Manipur: three each (including the Chief Justice).

CONFERENCES

1. Cairns in Australia to host G20 financeministers meet in 2014 : The Prime MinisterGillard announced on 05 August 2012, the tropical northen Australian city of Cairns willhost a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in 2014.

2. The eleventh Energy Efficient Summit : The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)Summit held in HICC, Novotel Hyderabad. The summit was held between 22 August 2012to 25 August 2012.The objective of the summit was to facilitate the Indian industry toimprove energy efficiency on a continuous basis and help them in achieving the target setas part of Perform Achieve and Trade under the National Mission on Enhanced EnergyEfficiency. It was ended on 31st August 2012.

3. 16th Non Alignment Movement in Iran :The Two-day meet of the 120 grouping ofnations takes place at Tehran in Iran. The key issues like the worsening situation of Syria,Iran’s nuclear programme and other matters of global are main agenda of this NAMsummit which opened on 30Aug 2012. Prime Minister Manmohan singh is leading the Indian delegation to the summit,which is being attended by over 30 Heads of state and government. This summit ended on 31 August, 2012.

4. APEC Russia 2012 Summit : The APEC Russia 2012 Summit is the 24th annual gatheringof APEC leaders of 21 countries.Leaders from the member economics are currentlymeeting on Russky Island off the Coast of Vladivostok, Russia from September 2-9 ,2012 .Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) is a forum for Rim Countries(formally memberEconomics) that seeks to promote free trade and Economics throughout the Asia-Pecificregion established in 1989.

5. Indian National Science Academy Summit : In the last day of the summit conductedfrom 7th to 9th September 2012 in New Delhi,Scientists across South Asia decided to workclosely in research initiatives and advise decision makers in offering solutions to problemsranging from healthcare to energy security.The three-day meeting saw participation fromthe Science Academies of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius andSri Lanka.

6. Emerging Kerala investment meet to see 51 nations taking part : 51 countries with2,500 registered delegates and around 300 VIPs comprising ambassadors, highcommissioners and ministers have confirmed their participation in the “Emerging Kerala2012″ investment meet to be held in Kochi from Sep 12-14.KSIDC is the nodal agency forthe event which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.The main aim ofthis event is highlight investment opportunities available in Kerala and advertise to the theworld its state of readiness to receive the investors.



7. 9th World Hindi Conference To held in Johannesburg : The 9th World HindiConference to be held in Johannesburg ,South Africa from 22-24 September 2012.The firstworld Hindi Conference was held in Nagapur from 10-12 January 1975 under aegis ofRashtrabhashaPracharaSamiti ,Wardha.The main theme of the conference is ’Bhasha KiAsmita Aur Hindi Ka Vaishvik Sandarbh’.

8. The international biodiversity meet in Hyderabad : The XI Conference of Parties(CoP-11) on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) being hosted by India atHyderabad starts on 1st October 2012.

9. Asia Co-operation Dialogue Summit held in Kuwait : Asia Co-operation DialogueSummit has given a call for stronger co-operation among member nations and to work forthe improvement of living conditions.Leaders from 32 countries pledged to focus on keyareas to fulfill the aspirations of the people. These include sustainable energy anddevelopment, economic growth, food security, trade and commerce, health care, climatechange and co-operation in financial and education sectors.

10. South Korea to host next UN biodiversity meet in 2014 : South Korea will host the12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP12) to the Convention on BiologicalDiversity in 2014, it was announced in Hyderabad on 19th October 2012.

11. Third Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit : The 3rd Worldwide Cybersecurity Summitorganized by EastWest Institute, a New York based think-and-do tank, kick-started in theNew Delhi on 30th October 2012.

12. SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians Conference held at Islamabad : The sixthconference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians held in Islamabadon 4th November 2012.From India, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Deputy ChairmanRajya Sabha Professor P. J. Kurien are participated the conference.In this conference theydiscussed the role of women parliamentarians for social justice and the strengthening ofdemocracy in South Asia.

13. Countries G20 finance ministers and central bankers summit held in Mexico : TheG20 countries finance ministers and central bankers summit held in Mexico on 4thNovember 2012.In this summit the Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said the India’seconomy should grow by 5.5 percent to 6.0 percent in the year 2012 and return to 7percent growth in 2013.

14. E-9 countries review meeting held in New Delhi : E-9 countries review meeting heldin New Delhi on 9th and 10th November 2012.The E-9 countries are India, Pakistan,Bangladesh, China, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria and Mexico .

15. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodia for South Asian summits :Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on 18 November2012 to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits.

16. Bangladesh Opted out of D-8 Summit Scheduled to be Held in Pakistan :Bangladesh opted out of the key summit known as D-8 Summit in Pakistan which isscheduled to be held later in November, 2012. Bangladesh opted out because Pakistanrefused to apologise for the deeds committed during 1971 war which eventually led toBangladesh’s independence.

17. The 8th meeting of the India-UK Joint Working Group (JWG) on counter terrorism: The 8th meeting of the India-UK Joint Working Group (JWG) on counter terrorism washeld on 20 November 2012 in New Delhi.

18. UN Climate Change Conference (COP 18) : The United Nations Climate ChangeConference , which is the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) and 8thsession of the Conference of the Parties (serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the KyotoProtocol ) ends on 8 December in Qatar, Doha. United Nations climate talks in Doha hadagreed to extend the Kyoto Protocol through 2020. Poland will host the next round of 19thsession of the Conference of the Parties (COP) UN climate talks in 2013.

19. World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12) : The Firstever World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) from 3 -14 Decemberheld in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.The conference reviewed the current InternationalTelecommunication Regulations (ITRs).The 193 member states of the ambassadors areattended this conference.While 89 states have signed the UN International Telecommunications agreement and another 55 countries have refused the deal.The new

agreement will come into effect in January 2015.20. ASEAN – India Commemorative Summit held in New Delhi : India is hosted the

ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit held from December 20-21 in New Delhi to markthe 20th anniversary of the ASEAN – India dialogue partnership and the 10th anniversary



of ASEAN-India Summit-level partnership.The theme of the summit is “ASEAN-IndiaPartnership for Peace and Shared Prosperity”. ASEAN and India have signed the awaitedFree Trade Agreement (FTA) on comprehensive economic cooperation as foundations forthe establishment of an ASEAN-India Trade and Investment Area.

21. 100th Indian Science Congress held in Kolkata : The 100th Indian Science Congresswas held from 3 to 7 January in Kolkata (West Bengal) .The theme of the 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 ‘ The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy(STI) 2013 ’ .On 4 January

Former President Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam inaugurated a Children Science Congress as partof the 100th Indian Science Congress .The 100th Indian Science Congress (ISC 2013) isalso organized a special programme “ Women empowerment for the development of thecountry” to showcase the contribution of women in science and technology.This is the 13thtime the Indian Science Congress is being hosted by Kolkata

22. 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held in Kochi : 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) washeld from 7- 9 January at Kochi (Kerala).Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag was thechief guest of this official inaugural session.2000 delegates from 40 countries attendedthe convention.The theme for this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is “Engaging Diaspora –the Indian Growth Story”.On 7th January in the event they discussed on problems thatpeople from Kerala face in the region.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurated theannual flagship event and released the postage stamp on Ghadar Movement on 8 January and President Pranab Mukherjee will delivered the valedictory address on January 9 andalso presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards.Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) iscelebrated on January 9 every year to mark the contribution of overseas Indian communityin the development of India.The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the first of its kind involving theIndian Diaspora, was held in 2003 at New Delhi.

23. Fourth Meeting of ASEAN and India Tourism Ministers held in Vientiane : TheFourth meeting of ASEAN and India Tourism Minister (4th M-ATM+ India) was held inVientiane, Lao PDR from 21 to January in conjunction with the ASEAN Tourism Forum2013 (ATF2013).The Meeting was jointly co-chaired by H.E. Prof. Dr. BosengkhamVongdara, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Lao PDR, and H.E. Dr. K.Chiranjeevi, Minister for Tourism, Government of India.In the meeting Both the Ministershave signed the Protocol to amend the Memorandum of Understanding between ASEANand India on Strengthening Tourism Cooperation.

24. World Economic Forum Summit Held in Davos : The 43rd World Economic ForumAnnual Meeting held from 23 – 27 January at Davos-Klosters in Switzerland.The annualforum, which has been running for over 40 years, provides a platform for decision-makersin politics, non-governmental organisations and businesses to gather and to exchangeviews on the world’s most pressing problems.The World Economic Forum (WEF) unitesinternational political leaders, business leaders and journalists from across the globe todiscussed 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 bythe German Klaus Schwab, a business professor at the University of Geneva.

AWARDS & HONOURS

1. Ashok sen received Yuri Milner award : Ashok Sen who is working in Harish chandraresearch institute as scientist in physics got Yuri Milner Fundamental Physics prize of worthRs 16.7Crore(USD $3 million) on 1st August 2012.This Fundamental Physics prize hasbeen established by Russian Business man Yuri Milner , which is three times more thanNoble prize. He has been recognised for his work on ‘String Theory’.

2. “NASI- Reliance Industries Platinum Jubilee Award 2012” for Bhadra : Dr. ManikPal Bandra, Principal scientist of chemical biology division,CSIR Indian Institute ofChemical Technology Hyderabad, has been selected for the “ NASI- Reliance IndustriesPlatinum Jubilee award 2012”. Dr.Bhadra was nominated for the award by the NationalAcademy of science for significant contribution in the area of applications oforientedinnovations in biological sciences for 2012. He was given this for his involvementin the synthesizing or



orally administered next generation nano particles to deliver material like DNA an RNA foreffective gene therapy. This award will be presented on November 29,2012 at New Delhi.

3. Sastra Ramanujan Prize to Zhiwei Yun : The 2012 sastra Ramanujan prize will begiven to the Professor Zhiwei on December 22, The birth anniversary of mathematicalgenius Ramanujan, in New Delhi. The award will be given away during the closingceremony of the International conference in the legacy of Ramanujan, organized by theNational Board of Higher Mathematics of India &co-sponsored by sastra University and Delhi University. prof.Zhiwei Yun has madefundamental contributions to sevaral areas that lie at the interface of representationtheory. This Prize will be given to under 32 age, at the same age as Ramanujan died.

4. Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana award for D.R.Mehta : Renowned social worker DR Mehta,founder and chief patron of the organization that popularized the Jaipur Foot, has beenselected for the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award for the year 2012. D.R. Mehtawill present the 20th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavna Award at a function New Delhi on20 Aug 2012.The award, which carries a citation andcash of Rs 5 lakh, is being given to Mehta, a former chairman of the Securities andExchange Board of India, for his “outstanding contribution towards promotion of communalharmony, peace and goodwill”.Former recipients of the award include Mother Teresa,Ustad Bismillah Khan, Lata Mangeshkar, Sunil Dutt, S.N. Subbarao and Dilip Kumar.

5. NRI heart surgeon Dr Mukesh Hariawala : chosen for ‘India’s Most AdmiredSurgeon’award India born internationally acclaimed NRI HeartSurgeon and ResearchScientist from the famed Harvard University, Dr Mukesh Hariawala, has been unanimouslyselected by the National Healthcare jury to be honored with the prestigious ‘India’s MostAdmired Surgeon 2012 Award’.

6. NASI awarded for IICT Scientist : Dr.SuryaPrakash Singh ,Scientist of Inorganic andPhysical Division, CSIR – Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in Hyderabad has beenselected for NASI(National Academy of Science,India)-Young Scientist PlatinumAward2012.

7. Jaipur Bags JRD TATa Award for Health schemes : Odisha’s Jaipur district has baggedthe coveted fifth“JRD Tata Memorial Award 2011” for Population reproductive health andFamily planning programme. The award was presented by the Nobel Laureate Amartyasenat JRD Tata memorial Award and Oration Function held in New Delhi.

8. Indian Urdu Literature to get Rare Pakistani’s Honour : An Urdu literature ProfessorGopi Chand Marang’s name figures in the list of Civilian honours announced by Pakistan onits Independence day. He has been confered”Sitara-i-Imtiaz”(Star of excellence) the thirdhighest civilian honour bestowed by the nation.He received the “ Padma Bhushan”. It wasgreat that an Indian selected for Pakistan’s highest honourfor his selfless work for urdu. eminent poet Josh Mahihabadi also selected for “ Hilal-i-Imtiaz’.

9. P.K.B Pattnaik Honoured with Damien -Dutton Award : State Leprosy Officer P.K.B.Pattnaik, has been selected for the coveted Damien-dutton award for the year2012 for hiswork in the field of leprosy eradication. Mother Teresa, Babu Amte and Dr.Dharmendra hasgiven this award. He is anOdisha doctor. He said that”We have been able to treat 12 lakh leprosy patients, rehabited40,000 patients with leprosy and performed surgical defromitry correction on 3,500patients”.

10. Gruber cosmology Prize 2012 to Charles L Bennett : Johns Hopkins Universityprofessor Charles L. Bennett and members of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe(WMAP) space mission that he led will receive the Gruber Foundation’s 2012 CosmologyPrize in Beijing, China.Bennett and the 26-member WMAP team will share the $500,000prize and are being recognized by the foundation for their transformative study of anancient light dating back to the infant universe.

11. “The Best Story” Award for Indo-American : Indian American Rajan Gangahar haswon the “Best Story” award for the movie “Kushiyaan” at the Punjabi International filmAcademy Award (PIFAA) held in Toronto. New york based Rajan was presented with theaward at a function held inToronto. His first film as a story writer, Rajan wrote dialogue and scree play for“Khushiyaan”, made by another Indo-American Trilok Malik.

12. Pakistan’s Highest Civilian Award to Saadat Hasan Manto : The Writer Saadat HasanManto Posthumously received the Pakistan’s Highest award”Nisan-i- Imtiaz”. He died at 42in 1955, Manto is best known for his short stories, especially he explored the impact of



the partition of the subcontinent into India & Pakistan in 1947. along with Manto,renowned singer Mehdi Hassan was also Posthumously honoured with “Nishan-i-Imtiaz”Hassan Popularly known as the “Shahenshah-e-Ghazil” who died in June 2012 at the ageof 84.

13. Delhi Scientist Aditi Mukherji won Morman Baorlaug award : A Delhi based scientist,Aditi Mukherji has won the world’s most prestigious award for young researchers in foodand water management, named after the father of India’s Green revolution NormanBorlaug on 29 Aug 2012. The World food prize Foundation started by Borlaug has pickedMukherji for the first ever Norman Borlaug award for his application of work intransforming access to water for thousands of farmers in west Bengla. The award comeswith $10,000 prize. It will present to Mukherji on October 17 in Dea Moines , lawa US.

14. Indian American selected as Presidential Innovation Fellow : Indian Americanentrepreneur Karl Mehta has been selected among the 18 ‘Presidential Innovation Fellows’who will work on five ‘high-impact’ projects in the US capital.Selected from an applicantpool of nearly 700 innovators from across thecountry, the “Fellows” would spend six months in Washington DC to work on five high-impact projects aimed at upporting entrepreneurs, small businesses and the economy,while significantly improving how the Federal Government serves the American people.

15. Utsa Patnaik gets V.V. Giri award : The V.V. Giri Memorial Award 2011 for outstandingcontribution to labour studies was conferred on Utsa Patnaik, Professor in Jawaharlal NehruUniversity, New Delhi on 29 August 2012. The award, instituted by the V.V Giri National Labour Institute, was conferred by Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, who stressed onthe importance ofsystematic and sound research to understand the nature and characteristics of theemerging labour landscape.

16. University of Calicut to honour Montek, M.S. Swaminathan, Fathima Beevi : University of Calicut will confer honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) degrees on notedagriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan, economist and Planning Commission DeputyChairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and jurist and former Supreme Court judge FathimaBeevi.

17. “Young woman In Science Award” for Indian Origin Sorojini Nadar : Indian Originhas been selected for a prestigious science award in south Africa for her contribution to theavancement of science and building the knowledge base.Sarojini Nadar has been namedthe winner of the Distinguished Young Women in Science Award, which was announcedby Naledi Pandor, South African Minister of Science and Technology.

18. Eight Sporting Coaches received Dronacharya Award for 2012 : Dronacharya Awardis an award presented by the government of India for excellence in sports coaching. EightSporting Coaches selected for the Dronacharya Award for 2012 are Wrestling coachYashvir Singh, Boxing Coach BI Fernandez, Athletics Coaches Virender Poonia, J.N.Bhatia,Kabaddi Coach Sunil Davas, Parathletics Coach Dr. Satyapaul , Hockey Coach HarinderSingh, Table Tennis Coach BhavaniMukherjee,.Fernandez will become the first foreigncoach to be awarded the the Dronacharya Award

19. Arjuna Awards : Deepika Kumari , Laishram Bombayla Devi (archery),

Sudha Singh , Kavita Ramdas Raut (athletics),

Ashwani Ponnappa , Parupalli Kashyap (badminton),

Aditya S Mehta (billiards and Snooker),

Vikas Krishan (boxing),

Yuvraj Singh (cricket),

Sardar Singh (hockey),

Yashpal Solanki (judo),

Anup Kumar (kabaddi),



Samir Suhag (polo),

Annu Raj Singh, Omkar Singh, Joydeep Karmakar (shooting),

Deepika Pallikal (squash),

Sandeep Sejwal (swimming),

Ng. Sonia Chanu (weightlifting),

Narsingh Yadav , Rajinder Kumar , Geeta Phogat (wrestling),

M. Bimoljit Singh (wushu),

Deepa Mallick, Ramkaran Singh (athletics, Paralympics).

20. Four Sports persons receive Dhyan Chand Award-2012 : Dhyan Chand Award isIndia’s highest award for lifetime achievement in sports and games, given by theGovernment of India. Four persons selected for the Dhyan Chand Award-2012 areJagrajsinghman (Athletics), Gundeep Kumar(Hockey), Vinod Kumar (wrestling), SukhbeerSingh Tokan (para sports).

21. 9 Indian- Americans Awarded for Enhancing Indo-US Ties : 9 Indian- Americanswere awarded by Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston (IACCGH) fortheir contribution towards enhancing relationships between India & US. The 2012Excellence Award, was presented to SureshKhator. RK Chopra was awarded International Business Advocate of the Year. Womanentrepreneur of the year award was presented to Vijay Dhingra and Pushpa Shenoy.

22. Dr. M.V. Reddy get the Bharat Jyoti Award : The Director, Department of AnimalHusbandry,Dr. M.V.Reddy got the Bharat Jyoti Award .This award was presented by theIndia International Friendship Society.

23. Three National awards for State Literacy Mission : the Andhra Pradesh State LiteracyMission Authority (SLMA) has received awards for its work in Vizianagaram district and onegram panchayat P Yeleru of Anantapur district. Andhra Pradesh is the only State whichreceived the Saakshar Bharat Award in the entire Country. The Awards comprising atrophy and a certificate which will be given by the Vice-President of India Hamid Ansari onthe occasion of International Literacy Day to be celebrated on September 8 at Lucknow inUttar Pradesh.

24. Apollo Hospitals bags 4 awards : The Apollo Hospitals Group has bagged the AsianHospital Management Awards ( AHMA) 2012 in four categories.It received awards forcustomer service, corporate social responsibility, cost reduction and patient safety. AHMA2012 garnered 363 entries representing 89 hospitals from 12 countries.

25. Aung San Suu Kyi Receives US Congressional Gold Medal : Burmese democracyleader Aung San Suu Kyi has received the Congressional Gold Medal – the highest honorCongress can bestow, at a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on 19th September 2012.Members of the U.S. Congress from both chambers and both major political partiesgathered to pay tribute to Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was firstawarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2008, while she was under 15 years of housearrest in Burma.

26. Barfi! makes it to the Oscars : Ranbir Kapoor starrer Barfi! has been nominated asIndia’s entry to the Oscars next year in the foreign film category.

27. Iran to boycott 2013 Oscars in wake of anti-Islam film : The Iran government willboycott the 2013 Oscars in the wake of the anti-Islam video made in the United Statesthat denigrates the Prophet Muhammad.

28. T.S. Subramanian among winners of nuclear society’s awards : T.S. Subramanian,Associate Editor, Frontline, Chennai, and R.K. Singh, Head, Media Relations and PublicAwareness Section, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, have been selected for theIndian Nuclear Society’s “INS Outstanding Service Award” for 2011 for ScienceCommunication.The awards will be presented on November 7 during the inaugural functionof the 23 annual conference of the INS to be held in Mumbai.



29. Waheeda Rehman to get lifetime achievement award : Veteran actress WaheedaRehman will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the forthcoming 14th Mumbai FilmFestival, which starts on October 18. Mumbai Academy of Moving Image(MAMI) isorganising the film festival.

30. Ebrahim Alkazi awarded top French honour : Ebrahim Alkazi, the grand old man ofIndian theatre has been conferred France’s highest cultural award for his contribution innurturing and presenting modern theatre in India and preserving the treasures ofphotography and other art forms for posterity.Alkazi, was awarded Knight of the Order ofArts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) on 29th September 2012.

31. DRDO scientist G. Satheesh Reddy received IETE Award : G. Satheesh Reddy,outstanding scientist and associate director, Research Centre Imarat, a premier laboratoryof the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Missile complex, wasgiven IETE B.V. Baliga Memorial Award on 30th September 2012 at Bangalore.

32. President Confers Shastri awards to ISRO scientist Tessy Thomas : On 1st October2012 President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri NationalAward 2012 to ISRO scientist Tessy Thomas at an award function in Rashtrapati Bhawan.Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award is conferred every year for doing excellent work in thefield of Public Administration, Academics and Management.

33. Banaras Hindu University VC wins MV Pylee award for best academician : BanarasHindu University (BHU) vice chancellor and renowned molecular biology scientist Dr LaljiSingh has won the 7th MV Pylee award for the best academician. The MV Pylee award wasconstituted in year 1996 in honour of Cochin University’s former vice chancellor MV Pylee.The award includes Rs 2 lakh, a memento and citation for excellence in teaching andresearch and contribution to academic community. It is awarded once every three years.

S.No Department Name of the Person/Organization

Country Field of Research

1. PHYSICS Serge Haroche and France For ground-breakingexperimental methods thatenable measuring andmanipulation of individual quantum systems

David J. Wineland America2. CHEMISTRY Robert J. Lefkowitz and America For studies of G-Protein-

coupled receptorsBrain K. Kobilka America

3. PHYSIOLOGY ORMEDICINE

Sir John B. Gurdon and Britan For the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed tobecome pluripotent

Shinya Yamanaka Japan4. ECONOMIC

SCIENCESAlvin E. Roth and America For the theory of stable

allocations and the practice ofmarket design

Lioyd S. Shapley America5. LITERATURE Mo Yan China Who with hallucinatory

realism merges folk tales, history and the contemporary

6. PEACE PRIZE European Union (EU) Europe For over six decadescontributed to theadvancement of peace andreconciliation. Democracyand human rights in Europe.



34. sachin Tendulkar to be made member of Order of Australia : Australian PrimeMinister Julia Gillard made the announcement on 16th October 2012 that the first Indiansportsperson Tendulkar to be conferred with the Membership of the Order of Australia, anhonour “rarely” bestowed on non-Australians.

35. First-ever India Biodiversity Awards presented : The women who led the ecologicalrestoration of Gundlaba village in Odisha’s Puri district after the 1999 super cyclone areamong the four winners of the first India Biodiversity Awards. The awards, instituted bythe Ministry of Environment and Forests and the United Nation Development Programme(UNDP).

36. Vijay Kumar honoured with ‘Services Best Sportsman’ : London Olympics silvermedallist shooter Vijay Kumar was named as the ‘Services Best Sportsman’ award for2012 at the Army Headquarters in New Delhi.The award is given to best sportsman fromout of all the three services-Army, Air Force Navy.

37. Bangladesh honours fifty-two Indians : Bangladesh has honoured foreign friends whocontributed to achieve the nation’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.Of the 61recipients of the award in the third phase, 52 are from India and the rest are from Nepal,the United States, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Australia, Sweden, and Italy.The formerIndian Prime Minister, I.K. Gujral, and the former Nepalese Prime Minister, the late GirijaPrasad Koirala, received the Bangladesh Muktijuddho Sammanana.

38. Singham Bravery Award Posthumously given to IAS and Security Personnel :Narendra Kumar the IPS officer who was brutally killed by illegal mining mafia in MadhyaPradesh and many other Security Personnel who had laid down their life for fightingagainst Maoists and anti Social element on 21 October 2012 were awarded with SinghamBravery Awards.

39. Bangladesh honours Babu Jagjivan Ram : Former Deputy Prime Minister and DefenceMinister of India, late Babu Jagjivan Ram has been awarded with the “Friends of LiberationWar Honour” by the Government of Bangladesh for his contribution in the 1971 War.

40. Narayan Murthy honoured with Hoover Medal : IT giant Infosys founder, N.R.Narayan Murthy honoured with Hoover Medal for promoting science at Global HumanitarianTechnology Conference in Washington.

41. Gavaskar to receive BCCI’s lifetime achievement award : Former India captain SunilGavaskar will be conferred the Col C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award at the annualBCCI awards function on 25th October 2012.

42. Amitabh Bachchan gets best TV host award for Kaun Banega Crorepati : AmitabhBachchan has won the best television host award for the popular game show Kaun BanegaCrorepati.

43. Lord Indarjit Singh conferred Punjab Ratan Award : Lord Indarjit Singh, the firstmember of the House of Lords to wear a turban, has been presented with the ‘PunjabRatan’ (Jewel of Punjab) award by the World Punjabi Organisation, in recognition of hiscontribution to promoting Punjabi culture, heritage and inter-faith services.

44. Delhi Metro bags JICA President Award : The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC)was awarded the prestigious Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) President’sAward 2012 on 29th October 2012.

45. Noted film lyricist and poet Gulzar presented with Indira Gandhi award forNational Integration : The Indira Gandhi award for National Integration for 2011 hasbeen given to noted film lyricist and poet Gulzar in recognition of his contribution tonational integration.

46. Katy Perry Honored With Billboard’s “Woman of the Year” : Pop Singer Katy Perrywas honored with Billboard’s “Woman of the Year 2012” (The Star of the Women) award inNew York.

47. Shah Rukh Khan Conferred With Morocco’s Medal of Honour : Bollywood superstarShah Rukh Khan had given the prestigious Medal of Honour by the Prince of Morocco(Moulay Rachid) on 3 December 2012 in 12th Marrakech International Film Festival.

48. DRDO Scientist Gets Top Award : Brajnish Sitara scientist from Research CentreImarat(RCI), a premier laboratory of DRDO’s missile complex was conferred withINAE(Indian National Academy of Engineering)Young Engineer Award for 2012 at theacademy’s annual conventionheld at Roorkee on 6 December 2012.

49. Rajan and Sajan Mishra Conferred ‘National Tansen Samman’ : On 14 December2012 noted vocalist duo of Rajan and Sajan Mishra will be awarded prestigious ‘NationalTansen Samman’ for year 2011-12 for their contribution to Hindustani classical music



50. Stephen Hawking Won Yuri Milner Award : A Russian billionaire’s foundation wasawarded two special prizes of $3 million each to British cosmologist Stephen Hawking forhis work on black holes and to seven scientists at the world’s biggest atom-smasher fortheir roles in the discovery of a new subatomic particle believed to be the long-soughtHiggs boson. Yuri Milner’s Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation announced the awards on11 December 2012.Hawking is honored for his discovery of Hawking radiation from blackholes “and his deep contributions to quantum gravity and quantum aspects of the earlyuniverse.”

51. Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for Ravi Shankar : Sitar maestro Pandit RaviShankar will be honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously.Hebecomes the first Indian to get the prestigious award. The decision to honour RaviShankar, a three-time Grammy winner, was made before his death.

52. Indian Journalist’s Association Honoured Sir Charles Wheeler : On 16 DecemberIndian Journalists Association has conferred its Lifetime Achievement Award for 2012posthumously to former BBC correspondent Sir Charles Wheeler.

53. Scientist Venkatesh Mannar honoured with Order of Canada Award : A Chennaiborn scientist of Indian origin, M.G Venkatesh Mannar and President, MicronutrientInitiative, Canada was awarded with Canada’s Highest Civilian Award – the “ Order ofCanada “ on December .US, was honoured with the award for his forty years longcontribution working towards reduction of debilitating micronutrient deficiencies among theworlds most vulnerable.

54. Arunachal CM Selected for “IAEWP” Award : On 18 December Arunachal PradeshChief Minister Nabam Tuki has been selected by the International Association of Educatorsfor World Peace (IAEWP) for a Lifetime Achievement Award. IAEWP is a non-governmentalorganization affiliated to the United Nations and engaged in the promotion of world peace.Besides the individual award he would also receive the ‘Green State of the Year ‘ Award onbehalf of the Arunachal Pradesh Government for maintaining greenery in the state.

55. Top Honour For 7-year-old South African Indian Rhino Campaigner : A seven-year-old Indian-origin girl Afeefah Patel won a prestigious a wildlife conservation award inSouth : Africa for writing a letter to President Jacob Zuma asking for his assistance insaving endangered rhinos. Afeefah Patel, who has just finished Grade One, became theyoungest winner ever of SANParks’s Corporate Contribution to Conservation Award inindividual category at the 8th annual Kudu Awards.

56. P.Chidambaram received “Best Administrator” Award : On 20 December UnionFinance Minister P. Chidambaram received “”Best Administrator in India”” award institutedby K. Karunakaran Foundation.The award was presented to him by Vice President of India, M. Hamid Ansari.The award is being offered in the memory of renowned Congress leaderas well as the former Kerala Chief minister K.Karunakaran. First Karunakaran FoundationAward was given to Pranab Mukherjee.

57. Archaeologist C.Govindarajanar Received Presidential Award : President PranabMukherjee on 21 December 2012 conferred the Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil ata function in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Prof. C. Govindarajanar was conferred TolkappiyarAward for outstanding contribution in the field of Tamil studies.

58. Top U.S. Innovation Award For Indian-American : A renowned Indian-Americaninventor at IBM, Rangaswamy Srinivasan, was nominated by U.S. President Barack Obamafor the prestigious National Medal of Technology and Innovation. He named thephenomenon Ablative Photo Decomposition (APD). He got this award for the discovery ofAPD.

59. Shihab Ghanem the First Arab to receive India’s Tagore Peace Prize : On 26December The Asiatic society will award the Tagore Peace Prize to Emirati poet andtranslator Shihab Ghanem .Shihab Ghanem the first Arab to receive India’s Tagore PeacePrize.The peace prize is named after Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali creative talent andIndia’s first Nobel laureate.

60. Pratibha Ray Won 2011 Jnanpith Award : Leading Oriya novelist and academicianPratibha Ray, who has over 40 novels, travelogues and short stories to her credit, wasnamed for the prestigious Jnanpith Award for the year 2011 on 27 December 2012.

61. Astronautical Society’s Aryabhatta award for Muthunayagam & Saraswat : Theformer secretary of the Department of Ocean Development, A.E. Muthunayagam, willreceived the prestigious Aryabhatta award, instituted by the Astronautical Society of India(ASI), for 2010 and V.K. Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, will receivethe award for 2011.They have been selected for their achievements in rocketry.



62. Malala won ” 2012 Tipperary International Peace Award “ : On 3 January MalalaYousafzai, the teenaged Pakistani school girl shot by a Taliban gunman last year , hasbeen awarded the ” 2012 Tipperary International Peace Award ” from Ireland for hercourage and determination to speak out in support of equal access to education forchildren.Malala is the second Pakistani to get the award. In 2007, it was given to lateBenazir Bhutto.

63. Malala honored with the French ” Simone de Beauvoir ” Prize : On 9 January MalalaYousafzai (15), the schoolgirl from Pakistan shot by Taliban for campaigning girls’education, received France’s Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom in Paris.Malala’s father Ziaudin Yousafzai received the honour on her behalf. he award isaccompanied with 2.5 million RupeTes honorarium.

64. Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2013 : On 9 January Pranab Mukherjee President ofIndia presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Awards) 2013 to 14 people, includedOverseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi and Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag, He wasalso the Chief Guest of 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2013. In accordance to Tradition,Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Awards) 2013 have been given to notable Indians livingabroad. The other awardees are Prof Dr Gurusharan Singh Chhatwal of Germany forscience, Dr Rasik Vihari Joshi (Mexico) for Literature, Gilbert Canabady Moutien (ReunionIsland) and Mohammed Rabeeh Karuvanthodi (Saudi Arabia) for business, Patricia MariaRozario(UK) for Music, Dr Narendra Ramakrishna Kumar (USA) for Healthcare, SubashRazdan (USA) and Islmail Ebrahim (South Afrcia) for Public service. Dr Satendra KumarSingh (New Zealand), Australia India Society of Victoria (Australia) and Bava Pandalingal(UAE), Ashok Shambhomal Vaswani (Guinea), Indian Doctors Forum, Kuwait forcommunity service, Tan Sri Ravindran Menon from Malaysia for Community service, areamong others on the list of awardees.

65. Mamata Banerjee gets gift from PCB : Overwhelmed’ by the hospitality at the EdenGardens during India-Pakistan second ODI in Kolkata, the PCB sent the gift as a silver-coated Quran to the Cricket Association of Bengal who handed it over to the CM during afunction at the Netaji Indoor in Kolkata on 10 January 2013.

66. Mahaveer Golechha Bags Award for Alzheimer’s Drug : On 17 January The London-based Indian researcher Mahaveer Golechha, was selected to be felicitated for an awardthat includes his work on a drug that can be a potential cure of Alzheimer’s disease.In thestudy conducted by Golechha, he found discovered that naringin has essential anti-Alzheimer activity.

67. 70th Golden Globe Awards – 2013 : On January 13 The 70th Golden Globe Awardshonored the best in film and television of 2012, was presented 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

68. Krishi Karman Awards 2011- 2012

On 15 January President Pranab Mukherjee presented the Krishi Karman awards for the year2011-12 at an award ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The awards were presented to theState Governments for their excellent performance in increasing the production of food grains intheir respective states.



Awards in Different Segments :-

- The Awards for Special Contribution to Total Food Grains Production - Madhya Pradesh, TamilNadu, 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

69. 58th Filmfare Awards

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

Best Movie :- Barfi!

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

Best Actress :- Vidya Balan (Film – Kahaani )

Best Director :- Sujoy Ghosh (Film – Kahaani )

Lifetime Achievement Award :- Yash Chopra (After Death)

69. Prof C N R Rao awarded by Chinese Academy of Sciences : The Chinese Academy ofSciences was awarded Prof C N R Rao, National Research Professor and Honorary Presidentof Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCAR), the prestigious“International Scientific Cooperation Award 2012″. The award is designed to acknowledgeoutstanding scientists for their contribution to science and for promoting global networkingof international science cooperation.

70. Padma Awards – 2013President of India Approved the Conferment of 108 PadmaAwards : On 25 January Pranab Mukherjee, the President of Union of India approvedconferment of 108 Padma Awards. Four people have been conferred with Padma Vibhusan,twenty four are conferred with Padma Bhushan and 80 people would be receiving PadmaShree Awards. Out of all the awardees twenty-four are ladies and 11 people belong tocategories 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

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

71. 359 Gallantry and Other Defence Decorations Announced : On 26 January PresidentPranab Mukherjee has approved awards of 359 Gallantry and other Defence decorations toArmed Forces personnel and others on the eve of the 64th Republic Day Celebrations .Thisincludes 01 Kirti Chakra, 11 Shaurya Chakra, 56 Sena Medal (Gallantry), 01 Bar to NaoSena Medal (Gallantry), 03 Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry), 03 Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry),28 Param Vishisht Seva Medal, 03 Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, 06 Bar to Ati Vishisht SevaMedal, 44 Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, 12 Yudh Seva Medal, 02 Bar to Sena Medal (Devotionto Duty), 37 Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty), 01 Bar to Nao Sena Medal (Devotion toDuty), 07 Nao Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty), 14 Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty), 04Bar to Vishisht Seva Medal and 116 Vishisht Seva Medal..Major Abup J Manjali of theRashtriya Rifles was selected for the award of Kirti Chakra for his extraordinary braveryefforts in counter- terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

72. 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 announcedthat he would establish Tang Prize Foundation which would have an initial donation of 103 milliondollar.Tang Prize Foundation was decided that the prizes under the Tang Prize Foundation will beawarded every alternate year to the international leaders in sustainable development,biopharmaceutical science, the rule of law as well as the study of China.

SPORTS & GAMES



The 30th Olympics 2012 held at London on 27 July and ended on 12 August. This is a 17 daysFestival of Five Rings. There are 204 countries and more than 10,000 athletes participated in 300events. US secured top place in medals of acquiring 104 medals in total, 46 gold, 29 silver and 29bronze. the next place occupied by China of 99 medals. Britain stood at 3rd place of acquiring 65medals in total. India stood at 55th place by acquiring 6 medals in total, 2 silver and 4 bronze.India got 6 medals among 81 athletes who participated in London Olympics. The next Olympicswill be host by Rio De Janeiro on2016. The Winter Olympics 2014 will be host by Russia, Sochi.

1. The name of the Indian Medalists are : 1. Gagan Narang won the bronze Medal in the eventof Men’s 10m. Air Rifle shooting.

2. Vijay Kumar won the Silver Medal in the event of individual 25 metre rapid fire pistol. He wasawarded Khel Ratna by the Government of India of his performance inLondon Olympics 2012.

3. Saina Nehwal won the Bronze medal in the Event of Badminton Women’s Singles.

4. Mary Kom won the bronze medal in the event of Women’s Fly 51kg. Boxing.

5. Yogeswar Dutt won the bronze medal in the event of Men’s 60kg. Free style wrestling. He wasawarded Khel Ratna by the Government of India of his performance in London Olympics 2012.

6. Sushil kumar who is an Indian Flag Bearer and also won Silver Medal in the event of Men’s66kg. Free style wrestling

2. London Olympics world Records:

Name Event World RecordDong Hyun Im Archery 699 PointsRebecca Soni Swimming Breast Stroke 2:19.59 hr:mm:ssXiaojun Weight Lifting 379 kgsXiaojun Lu Weight Lifting 175 kgLulu Zhou Weight Lifting 333 kgIlya Ilyin Weight Lifting 418kgIlya Ilyin Weight Lifting 233kgZulfiya Chinshanlo Weight Lifting 131kgUn Guk Kim Weight Lifting 327kgUsian Bolt Runner 100m race 9.63 secondsRudisha Runner 800m race 1:40.91Jason Kenny Cycling (Track)Individual 9.713 secondsSergei Martynov Shooting 50 m Rifle Prone 705.5pointsLeuris Pupo Shooting 25m rapid fire

pistol34 points

Jessica Rossi Trap 99 pointsAlexei Klimov Shooting rapid fire pistol 592 pointsShiwen Ye Swimming (400m Individual

Medley)4:28:43 hr:mm:ss

Missy Franklin Swimming Back stroke 2:04:06 hr:mm:ssDana Vollmer Swimming (100m Butterfly) 55.98 secs

3. List of Countries ranking by gold Medal:

Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Totla Medals

1 United 46 29 29 104



states of America

2 People’sRepublic of China

38 27 23 88

3 GreatBritain

29 17 19 65

4 Russian federation

24 26 32 82

5 Republic of Korea

13 8 7 28

55 India 0 2 4 6

4. Highest Medals in Olympics won by Individuals:

Country Athletename

Gold Silver Bronze Total

USA PHELPS MICHAEL

4 2 0 6

USA FRANJKLINMISSY

4 0 1 5

USA SCHMITT ALLISON

3 1 1 5

Jamaica BOLT USAIN 3 0 0 3USA FELIX

ALLYSON3 0 0 3

5. Gold Medalists:

6. Andrian Clinhes Gold by a Finger Tip : Nathan Andrian clinched the Olympic 100 m freestyle gold by a fingertip on 1 August 2012 to become the first American to hold the title since1988.

7. Serena Williams Wins Olympic Gold : Serena Williams secured her first ever gold medalvictory in the women’s singles with 6-0, 6-1 win over the Russian beauty, Maria Sharapova at theAll England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon on 4 August 2012.Serena becomes the second womento win the Olympic gold medal in addition to all four different Grand Slam titles. she also set therecord of being the only female professional to attain the number one spot in both singles anddoubles category.

8. Ben Ainslie Claims a Record : Britain’s Ben Ainslie became the most successful Olympicsailor on 5 August 2012 won a gold medal in the single handed finn class to claim a recordbreaking fifth consecutive medal.

9. Murray Won Olympic Gold : Britain’s Andy Murray demolished Roger Federer 6-2,6-1,6-4 inthe men’s final on 5 Aug 2012 to wins first gold medal ad avenge his Wimbledon final defeatagainst the world no1. Roger Federer bagged Olympic Silver , Juan Martin del potro baggedcopper.

10.Serena and Venus Williams won Olympics Gold in Women’s Doubles : Serena andVenus Williams teamed to win women’s doubles title at the Olympics on 5 August 2012. The thirdtime the dynamic duo taken Home the gold medal.

11. Lin Defends Olympic Badminton Gold : China’s Lin Dan over hauled Lee Chong Wei in thefinal to win Olympic men’s badminton singles on 5 August 2012.



12.Salimikordasiabi Won Olympic Gold : nran’s Beh Salmi Kordasiabi won gold in the event ofweightlifting competition at London to claim the title of “Strongest man at the Olympics”. He lifted455 kg in total.silver for sajjad Anoushiravani. He is from Iran. Bronze for Russia’s Rulsan ALbegorwith 448kg.

1. Sally Pearson Won 100m Hurdled Olympic Gold : Sally Pearson an Australian Won100m hurdles Olympic Gold. She made an Olympic record time of 12.35seconds atOlympic Stadium, London. The Victory margin record time of 12.37 seconds made byJoanna Hayes of US in Athens.

2. Decathlon Gold for Ashton eaton : Decathlon is the toughest event in the Olympics.which consists of 10 events as one event.On 10 Aug America based Ashton eaton who isan Olympic Gold winner of Decathlon of total of 8,869 points m ade at London. Previouslyhe made a World Record by acquiring 9,026 points at U.S. Olympic trials.

3. Yodisha Won Women’s Wrestling Title : Japan’s saori Yodish won a third Olympic 55kg women’s free style Wrestling title on 9 August 2012.

4. Women’s Soccer Won By America : The U. S Women’s Football team won its thirdstraight Olympic medal on 9 August 2012 by beating Japan of 2-1.The midfielder CarliLloyd, who made critical 2 goals to America’s victory.

5. Oscar Pistorius : South African athlete Oscar Pistorius made a history when he becamethe first double amputee to participate in an athletics event of 400meters at the Olympicson 04 August 2012.

6. Olympic Swimming: Power Ranking Michael Phelps’ 18 Gold Medal Performances: Michael Phelps is an American swimmer who has won 22 Olympic medals (18 Gold, 2Silver, & 2 Bronze). He is an Olympic legend who broke the record for most medals whileparticipating at the London 2012 games. Michael Phelps swam in four Olympic Games. Hebroke 39 world records. He beat the record of Larisa Latynina Soviet Union gymnast.

7. Nicola Adams wins first ever women boxing gold : Britain’s Nicola Adams became thefirst ever Olympic women’s boxing champion with a 16-7 flyweight final win over China’sworld champion Ren Cancan on 9 August 2012.

8. Lysenko bags Gold : World champion Tatyana Lysenko of Russia added the Olympicgold to her collections with an Olympic record 78.18m in women’s hammer throw at theOlympic stadium on 10 August 2012.

9. Roger Federer and Lina were Crowned the : Cincinnati Masters Tennis ChampionshipWorld No.1 Tennis player Roger Federer won a record fifth Western and Southern opentitle (Cincinnati Masters) at Cincinnati on 19 August 2012. Federer beat second seededNovak Djokovic 6-0, 7-6. This was the first time when top seeded men’s players clashed inthe final.

10. India beat Australia to win Under-19 World Cup : India won their third Under-19World Cup title as captain Unmukt Chand saved his best for last, coming up with a crucial,unbeaten ton in the final against Australia on 26 August 2012.

11. New Heaven Open title to Czench star : Petra kvitova beat Maria Kirilenko on 25 Augto win the New Haven Open, the Czech star’s second WTA tournament title.

12. South Africa’s Hashim Amla becomes fasters : players to 3,000 ODI runs SouthAfrica’s Hashim Amla became the fastest player to 3,000 one-day international runs duringthe course of his 150 that set up the Proteas’ 80- run win over England at the Ageas Bowlin Southampton.

13. Lydia Ko won CN Canadian Women’s Open LPGA Golf : Lydia Ko Won CN CanadianWomen’s Open LPGA Golf on 26 Aug to become the youngest winner in LPGA Tour Historyand only the fifth amateur championship. she is 15-year-old .

14. US PGA Golf champion is Rory Mccllroy : Rory Mallory won US PGA Golf Championshipat kaiwah Island on 12 August 2012.This is his second major title with a record settingeight shot victory. The Northern Irishman,23, hit a six-under 66 to finish 13 under andreturn to world number one.

15. Dhoni named Castrol Indian cricketer of the year : The Castrol Awards for CricketingExcellence are the premier cricketing awards recognizing outstanding performances byIndian cricketers – past, present and future. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was declared theCastrol Indian Cricketer of the Year2011 whilst Ajit Wadekar received the Castrol Lifetime Achievement Award and India’s



Under 19 World Cup winning Captain Unmukt Chand was awarded the Castrol JuniorCricketer of the Year Award.

16. V.V.S. Laxman retired from international cricket : V.V.S. Laxman retired frominternational cricket on 18 August 2012. He played 134 tests, amazing 8781 runs and ancoverage of 45.97 and hitting 17 hundreds. He played 86 ODI for an aggregate of 2338runs at an average of 30.76.

17. Life Long Ban on Lance Armstrong : The U.S. anti doping agency 14 years of LanceArmstrong strong career on 24 Aug , including his record of seven tour de France Titlesand banned him for life from the sport. He was cyclist who retired an year ago. He wouldno longer challenge USDA and declined to exercise his last option by entering arbitration.He denied again that he ever took banned substances in his career, called USADA’sInvestigation a “witch hunt” without any physical evidence

18. India beat Cameroon to lift Nehru Cup for the third consecutive time : India beatCameroon in a thrilling penalty shoot-out to lift the Nehru Cup 2012 football tournament.This is India’s third consecutive Nehru Cup title, infact they have just won the three.

19. India’s Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda wins silver in London Paralympics :The Girisha Hosanagaara Nagarajegowda won India’s first medal at the London 2012paralympic Games.The Karnataka athlete bagged the silver with a 1.74m effort in themen’s high jump F42 event on 03 September 2012.

20. India slips to 169th in world rankings : The world football governing body FIFAreleased the latest FIFA World Rankings on 5th September 2012 in which India has lostone spot to be now ranked 169th amongst the 209 ranked nations and territories, whilewithin Asia India remains 32nd amongst 46 nations in the rankings.

21. USA wins third FIFA U-20 women’s World Cup : United States of America beat formerchampion Germany 1-0 in Tokyo to claim its third FIFA U-20 women’s World Cup crown on8th September 2012.

22. Oscar Pistorius Wins Paralympics Gold In 400 Meters : The ‘Blade Runner’ of SouthAfrica ,Oscar Pistorius successfully completed 400m-T44 event in 46.68 sec in Paralympicsand won the gold medal.

23. Serena clinches fourth US Open title : Serena Williams captured her 15th Grand Slamtitle and fourth career US Open crown with a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 victory over World No. 1Victoria Azarenka on 9th September 2012.

24. Andy Murray first Britisher to win Grand Slam men`s singles title in 76 years :Andy Murray has overpowered Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in five gruelling sets in a classic USOpen final to become the first Britisher to win a Grand Slam men’s singles title in 76 years.

25. Armadillo to be 2014 FIFA World Cup mascot : A rare species of armadillo is set to bethe official mascot for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil on 12 September 2012.In theprevious FIFA World Cup the mascots were:• FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa- Zakumi the green-haired leopard• FIFA 2006 World Cup in Germany- Goleo named lion

26. Dhoni named captain of ICC ODI team, Kohli, Gambhir in XI : Indian captainMahendra Singh Dhoni has been named captain of ICC’s ‘ODI Team of the Year’ which alsoincludes Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir.This is for the fifth consecutive year in a row thatDhoni has been selected in ICC’s ‘ODI Team of the Year’.ICC awards are announced inColombo on 15th September 2012. India’s Virat Kohli was on15September 2012 rewarded with ‘ODI Cricketer of the Year’.at the ICC annual awardsfunction in Colombo.

27. Indian Women’s football defeated Nepal And Clinch 2012 SAFF Women’sChampionship : Defending champions India have won the SAFF(South Asian FootballFederation) Women’s Championship 2012 defeating Nepal in the finals played on 16thSeptember 2012.

28. Saina signs up 40-crore deal with Rhiti Sports : The London Olympics bronze-medallist in badminton Saina Nehwal has signed up a 40-crore deal with Rhiti SportsManagement company, making her the country’s highest paid sportsperson outside cricket.

29. Lifter Chandrika first Indian to win medal in Youth Worlds : Chandrika Tarafdar on19th September 2012 became the first Indian to win a medal in Youth World WeightliftingChampionships after she bagged two bronze in the girls’ 44kg category on the opening dayat Kosice, Slovakia.Tarafdar won a bronze each in clean and jerk and total lift. She lifted55kg in snatch, 74kg in clean and jerk for a total effort of 129kg.



30. Deepika Kumari won Silver at Recurve World Cup : Deepika Kumari won Silver atRecurve World Cup on 23 September 2012 in Tokyo. In the finals of the tournament, shelost against the Korean double Olympic gold medalist, Ki Bo-Bae

31. India got 3rd position in ICC T20 rankings : India got the third position in RelianceICC T20 Championship table released by ICC on 26th September 2012 .South Africa andEngland got the 1st and 2nd positions respectively.

32. Indian wrestler Babita wins world championship bronze : Babita Kumari (51kg)became the second Indian female wrestler to win a World Championships medal after sheclinched a bronze in Edmonton, Canada.

33. Humpy wins Ankara Grand Prix-2012 : Grandmaster Koneru Humpy won gold medal inFIDE Grand Prix in Turkey at Ankara on 28th September 2012

34. Indian judokas win 2 silver, 3 bronze in Asian Championship : Indian judokasbagged two silver and three bronze in the Asian Youth and Junior Championships held inChinese Taipei.In the Youth Championships, Vijay Kumar Yadav and Besto Rani Devi won asilver each in boys’ 60kg and girls’ 48kg categories respectively.Preety and MongjamKabita Devi won a bronze each in gilrs’ 40kg and 44kg respectively in the September 28-30 event.Khaidem Rashi Devi bagged a bronze in 70kg category in the juniorsection.Indian judokas had won one gold, four silver and two bronze in the Asian Youthand Junior Championships in Lebanon last year.

35. India move up to 2nd spot in T20 rankings : India might have failed to qualify for thesemi-finals of the ongoing ICC World Twenty20, but four wins out of five matches havepushed the India by one place to the second spot in the latest T20 International teamrankings released on 3rd October 2012.India now trail Sri Lanka (129) by nine points andare followed by Pakistan (118) and England (118).

36. India 168th in FIFA rankings : Indian football team moved a place up to be 168th inthe latest FIFA rankings, India, who last month won a hat-trick of Nehru Cup titles, have114 points.

37. Red Bull driver Vettel wins Japanese Grand Prix : Sebastian Vettel ,the driver RedBull won the Japanese Grand Prix 2012 on 7th Ocober 2012.

38. Australia retain women’s World Twenty20 title : The Australian Women Cricket teamon 7 October 2012 defeated England by four runs to retain the Women T-20 world cuptitle.

39. West Indies won the ICC World Twenty20 Tournament : West Indies 7th October2012 clinched the ICC World Twenty20 crown with a comfortable 36-run victory over SriLanka.

40. Kaltenborn becomes first female F1 team principal : India born Monisha Kalterborn isset to become Formula 1′s first woman team principal after she takes charges fromfounder of Sauber chief Peter Sauber on 12th October 2012.

41. Jeevan Neduncheziyan and Prerna Bhambri emerge champions : JeevanNeduncheziyan and Prerna Bhambri emerge champions in the Fenesta Open nationaltennis championship at the RK Khanna Stadium in New Delhi on 13th October 2012.

42. Hat-trick for Vettel : Sebastian Vettel has claimed his third successive victory at theKorean GP on 14h October 2012.He is already won the Singapore and Japan GP titles.

43. Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray to win Shanghai Masters : Novak Djokovicbeated British Tennis Player Andy Murray, on 14 October 2012 saving five match points toseal a stunning 5- 7, 7- 6 ( 13/ 11), 6- 3 victory in the Shanghai Rolex Masters final.

44. Bhullar wins Macau Open golf : India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar completed a commandingstart-to-finish victory at the Venetian Macau Open golf on 14th October 2012.

45. India’s Saina Nehwal win Denmark Open Badminton Title : Indian badminton playerand Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal has won the Denmark Open Super SeriesPremier trophy on 21st October 2012.

46. Martin Guptill wins NZ top cricket award : Opening batsman of New Zealand Cricketteam Martin Guptill on 18 October 2012 claimed the top honour at the New ZealandCricket Awards in Auckland, winning the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for 2011-12. MartinGuptill was also named ODI and Twenty20 player of the year, based on performancesbetween 1 September 2011 and 31 August 2012.

47. Anaka Alankamony clinches her second WISPA title : Asian junior gold medallistAnaka Alankamony today claimed her second title and first one abroad in the women’sprofessional squash tour when she beaten the top seed Kylie Lindsay of New Zealand inthe final of the Ipswich Open in Queensland.



48. Lance Armstrong stripped of his 7 Tour de France titles, banned for life : Cycling’sgoverning body agreed on 22nd October 2012 to strip Lance Armstrong of his seven Tourde France titles and ban him for life, following a report from the US Anti-Doping Agency(USADA) that accused him of leading a massive doping program on his teams.

49. Women’s Indian Golf Open from November 30 : The creme-de-la-creme of Indianwomen’s golf will be up against a strong international field, including the likes of LauraDavies and defending champion Caroline Hedwall, when the tri-sanctioned Hero Women’sGolf Open tees off from November 30.

50. Sun TV Network Acquired Hyderabad IPL Franchise : Chennai based SUN TV Networkacquired the Indian Premier League (IPL) Hyderabad franchise on 25 October 2012 for anenormous amount of 85.05 crore Rupees per year.

51. Sebastian Vettel won F1 Second Indian Grand Prix : Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettelwon the Indian Grand Prix 2012 on 28 October 2012 at the Buddh International Circuit(BIC) for the second time in a row extending his Formula One championship lead.This ishis fourth consecutive success in this year.

52. Pankaj Advani defeats Russell, clinches seventh World Billiards Championshiptitle : India`s Pankaj Advani won his seventh World billiards title when he outclasseddefending champion Mike Russell 1,895-1,216 in the final on 28th October 2012.

53. Joshna Chinappa wins Penang Open squash title : India’s top squash player JoshnaChinappa claimed the IJM Land Penang Open, defeating top seed and local favourite SitiMunirah Jusoh in straight games on 28th October 2012.

54. India retains third spot in ICC ODI ranking : India retains the third spot in the ICCODI ranking after England and South Africa. England has retained the top spot in the latestODI rankings with 121 points followed by South Africa. The latest ICC rankings werereleased in Dubai on 30th October 2012.

55. India lifts the Asian Cricket Council Women’s Twenty-20 trophy at Guangzhou inChina : Indian women lifted the title of Asian Cricket Council Women’s Twenty-20 AsiaCup cricket tournament by defeatingthe Pakistan by 18 runs in the final match atGuangzhou in China.

56. Kimi Raikkonen won Abu Dhabi GP : Kimi Raikkonen won an Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on4th November 2012.

57. Mahesh Bhupathi-Rohan Bopanna win Paris Masters : Mahesh Bhupathi and RohanBopanna clinched the Paris Masters, their second title of the year, after scoring a hard-fought win over Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer in Paries on 4th November2012.

58. Czech Republic lifted Fed Cup : The Czech Republic got the Fed Cup title after beatingSerbia in the final on 4 November 2012.

59. National Anti-Doping Disciplinary panel suspendes 11 athletes for two years : TheNational Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (NADDP) suspended all the 11 athletes for twoyears, who were tested positive with methyl hexane amine (MHA) in the run-up of the lastCommonwealth Games.The suspended 11 athletes are :Two athletes, Saurabh Vij andAkash Antil; Six wrestlers, all of them internationals, Arjuna awardee Rajeev Tomar,Joginder Singh, Sumit Sehrawat, Rahul Maan, Gursharanpreet Kaur and Khatri; and threeswimmers, Amar Muralidharan, Jyotsana Pansare and Richa

60. Pakistan won Second Asian Kabaddi Championship 2012 : Pakistan won the SecondAsian Kabaddi Championship 2012 against India on 6th November 2012.

61. Gaganjeet Bhullar, Youngest Indian on Elite Golfers’ League : Gaganjeet Bhullar,24, became the youngest Indian to make it to the elite group of the world’s top-100players in the latest rankings.

62. Hanoi to host 2019 Asian Games : Vietnam’s capital Hanoi will host the 2019 AsianGames.

63. India bags four medals in 14th Asian Youth (boys & girls) weightliftingchampionships : India won four medals on the opening day of the 14th Asian Youth(boys & girls) weightlifting championships at Yangon, Myanmar, on 8th November2012.Santa won a bronze in snatch with a lift of 95 kg before securing a gold each in cleanand jerk and total lift with efforts of 126 kg and 221 kg respectively. The other medal ofthe day for the Indians was won by Chandrika Tarafdar in youth girls’ 44 kg category. Shewon a silver with a total lift of 132 kg.

64. Rahul bags 3 more golds for India in Asian Youth Weightlifting : Ragala VenkatRahul won three gold medals to help India increase their medals tally to seven on thesecond day of the 14th Asian Youth (Boys & Girls) Weightlifting Championships at Yangon,



Myanmar on 9th November 2012.Competing in the 77kg weight category, Rahul securedthe yellow metals in snatch, clean and jerk and overall with a total lift of 280 kgs.

65. International news agencies boycott India-England Test series : International newsagencies on 15 November 2012 decided to boycott the high-profile Test series betweenIndia and England which began in Ahmedabad to protest against the restrictions imposedby the BCCI on some photo agencies covering the tour.

66. Saina Nehwal retains 3rd place in Badminton World Federation women’s rankings:London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal retained her third place in the BadmintonWorld Federation (BWF) women’s rankings released on 16 November,2012.

67. Priyanka is Asian under-10 champion : Asian under-10 girls chess champion NuthakiPriyanka bagged the world youth chess championship at Maribor, Slovenia on 18November 2012. She completed with 9.5 points of 11 rounds.

68. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton won United States Grand Prix 2012 : McLaren-Mercedesdriver Lewis Hamilton won the 2012 United States Grand Prix race at Circuit of theAmericas, Austin, Texas. It was the first F1 race in United States since 2007.

69. Usain Bolt, Allyson Felix named IAAF world athletes of the year : Usain Bolt wonthe IAAF(International Amateur Athletic Federation) World male Athlete of the Year awardfor the fourth time and United States sprinter Allyson Felix won the women’s World Athleteof the Year award on 24 November 2012.

70. Sebastian Vettel won third Formula One world title : Sebastian Vettel became theyoungest triple champion in Formula One history on 25 November 2012.He stood sixthposition in Brazilian Grand Prix with 8 points.But overall he got F1 world title for thisseason with 281 points. This is the third time consecutively he got the F1 title.

71. India to hold 3rd World cup Kabaddi in December : Punjab would host 3rd WorldKabaddi Cup from 1 to 15 December 2012. 23 countries are participating in this worldcup.The prize money for this world cup is Rs.4.54crores.

72. Lalith Babu Top in Commonwealth Chess Championship : Grandmasters M R LalithBabu and Sergei Tiviakov scored final round victories to reached the top of the table with 9.5 points in the Commonwealth Chess Championship in Chennai on 01 December 2012.Lalith was crowned the Commonwealth Champion 2012 title.

73. Rory McIlroy named PGA “Tour Player of the Year” : On 2 December The PGA(Professional Golfers’ Association of America) Tour has announced Rory McIlroy as “TourPlayer of the Year” after McIlroy won four times on Tour in 2012. McIlroy, becomes theyoungest player to earn Player of the Year honors since Tiger Woods in 1998.

74. Anna Ushenina is World Women’s Chess Champion : Anna Ushenina of Ukraine 02December 2012 won the women’s World Championship crown, defeating AntoanetaStefanova of Bulgaria in the first set of tie-break games.

75. Air India Won Lal Bahadur Shastri Tournament : Air India defeated Bharat Petroleum3-1 to emerge champion in the 23rd Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey tournament at the ShivajiStadium New Delhi on 4 December 2012.

76. Jadeja Created History Hitting 3rd Tripleton in FC Cricket : Ravindra Jadeja becamefirst Indian and only eighth batsman in the First-Class (FC) cricket history of world to scorethree triple-centuries in the unbeaten 320 runs against Railways in the Ranji Trophy GroupA match on 2 December 2012 in Rajkot.

77. International Olympic Committee Suspended India : The International OlympicCommittee (IOC) suspended India’s national Olympic committee on 4 December 2012because of government interference in its election process.

78. Australia Won 5th Consecutive Champions Trophy Hockey : On 8 DecemberAustralia won fifth Consective Champions Trophy Hockey after defeated Netherlands inMelbourne.The bronze medal was claimed by Pakistan after they beated India on 9december.

79. Indian Wrestlers Won Nine Gold Medals in Copa Brasil Tournament : The Indianwrestling contingent finished with a haul of nine gold and four bronze medals in the recentCopa Brasil-2012 tournament held at Rio in December 2012.

80. Magnus Carlsen won the 4th London Chess Classic Tournament : On 10 DecemberNorway’s chess ace Magnus Carlsen won the 4th London Chess Classic Tournament inLondon .Carlsen defeated the World Champion Viswanathan Anand in the final round andclaim the winner’s trophy.Kramnik is second place , Adams and Hikaru Nakamura sharethe third place and Viswanathan Anand fifth place.



81. India Won Blind Cricket T20 World Cup : India won the first T20 world cup for theBlind .In the final on 13 December 2012 India defeated the Pakistan by 29-runs.India didwell to clinch the first ever blind cricket T20 World Cup on the home soil.

82. India Won the World Cup Kabaddi Tournament 2012 : India won the 3rd World CupKabaddi Tournament for the third consecutive time in the Men’s category and secondconsecutive time in the Women’s category on15 December 2012. Indian men defeated thePakistan and India Women defeated the Malaysia in the finals held at the Guru Nanak DevStadium in Ludhiana.

83. Jeev Honoured with Asia Pacific Lifetime Achievement Award : Indian golfer JeevMilkha Singh (in pic) won the Asia Pacific Lifetime Achievement award along with JackNicklaus and Colin Montgomerie on 15 December 2012.

84. China Claimed All Titles at Junior World TT Championship : On 16 December Chinaclaimed the all titles at Volkswagen 2012 World Junior Table Tennis Championship after itwon girls as well as boys trophies. Girls Singles : Zhu Yuling, Girls Doubles: Gu Yuting andZhu Yuling, Boys Singles : Fan Zhendong, Boys Doubles : Gu Ruochen and Lin Gaoyuan,Mixed Doubles : Zhendong and Liu Gaoyang.

85. Federer & Nicola named “ Swiss Athlete’s of the Year 2012 : Tennis star RogerFederer was named Swiss male athlete of the year at the 2012 Credit Suisse SportsAwards on 16 December in Zurich.Federer received the honour for the fifth time. Thefemale Athlete of the year was Nicola Spirig, the Olympic triathlon champion ofSwitzerland.

86. England Won Test Series : On 17 December The last test match between India andEngland of the Tournament England Tour to India ended up as a draw and with this Indialost the four-test match cricket series against England .With this win England succeeded inending a 28 year long wait of winning a test series on Indian Soil.

87. Syed Rahim Nabi Named “ AIFF Player of the Year 2012 “ : Syed Rahim Nabi hasbeen named the ‘AIFF (All India Football Federation) Player of the Year, 2012′ on 20December.

88. Sachin Retired From One Day Cricket : On 23 December Sachin Tendulkar announcedretirement from one day cricket. Sachin scored 18426 runs in 463 one-day matches andalso made 49 hundreds in the one-day format, including a double hundred which is thefirst in this form of cricket and 96 half centuries. He became the first cricketer to score adouble century in the history of One Day international Cricket against South Africa inFebruary 2010.Tendulkar scored his 100th international century on 16 March 2012 againstBangladesh, where he scored 114 runs.

89. Kashyap Won First Grand Prix Title : Kashyap Parupalli defeated Thailand’s TanongsakSaensomboonsuk in a tight three game match to take his first Grand Prix title at theShaheed Dr. KL Garg, Syed Modi India Grand Prix Gold 2012.

90. Apurvi Chandela Won Air Rifle Gold : On 24 December Apurvi Chandela of Rajasthanwon Women’s Air Rifle Gold in the Sahara 56th National Shooting Championship.Formerchampion and National record holder, Pournima clinched the bronze.

91. Djokovic won World Tennis Championship : On 29 December Spanish tennis playerNovak Djokovic won World Tennis Championship final after defeated Nicolas Almagro inAbu Dhabi.

92. Vijay Won Gold in National Shooting Championshipfire pistol event at the 56thNational Shooting Championship in New Delhi.

93. McGrath inducted into ‘Hall of Fame’ : The ICC announced on 30 December 2012 thatMcGrath, who took more Test wickets (563) than any other fast bowler and holds therecord for most wickets in World Cups (71), will be inducted as the 68th male player inthe International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame.

94. Kohli is CEAT ” International Cricketer of the Year “ : On 4 January Vice-captain ofIndian Cricket team Virat Kohli was named the International Cricketer of the Year whilePakistan 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-19World Cup win last year, got the inaugural Indian Youngster of the Year award.The FormerPakistan cricket captain Zaheer Abbas received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

95. Uttarakhand won 63rd National Basketball Championship : On 4 JanuaryUttarakhand won 63rd National basketball championship men’s title after defeated Punjabin the final at Ludhiana (Punjab).In the women’s section, Railways won the title against byfirst-time finalist Tamil Nadu in the final.



96. Tipsarevic won Chennai Open Tennis Title : On 6 January Second-seeded JankoTipsarevic of Serbia has won the ATP Chennai Open Title after defeated Roberto Bautista-Agut of Spain in the final at Chennai.Tipsarevic won the chennai open title for the first timein his career.

97. Nicol David won World Series Squash Title : On 6 January Nicol David won the WorldSeries Squash Finals women’s title after defeated England’s Laura Massaro in the final atLondon.In the men’s final, Egypt’s Amr Shabana came from behind to beat England’s NickMatthew .

98. Australia Won Test Against Sri Lanka : Australia secured a five-wicket won in the thirdand final Test match against Sri Lanka on 6 January at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) .

99. Brisbane International Tennis Winners – 2013 : Womens Single’s :Serena Williams(USA) won the WTA Brisbane International womens single’s title on 5 January with astraight sets demolition of Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.Men’s Singles : In theMen’s singles Category Andy Murray from scotland won the title after defeated BulgarianGrigor Dimitrov .Women’s Doubles : Sania Mirza and her partner Bethanie Mattek-Sandswon the women’s doubles trophy by winning against Kveta Peschke and Anna-LenaGroenefeldMen’s Doubles : Marcelo Melo – Tommy Robredo won the doubles title afterdefeated Eric Butorac – Paul Hanley .

100. 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, India lost the three matchesone 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.

101. Lionel Messi, the man of the four Golden Balls : Lionel Messi became the firstfour-time winner of the FIFA Player of the Year award after shattering the world recordwith 91 goals last year(2012) for Barcelona and Argentina.His 91 goals topped GerdMueller’s mark of 85 for Bayern Munich and Germany in 1977

102. Bangar quits first-class cricket : Former India player and Railways captainSanjay Bangar announced his retirement from first-class cricket after guiding his team toa 122-run victory over Bengal in the final league game of the Ranji Trophy on 01 January2013 in Kolkata.He played 165 first class matches amassing 8342 runs at an average of 33.35 and has 300 wickets to his credit.

103. National Table Tennis Championship Winners : On 11 January SoumyajitGhosh became the youngest national champion after he defeated six-time winner AchantaSharath Kamal in the summit clash of the 74th National Table Tennis Championship menssingles final at Raipur.Shamini Kumaresan won the womens singles title.SouravChakraborty and Ganeshan Sathiyan won the doubles title.In the Women doubles category K. Spoorthy and Nikhat Banu (AP) defeated Madhurika Patkar and Pooja Sahasrabudhe inthe final and got the title.

104. Haryana girls retain U-20 hockey title : Haryana defeated Uttar Pradesh 1-0 toretain their under-20 women hockey national championship at the Gachibowli Stadium on 16 January 2013.

1. Kerala won 61st National Volleyball Championship Title : On 16 January Keraladefeated Tamilnadu to retain the men’s title in the 61st Senior National VolleyballChampionship at the Sawai Man Singh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur.In the women’s section,Railways defeated Kerala and won the title in the final.

2. Malaysian Open Badminton Championship Winners

Men’s Singles: Lee Chong Wei (Indonesia) won the Men’s singles title after defeated Sony DwiKuncoro in the final at Kuala Lumpur on 20 January.

Men’s Doubles: Mohd Ahsan (Indonesia) -Hendra Setiawan (China) defeated Ko Sung-hyun-LeeYong-dae (Malaysia) in the final.

Women’s Singles: Tai Tzu-ying (Thailand) won the women’s singles title after defeated Yao Xue(Korea)

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



3. Lalith Babu takes top honours : Lalith Babu defeated Swapnil Dhopade in the finalround to clinch the Chennai Super Kings International Grandmaster chess tournament thatconcluded at the Nehru Stadium in Chennai on 23 January 2013.Lalith Babu wonRs.200,000 and the trophy after becoming the first Indian player to claim the ChennaiOpen

4. Australian Open Tennis Tournament – 2013 Winners : Womens Single’s :- VictoriaAzarenka of Belarus won the Women’s Singles title of the Australian Open Tennistournament after defeated Li Na of China in the final at Melbourne on 26 January .

Men’s Singles:- Novak Djokovic (Serbia) has won the men’s singles title after defeating AndyMurray (Britain) in four sets. This is Djokovic’s fourth Australian Open and over all six Grand Slamsingle title.

Women’s Doubles:- Top seeds Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci won the title, defeating wild cardsAshleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua in the final.

Men’s Doubles : Top seeded American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan won the men’s doubles title.Americans Mike and Bob Bryan won their record 13th Grand Slam doubles title, defeating theDutch team of Robin Haase and Igor Sijsling .

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

6. Mumbai won 40th Ranji Trophy Title : On 29 January Mumbai won its 40th RanjiTrophy title against Saurashtra by an inning and 125 runs in the final at Wankhede atMumbai .Wasim Jaffar was declared Man of the Match. Ajit Agarkar was the captain of thewinning team.

ECONOMY

1. China’s millionaire number crosses million mark : “The number of millionaires inChina crossed a million mark for the first in the Communist nation, putting it in the eliteclub of the wealthy nations like US and Japan. The elite millionaires group includes 63,500billionaires, according to Hurun Report, a Chinese event and publishing group whichcompiled the China’s list of the rich.The number of Chineseworth more than 10 million yuan (USD 1.6 million) broke the million mark in 2011 for thefirst time, with 1.02 million people now in this elite group. Of these million-plus wealthyindividuals, 84 per cent are concentrated in the eastern, northern and southern regions ofChina, with Beijing home to the greatest number, at 1.79 lakh millionaires.

2. Crisil Research cuts 2012-13 GDP growth forecast to 5.5% : Crisil Research has cutIndia’s real GDP growth forecast for 2012-13 from 6.5 per cent to 5.5 per cent. Thisdownward revision in GDP is due to deficient monsoon and worsening of the Euro Zoneeconomic outlook.

3. CIBIL working on Risk Index to help banks : Credit Information Bureau (India) Ltd(CIBIL) is planning to introduce a risk index that will help the country’s banks take quickerdecisions on extending loans to corporates and business houses. The index follows thecredit information firm’s TransUnion score for individual borrowers being used by financialinstitutions and banks to take decisions in respectof credit cards and home loans. “Any individual with over 750 score can be considered asgood”.

4. P.M.’s Economic Panel Lowers the Indian : Growth Estimate to 6.7% for 2012-13Prime Minister’s economic advisory panel on 17 August 2012 pegged GDP growth for thecurrent financial year to 6.7 percent. This is mainly due to poor Monsoon which will pulldown the agriculture



growth rate to 0.5 percent from 2.8 percent last year. “Economy will grow at 6.7 percentin 2012- 13, Prime Minister’s economic Advisory council (PMEAC) chairman C.Rangarajansaid that while releasing “Economic outlook for 2012-13”. He asked the government toopen multi – brand retail to foreign investment and raise diesel prices in one (or) moresteps to contain the subsidy bill. India has registered 6.5% growth in the fiscal year 2011-12. Which was the lowest in the past nine years.

5. Government Detected Rs.49,325 crore Black Money in India : Government said thatRs.49,325 crore has been detected in the country in the last three years while tax evasionof Rs.600 crore found on input from abroad under multi-prolonged efforts to heck blackmoney menance. this information has been contained in a 13 page fact-sheet released bythe Finance Ministry.The fact-sheet say the Central Board of Direct Taxes(CBDT) hasdetected undisclosed income of over Rs.32,000 crore besides seizing assets valued at overRs 2,600 crores. 17,325 crore income detected in survey. Government also disclosed thatunder Double Avoidance agreement(DTAA), investigation of information from German andFrance has led to detection of tax evasion of Rs.600 crore and realization of Rs.200 crorein taxes.

6. Union Finance Minister Approved the Proposal FDI raise up to 49% : The UnionFinance Minister P.Chidambaram approved the raise of FDI in Insurance and Pensionsector up to 49%. Earlier the limit of FDI was up to 26%. This Proposal of 49% raise ofFDI was made during the tenure of Pranab mukherjee. It was delayed because ofresistance from the cronies.

7. ISC directs Sahara Group to refund Rs 17,400 crore to investors : In a majorsetback to the Sahara Group, the Supreme Court on 31st August 2012 directed two of itscompanies to refund around Rs 17,400 crore to their investors within three months with 15percent interest.A bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar directed SEBI totake action against the companies, Sahara India Real Estate Corporationand Sahara Housing Investment Corporation, if they fail to refund the money.

8. India, China joint panel to address trade concerns : India and China have agreed toestablish a joint working group to address all trade-related issues, including the wideningtrade balance between the countries. The decision was taken at a meeting between trademinister Anand Sharma and hisChinese counterpart Chen Deming in New Delhi on 27th August 2012.Trade between thecountries was $75.4 billion in 2011-12, against $59 billion in 2010- 11. In 2011-12,exports to China stood at $17.9 billion while imports from there stood at $57.5 billion,resulting in a trade deficit of $39.6 billion.

9. India’s GDP to remain below 6% for 2012-13 : CII(Confederation of Indian Industry)survey indicated that the GDP growth during 2012-13 is expected to remain below 6percent

10. Planning Commission for cut in 12th Plan annual GDP growth target to 8.2% :Planning Commission is proposing to lower annual average growth target for the 12th FiveYear Plan (2012-17) to 8.2 per cent from its earlier projection of 9 per cent in view ofuncertain global environment and sluggish performance of the manufacturing sector athome.

11. CRR cut to inject Rs.17,000 crore : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on 17thSeptember 2012, retained the indicative policy rates at the current level while cutting theCash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by 25 basis points to 4.50 per cent, injecting a liquidity ofaround Rs.17,000 crore into the banking system.

12. Naveen Jindal tops executive pay chart with Rs 73.4 crore package : TheChairperson and Managing Director of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL),Naveen Jindal hastopped the executive pay charts for listed companies in the country with a package of Rs 73.42 crore for the last fiscal 2011-12, which grew by over Rs six crore from previousyear.

13. Govt approves 49% FDI in insurance & pension sectors : On 4th October 2012 TheCabinet has cleared proposals to allow more Foreign Direct Investment or FDI in theinsurance and pension sectors.In both the sectors government approves 49% of FDI’s.

14. Govt approves 12th Five-Year Plan : On 4th October 2012 Government approved the12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17) document that aims to achieve annual average economicgrowth rate of 8.2 per cent, down from 9 per cent envisaged earlier, in view of fragileglobal recovery.

15. HDFC Bank partners Indian Oil Corporation to offer rural banking services : HDFCBank has partnered Indian Oil Corporation to provide banking services in the rural areas



where IOC’s petrol pump outlets Kisan Seva Kendras will act as the businesscorrespondents for the banks.

16. IMF cuts India’s Growth Forecast for 2012 to 4.9 Percent : The InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF) has slashed India’s growth forecast to 4.9 per cent for 2012 due tolow business confidence and “sluggish structural reforms”.

17. India-US trade to touch $100 bn : Bilateral trade between India and the US is expectedto touch USD 100 billion in the coming years on increasing economic engagement betweenthe countries.

18. Rangarajan lowers FY13 GDP growth forecast to 6% : Prime Minister’s key advisor CRangarajan 25th October 2012 lowered the growth projection for the current fiscal to 6 percent from 6.7 per cent estimated earlier.

19. Rs 6,000-cr fine on Tata Steel for illegal mining : The Odisha government imposed afine Rs 6,000 crore on Tata Steel for its alleged involvement in “illegal and excessmining” at its captive mines.

20. India signs loan agreement with World Bank for USD 70 million : India signed a70-million US Dollar loan agreement with World Bank for financing the Karnataka HealthSystems Development as well as Reform Project on 22 November 2012.

21. The ADB cut India’s Growth Forecast to 5.4 percent : The Asian Development Bank(ADB) cut India’s growth forecast to 5.4 per cent in 2012-13 fiscal, barely two monthsafter it had made a projection of 5.6 per cent growth for the Asia’s third largest economy.India’s growth forecast is revised from 5.6 per cent to 5.4 per cent in fiscal year 2012 andfrom 6.7 per cent to 6.5 per cent in FY 2013.

22. Rich Gulf Families Own Wealth Worth USD 1.2 Trillion : According to the ‘KFH-Research’ report said one million wealthy families in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)countries own investment assets worth about USD 1.2 trillion.The report about wealth andfunds management said that the world’s population of high net worth individuals (HNWIs)grew by a marginal 0.8 per cent year on year to 11 million in 2011.

23. India Economy Would Dominate the Economy of the World by 2030 : USintelligence counsel was released report on 10 December 2012 declared that India wouldstraddle international commerce and will also dominate the economy of the whole world by2030.

24. IOC Retains Top in Fortune 500 India List : Government owned Indian Oil Corporation(IOC) is ranked as the largest company in terms of revenue, the Fortune 500 list of Indiancompanies for 2012 . In this list Indian Oil Corporation got the first place with a full-yearrevenue of Rs 4,202 billion, Reliance Industries Limited got the second place with a full-year revenue of Rs 3,675 billion and Bharat Petroleum Corporation got the third place witha full -year revenue of Rs 2,148 billion

25. India’s Lost $123 bn in Black Money : According to the report of ‘Illicit FinancialFlows from Developing Countries: 2001—2010,’ released by Global Financial Integrity(GFI) India lost $123 billion in black money during 2001-2010. However India’s loss is farless than that of China, which according to the report suffered a loss of $ 2.74 trillionduring the same period (2001 to 2010). India is the eighth largest victim of black moneyloses.

26. India Lags Several Nations in Per Capita Income : India is lagging behind severalcountries in per capita income due to different levels of development and various otherfactors, the central government was informed on 19 December. India’s per capita GDP onPurchasing Power Parity (PPP) basis was $3,403 in 2010 and is estimated at $3,662.69 in2011 and $3,851.31 in 2012.

27. Philippines introduced ‘sin tax’ : A “sin tax” on cigarettes and alcohol was introduced inthe Philippines on 01 January 2013, as part of a government bid to boost finances.Manystores started selling tobacco and drink at inflated prices before midnight , ahead of theofficial implementation of the tax hikes on January 01, hitting partygoers in the pocket.Taxon cigarettes will gradually be raised to 30 pesos ($0.72) per pack by 2017, roughlydoubling the current price to around 52 pesos.Duty on alcohol will also increase graduallyuntil 2017, increasing the price of a bottle of beer by 23.50 pesos, with varying levels forother drinks including wine and spirits.

28. LIC Launched New Jeewan Nidhi & Flexi Plus Policies : The Life InsuranceCorporation (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 ofinsurance coverage of full amount while the insured person keeps depositingpremiums.The Flexi policy is a unit linked insurance product. The plan not only provides a



lump sum benefit on death but also maturity benefit irrespective of survival of the policyholder

29. Mukesh Ambani 18th richest man in world : Indian business magnate MukeshAmbani is the 18th richest person in the world with a personal wealth of $24.7 billion in2012, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the world’s 100wealthiest individuals. Mexican telecommunications magnate Carlos Slim remained theworld’s richest person last year holding a personal fortune of more than $70billion.Microsoft founder Bill Gates and the founder of fashion retailer Zara, AmancioOrtega, got a second and third places respectively.

30. Indian Companies Top Globally in R&D Investment : According to the EuropeanCommission report Indian companies have come on the top globally when it comes togrowth in their research and development (R&D) investments, leaving their counterparts inthe US and Europe far behind.Indian firms rank far below when it comes to absolute R&Dinvestments made by them and the top-ranked company from the country.These are theonly 14 Indian companies present in a list of top-1500 entities worldwide in terms of theirannual R&D investments.The top-ranked Indian company is Infosys at 329th place andJapanese company Toyota Motor appears at the top of the ranking in the 2012 Scoreboard.

31. IMF forecasted Indian Economic Growth Rate to be 5.9 percent in 2013 : TheInternational Monetary Fund (IMF) on 23 January 2013 pegged India’s economic growthrate in 2013 at 5.9 per cent and projected a higher growth of 6.4 per cent next year in linewith the gradual strengthening of global expansion.

32. World Bank’s “Global Economic Prospects 2013″ Report : According to the WorldBank “Global Economic Prospects 2013″ report , India’s growth is expected to inch closerto 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 Bankexpects that by 2015, the growth rate of China would be 7.9% and that of India 7%.Whilethe growth of the world economy growth is projected to inch up from 2.3% in 2012 to 2.4% in 2013, with the high-income countries remaining at the same level of growth of 1.3% in both 2012 and 2013, it is the emerging markets like India, China and Brazil thatwould show significant signs of recovery.They are expecting a recovery in India from 5.1%growth in 2012 to 6.1% growth in 2013.

33. India 119th on Economic Freedom Index : According to the ‘Heritage Foundation’2013 Index of Economic Freedom survey report , India has been ranked as the 119thfreest country in the world and India’s 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.

34. India second in steel production globally : India is second only to China in terms ofsteel production. In the last 5 years India’s production grew by 33 percent, thus making itbehind China among the top 5 steel producing nation. World Steel Association (WSA) datahas revealed that China’s production grew by 39 per cent during 2008-2012, India’s by 33percent and India’s production grew constantly in the last five years from 57.8 MT in 2008to 63.5 MT in 2009, 69 MT in 2010, 73.6 MT in 2011 and 76.7 MT in 2012

35. RBI cuts CRR, Repo Rates : On 29 January The Reserve Bank of India slashed its keyinterest rates by 0.25 per cent and released 18000 crore rupees additional liquidity intothe system to perk up growth through reduced cost of borrowing. RBI in its third quartermonetary policy review surprised the market by cutting short-term lending rate calledrepo, by 0.25 per cent to 7.75 per cent and Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by similar margin to4 per cent.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

1. SPOT6 reached to SHAR : The Satish Dawan Space Centre in Nellore district atSriharikota will launching PSLV C-21 rocket(100th rocket) with French satelliteSPOT6(800kg) and a small Japanese satellite weighing around 15kg in the month ofSeptember.This is the hundredth rocket in the 49 years of ISRO history.



2. Cabinet Clears Mars mission : The Union Cabinet on 03 August 2012 cleared the IndianSpace Research Organization(ISRO) mission to Mars next year November The projectenvisages putting a spacecraft in the red planet’s orbit to study its atmosphere with thehelp of the polar Satellite launch vehicle. India joins the United states , Russia, Europe,Japan and China in undertaking such aneffort. The spacecraft will have a scientific payload of 25 kg and its proposed to be placedin an orbit of 500 x 80,000 km around the planet.The mission is estimated to cost aboutRs $450 crore.

3. Curiosity Landed on Red Planet : The Robotic Explorer Curiosity blazed through thepink skies of mars, steering itself to gentle landing inside again crater for the mostambitious dig yet into the red planet. It was NASA’s seventh landing on earth’sNeighbor.In November 2011 American Space Research Centre NASA Launched thecuriosity into the space. On 6 Aug 2012 the Curiosity landed safely on the Mars.TheVoyage to Mars took more than eight months and spanned 352m million miles(566 millionkilometers). It sliced through Martian atmosphere ay 13,000mph(21,000kph). The first ofwhat scientists predict will be enormousamounts of Information, Including a possible answer to whether Mars ever supportedconditions for Organic life, to find evidence of life itself,alive or fossilized-its raft of 10scientific instruments will hunt for carbon based compounds considered essentialto microbial life. It stays 2 years in Mars to collect all these Information. This is the nextspace mission of NASA after 1970. Ashwini, Indo-American scientist involved in thismission.

4. NASA picks 3 firms to develop space taxis : NASA picks 3 firms to develop spacetaxis,the companies are the Boeing Co,Space Exploration Technologies called SpaceX, andSierra Nvada Corp.

5. A new oxidant in the atmosphere identified : Scientists have found for the first timeunequivocal evidence of another oxidant playing a vital role in the formation of gaseoussulphuric acid in the atmosphere. Until now, it was thought that the combination of OH(hydroxyl radical) oxidant with sulphur dioxide (SO) was the dominant way by whichgaseous sulphuric acid is formed in the atmosphere. They found the new oxidant has“significant capacity” to oxidise sulphur dioxide.

6. Largest 3D Map of Galaxies : Astronomers have unveiled the largest ever 3D map of thesky, encompassing massive galaxies and distance black holes, based on sloan digital skysurvey III(SDSS- III). These galaxies are captures by a 2.5 meter wide -angle telescopelocated at the Apache Point observatory in New Mexico.The release Includes of 200 milliongalaxies and spectra of 1.35 million galaxies, according to a Harvardsmith soniamstatement with SDSS-III.

7. Agni-II Test Fired Successfully : Surface to Surface missile Agni-II soared to asuccessfully test fired on 9 august 2012 at Wheeler Island of the Odisha. It have a heightof 20km and weighted as 17 tonnes and have the capacity to carry a nuclear war head ofweighing one ton. The missile Ranging Agni-I 700km , Agni-II 2,000 km , Agni- III-3,300km. The future projects are Agni 4 andAgni 5 to launch.

8. Print High Resolution Images Without Ink aNew Technology Developed : The teamof scientists with Indian origin has developed a new technology of printing high resolutionimages without ink. The Institute of materials research and Engineering in Singapore hasdemonstrated that 1,00,000 dots per inch(dpi) canproduce sharp and full spectrum color images.Which can be applicable in reflect colourdisplays , anti-counterfeiting, and high density optical recording.Karthik Kumar says thatsize and spacing of the nanodots is critical to the final image quality. “The closer the dotsare together and because of their small size, the higher the resolution of the image.

9. Nanotechnology for Solar panel efficiency : A University of Houston researchers hasdeveloped a nano particle coating for solar panel that makes it easier to keep them clean.This helps in keeping them efficient and cuts maintains cost. NASA spies cosmic supermomScientists have found a cosmic supermom, a galaxy that gives birth to more stars in a daythan Earth’s does in a year. Astronomers used NASA’s Chandra X-ray telescope to spotthis distant gigantic galaxy creating about 740 new stars a year. By comparison,our Milky Way Galaxy spawns just about one new star each year.

10. Prithvi-II missile test, a Success : The strategic Forces Command, which is in charge ofnuclear weapons, successfully fired the surface to surface Prithvi-II missile from Chandipurin Odisha’s Balasore district on 25th August 2012, confirming yet again that the armed



forces arecapable of launching nuclear missiles independently.

11. China Military test fires 14,000km range missile : The china central television(CCTV)reported that the china’s military had successfully tested the new 14,000 rang Dong feng-41 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). It have the capacity to carry 10 nuclear warheads.

12. Blue moon on 31st August 2012 : When a full moon appears in the night sky for thesecond time in a calendar month ,it is called a ‘blue oon’.The next blue moon will occur onJuly 31,2015.

13. In US, India’s First C-17 transport aircraft takes shape : Now the Indian Air Force isplanned to introduce a C-17 Globemaster III heavy lift military planes in place of old Cargoplanes for the next year June. So India made deal with Boeing for $410 crores in the lastyear.C-17 has the capacity to fill oil in the air.

14. China developing new class of guided missile destroyer’ : The Chinese Navy isdeveloping a brand new class of guided-missile destroyer, a “new type” of naval warshipwith upgraded air-defence missiles, anti-ship and anti-submarine missiles.The newdestroyers are equipped with two 32-unit vertical launch systems capable of launching HQ-9B air-defence missiles, anti-ship and anti-submarine missiles.The new destroyer iscomparable to the “Aegis” equipped destroyers of the US Navy which use powerfulcomputers and radars to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets

15. Gliese 163C: New Earth-Like Planet Might Sustain Life : Dubbed Gliese 163C, theplanet is about seven times the mass of Earth and orbits a red dwarf, or a small, relativelycool star. Gliese 163C is 49 light years away. It’s thought to be composed of mostly rockand water and gets 40 percent more light from its parent star than Earth gets from thesun, making it hotter with a surface temperature of 60 degrees Celsius.

16. Air India’s first Dreamliner landing at IGI Airport : After a four-year delay andsubsequent acrimony, the first of Air India’s advanced Boeing B-787 Dreamliner landing atthe Indira Gandhi International Airport on 08th September 2012.It is capable of flying over15,000 km non-stop. For AI, the plane has been configured to have 256 seats — 18 full-flat business class seats and 238 in economy.Air India, which ordered 27 Dreamliners sixyears ago, will get two more in the next few weeks. A total of eight will arrive by March2013.

17. PSLV-C21 delivers two satellites into their intended Orbits : The Indian SpaceResearch Organization(ISRO) successfully put into orbit two foreign satellites( French SPOT6(712kgs) and Japanese micro Satellite(15kgs)) marking Indian space agency’s 100thmission since the launch of the first satellite,Aryabhata,in 1975 by Russian rocket.

18. ISRO to launch SARAL satellite on 12 Dec 2012 : Indo-French satellite “SARAL” wouldbe launched onboard PSLV-C20 from the spaceport of Sriharikota on 12 December 2012Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman K Radhakrishnan said at the BangaloreSpace Expo 2012 on 12th September 2012.

19. U.S.-Russian space crew lands safely in Kazakhstan : A Russian Soyuz capsulelanded on the Kazakh steppe on 17th September 2012, delivering a trio of astronauts froma four-month stint on the International Space Station.

20. India tests Agni-IV n-missile : India successfully tested its nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-IV missile from a military base in Odisha on 19th September 2012.The newgeneration missile, which has the capability to hit targets at about 4,000 km.

21. India test-fires N-capable Agni-III missile successfully : India on 21st September2012 successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-III surface-to-air missile with a strikerange of over 3000 km and capable of carrying a warhead of 1.5 tonnes from the WheelerIsland off the Odisha coast.

22. China launches its first aircraft carrier : China launched its first aircraft carrier on 25thSeptember 2012. The 60,000 tonne carrier, a former Soviet ship brought from Ukraine andlater refurbished locally is named ‘Liaoning’, after a Chinese province liberated fromJapanese occupation in 1945, in what can be seen as another symbolic warning to Tokyo.The 300m long Liaoning carrier has the capacity to bring 3

23. NASA says Curiosity rover finds evidence of water on Mars : NASA scientist say theCuriosity rover has found evidence of a “vigorous” thousand-year water flow on the surfaceof Mars.

24. India’s heaviest satellite, GSAT-10 launched from Kourou launch pad in FrenchGuiana : India’s advanced communication satellite GSAT-10 was successfully launched on



board Ariane-5 rocket from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana on 29th September2012.This is the India’s heaviest satellite of 3,400kg weight.

25. Scientists discover bacteria that can produce 24-carat gold : Scientists havediscovered a bacteria that has the ability to withstand incredible amounts of toxicity andcan be the key to creating 24-carat gold.Researchers from the Michigan State Universityhave found that the metal-tolerant bacteria ‘Cupriavidus metallidurans’ can grow onmassive concentrations of gold chloride or liquid gold, a toxic chemical compound found innature.

26. India sucessfully test-fires Prithvi-II ballistic missile : On 4th October 2012 Indiasucessfully test-fired surface-to-surface Prithvi-II ballistic missile from the Integrated TestRange (ITR) in Chandipur of Balasore district off Odisha coast.

27. India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable Dhanush missile : A day after thelaunch of Prithvi-II, India successfully test-fired nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missilefor its full range of 350 km from a naval ship off Odisha on 5th October 2012.

28. Australia launches world’s fastest radio telescope : In the remote Australian outback,scientists have launched the world’s fastest radio telescope which will exponentiallyincrease astronomers’ ability to survey the universe, mapping black holes and sheddingnew light on the origins of galaxies.The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder(ASKAP), located near the region of Murchison about 650 kilometres north of Perth, wasofficially opened 5th October 2012 by Science Minister Chris Evans.

29. Indian navy successfully test-fires BrahMos supersonic cruise missile : The IndianNavy on 7th October 2012 successfully test-fired the 290-km range BrahMos supersoniccruise missile, capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg, from a warship offthe Goa coast.

30. The Barcode Turns 60 Years Old : October 7, 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of theregistration of the first bar code patent. The original patent for what we know today as themodern barcode was granted on October 7, 1952 to Norman Joseph Woodland andBernard Silver, its inventors.

31. New planet discovered in Earth’s backyard : Astronomers have found a new planetcalled exoplanet in Alpha Centauri , the closest yet outside our solar system and just anastronomical stone’s throw away at four light years.Alpha Centauri is a three-star systemconsisting of two stars similar to our sun and a faint red star called Proxima Centauriandanother one is the Alpha Centauri B.The Exoplanet orbits Alpha Centauri B.

32. Indian diamond fetches 16.9 million euros at auction : A 76-carat flawless diamondfrom India’s famous Golconda mines broke world record by fetching a whooping 16.9million euros (Rs 1,18,16,98,700) at an auction in Geneva on 14 November 2012.

33. Scientists Created a Paper-thin material that can stop bullets : A team ofmechanical engineering and materials scientists from Rice University and MIT has createdspecial nanomaterials that were able to stop bullets in the lab. The type of material, calleda structured polymer compositecan actually self-assemble into alternating glassy andrubbery layers.

34. Solar System’s largest planet discovered : A team of astrophysicists had discoveredan enormous gaseous planet that is 13 times more massive than Jupiter, earning the name“Super-Jupiter “ and is the largest planet in our own solar system.

35. India successfully test fires supersonic interceptor missile : India successfully test-fired an indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile, capable of destroying ahostile ballistic missile, from a test range off the Odisha coast on 23 November 2012.

36. Drug that can halt cancer spread : Scientists was developed a new drug calledAflibercept, for stop the cancer cells from multiplying.

37. Pakistan tests nuclear-capable ballistic missile : Pakistan successfully test-fired anuclear-capable ballistic missile called Hatf-V(Ghauri) on 28 November 2012 that can hittargets up to 1,300 km (807 miles) away.

38. Astronomers Discovered Giant black hole in tiny galaxy : Astronomers claim tohave discovered the most massive black hole ever known in a small galaxy about 250million light-years from Earth, holding a mass equivalent to 17 billion Suns.The super-massive black hole is located inside the galaxy NGC 1277 in the constellation Perseus.Itmakes up about 14 per cent of its host galaxy’s mass, compared with the 0.1 per cent anormal black hole would represent, scientists said, adding that it has a mass equivalent to17 billion Suns

39. Canadian Scientists Created Artificial Brain : Software engineers as well asneuroscientists at University of Waterloo, Canada claimed that they have developed a



closest model of the functioning human brain, known as Spaun which is advanced enoughfor passing the basic IQ tests. This is the virtual brain which functions on thesupercomputer and comprises of a digital eye, which can be used for visual input. It alsohas the robotic arm which can be used for drawing the response.

40. Voyager 1 Drifts Into Unknown Region of Space : NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft hasdiscovered a new layer of the solar system that scientists hadn’t known was there,researchers announced on 4 December 2012. Voyager 1, in particular, has entered a newregion of the heliosphere that scientists are calling a “magnetic highway,” which allowscharged particles from inside the heliosphere to flow outward, and particles from thegalaxy outside to come in.

41. New Anti-HIV Gel for HIV Transmission : Researchers led by Dereuddre-Bosquet fromthe European Combined Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Microbicides (CHAARM) Consortiumdescribe the gel’s key ingredient, which are small peptides engineered to present a decoyto bind up the virus and prevent it from entering and infecting the body cells. Because thisis a gel it can be topically applied and could represent a powerful preventative agentagainst sexual transmission of HIV. Bosquet and colleagues engineered peptides named‘miniCD4s’ because they mimic the CD4 receptor used by HIV to gain entry into immunecells of the body.

42. NASA to Send New Rover to Mars in 2020 : NASA was announced plans to send anew robotic explorer to the the Red Planet, Mars in 2020.

43. 7 Planets Discovered In The Milky Way : New York Scientists have been discoveredSeven planets in the Milky Way outside our solar system that could potentially harbour lifeand researchers from an ambitious project to catalogue all habitable worlds claim.

44. Russia Delivered MiG-29 Fighter Jets to India : Russia on 10 December 2012delivered the first three upgraded MiG-29UPG fighter jets to India under a USD 900

million contract to modernise the ageing fleet of MiG-29 aircraft with the IAF.45. Tata Group Developed new “Artillery Gun” : On 11 December In a step towards

developing the indigenous private sector defence industry, the Tata group has created anew Artillery Gun. The 155mm 52 calibre gun developed by the Tata group is likely to havea strike range of 52 kms, which would probably be the longest in the Indian inventory.

46. India Successfully Test Fired Agni-I Ballistic Missile : India on 12 December 2012successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Agni-I ballistic missile

with a strike range of 700 km from a test range off Odisha coast. Weighing 12 tonnes, the15-metre-long Agni-I, which is capable of carrying payloads up to 1000 kg and destroythe targets at a distance of 700 km.

47. North Korea Launched Unha-3 Rocket : On 12 December North Korea launched along-range rocket Unha-3 despite international opposition and growing tensions in theregion successfully delivering a scientific satellite Kwangmyongsong-3 into orbit.Unha-3 isthe second version of satellite Kwangmyongsong-3 which is successfully lifted off from theSohae Space Center by carrier rocket.The US and its allies view the launch as a disguisedtest of ballistic missile technology.

48. NASA’s Twin Probes Crashed Successfully onto Lunar Mountain : Ebb and Flow, thegravity mapping satellites of NASA ended the successful mission to Moon by crashing onthe rim of crater. Lunar surface on which Ebb and Flow crashed will be given a name afterSally Ride, the first woman of America in the space who died earlier in 2012.

49. Rocket with 3 Astronauts Takes off for ISS : A Soyuz spacecraft carrying threeastronauts took off atop a towering Russian rocket on 19 December 2012, headed for theInternational Space Station.It launched from Russia’s manned-space facility in the frigidsteppes of Kazakhstan. American Tom Marshburn, Russian Roman Romanenko andCanadian Chris Hadfield are travelled in capsule.

50. Prithvi-II Flight- Tested Successfully : The Strategic Forces Command (SFC)successfully flight-tested nuclear weapons-capable Prithvi-II missile from Chandipur, offthe Odisha coast on 20 December 2012. The surface-to-surface ballistic missile, was firedfrom a road mobile launcher and tested for its full range of 350 km.The single-stage, liquidpropelled missile can carry a payload of 500 kg.

51. Astra Missile Successfully Test-fired : India on December 2012 test launched itsindigenously developed beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air interceptor missile Astra atthe interim test range(ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha.Astra which has the capability tointercept and destroy enemy aircraft at a supersonic speed can be fitted into any fighteraircraft. Considered as one of the best of its kind in the world, the 3.8 metre long missilewhich weighs about 160 kg can carry explosive loaded conventional warheads up to 15 kg.



52. Scientists Discovered Mini Nile River on Saturn’s Moon Titan : Nasa scientists hadspotted the longest extraterrestrial river system ever – on Saturn’s moon Titan – and itappears to be a miniature version of Earth’s Nile river.

53. Higgs Boson ‘ Tops Journal Science’s 2012 List : The discovery of the Higgs Boson, aninvisible particle that explains the mystery of mass, leads a list of the top 10 scientificadvances of 2012 released by the US journal Science on 22 December .

54. America Launched Reusable Rockets : US California based SpaceX’s industrysuccessfully launched ‘Grasshopper’ reusable rockets.The rocket took a giant leap forcommercial space flight and when it rose 131 feet and landed safely back on Earth.Grasshopper rocket rose to a height of 131 feet around ten storeys and hovered beforelanding safely on its launch pad using closed loop thrust vector and throttle control. :

55. Hot Spots For World’s more Powerful Earthquakes Revealed : The locations ofwhere the world’s largest earthquakes are most likely to take place had pinpointed withgreater accuracy than ever before, by researchers from the University of Sydney.Thecoasts of Southern Chile and Peru, Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, and several regions alongthe eastern Eurasian coastline, are some of the regions prone to great earthquakes.

56. US approved First new Tuberculosis Drug : On 1 January The US Food and Drugadministration approved a Johnson & Johnson tuberculosis drug in 40 years .This is thefirst new medicine to fight the deadly infection in more than four decades.The disease israre in the US, but kills about 1.4 millionpeople a year worldwide.

57. Spiral galaxy IC 2233 : Astronomers had captured one of the flattest galaxies known inthe universe, sitting like a silver needle in the haystack of space. The NASA/ESA HubbleSpace Telescope produced a beautiful image of the spiral galaxy IC 2233, one of theflattest galaxies. The IC 2233 is located about 40 million light-years away from Earth. Thisgalaxy was earlier discovered by British astronomer Isaac Roberts in 1894.

58. “Immune system ‘booster’ may hit cancer” : Japanese research where stem cellswere used to clone and produce large numbers of a specialized type of 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 to launch an attack to kill the tumour cells.The researchers are succeeded inusing stem cells to “mass-produce” CTLs in laboratory conditions.

59. Chinese Biologists Discovered Antibiotic In Panda Blood : Chinese biologists havediscovered that the blood of the endangered giant panda includes a compound called ”Cathelicidin-AM ” which acts as a natural antibiotic. The nature of the blood compoundmakes it an attractive treatment for so-called superbugs, those strains of disease thathave become immune or resistant to traditional antibiotics.

60. India to make world’s largest solar telescope : India is likely to begin construction ofthe world’s largest solar telescope on the foothills of the Himalayas in Ladakh tounderstand 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-basedIndian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), will permit Indian scientists to carry out cutting edgeresearch aimed to study Sun’s atmosphere.

61. Internet emits 830 mt of carbon dioxide annually : According to Researchers fromthe Centre for Energy-Efficient Telecommunications (CEET) and Bell Labs, Internet andother components of information communication and technology (ICT) industry annuallyproduces more than 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas,and is expected to double by 2020

62. ‘Lakshya’ Missile Successfully Tested : India’s indigenously developed, ‘Lakshya’ wassucessfully tested on 7 January .It was launched from the Integrated Test Range – ITR, atOdisha .25 meters in length, 100 km away from the target to the missile .

63. 17 billion’ Earth-sized planets in Milky Way : The Milky Way contains at least 17billion planets the size of Earth.Astronomers using NASA’s Kepler spacecraft found thatabout 17 percent of stars in our galaxy have a planet about the size of Earth in a closeorbit.The Milky Way is known to host about 100 billion stars, meaning that about one ofevery six has an Earth-sized planet around it.

64. Brahmos cruise missile test fired in successfully : Supersonic cruise missile BrahMosscored once again in its 34th launch on 09 January 2013 off Visakhapatnam in the Bay ofBengal, hitting a decommissioned vessel with accuracy.As it took off vertically from a navalwarship, reached an altitude of 14 km, levelled out and started cruising at three times thespeed of sound, it performed “a double manoeuvre in S-form” and hit the decommissionedship, about 290 km away.



65. Astronomers Found ” NGC 6872 ” Largest known Spiral Galaxy : A team ofastronomers from the United States, Chile and Brazil has crowned it the largest-knownspiral galaxy, a spectacular behemoth five times bigger than our own Milky Way, based onarchival data from NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) mission.The title-holder isnow NGC 6872, a barred spiral found 212 million light-years away in the southernconstellation Pavo. The distance between NGC 6872′s two huge spiral arms is 522,000light-years, compared to about 100,000 light-years for the Milky Way.

66. Indian Scientists Discovered Molecule for Cancer Treatment : A team of Indianresearchers, led by Dr Sathees C Raghavan of the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore,have identified a molecule which they claim will revolutionise the cure for cancer.Themolecule has been named after “Sathees as SCR7” and a detailed account of it has beencarried in the international scientific journal “Cell”".Scientists world over believe that thedouble strand break (DSB) of DNA is one of the most lethal form of DNA damage, resultingin drastic consequences such as genome instability, and cancer.

67. “Largest Space structure in the Universe:Large Quasar Group : An internationalteam lead by astronomer Roger Clowes of the University of Central Lancashire in Englanddiscovered the largest known structure in the universe, a clump of active galactic coresthat stretches 4 billion light-years from end to end.This is the largest Space structure inthe Universe.This structure is known as a “Large Quasar Group(LQG)”.

68. Indian Scientists Discovered Molecule for Cancer Treatment : A team of Indianresearchers, led by Dr Sathees C Raghavan of the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore,have identified a molecule which they claim will revolutionise the cure for cancer.Themolecule has been named after “Sathees as SCR7” and a detailed account of it has beencarried in the international scientific journal “Cell”".Scientists world over believe that thedouble strand break (DSB) of DNA is one of the most lethal form of DNA damage, resultingin drastic consequences such as genome instability, and cancer.

69. World’s First Global Renewable Energy Atlas Launched : On 13 January Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) launched the world’s first cleanenergy atlas at IRENA’S General Assembly , currently offers open-access information onsolar and wind power throughout the world and the creators plan to expand to otherrenewable energy resources over the next two years.The atlas includes information onclean energy resources in 37 countries, including those which have no diplomatic relationswith the United Arab Emirates.The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) isworking in partnership with the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century(REN21) to build a qualitative and quantitative data framework for renewable energy indeveloping countries.

70. Ancient River Found on Mars : On 17 January The European Space Agency scientistshave revealed a 1500 km long and 7 kilometre wide river that once ran across Mars.Theimages which were captured by the ESA’s Mars Express showed Reull Vallis, the river-likestructure, which is believed to have formed when water ran from the surface of Mars indistant past. The structure which surprised the astronomers stretches for around 900 milesor 1500 km across the Martian surface and also shows various tributaries. Thesestructures, it is believed, were formed somewhere around 3.5 billion years ago.

71. India Increased Rafale Fighter Jets’ Order : India could buy up to 189 of the Rafalefighter jets currently being used by France to bomb Islamist militants in Mali, sources closeto negotiations on the multi-billion dollar deal .The possibility of an additional 63 jets beingadded to an expected order for 126 was raised by India .The Indian press has estimatedthe value of the deal for 126 Rafales at $12 billion (nine billion euros).A 50 per centincrease in the number of planes ordered would take it to around $18 billion, in a hugeboost for the French defence industry.

72. ‘Japan to replace Fukushima plant with world’s largest wind farm’ : In the wake ofthe 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan had decided to build the world’s largestoffshore wind farm to replace the crippled nuke plant.The country plans to build a total of143 wind turbines on platforms 16 kilometres off the coast of Fukushima by 2020, which ishome to the stricken Daiichi nuclear reactor that hit the headlines in March 2011 when itwas damaged by a severe earthquake and tsunami.The wind farm will generate 1 gigawattof power once completed, and is part of a national plan to increase renewable energyresources following the post-tsunami shutdown of the country’s 54 nuclear reactors.Thewind farm will surpass the 504 megawatts generated by the 140 turbines at the GreaterGabbard farm off the coast of Suffolk, UK – currently the world’s largest farm.



73. India, US finalise Rs 3,000 crore deal for jet engines : India and the US havefinalised a Rs 3000-crore deal for supplying 99 jet engines to be used in the indigenousLight Combat Aircraft ‘Tejas’ being developed by the DRDO.Around two years ago, Indiahad selected the American company General Electric over its rival European Eurojet 2000for the LCA Mark II programme expected to be ready around 2014-15.The deal worth Rs3,000 crore has been finalised with the US for procuring 99 engines for the LCA TejasMkII.As per the contract, the order could be for 99 engines initially but India will have theoption of ordering another 100 engines in the future.

74. INS Saryu Inducted into Indian Navy : On 21 January Air Marshal PK Roy,Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command, commissioned INS Saryu into theIndian Navy at Goa .INS Saryu is the lead ship of the indigenous Naval Offshore PatrolVessel (NOPV) Project designed and built by Goa Shipyard Limited, the ship aptlydemonstrates the immense potential of the country’s indigenous designing and shipbuilding capabilities.Capable of carrying a helicopter (ALH) onboard, the ship’s weapon andsensor outfit includes a SRGM 76.2 mm gun with an electro-optic fire control system, two30mm guns as close in weapon systems, latest navigational and early warning radars,chaff launchers for self protection and an integrated ESM system to undertake all assignedmissions.

75. MIT researchers Created Moisture – Powered Polymer : MIT ( MassachusettsInstitute of Technology ) researchers have created a new polymer film that can generateelectricity by drawing on a ubiquitous source: water vapor.The new material changes itsshape after absorbing tiny amounts of evaporated water, allowing it to repeatedly curl upand down. Harnessing this continuous motion could drive robotic limbs or generate enoughelectricity to power micro- and nanoelectronic devices, such as environmental sensors.

76. India Sucessfully Test Fired K-5 Ballistic Missile : On 27 January India successfullytest fired medium range K-5 ballistic missile ,with a strike range of around 1500kilometres, 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) for the Indian strategic forces’ underwater platforms.

77. Iran ‘successfully sent monkey into space’ : Iran on 28 January 2013 announced thatit had successfully send a monkey to the space.It also declared that the monkey comeback to the Earth successfully.The rocket called Pishgam (meaning Pioneer) reached at aheight of 120 km (75 miles) for a sub-orbital flight before “returning its shipment intact”.The first country to launch the primate into space was US

PERSONS IN NEWS

1. Sushil Kumar Shinde as the new Leader in house of Lok Sabha : Sushile KumarShinde has been appointed as the new Leader in the House of Lok Sabha taking the placeof Pranab Mukherjee who has now become the President on 3 August 2012.

2. Hyderabadi Advocate becomes a Vice-Chairman of ABA : Hyderabad based lawyerMr.JLN Murthy has been appointed to the Vice-Chairman of the AmericanBar AssociationSection of International Law, Europe Committee, for the year 2012-13.The main aim ofthis association is to focus on several international legal issues.

3. Nasim Ahmad Zaidi is new election commissioner : Former civil aviation secretarySyed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi was 7 August 2012, appointed an election commissioner byPresident Pranab Mukherjee.The former EC V.S. Sampath took charge as CEC(ChiefElection Commissioner.

4. Dimple Yadav and M. Raja Mohan Reddy takes oath as Lok Sabha member :Dimple Yadav, the wife of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, 8 August 2012 tookoath as a Lok Sabha member from Kannauj. She had won the by-election, caused by herhusband’s resignation, unopposed in June.Along with Yadav,M. Raja Mohan Reddy, the newly-elected MP from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, also tookoath. Reddy is from the YSR Congress



5. .Raghuram Rajan is chief economic advisor : The government has issued formalorders to appoint Raghuram Rajan, former International Monetary Fund chief economist,as the chief economic advisor in the finance ministry. The economist, who is currently aprofessor at Chicago University’s Booth School of Business, is not expected to take chargefor the next few weeks due to academic commitments. Rajan will take over at a time whenthe government is trying to combat a hostile economic climate.

6. Cabinet nod for Customs’ first-ever woman chief : The Appointments Committee ofthe Cabinet has given its nod for Praveen Mahajan to be a full-fledged Chairperson of theCentral Board of Excise and Customs(CBEC). She is the first lady ever to head the highestpolicy-making body on indirecttaxes.Prior to this elevation, she was Member (Personnel and Vigilance) in the CBEC fromAugust 2011.

7. Ansari takes oath for second term : Hamid Ansari became the second Vice-President ofIndia to take oath of office for second consecutive terms in New Delhi on 11 August 2012Ansari, a former diplomat, followed Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan who served two successiveterms as Vice-President.

8. Indian origin Sanjay Reddy, appointed as the director of new York University’sCentre : New York’s leading University, the new school, has named an Indian-origin academicianas director of its center of trans-regional study, which is focused on research on therelations between India, china and U.S. He associate ‘Professor of Economics,has beennamed academic director of the new school’s India, China Institute(ICI) along with MarkFrazier, Professor of Politics on 16 August 2012.

9. New Envoy to Syria is Lakhdar Brahimi : The United Nations on 17 August, 2012confirmed that Veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi will replace the former UNSecretary general Kofi Annan as the International mediator on Syria as the 17 month oldconflict slides deeper into civil war. Brahimi, who served as Algeria’s foreign minister from1991 to 1993 and joined UN in 1994 andserved various high profile positions until he retired in 2005.

10. P.J. Kurien is Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman : P.J. Kurien is unanimously elected asDeputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha on 21 August 2012.

11. Poonam Kishore Saxena appointed as Chairman of CBDT : The governmentappointed Dr.Poonam Kishore Saxena,a 1975 batch IRS officer as the Chairman of CentralBoard of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 22nd August 2012.

12. P. M. Nair Appointed as Director General,NDRF & CD : Shri P. M. Nair, IPS has beenappointed as Director General, National Disaster Response Force & Civil Defence (NDRF &CD), Ministry of Home Affairs.Shri Nair is presently working as Special Director General,Central Reserve Police Force.

13. Admiral D K Joshi takes charge as new Navy chief : Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshitook over as the new Indian Navy chief on 31st August 2012.Admiral Joshi is the 21stChief of Naval Staff of independent India and the 19th Indian to command the IndianNavy.

14. New President Of Libya is Mohammad Magarief : National Assembly of Libya electedtheir former Opposition leader Mohammed Magarief as its New President. Mr.Magarief seenas a Moderate Islamist, will head the 200-member congress. The 72-year-old Magariefwho is the head of Nationalfront party. An economist and former Libyan ambassador to India who had lived in exilesince the 1980s, Magarief was a leading figure in Libya’s oldest movement oppositionmovement. Magarief won 113 votes versus independent Alli zindan who secured 85 votes.

15. New Jammu Varsity Chancellor is Vohra : Jammu & Kashmir governor N.N.Vohra hasbeen appointed the first chancellor of the Central University of Jammu. Pranab Mukharjeeon his visit to that University appointed Mr. Vohra the chancellor if the University for aperiod of five years.

16. Gopal Goyal Kand Home Minster of Haryana Quits : Haryana Minster of state forhome, Goyal Kanda resigned on 5 August 2012 night after a 23-year – old farmer airhosters named him in a suicide note before hanging herself.

17. Kofi A.Annan Resigns as Syria Peace Envoy : FreeJobAlert.com Current Affairs 20 Kofi A.Annan resigned as the UN Peace envoy to Syria on 2 August 2012 by complaining theinternational community had not done enough to support his bid to persuade Bashar al-Assad to



accept a peace plan. His term as UN peace interlocutor was set to expire on 31 August2012. Annan was appointed the UN-Arab League Peace envoy to Syria in February 2012.

18. Indo American Fareed Zakaria resigned from Yale Government Board : After a longassociation with Yale University the noted Indo American Writer and and journalist FareedZakaria has resigned from its governing body to focus on journalistic career.Zakaria, whoreceived his bachelor’s degree from the university, was associated with the YaleCorporation for past six years. The decision of Zakaria to shed some of hisnon-journalistic responsibilities has come close on the heels of accusations of plagiarismagainst him.

19. Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi Quit as Iraq communication Minister : IraqiCommunications minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi quit his post in 27 Aug accusing PrimeMinister Nuri – Maliki of “Political Interference” in his ministry. Allawi’s resignation is thefirst by a cabinet member since Iraq’s national unity government was formed in December2010.

20. Contrarian Author Gore Vidal Dies : “Writer Gore Vidal, who filler his novels and essayswith acerbic observation on politics,sex and American culture. While carrying on feuds withbigname literary rivals,died on 1 August 2012 at home in Los angels of complications frompneumonia,age 86. His historical novels was ‘Burr’, ’18762 .’Lincoln’,’The Golden Age’.

21. Vilasrao Deshmukh passes away : The Union Minister for science and Technology andEx. chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh ,who was suffering from sclerosis ofthe liver, passed away at a chennai hospital on 2012 August 14th.

22. Hindi cinematographer Ashok Mehta Passed away : The ace cinematograoher AshokMehta, who lost the battle with lung cancer at a mumbai hospital on 15 August 2012.Theman who worked with best in the business, raging from the highly accomplished shyambenegal, Girish Karnad and shekhar Kapur, hugely populared Sunhash Ghai. He did filmslike Utsav, Mandi,36 chowsinghee Lane.

23. Science Friction Writer Harry Harrison Passed Away : American Author HarryHarrison has died in Britain on 16 august 2012 at 87. He was best known for his”TheStainless Steel rat” series. His 1966, “Make room! Make Room!- a Science Friction take onthe horrors of over population. The Other works included anthologies, collections andchildren’s stories-including one particularity goofs tale about an Intergalactic force ofMutant pigs.

24. Philippine Minister Jesse Robredo died in Plane Crash : The most powerful ministerof Philippine died in plane crash on 19 August 2012. The Interior secretary Jesse Robredo.This crash was held at the central island of Masbate.

25. Prime Minister of Ethipio Meles Zenavi passed away : Meles Zenavi, the EthiopianPrime Minister, passed away on 20 August 2012 following prolonged illness. He was 57Ethiopio’s foreign minister will assume the change as the acting P.M. of the country.

26. US Astronaut Neil Alden Armstrong passed away : US Astronaut , Armstrong, as thecommander of the Apollo 11 mission, became the first human to land on the moon on 20July 1969,passed away on 25th August 2012.

27. Veteran actor Hangal Passed away : Actor A.K.Hangal, who had the rare ability toimbue the smallest and the most ordinary of roles with quality and dignity, passed awayon 26 Aug at Mumbai followed Health complications caused by a recent hip fracture.

28. Fijian President calls on Pranab : Fijian President Ratu Epeli Nailatikaw called on hisIndian counter part Pranab Mukherjiee at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on 7 August2012 and discussed the scope for expanding trade and bilateral ties.Mr. Mukherjiee alsogranted Fiji forjoining the Non-Alignment movement.

29. Chinese defence minister to visit India : India and China are expected to discuss waysof strengthening defence ties during the three-day visit of Chinese defence ministerGeneral Liang Guanglie starting September 2 in Mumbai.

30. Miss China Crowned Miss World : Chaina’s Wen Xia Yu was on 18 August 2012 crownedMiss world-2012 the competitions are conducted in China at Innar Mangolia Erina. WalesSophie Moulds was first runner up and the second runner up position to Jessica. Kahawatyof Australia. Indian beauty Vanya Mishra on the 6th position by winning two awards inmiss world competition. Themultimedia award and social networking skin & beauty.

31. Student Prafull Sharma Discovers SOHO : A Delhi boy has discovered a new cometusing data from NASA and European Space Agency;s Space Craft-based observatory SOHO



that studies the sun. Prafull sharma, is a XII class student of Ahlcon public school, thenew comet SOHO-2333 is a fragment believed to have separated from a relatively largercomet Machholz when it last came close to the sun in 2007. sharma, who has beenassociated with Delhi-based NGO science. Popularization Association of Communicatorsand educators (SPACE), ia apart of a world wide team os comet hunters. Who scourthrough images of the sun transmitted back to earth by Solar and HeliosphereObservatory(SOHO).

32. Zakaria suspended by CNN/TIME Magazine : Indo – American Journalist and authorFareed Zakaria has been suspended by his employers and Time Magazine because hecopied some Portions of an article he wrote on “ Gun Control for Time”, from the NewYorker Magazine. He suspended for one month.

33. Ex-Prez Pratibha Patil spent 140Cr on air Travel : ccording to RIT report India’s ex-President visited 18 Countries in 10 trips from November 2008 to October 2011.India’sformer president Pratibha Patil sets a new record by spending 140 Cr travel expensesalone. Patil was the most frequent flyer using IAF planes 255 times as compared to PMManMohan(108) abd Vice President Ansari(106).As A.P.J.Abdul Kalam visited 17 Countries in 7 trips and K.R.Narayana covered 10Countries in 6 trips. S.D.Shrama covered 16 Nations in 4 trips.

34. Himachal Hotel Gets Heritage Status : The Castel Magar, Himachal Pradesh TourismDevelopment Corporation’s prime hotel in the picturesque, Kullu Valley was notified underthe heritage status by the Union tourism ministry on 23 August 2012. Maggar was thecapital of the erstwhile kullu state for about 1460 years. The Castle was built by Raja Sidhi Singh in the 16thcentury.

35. Amir Khan on the Cover Page of Time Magazine : The most successful Tv showSatyamev Jayate made Amir Khan features in the cover page of the Time Magazine.AamirKhan is featured on the cover of Time with the caption ‘Khan’s Quest’. Bollywood actorswho have featured before on Time cover are Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khanand Parveen Babi. Parveen Babi became the cover girl of Time’s July 1976 issue, afteracting in super hit flick Deewar. The cover story was titled ‘Asia’s Frenetic Film Scene’.Onone of 2003 issues, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was called ‘New Face Of Film’. The magazinementioned: ‘Aishwarya Rai leads the invasion as Bollywood goes global and becomes hip.’

36. 9 IAF personnel killed in mid-air copter collision : Nine IAF personnel, including fiveofficers, were killed when two Mi-17 medium-lift utility helicopters collided in mid-air whileon a “live firing exercise” at the Sarmat field range near the Jamnagar airbase in Gujaraton 30 August 20112.

37. Obama appoints IIT graduate to admin post : U.S. President Barack Obama hasannounced to appoint eminent Indian-American, Romesh Wadhwani, to a keyadministration post by making him board of trustees of the prestigious John F KennedyCenter for the Performing Arts.

38. Browne is new chairman of chiefs of staff : IAF chief Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne,who has become the senior most among the three Service chiefs after Admiral NirmalVerma retired on 31st August 2012, has taken over as the new chairman of the chiefs ofstaff committee (CoSC) on 1st September 2012.

39. Chief Justice of India names Justice Kabir as his successo : Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia, who retires 28th September 2012, has recommended the name of seniormostSupreme Court judge Justice Altamas Kabir as his successor, setting in motion the processof change of guard in the apex court.

40. Deveshwar appointed on RBI board : The government has appointed ITC chairmanY.C. Deveshwar as a director on the central board of directors of the Reserve Bank ofIndia.

41. Kaushik Basu World Bank chief economist : Kaushik Basu appointed as chiefeconomist and Senior Vice President of World Bank by World Bank Group President JimYong Kim on 05th September 2012.He take charges from 1st October 2012.

42. Sachin Pilot commissioned as Territorial Army officer : Sachin Pilot 06th September2012 became the first Union minister to be commissioned as a regular officer in theTerritorial Army, fulfilling his desire to follow his father’s footsteps to be in the armedforces.

43. Indian-American elected to Royal Society of Canada : Ponisseril Somasundaran, anIndian American member of the faculty of Columbia University School of Engineering and



Applied Science, has been chosen as the sole foreign fellow of the prestigious RoyalSociety of Canada.

44. K N Tilak Kumar elected president of INS : K N Tilak Kumar of Deccan Herald andPrajavani was on 13th September 2012 elected president of The Indian Newspaper Society(INS) for 2012-13 at its 73rd annual general meeting held at Bangalore. He succeedsAshish Bagga of India Today.

45. BCCI joint secretary Anurag Thakur becomes member of Asian Cricket Council :BCCI joint secretary and Hamirpur BJP MP, Anurag Thakur has been inducted as memberof executive board of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).BCCI chief N Srinivasan is also thepresident of ACC.

46. Mary Kom brand ambassador of Raj Kundra’s SFL : Actress Shilpa Shetty Mondaynamed Olympic bronze medal-winning boxer Mary Kom as the brand ambassador of SuperFight League (SFL).Shilpa’s husband, Britain-based businessman Raj Kundra, hascollaborated with actor Sanjay Dutt for SFL, India’s first professional Mixed Martial Arts(MMA) event.

47. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan appointed as International Goodwill Ambassador. : TheUnited Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has appointed Bollywood actressAishwarya Rai Bachchan as its International Goodwill Ambassador.She will raise globalawareness on protecting children from HIV infection and increasing access to antiretroviraltreatment.

48. Ramesh Abhishek is FMC chairman : Ramesh Abhishek, an IAS officer of 1982 Biharcadre, appointed as chairman of Forward Markets Commission (FMC) on 24th September2012

49. Woman of Pakistani origin becomes minister in Norway : Norwegian Prime MinisterJens Stoltenberg has appointed a Pakistani Muslim woman, Hadia Tajik as Norway’s cultureminister. :

50. Sandeep Patil appointed as the Chief for BCCI Senior Selection Committee :Former Cricketer and all-rounder, Sandeep Patil was appointed as the Chairman of the fivemember senior selection committee of BCCI on 27 September 2012. The other fourmembers of the committee include Saba Karim, Roger Binny, Vikram Rathour and RajinderSingh Hans.

51. Altamas Kabir sworn in as new Chief Justice of India : Justice Altamas Kabir,seniormost Judge of the Supreme Court, was sworn in as the 39th Chief Justice of India on29th September 2012.

52. Australian Cricketer, Matthew Hayden retired from all formats of the game : Former Australia Test opener Matthew Hayden has decided to retire from all forms ofcricket, adding the Twenty20 version of the game to the Test and international one-dayformats he stopped playing in 2010.Hayden played 103 Tests for Australia, hitting 30centuries with a top score of 380 and an average of 50.73.

53. Ajit Pawar resigns as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister : Nationalist CongressParty (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar resigns as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister on 25thSeptember 2012 due the allegations of an irrigation scam when he was the state’s waterresource minister.

54. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, S.H. Kapadia, retired. : The Chief Justice ofthe Supreme Court, S.H. Kapadia, retired on 28th September 2012.

55. Dr. Verghese Kurien, father of India’s White Revolution passes away : Dr.Verghese Kurien, the Father of the White Revolution, passed away on 9th September 2012after a brief illness. Dr. Kurien was the architect of India’s White Revolution, which helpedIndia emerge as the largest milk producer in the world.

56. Iraq vice president sentenced to death : A Baghdad court sentenced in absentia Iraq’svice president, Tariq al-Hashemi, to death on hanging for the murder of a woman lawyerand terrorism charges .

57. U.S. ambassador to Libya killed in mob attack : The ambassador of the United Statesto Libya, Christopher Stevens, has been killed during an armed mob attack in Benghazi onthe 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.Mr. Stevens is the second U.S. ambassador to bekilled during an outstation posting since the death of Adolph Dubs in 1979 during histenure in Afghanistan

58. .Ex-CJI Ranganath Misra passes away : Former Chief Justice of India RanganathMishra died at a private hospital in Bhubaneshwar on 13th September 2012.Misra, servedas the Chief Justice from September 25, 1990, till November 24, 1991. He was also thefirst chairman of the NHRC.



59. Veteran actor-director Dinesh Thakur passes away : Veteran theatre actor-directorDinesh Thakur, known for his character roles in Hindi films of the 70s, passed awayinMumbai on 20th September 2012 after prolonged illness.

60. Freedom fighter, Telangana leader Bapuji dies : Eminent freedom fighter and a well-known figure in the Telangana movement, Konda Lakshman Bapuji died in Hyderabad on21st September 2012. He earned the nickname Bapuji for his participation in the QuitIndia Movement.

61. Popular Malayalam film actor Thilakan passes away : Thilakan, who had acted inaround 200 films and had won the national award for the best actor in a supporting role,died in Thiruvananthapuram on 24th September 2012.

62. Former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra dead : Brajesh Mishra, thecountry’s first National Security Adviser who played a key role in foreign policy mattersand pushed for deeper engagement with the US, died in New Delhi on 28th September2012 following a heart ailment.

63. India, Tajikistan upgrade ties, sign four pacts : India and Tajikistan, the energy-richCentral Asian nation, 03rd September 2012 decided to upgrade their ties to the level ofstrategic partnership and signed four pacts in areas of education, health, sports andculture.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmonon a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues and decided to upgrade theirgrowing ties to the level of a strategic partnership.

64. Antony opens army hospital in Male : Defence Minister A.K. Antony, on a three-dayvisit to the Maldives, on 16th September 2012 opened ‘SENAHIYA,’ a Maldives NationalDefence Force (MNDF) hospital, established in Male with Indian assistance.MaldivesDefence Minister Mohamed Nazim thanked India for its assistance to his country in allareas of development and said the enduring friendship between the two countries wouldimprove and expand, irrespective of political changes.

65. Washington Post calls PM a ‘tragic figure’ : Soon after Time magazine labelled PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh an ‘Underachiever’, the noted American news daily, WashingtonPost, has referred to him as a “tragic figure”.The Washington Post said Singh’s image is ofa “dithering ineffectual bureaucrat presiding over a deeply corrupt government”.

66. Sunita Williams takes over command at International Space Station : Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams has taken over command of the International SpaceStation (ISS), yet another feather in her cap as she already holds three records for femalespace travellers including a new record for total cumulative spacewalk time by a femaleastronaut.

67. Space Triathlon Completed By Sunita Williams : Williams became the first person inhistory to complete a triathlon in space.Williams, who is currently aboard the InternationalSpace Station finished her half mile swim, 18 mile bike ride, and four mile run in one hour,48 minutes, and 33 seconds.

68. Pakistani Government Relents in Judicial Standoff Over Zardari Corruption Case :Pakistan’s government relented on 18th September 2012 to judicial demands that it agreeto write a letter to the authorities in Switzerland regarding corruption charges againstPresident Asif Ali Zardari.

69. Nivedita Bhasin becomes first woman B-787 Dreamliner pilot : Senior Air India pilotCapt Nivedita Bhasin has become the first woman to command the new Boeing 787Dreamliner.She is presently the only women pilot for the B-787′s commercial flight in theworld.

70. $1,00,000 cash reward for the death of an anti-Islam film producer : A Pakistanigovernment Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour has offered a $100,000 (£61,616)reward for the death of the maker of an anti-Islam film produced in the US.

71. Congress selects Raja, Suresh Kalmadi and Kanimozhi as members of standingcommittee : The congress on 3 October 2012 nominated the former Union Minister, A.Raja, Kanimozhi and Suresh Kalmadi as the members of the Parliamentary StandingCommittees on Energy, Home Affairs and External Affairs respectively.Raja was arrested inthe 2G scam case on February 2 last year and is on bail since 15 May 2012. SureshKalmadi, who was accused in the Commonwealth Games scam case, spent about ninemonths in jail and was released on bail on 19 January 2012. DMK MP Kanimozhi, also anaccused in some cases related to the 2G spectrum allocation, was nominated to theStanding Committee on Home Affairs.



72. Ajit Saran Appointed as Secretary in National Commission for Women : Senior IASofficer Ajit M Sharan was appointed as Member Secretary in National Commission forWomen (NCW). Ajit Sharan is a 1979 batch officer of Haryana cadre.

73. Vivek Rae appointed new MSME secretary : On 5th October 2012 the governmentappointed Vivek Rae as secretary, ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises. Rae, a1978 batch IAS officer of the UT cadre, is currently director general, acquisition, defenceministry. He will take over from RK Mathur.

74. Anil Kumble appointed chairman of ICC Cricket Committee : Former India captainAnil Kumble was unanimously appointed chairman of ICC`s Cricket Committee by thegame`s governing body, replacing West Indies great Clive Lloyd on 11th October 2012.

75. Jaspal Rana appointed junior pistol chief coach : Multiple Asian Games gold medallist,Jaspal Rana, has been appointed chief coach for junior pistol shooters by the National RifleAssociation of India (NRAI) on 16th October 2012.

76. Ashok Kumar appointed India’s ambassador to Brazil : Mr. Ashok Tomar has beenappointed as the next Ambassador of India to Brazil on 31st October 2012.

77. Michael Schumacher announces retirement from Formula One : MichaelSchumacher has announced that he will retire from Formula One at the end of theseason.Schumacher’s announcement follows news last week that he will be replaced atMercedes by Lewis Hamilton in 2013.

78. UP revenue minister resigns due involved in CMO abduction : UP revenue ministerVinod Singh was forced to resign on 12th October 2012 for his alleged involvement in theabduction of Gonda chief medical officer (CMO) SP Singh.

79. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna resigned : External Affairs Minister SM Krishnahas resigned from his post ahead of on 28th October 2012 cabinet reshuffle.

80. Badminton Player Peter Gade Retired From International Career : Danish legendBaminton Player, Peter Gade on 30 October 2012 retired from international badminton

81. Historian Eric Hobsbawm dies, aged 95 : Eric Hobsbawm, one of Britain’s mosteminent historians, has died at the age of 95, on 1st October 2012 at the Royal FreeHospital in London .Mr Hobsbawm, a historian in the Marxist tradition, wrote more than 30books.He published his final book, “How to Change the World”, in 2011.

82. Freedom fighter, ex-Governor Satyanarayana is dead : Freedom fighter and formergovernor of Uttar Pradesh B Satyanarayana Reddy died at a hospital in Hyderabad on 6thOctober 2012.

83. Zimbabwe cricket coach Kevin Curran passes away : Kevin Curran, the formerZimbabwean all rounder and coach, has died in Mutare on 10th Ocober 2012.

84. Cambodia ex-king Sihanouk dies : Cambodia’s former king Norodom Sihanouk died on15th October 2012 in China at Beijing.

85. Bandya Kakade dead : Bandya Kakade, former India football goalkeeper, passed awayhere on 18th October 2012 evening. Kakade and Kuppuswami Sampath (MEG, Bangalore)were the two goalkeepers of the Indian team that won the bronze medal at the 1970Bangkok Asian Games. Kakade was also part of the Indian team

86. Yash Chopra, the ‘King of Romance’ passes away : Yash Chopra, one of Bollywood’smost well-known filmmakers, died of dengue fever on 21st October 2012

87. Eminent litterateur Sunil Gangopadhyay passes away : Eminent litterateur andSahitya Akademi President Sunil Gangopadhyay died at his South Kolkata residence on23rd October 2012 following a massive heart attack.

1. U.S. Treasury Secretary Geithner to visit India on Oct. 9 : U.S. Treasury SecretaryTim Geithner visit India on 9th October 2012 to participate in the third annual meeting ofthe U.S.-India Economic and Financial Partnership with Finance Minister P. Chidambaram.

2. Australia PM Julia Gillard begins India visit : Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillardhas begun a three-day visit to India.The two countries are expected to announcenegotiations on civil nuclear co-operation during Ms Gillard’s visit.

3. Suu Kyi to visit India next month : After 40 years, Myanmar’s Opposition leader AungSan Suu Kyi will travel to India on November 13. She will deliver the prestigiousJawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on November 14.

4. Steven Joyce, Minister for Tertiary Education, New Zealand visited India : Hon.Steven Joyce, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, New Zealand visitedthe Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi on 18th October 2012.

5. Ex-Bangladeshi PM Khaleda Zia to meet PM Manmohan Singh : Bangladesh’s formerprime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Begum Khaleda Zia, who



is on a week-long trip to India, will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singhin New Delhi on28th October 2012.

6. Pakistan spinner Rehman hit with ban after failed drug test : Pakistan’s AbdurRehman has been banned from cricket for 12 weeks after testing positive for cannabisduring his recent stint with Somerset.

7. Mukesh Ambani richest Indian : The China-based research firm Hurun releases a reporton 10th October 2012 declared Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani is therichest person in India.

8. Hyderabad’s last Nizam named all-time richest Indian : Osman Ali Khan, the lastNizam (or ruler) of Hyderabad is India’s all-time richest person.According to a newinflation-adjusted list of the world’s richest people of all time, the Nizam, who ruledHyderabad between 1886-1967, was ranked sixth with $ 236 billion.

9. Mukesh Ambani tops Forbes India rich list : Reliance Industries chairman MukeshAmbani is the richest Indian for the fifth year in a row with a net worth of $21 billion,according to the Forbes India rich list.

10. Manju Seth appointed as next Ambassador of India to Madagascar : Ms Manju Sethhas been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Madagascar.She is presentlyConsul General of India in Reunion Island, which is a French-administered territory in theIndian Ocean between Mauritius and Madagaskar

11. Rakesh Mohan appointed as executive director on IMF board : Former RBI DeputyGovernor Rakesh Mohan appointed as executive director on the board of the InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF).

12. VK Malhotra re-elected Archery Association President : Vijay Kumar Malhotra was on9th November 2012 re-elected as President of the Archery Association of India afterbeating Assam unit vice-president BVP Rao in Archery Association presidents elections.

13. Obama appoints Indian-American Rajiv Shah to head USAID : Indian-Americanswon one of their highest-ever appointments in the US government when President Obamaon 13 November 2012 nominated Dr Rajiv Shah as administrator of the United StatesAgency for International Development (USAID).

14. Anil Dev Singh appointed new chief of IOA election panel : Anil Dev Singh, retiredChief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, appointed as the new Chairman of The IndianOlympic Association (IOA) on 19 November 2012.

15. Scott Flemming named India’s basketball coach : The Basketball Federation of India(BFI) had appointed Scott Flemming, who brings along with him over 30 years of collegiateand professional experience in the United States, as the head coach of the men’s nationalteam on 19 November 2012.

16. BBC appointed Tony Hall as new director general : Royal Opera House chief executiveTony Hall had appointed as director general of the BBC on 22 November 2012,replacingGeorge Entwistle who resigned earlier this month in a burgeoning scandal over thecorporations’ reporting of sexual abuse.

17. Ranjit Sinha appointed new CBI Director : Senior IPS officer Ranjit Sinha wasappointed the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation for two-year term on 22 November 2012.

18. Barbosa sworn in as first non-white President of Brazil’s Supreme Court : JoaquimBarbosa was sworn-in as Brazil’s Supreme Court’s first non-White President on 23November 2012 at a packed ceremony in the capital Brazilia . Barbosa, became famous inBrazil after overseeing one of the country’s biggest corruption trials involving key membersof the former President Lula Da Silva’s government.

19. Alok Joshi new RAW chief : The Haryana cadre IPS officer Alok Joshi was appointedhead of India’s external intelligence gathering agency – Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)on 27 November 2012. Alok Joshi will take charge from S.K. Tripathi on December 30,2012.

20. Luiz Felipe Scolari appointed new Brazil Football team coach : Brazilian FootballConfederation have appointed Luiz Felipe Scolari as the new coach for Brazil Football team on 29 November 2012.

21. Mohan re-elected as vice president of IBSF : Capt Mohan, the president of theBilliards and Snooker Federation of India, was re-elected as the vice president of the IBSF(International Billiard & Snooker Federation). The election took place at the Annual GeneralBody meeting of International Billiards and Snooker Federation, at Sofia, Bulgaria on 29November 2012.



22. American CIA Director David Petraeus resigned : American Central IntelligenceAgency(CIA) Director David Petraeus resigned on 10th November 2012 due illegal affairwith Broadwell that was proved by the FBI in investigation.

23. BJP suspended Ram Jethmalani from party for ‘indiscipline’ : The BJP on 25Novemebr 2012 suspended a Rajya Sabha member Ram Jethmalani from the party for ”gross indiscipline”. He recently attacked the for for criticizing the appointment of the new

CBI chief.24. Ricky Ponting retired from international cricket : Former Australia captain Ricky

Ponting has announced he will retire from international cricket at the end of the third Testagainst South Africa.He is the second highest run scorer in Test history behind SachinTendulkar.Ponting has scored 13,366 runs at an average of 52.21 in his career.

25. Yeddyyurappa quits BJP, Assembly : The former Karnataka Chief MinisterB.S.Yeddyurappa quits the BJP and resigned to the Legislative Assembly on 30 November2012. He started his political career when he was elected as President of the ShikaripuraTaluk erstwhile Jana Sangha in 1972. He won his first Assembly election in 1983 as BJPcandidate. He became the first BJP chief minister in South India.

26. Yerram Naidu senior TDP leader dies in road accident : K. Yerran Naidu, TeluguDesam Party’s senior leader and former union minister for rural development died in a caraccident in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district on 2nd November 2012.

27. Cartoonist,T.Samuel passes away : Veteran cartoonist, T Samuel, a pioneer of pocketcartoons in India, passed away on 2 November 2012. He worked for the famousnewspapers like Times of India ,Indian Express and Nav Bharat Times etc.. He becamefamous as the creator of pocket cartoon “Babuji”.

28. BJP leader Kailashpati Mishra passes away : Veteran BJP leader and former governorof Gujarat and Rajasthan Kailashpati Mishra died in Patna on 3rd November 2012.

29. Veteran freedom fighter V P Murthy Raju passes away : Freedom fighter and formerAndhra Pradesh minister Ch V P Murthy Raju passed away in West Godavari district on12th November 2012.Raju had been MLA for six terms and served as a minister when lateP V Narasimha Rao was Chief Minister.

30. Ex-Minister KC Pant passes away : India’s former defence minister and PlanningCommission deputy chairman Krishna Chandra Pant died on 15 November 2012.Pant wasIndia’s defence minister between 1987 and 1989, when the Congress party was in powerunder then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

31. Shiv Sena Chief Balasaheb Thackeray died : Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray diedin Mumbai on 17 November 2012

32. Ajmal Kasab hanged, buried at Pune’s Yerwada Jail : Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab,the only terrorist caught alive during the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, was hanged at Pune’s

Yerwada Jail on 21 November 2012.Two secret codes are used the government withrespect to Kasab to maintain secrecy 1. Operation X:-Hanging code named Operation X. Xstood for execution 2. C-7096 :-C-7096, the number by which Kasab was identifiedofficially.

33. Nobel winner and organ transplant pioneer Joseph Murray passes away : Dr.Joseph Murray, the surgeon who carried out the first successful kidney transplant and laterwon a Nobel Prize for his work in medicine and physiology, died on 26 November 2012 inBoston.

34. India’s diplomatic politician and former PM IK Gujral passes away : “Former PrimeMinister Inder Kumar Gujral passed away on 30 November 2012 in Gujral. Born on 4December, 1919 in Jhelum.IK Gujral started as the Vice President in NDMC in the 1950sand later became a Union Minister. Later He became the India’s Ambassador to theUSSR. Gujral, an intellectual who propounded the ‘Gujral Doctrine’ of five principles formaintaining good neighbourly relations, left the Congress to join the Janata Dal in the late-1980s. In the 1989 elections, Gujral was elected from Jalandhar parliamentaryconstituency in Punjab and he became Minister for External Affairs, first under V P Singh(in December 1989) and then under Deve Gowda (in June 1996). Later he became the12th Prime Minister of India in April 1997 for one year. “

35. William Hague on four day official visit to India : The Secretary of State for Foreignand Commonwealth Affairs of United Kingdom, Mr. William Hague will be on a four dayofficial visit to India from 7th November 2012.During his visit Mr. Hague will discussbilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest with External Affairs Minister,Mr Salman Khurshid in New Delhi.



36. Canadian Prime Minister visited India : Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper,visited the India from November 3rd to 9th, during his visit India and Canada signedseveral agreements including Civil Nuclear Deal, Social Security Agreement, aMemorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in Information Technology and electronicsand an agreement to boost bilateral cooperation in Defense Science and Technology.

37. Hamid Karzai arrived to India on four day visit: Afghanistan President Hamid Karzaiarrived to India on 9th November 2012 on a four-day visit.

38. Aung San Suu Kyi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh : Myanmar’s pro-democracyleader Aung San Suu Kyi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh In New Delhi on 14November,2012 during her 6 day visit to India.She then visited Shantivan to pay tribute toJawaharlal Nehru.Later in the day, she will deliver the Nehru Memorial Lecture on theoccasion of the former PM’s birth anniversary.

39. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodia for South Asian summits :Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on 18 November2012 to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits.

40. Barack Obama makes first US presidential visit to Burma : Barack Obama becamethe first American president visited the Myanmar. He visited the Myanmar on 18November 2012 and then went to Cambodia to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits.

41. Sunita Williams embarks on record 7th space walk : Indian-American Sunita Williamsalong with Flight Engineer Aki Hoshide on 1st November 2012 ventured out of theInternational Space Station, adding to her record-setting space walking sojourns, to findan ammonia leak in the vital radiator system.

42. China invites Abdul Kalam to teach at Peking University : China invited APJ AbdulKalam to teach at Peking University

43. Irom Sharmila, the Iron Lady of Manipur completed 12 Years of Fast : Iron Ladyfrom Manipur, Irom Sharmila on 5 November 2012 completed 12 years of her fastdemanding for cancellation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA). Sheblames AFPSA as the main cause for violence in the state of Manipur and other parts ofNortheastern India.

44. Life Ban on Mohammad Azharuddin Lifted by Andhra Pradesh High Court : TheAndhra Pradesh High Court on 8 November 2012 lifted the life ban from playing Cricket onMohammad Azharuddin which was imposed by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)in Year 2000.

45. Ramanujan’s genius Proved by US Mathematician : Ramanujan’s genius Proved tothe world by Ken Ono of Emory University in Atlanta on the occasion 125th BirthAnniversary of Ramanujan.Ken Ono of Emory University proved the Ramanujan’s formulaof outputs for the roots of 1 like the square root —1.

46. Cancer charity drops Armstrong name : Lance Armstrong’s cancer charity removed theformer cycling champion Lance Armstrong’s name from its title. The Lance ArmstrongFoundation now officially known as the Livestrong Foundation.

47. Burma’s Suu Kyi Named New UN Ambassador : The United Nations announcedMyanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as an ambassador to its program onHIV/AIDS. Suu Kyi accepted the invitation to head the program during a meeting withUNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibé.

48. Visually-challenged Indian-American in key US post : On 1 December Obamaadministration was appointed a visually-challenged Indian-American Sachin Dev Pavithranas a Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board member.

49. Ajit Pawar sworn-in as Maharashtra Deputy CM : Ajith Pawar sworn-in asMaharashtra deputy chief minister on 7 December. After getting the clean chit from thegovernment on corruption in irrigation projects.

50. Chautala Elected as IOA President : Abhay Singh Chautala was on December 2012unanimously elected president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) while Lalit Bhanotbecame the new secretary general.

51. Parthasarathy Shome Appointed Adviser to Finance Minister : The government ofIndia appointed tax expert Parthasarthi Shome as adviser to Finance Minister PChidambaram with minister of state rank, sending a strong signal that tax reforms maytop its economic agenda in the remainder of the UPA government’s second term.

52. Malala’s Father Ziauddin Yousufzai Appointed UN Education Adviser : ZiauddinYousufzai, the father of 15-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, who was shot bythe Taliban for advocating girls’ right to education, has been appointed as Special UNAdviser on Global Education on 10 December.



53. Vijay Kumar appointed Senior Security Adviser in Home Ministry : The Uniongovernment had appointed the former Director-General of the Central Reserve PoliceForce, K. Vijay Kumar, as Senior Security Adviser in the Home Ministry where he willadvise on security and development in the Naxal-affected States.

54. Vinod Rai Re-elected as Chair of UN Auditors Panel : Comptroller and AuditorGeneral (CAG) of India Vinod Rai was re-elected Chair of the (UN) auditors Panel for theyear 2013, while the CAG of the United Kingdom, Amyas Morse, was re-elected the vice-chair of the Panel.

55. Naina Lal Kidwai Becomes First Woman President of FICCI : Country Head of HSBCIndia, Naina Lal Kidwai, took over as President of FICCI on 15 December 2012. She become the first woman to head the leading industry body.

56. Rita Singh Elected Federation of Indian Associations President : Rita Singh, anIndian American businesswoman from Bihar was elected the first woman president ofChicago-based Federation of Indian Associations (FIA).

57. Subhash Joshi Appointed As New BSF Chief : Subhash Joshi was appointed as thenew chief of Border Security Force (BSF) on 18 December 2012. Chadha, Special Secretary was appointed as Director General of ITBP(Indo-Tibetan Border Police).

58. Obama Nominates John Kerry to be Secretary of State : The senior senator JohnKerry was nominated as America’s Foreign Minister by President Barack Obama on 21December 2012.The John Kerry, who is the senior Senator from Massachusetts, now hebecame the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

59. Smita Singh Appointed as member of Global Development Council : On 22December The Obama administration has appointed Indian-American Smita Singh asmember of the president’s Global Development Council.

60. Virbhadra Singh Sworn in as Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister : On 25 DecemberFormer Union Minister Virbhadra Singh was sworn-in as Himachal Pradesh’s chief ministerfor a record sixth term in Shimla. He was Chief Minister five times between 1983 and1985; 1985 and 1990; 1993 and 1998 and 2003 and 2007.

61. Narendra Modi Sworn in Gujarat CM for 4th time : Narendra Modi sworn in asGujarat chief minister for the fourth consecutive time on 26 December 2012. He wassworn in along with seven ministers of Cabinet rank and nine ministers of state.

62. Cyrus Mistry took charge as Tata Group Chairman : Cyrus Mistry, the new chairmanof the Tata Group, took charge of his office on 31 December.Mistry is the sixth chairman ofthe Tata empire.

63. Mali Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra Resigned : On 11 December Malian PrimeMinister Cheick Modibo Diarra resigned and dissolved his government after he was ar-rested by the army in the West African nation.He was acting Prime Minister of Mali fromApril 2012

64. Singapore Parliament Speaker Resigned : Singapore’s parliament speaker MichaelPalmer announced his resignation on 12 December 2012 over an extramarital affair with astaff member of the People’s Association, a statutory body leading efforts to reach out tomembers of the public.

65. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Resigned : Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liebermanformally submitted his resignation on 16 December 2012 due to a pending indictmentagainst him for fraud and breach of trust.

66. Japan Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda Resigned : On 16 December Japanese PrimeMinister Yoshihiko Noda resigned from his post to take responsibility for his DemocraticParty of Japan (DPJ) defeat in Lower House Election .He was formally appointed by theEmperor on 2 September 2011.

67. Geophysicist Devendra Lal Died : Devendra Lal, geophysicist and visiting professor atthe Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) of the university of california, has died on 1December in San Diego.He was conferred with Padma Shri in 1971. Devendra Lal alsowon NASA Group Achievement Award.

68. World’s Oldest Woman and Tallest Woman Both Died : Besse Cooper, the womanlisted as the world’s oldest person was died on 4 December 2012 in Georgia at the age of116. Meanwhile, a Chinese woman, Yao Defen, was certified as the tallest in the world wasalso died. Mrs Cooper was declared the world’s oldest person in January 2011.Chinesewoman Yao Defen was listed as the world’s tallest woman by Guinness World Records in2010.



69. Jazz Pianist & Composer Dave Brubeck Died : On 5 December Legendary Jazzcomposer and pianist Dave Brubeck died in Norwalk. He had also won various awardsduring his career which spanned over six decades.The Library of Congress designated himas the Living Legend.

70. British Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore Died : British astronomer and broadcaster SirPatrick Moore on 9 December 2012 in Selsey, West Sussex.Sir Patrick presented the BBCprogramme The Sky At Night for over 50 years, making him the longest-running host ofthe same television show ever.

71. Ex-Bangladesh President Ahmed Died : Former Bangladeshi President andBangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP) leader Iajuddin Ahmed passed away on 10 December

2012. Iajuddin Ahmed was the 13th president of Bangladeshserving from Sept. 6, 2002until Feb. 12, 2009.

72. Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar Died : Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar, whosemastery over the sitar helped rejuvenate the classical instrumental tradition in India andpopularise Indian music in the West through concerts and collaborations with well knownartists, died in San Diego, U.S. on 11 December 2012.

73. Former Ranji Cricketer Nimbalkar Died : Former Ranji cricketer B B Nimbalkar waspasses away on 11 December 2012. BB Nimbalkar, who made an unbeaten 443 runs forMaharashtra against Kathiawar in a Ranji Trophy match in 1948-49. Yet this is the India’shighest scorer in first-class cricket.

74. First CM of Uttarakhand Nityanand Swami Passed Away : The first Chief Minister ofUttarakhand Nityanand Swami died at Dehra Dun on 12 December 2012.He worked as afirst Chief Minister of Uttarakhand after dividing it from Uttar Pradesh in 2000.

75. Barcode Co-inventor Woodland Died : Norman Joseph Woodland, who co-created thebarcode, was died on 9 December 2012 in New Jersey at the age of 91. Woodland was theco-inventor of bar code. He as well as his partner Bernard Silver (who died in 1963)patented this idea of bar code back in 1952.

76. Guinness World’s Oldest Person Dina Manfredini Died : Dina Manfredini (115 Years)the world’s oldest person and a resident of Iowa, has died on 17 December in Johnston

.Guinness World Records identified Manfredini as the world’s oldest person on December 5,a day after the death of 116-year-old Besse Cooper of Georgia.

77. Former India Volleyball Captain Tilakam Gopal Died : Tilakam Gopal, former Indiacaptain died on 18 December 2012. Mr.Gopal’s achievements was being member of thesilver medal winning Indian squad in the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games and even led India inthe five-Test series against the visiting Russians in 1966 which later on helped him tocontinue be captain in the Bangkok ASIAD in 1966 where India stood fourth.

78. Hockey Legend Leslie Claudius Died : Legendary hockey player and one of India’sgreatest Olympians Leslie Claudius, passed away in Kolkata on 20 December 2012. Indiawon the silver medal in the Asian Games in 1978 in Bangkok, when he was the teammanager.He got the Padma Shree award in 1971.

79. Former England Cricket Team Captain Tony Greig Died : Tony Greig, the SouthAfrica-born cricketer who became England cricket team captain and later continued tomake his mark on the game as a revered commentator in Australia, died on 29 December2012.He played 58 tests for England and scored 3,599 runs at an average of 40.43 andtook 141 wickets at 32.20.

80. Palestinian Hamas leader Meshaal Visited Gaza : The political leader of Hamas,Khaled Meshaal has visited Gaza on 6 December .He attended a commemoration of the25th anniversary of the founding of Hamas and a victory celebration .He visited southernGaza strip through Egypt’s Rafah border crossing over for the first time in 45 years.

81. Ukrainian President Yanukovych Visited India : Viktor Yanukovych the President ofUkrainian visited India from 9th to 12th December. During this visit he signed 5

agreements .He met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan and the both nations discussed waysto improve bilateral relations.

82. Pak Minister Rehman Malik Visited India : Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malikvisited India from 14th to 16th December .During the visit he met Prime MinisterManmohan Singh and both nations signed on new visa agreement.

83. Russian President Putin Visited India : Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Indiaon 24 December .During the visit he met Manmohan Singh in New Delhi and signed aseries of pacts on defense cooperation and reached consensus to develop economic andtrade relations.Putin last visited India as prime minister in 2010.



84. China Launched First High Speed Train in Extremely Cold Areas : The world’s firsthigh-speed train in areas with extremely low temperature started operation in China 01December 2012.This train move with a speed of 350 Kmph in the areas of minus 40degrees temperature. This is the fastest train world in this areas.

85. Forbes 2012 Most Powerful Persons List : On 6 December 2012 Forbes Magazinereleased the most powerful persons list in the world. In that list AICC President SoniaGandhi got the 12th place and Prime Minister of India Man Mohan Singh got the 20thplace. As usually this year also American President Barack Obama got 1st place. Germanchancellor Angela Merkel got the 2nd place. The list also includes Russian PresidentVladimir Putin at number three, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (4), Richest Person in IndiaMukesh Ambani (37).

86. Mumbai Among World’s ‘Dirtiest’ Cities : India’s commercial capital, Mumbai, wasnamed 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 the list of “cleanest streets”.

87. Jiroemon Kimura named ‘ World’s Oldest Person : On 18 December Jiroemon Kimura(115 years) has been named the world’s oldest person after the death of his predecessor,an American woman named Dina Manfredini who died on 17 December after receiving thetitle of oldest person of the world.Jiroemon Kimura was born on 19 April 1897 and is just15 days younger than the deceased Dina Manfredini.

88. Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo (USA) : Miss USA Olivia Culpo is crowned MissUniverse 2012 on 19 December 2012, on the Las Vegas. Miss Philippines, Janine Tugonon,came in second, while Miss Venezuela, Irene Sofia Esser Quintero, placed third.

89. Obama is Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ : President Barack Obama had been namedTime magazine’s “Person of the Year” for 2012 on 19 December 2012. Obama alsoreceived the honour in 2008.

90. 8 Indians Among World’s Best Performed CEOs

Eight Indian CEOs have made it to the list of 100 best performing global chief executives, compiledby Harvard Business Review (HBR). Deveshwar was first among the Indian CEOs featured in thislist, and cornered the seventh place overall.Former chairman and MD, ONGC Subir Raha (Rank 13).Chairman and CEO, Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani (Rank 28).Chairman and ManagingDirector, Larsen & Toubro, AM Naik (Rank 32). Former CMD, Bharat Heavy Electricals, AK Puri(Rank 38). Chairman, Bharti Airtel, Sunil Bharti Mittal (Rank 65). CEO, Jindal Steel & Power,Naveen Jindal (Rank 87). Former Chairman, SAIL,VS Jain (Rank 89). Former Apple CEO, SteveJobs (Rank 1). CEO, Amazon.com CEO, Jeff Bezos (Rank 2).

1. China Launched World’s Longest High-Speed Rail

China launched service on the world’s longest high-speed railway on 26 December 2012 with trainsscheduled to run 2,298 kilometres between Beijing and Guangzhou in about eight hours.Travellingat an average speed of about 300 km per hour, the service would cut the journey time from morethan 20 hours by conventional trains.

1. Asif Ibrahim appointed as chief Intelligence Bureau : Indian Police Service officerSA Ibrahim appointed as chief of the Intelligence Bureau on 01 January 2013 and hebecoming the first from the country’s main minority community(Muslim Community) tohold the post. Ibrahim, an IPS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has taken over asfrom Nehchal Sandhu who retired December 31. He will hold the post for two years.

2. Urjit Patel appointed as RBI deputy governor : On 02 January 2013 Urjit Patel, aconsultant at Boston Consulting Group, had been appointed a deputy governor at theReserve Bank of India, succeeding Subir Gokarn who was aiding the governor in shapingthe monetary policy.

3. YV Reddy to head 14th Finance Commission : On 02 January 2013 former RBIgovernor YV Reddy was appointed chairman of the 14th finance commission to suggestprinciples of sharing of revenues between the Centre and the states and insulate pricing ofpublic utilities like electricity, water and public transport from policy fluctuations.



4. Ami Bera and Tulsi Gabbard Sworn In As US Lawmakers : On 4 January IndianAmerican 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 USHouse of Representatives.Bera is only the third Indian American have ever been electedto the House of Representatives.Tulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu ever to won theCongressional election.

5. Malala’s Father Appointed as Education Attache in Birmingham : On 3 JanuaryMalala’s 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.

6. Indian American Srinivasan re-nominated as Federal Judge : On 4 January SrikanthSrinivasan a brilliant Indian American legal mind has been re-nominated by US President

Barack Obama to serve as Federal Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit.In June 2012he was nominated by Obama to serve on the US Court of Appeals for the District ofColumbia Circuit.

7. Justice D K Jain appointed new Law Commission chief : The Union Cabinet of Indiaon 7 January 2013 appointed Justice D K Jain as Chairman of 20th Law Commission ofIndia. 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 SupremeCourt on the same day.

8. John Brennan as a CIA director : U.S. President Barack Obama announced on )7January 2013 John Brennan wasnominated as director of the American IntelligenceAgency(CIA) and Chuck Hagel as a Defense secretary. John Brennan played a key role inencounter the Osama Bin Laden.

9. Indian-origin politician to be Singapore’s first woman speaker : Indian-originpolitician Halimah Yacob elected as the first woman Speaker of Singapore’s Parliament on 08 Janauary 2013.She take charges from 14 January 2013.Halimah, a former labourlawyer, is a member of Parliament from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).

10. Kulwant Singh Gill Took charge as new Commandant of NDA : On 8 January AirMarshal Kulwant Singh Gill took charge as the new commandant of the National DefenceAcademy (NDA) at Khadakwasla, Pune.The NDA provides three-year training in defenceand academics to its cadets before they move on to their respective officers’ trainingacademies for another one-year course and get commissioned into the armed forces.

11. R.K. Dubey Took Charge as Canara Bank’s new CMD : On 11 January R.K. Dubey hasassumed charge as the Chairman and Managing Director of Canara Bank .Mr. Dubey waspreviously worked as a Punjab National Bank General Manager in 2008 and was appointedas Executive Director of Central Bank of India in 2010.

12. Rajkumar Goyal Took Charge as Central Bank of India new ED : On 11 JanuaryRajkumar 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 HumanResources Department

13. Obama nominated Jack Lew as new Treasury Chief : On 11 January President BarackObama nominated his chief of staff, Jack Lew, to become the next Treasury secretary andsucceed Timothy Geithner.Last year, Lew was named Obama’s chief of staff, and beforethat he had served as the White House budget director.

14. First Gujarati in UK cabinet : Lord Dolar Popat has appointed a minister in the UKcabinet .He become the first Gujarati taking his place in the UK cabinet .Popat wasappointed minister for business, innovation & skills and transport.

15. Mohan Pieris assumes duties as 44th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka : On 15 January2013 ,Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed his cabinet’s legal advisor as thecountry’s new Chief Justice to succeed Shirani Bandaranayake. Rajapaksa sworn in newChief Justice Mohan Peiris to replace Sri Lanka’s first woman chief justice who wasimpeached by the parliament in a controversial move.Peiris, a British qualified solicitor whoretired in 2011 as the Attorney General was serving as the legal advisor to the Cabinet.



16. Ved Prakash is UGC chairman : Ved Prakash, serving as acting chairman of theUniversity Grants Commission, had been appointed as its chairman on 18 January2013.The chairman’s post remained vacant ever since S. Thorat retired in February 2011.Since then Mr. Prakash had been the acting chairman.

17. Obama Sworn in as the US President for Second Term : On 20 January US PresidentBarack Obama Barack Obama was sworn in as the President of the country for a secondfour-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 as US vice-president.

18. Suchitra Ella, Founding Chairwoman of CII’s women wing : Suchitra K. Ella, JointManaging Director, Bharat Biotech International, had been nominated as the FoundingChairwoman of the Indian Women Network of CII. The network aims to provide a platformfor working women to come together and discuss issues and opportunities and share bestpractices. She is currently the Chairperson of CII Andhra Pradesh State Council for 2012-13. She had earlier been elected to the CII Andhra Pradesh State Council. She has beenawarded the International Women Entrepreneurial Challenge award 2007 by the Chamberof Commerce of Barcelona, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and the FLO GR8Women Achievers Award 2008 for entrepreneurial excellence.

19. Jharkhand CM Arjun Munda resigned : Political uncertainty deepened in Jharkhand on 08 January 2013, with Chief Minister Arjun Munda submitted his resignation to GovernorSyed Ahmed. On 07 January 2013, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) announced thewithdrawal of its support to the BJP-led government.

20. Rajapaksa Dismissed First Woman Chief Justice of the Country : On 13 JanuaryMahinda Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka dismissed the first woman chief justice ofthe country, Shirani Bandarnayake after endorsing her impeachment by the Parliamentthat caught her guilty on the corruption charges.She appointed as a chief Justice on May2011.

21. Violin maestro MSG passes away : M.S. Gopalakrishnan — legendary violinist known forhis mastery of both the Carnatic and Hindustani systems of classical music — passed awayon 03 January 2013 in Chennai.In his career spanning 75 years, he not only broke newground as an accompanist, but also rose to become one of the best solo violinists in thecountry, along with Lalgudi G. Jayaraman and T.N. Krishnan. The three are considered the‘violin trinity’ of south Indian classical music.Despite enviable success and accolades thatcame in the form of national honours such as the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, andinnumerable titles, including the ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ title awarded by The Music Academy,Chennai.

22. Pakistani singer Mehnaz Begum is no more : Renowned Pakistani singer MehnazBegum died on 19 January 2013.Mehnaz specialized in ghazal, thumri, dadra, khayal,drupad and reciting salam, noha and marsiya.Mehnaz was the daughter of popular sub-continental singer Kajjan Begum.She sang over 2,500 songs for radio‚ television and filmsin a variety of genres like ghazal, thumri, dadra, khayal and drupad.

23. Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag Visited India : Mauritius PresidentRajkeswur Purryag visited India from 3 – 10 January .During the visit Purryag met Prime

Minister Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee on 4 January in New Delhi. In Bihar , hevisited his ancestral village , Bojeetpore near Patna.President Purryag also the chief guestof Pravasi Bharatiya Divas .He attended the 3 days event 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divasheld in Kochi (Kerala).

24. Vice President Hamid Ansari Visited Vietnam : Vice President Hamid Ansari visitedVietnam from 14 to 17 January.During the visit Ansari met Vietnam’s Deputy PrimeMinister Vu Van Ninh and discussed the both countries bilateral issues , signed severalagreements .Ansari attended the closing ceremony of the celebrations to mark the 40thanniversary of the India-Vietnam diplomatic ties.



25. Bhutan King Wangchuck Visited India : The King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar NamgyelWangchuck visited India from 23-30 January.During the visit he attended the India’sRepublic Day celebrations as a Chief Guest.Wangchuck met President Pranab Mukherjee,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and the United Progressive Alliance’s Chairperson, SoniaGandhi.This is the fourth time since 1954 that a Bhutanese King will be a Chief Guest atIndia’s Republic Day celebrations.

26. Ex-Haryana CM Chautala, son get 10 years jail : Former Haryana chief minister OmPrakash Chautala and his son Ajay had been sentenced to 10 years in jail in connectionwith a teachers recruitment scam.Special CBI Judge Vinod Kumar sentenced the Chautalasand seven others to 10 years in jail while one convict was given five years in jail and 45others four years in jail.

27. Swaminarayan sect opens $100-million quake-proof temple near Hollywood : Oneof the biggest Hindu temples in the US, built at a whopping cost of $100 million near theHollywood city in Los Angeles .The 68th Swaminarayan temple of Bochasanwasi ShriAkshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) had been built using 35,000 pieces ofmeticulously hand carved Italian Carrara marble and Indian Pink Sandstone.

28. Premlata Conquers Summit of Mt Vinson in Antarctica : On 17 January PremlataAgrawal, the oldest woman in India to have climbed Mt. Everest, has conquered Mt. Vinsonin Antarctica in pursuit of the ‘Mountaineering Challenge’ of climbing the ‘SevenSummits’.She completed her Mt. Vinson expedition on January .The person successful inconquering all the seven summits is considered a member of the ‘Hall of Fame’ formountaineers.Premlata will become the first Indian woman and one of the oldest in theworld to conquer all seven summits.

29. Ex-ISRO chairman Inducted in to ‘ Satellite Hall of Fame ‘ : The Indian SpaceResearch Organisation (ISRO) announced its former chairman and Department of Spacesecretary Prof U R Rao by inducting him as the member of the prestigious ‘ Satellite Hall ofFame ‘ , Washington.Since 1987, the SSPI Hall of Fame has been recognising theinvaluable contribution of the visionaries who have transformed life on planet earth for thebetter through satellite technology. Members of the Hall of Fame are recognised pioneersin communications, satellite related aerospace scientific research or development anddelivery of applications for business, institutions and government via satellite.

30. 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 to35 years in jail by a Chicago court for his ‘unquestionable’ role in the massacre of 166people in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

31. Forbes India Celebrity 100 List : According to the Forbes India “” Celebrity 100 List “”The Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, topped the inaugural Forbes India Celebrity

100 list.Forbes India estimates, the total earning of Shah Rukh from October 2011 andSeptember 2012 was 202.8 crore Rupees.The ranking was given based on the popularityas well as income of the biggest entertainers of India. Second on the list was Salman Khanand MS Dhoni followed in the third position.The special edition of Forbes India judged ineight different categories – directors, film actors, TV personailities, models, comedians,sports stars, authors and singers/musicians.The youngest celebrity in the list of ForbesIndia was Saina Nehwal, aged 23 years.

32. Switzerland best place to be born, India 66th : Switzerland has been called the bestplace in the world to be born in 2013 according to the The Economist Intelligence Unit(EIU), a sister company of The Economist. The worst place for a baby to start life wasviolence-hit African country Nigeria. The survey included 80 nations and Australia rankedsecond followed by Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Singapore, Netherlands, Hong Kong,Canada and New Zealand were also ranked among top 10. India was ranked 66thplace.The survey included significant parameters to judge the best country to be born andthese factors included demography, geography, cultural and social characteristics, state ofeconomy, future income per head as well as public policy.



33. Death toll in Iran’s twin earthquakes is over 250Two strong earthquakes that strucknorth-west Iran on 11th August 2012 killed more than 250 people and left grievingsurvivors — buffeted by repeated aftershocks — in a state of trauma.The first quake, ofmagnitude 6.2, jolted the Ahar area around 1600 hours local time, Fars News Agency(FNA) reported. Almost an hour later, a quake of 6 magnitude rocked the city of Varzaqanand its surroundings in the same province.Thousands of people, rattled by at least 35aftershocks, fled from their homes. Many families spent the night in parks, braving chillyconditions that prevail in the mountainous province.

34. Typhoon Haikui Hit East Coast China : Typhoon Haikui hit to the east coast china on 8August 2012. By hitting hard the area around the business metropolis of shanghai withheavy wind and rain. The storm’s wind’s were at ‘Severe typhoon”. It made land fall in theProvince of Zhejiang, about 225 kilometers(140 miles) south of Shanghai. The wind speedin between 150 and 184 kilometers per hour. Chinese officials had relocated 374.000 people from shanghai and 250,000 fromzhejiang.

35. 37 killed in Sivakasi cracker unit blast : 37 people have been killed and at least 60have been injured in a huge fire at a Om Siva Sakthi Crackers in Mudalipetti, nearSivakasi, in Tamil Nadu.

36. Two Same magnitude earthquake in China at Yunnan and Guizhou : 80 people weredied , more than 730 people were injured,twenty thousand homes were destroyed andnearly one hundred thousand persons have been evacuated after the two earthquakes at amagnitude of 5.6 hit Yunnan and Guizhou provinces in China on 07th September 2012.

37. Shadman Chowk renamed as Bhagat Singh Chowk in Lahore : Pakistan governmenthas finally renamed Shadman Chowk as Bhagat Singh Chowk in Lahore as a mark ofrespect to the martyr and an acknowledgement of his role in the struggle against Britishrule.

38. Mercedes-Benz rolls out M-Class luxury SUV from Pune facility : Mercedes-BenzIndia has rolled out its first locally manufactured M-Class luxury SUV from its facility inChakan, Pune. The company has also declared the start of operations of its paint shop atthe same location.India is the only country outside of the USA where the German luxurycar maker has begun production out of the new ML-Class.

39. 44 killed in Syrian air strikes : At least 44 people were killed in air strikes on the Syrianrebel-held town of Maaret al-Numan on 18th October 2012.

40. 5.5 magnitude earthquake hits off Taiwan : A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck offsouthern Taiwan on 25th October 2012, the island’s Seismology Center said, but therewere no reports of any damage or casualties.

41. Earthquake in Canada triggers tsunami in Hawaii : A powerful 7.7-magnitudeearthquake rattled the west coast of Canada, triggering tsunami warnings for Hawaii on28th October 2012.

42. Earthquake in Guatemala : Guatemalans hit by A powerful earthquake with a magnitudeof 7.4 on 8th November 2012.

43. Mumbai’s Sufi shrine Haji Ali Dargah bans entry of women : The management ofMumbai’s iconic Sufi shrine Haji Ali Dargah, which is visited by thousands of devoteesevery year, has restricted the entry of women.

44. Strong Earthquake strikes Myanmar : A strong earthquake with magnitude of 6.8 hitthe Myanmar on 11th November 2012 .

45. North Island New Zealand volcano Mt Tongariro erupts : New Zealand’s MountTongariro volcano in the central North Island erupted on 21 November 2012.

46. Typhoon Bopha Killed Hundreds in Philippines : Bopha, the strongest typhoon hit thePhilippines on 5 December 2012, was left at least 325 died. The typhoon with central

winds of 115 kph and gusts of up to 145 kph was moved to west-northwest of the centralPhilippines on 6 December 2012.



47. Powerful Earthquake in Japan : The powerful earthquake had occurred in Japan on 7December 2012.The magnitude of this earthquake was recorded as 7.3. This earthquakehad occurred in 240 km beyond the Miyagi coast in the Pacific Oceanin a depth of 10m

48. Strong Quake in Indonesia : On 22nd January A strong, shallow earthquake rockedparts of western Indonesia early killed 30 persons and panicking residents and ruininghomes. Several other people were injured.Indonesia’s meteorology and geophysics agencyput the preliminary magnitude at 6.0 and said the inland quake caused no tsunami. It wascentered southwest of the city of Banda Aceh and 10 miles (6 kilometers) beneath theearth’s crust, according to the U.S. Geological Survey..

49. 233 People Killed in Brazil Night Club Fire Accident : On 27 January The blaze in theuniversity town of Santa Maria nightclub fire killed at least 233 people in southern 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 tosoundproofing on the ceiling.

COMMITTEES

1. Pak Prez Formed a Panel to Talk with Pak Hindus : Pakistan President Asif Ali zardarihas set up a three member committee of Parliamentarians to meet and reassure Hindus insindh of their security after their families decided to flee their homes. Zardari has takenserious notes of reports of the “Sense of Insecurity” among hindus families in sindh anddirected authorities to address their unfair treatment and report to him. This panelconsists of senator Hari Ram, National Assembly member Lal Chand and Federal MinisterMoula Bakhsh Chandio.

2. Panel to Examine Western Ghats Report : Environment Ministry has constituted a highlevel working panel to headed by eminent space scientist and panning commissionmember K Kasturirangan to examine the Western Ghats ecology expert panel report “in aholistic and multidisciplinary fashion”. The nine member group will examine the theMadhav Gadgil committee report released recently “in a holistic and multidisciplinaryfashion keeping in view the comments received from the concerned state governments,central ministries, stakeholders”.It will also study the “effects and challenges of climatechange in the ecologically significant Western Ghats region,” “the implications of theUNESCO heritage site recognition of some parts of the Western Ghats” and theconstitutional implications of Centre-State relations regarding the conservation andsustainable development of the region.” It is also expected to “recommend further courseof action” regarding thereport within two months.

3. Two Member Panel to Study on Universal Health coverage : The National Advisorycouncil has set up a two member working group to study the report on Universal HealthCoverage (UHC) prepared by the high level expert scope of the National rural healthMission(NRHM) and convert it into a National Health Mission. The Two-member group,comprising Mirai chatterjee and A.K.Shiva kumar,will work closely with the Ministry ofHealth and Family welfare and the planning commission to resolve any possible issuesarising on health.

4. SL Committee pulled up for diluting civilnuclear Liability Rules : The subordinatelegislation committee of the lok sabha has pulled up the department of atomic energy for‘diluting’ the civil. liability for clear Damage(CLND)Act. The committee monitors whetherthe rules tabled in parliament are in tune with the act passed by parliament. This is 15member panel has represented from all parties.

5. Rangarajan panel for total decontrol of sugar industry : The Rangarajan panel willsubmit the report on decontrol of sugar industry within two weeks

6. Rangarajan panel for total decontrol of sugar industry : Rangarajan Committee hasrecommended deregulation of the sugar sector, by giving freedom to mills to sell sugar in



the open market.The Millers should sell the 10%of sugar to government below the marketprice,for running the ration shops ,remaining should sell in the open market.

7. Pope Benedict XVI appoints six non-European cardinals for Pope selectioncommittee : Pope Benedict XVI has appointed six priests from non-European countries tobe cardinals, at a service in the Vatican’s St Peter’s Basilica.From India Baselios CleemisThottumkal, head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church was selected as a one of theCardinal for the pope selection committee.

8. Usha Thorat Committee for NBFCs : India’s majority of Non-Banking Financecompanies (NBFCs) may be freed from the regulatory clutches provided Reserve Bank ofIndia (RBI) implements one of the recommendations made by Usha Thorat Committee.The committee had submitted its recommendations to RBI. Currently, thoserecommendations are under RBI’s consideration.

9. Chandrashekhar Committee to Frame Rules for Foreign Investors : On 13December The market regulator Sebi has appointed a committee under ex-Cabinetsecretary K M Chandrashekhar to frame a single set of guidelines for all types of foreigninvestors.The committee will suggest ways to simplify the investment process for alloverseas entities like foreign institutional investors, foreign venture capital investors(FVCIs), qualified financial, institutional investors (QFIs)

10. Vijay Kelkar Committee for Fiscal Consolidation : The Vijay Kelkar Committee, whichwas appointed by Finance Ministry to suggest a roadmap for fiscal consolidation, hassuggested immediate hike in fuel prices and complete deregulation of diesel prices by startof 2014-15 fiscal.It also suggested raising kerosene and LPG rates.Now the Kelkarcommittee recommendation is still at proposal stage.

11. Justice Verma Committee Submitted Report : On 23 January The three-membercommittee included former Chief Justice of India, J S Verma, who headed the committee,Justice (Retd.) Leila Seth, former Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court and GopalSubramanian, 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 andamend existing laws dealing with cases of sexual crime.The Justice Verma panelrecognised failure of governance as primary cause of sexual crimes.The Panel suggestedTrafficking should be made punishable with imprisonment ranging from not less than 7years to 10 years .There was a need for the separate Bill of Rights for women that willmake sure that women would have their own rights for having sexual autonomy.”

BOOKS IN NEWS

1. “Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden”: A New Book released : No Easy Day: TheFirsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden was written by a Navy SEALunder the pseudonym Mark Owen with co-author Kevin Maurer and is to be released nextmonth on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. This book has claimed thatAbbottabad house where al-Qaeda chief lived was “carved out”from Pakistan MilitaryAcademy compound and its powerful army chief may have been briefed beforehand on the‘Kill Osama Mission’.

2. Vice President Releases the Book ‘Muslims in Indian Cities’ : Vice President afterreleasing the book entitled “Muslims in Indian Cities” edited by Laurent Gayer andChristoph Jafferlot on 10th September 2012 at New Delhi, Shri Ansari has said thatMuslims have lived in India’s religiously plural society for over a thousand years, at timesas rulers, at others as subjects and now as citizens. They are not homogenous in racial orlinguistic terms and bear the impact of local cultural surroundings, in manners andcustoms, in varying degrees.

3. 800-year-old Chinese encyclopaedia on display in Taiwan : Taiwan (AP) – An 800-year-old Chinese encyclopaedia is on display at a book fair in Taipei. The rarepublicationwas recently purchased by a Chinese publishing house for US$33 million(S$40.5 million) at an auction in Beijing. :



4. Salman Rushdie released his Book Joseph Anton : Joseph Anton the 633 page bookdepicts a memoir of Salman Rushdie during his 10 years long run to protect himself fromthe Fatwa issued by his name was released on 18 September 2012.

5. Hilary Mantel wins Booker Prize for Tudor saga : British writer Hilary Mantel won theprestigious Booker literary prize for a second time on 16th October 2012 with her blood-soaked Tudor saga. Ms Mantel, who took the 50,000 pound ($82,000) award in 2009 for“Wolf Hall,” is the first British author, and the first woman, to achieve a Booker double. :

6. “The Folded Earth and A Free Man” won the 11th Economist Crossword BookAward : The Folded Earth written by Anuradha Roy and A Free Man by Aman Sethi wonthe 11th Economist Crossword Book Award that was declared at Mumbai.

7. Governor releases ‘Ek Thhi Kusum’ by former Speaker : Uttarakhand Governor AzizQureshi on 22nd October 2012 released “Ek Thhi Kusum”, a short stories collectionauthored by former State Assembly Speaker Prakash Pant.

8. Vice President Releases Series of Books Granthavali : The Vice President MohammadHamid Ansari released a collection of writing and works -Granthavali of late DrDineshnandini Dalmia in New Delhi on 2nd November 2012.

9. Saina Nehwal autobiography book released by Gagan Narang : Ace shuttler SainaNehwal , Ace shooter Gagan Narang and badminton player Parupalli Kashyap releasedbook autobiography of Saina Nehwal “Playing to win-My life on and off the court ” inHyderabad on 7 November 2012.

10. Yuvi – book on Yuvraj released : “The book on Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh namedYuvi was released in third week of November 2012. Yuvi, the book on Yuvraj Singh ispublished by Harper Sport and written by Makarand Waingankar. The book illustrates thebrilliance of cricket shown by Yuvraj Singh in his career as a cricketer and the way herecovered from Cancer.

11. Chief of the Air Staff and Chairman COSC Air Chief Marshal Nak Browne ReleasesBook : Chief of the Air Staff and Chairman COSC Air Chief Marshal Nak Browne ReleasesBook titled “VICTORY INDIA – A Key to Quality Military Leadership” on 20 November2012.The book is a collection of well written contributory articles by military experts.Thebook focuses on the process of identification, selection and training of our dynamic youthto mould them into inspiring effective quality military leaders.

12. Amitav Ghosh, Jeet Thayil shortlisted for literature prize : Six books including “Riverof Smoke” by Amitav Ghosh, “Narcopolis” by Jeet Thayil and “The Wandering” by Pakistan-based author Jamil Ahmad, have been shortlisted for the DSC South Asian Literature Prize2013.The finalist will be announced at the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival January 2013.

13. “The Peak” Book Released on Sachin Tendulkar : On 2 December Indian CricketerYuvraj Singh was launched Sachin Tendulkar’s new book named ‘The Peak’ which is aunique photographed story on Tendulkar by photo-journalist Suman Chattopadhyay. The book captures some rare and memorable moments of Tendulkar’s life throughChattopadhyay’s lens and the stories behind them in the master’s own words

14. “Pankaj, Bengal’s Forgotten Hero” Book Released : On 3 December Senior batsmanSachin Tendulkar and former India captain Sourav Ganguly released a book on formerIndia opener Late Pankaj Roy named ‘Pankaj, Bengal‘s Forgotten Hero‘ has been written byBengali sports journalist Gautam Bhattacharya. Pankaj Roy had played 43 Tests for Indiain a span of 10 years scoring 2442 runs with five centuries.

15. “My Tryst with Justice” Book Released : On 12 December President PranabMukherjee released a book “My Tryst with Justice” which was written by Former ChiefJustice P.N.Bhagwati .The book would be a prized possession for every Indian who wantsto make a difference to the world and who aspires for a world more just, he added.

16. ’M.S. Subbulakshmi – Queen of Carnatic Music’ Book Launched : The life story ofcarnatic music legend M.S. Subbulakshmi, the first musician to be conferred the BharatRatna, is now detailed in a graphic illustrated book launched on December. The story ofthe nightingale of carnatic music, fondly known as MS. It is being told through Amar ChitraKatha’s new title “M S Subbulakshmi – Queen of Carnatic Music’’

17. Swami Vivekananda “The Monk as Man ” Book Released : The renowned Bengaliwriter Shankar wrote a “The Monk as Man ” book on Swami Vivekananda ,who spread themessage of India’s spiritual heritage across the world.In the book Shankar describedVivekananda used to emphasise greatly on physical strength and is known for the shockingstatement ‘Better to play football than read the Gita’.

18. McChrystal “My Share of the Task: A Memoir ” Book Released : General StanleyMcChrystal, the former American commander in Afghanistan, wrote a “My Share of the



Task: A Memoir,” book which was released on 7 January .In the book Chrystal explainedthat tensions between the White House and the Pentagon were evident in the Obamaadministration from its opening months in office.This book is not just for aficionados ofmilitary history or for students of American foreign policy .

ABBREVIATIONS

EPT – Environment Performance Index

NASI – National Academy of Science, India

SPSS – Sloan Digital Sky Survey

SFC – Strategic Forces Command

DRDO – Defense Research and development Organization

DTAA – Double Taxation of direct Agreement

CBDT – Central Board of Direct Taxes

SPACE – Science Popularization Association of Communicators and educators

SOHO – Solar and HelioSpheric Observatory

AITA—-All India Tennis Association.

IOR-ARC— Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Cooperation

SAARC—-South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation

USAID—-United States Agency for International Development

IAAF—–International Amateur Athletic Federation.

UNFCCC - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

WCCB – Wildlife Crime Control Bureau

TRAI – Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

SCI – Shipping Corporation of India

NSC – National Security Council

OIL – Oil India Limited

GAAR – General Anti Avoidance Rules

NCHRH – National Council for Human Resources in Health



IOA – Indian Olympic Association

GCC – Gulf Cooperation Council

NDAA – National Defence Authorisation Act

INAE – Indian National Academy of Engineering

ITSMA – Information Technology Services Marketing Association

GTI – Global Terrorism Index

CBT————-Cash Transfer Benefit

EIU————–Economist Intelligence Unit

CBS————Central Bureau of Statistics

NLST———-National Large Solar Telescope

CEET———-Centre for Energy-Efficient Telecommunications

CIA———–American Intelligence Agency

WEF———-World Economic Forum

PBS———Pravasi Bhartiya Divas

MSME——–Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

BWF———–Badminton World Federation

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