Civil Services Mentor June 2012 Www.upscportal

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Chief Editor:Sachchida Nand Jha

Editor:Yagya Nand Jha

CURRENT AFFAIRSv National Issues 15v International Issues 20v Economy 26v India & the World 33v Science and Technology 37v Sports 47v Award & Prizes 52v In the News 55

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v Current Affairs Round up 2011-12 75

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How to Cope up with Examination BluesUPSC evaluates one’s managerial capabilities — these include working under pressure, managing time,

making decisions and tackling change. Strangely, most students neglect this aspect of civil service examinations.As a result, many bright students do not clear the exam. If you want to do well in CSAT, you should devote timeto developing and honing a managerial aptitude. If you do not believe in your abilities and end up worryingabout the question paper, it will be tough. CSAT is an entrance test for would-be civil servant, the future bureaucratsof the nation; hence, it simulates complications that a civil servant has to tackle. This exam thus tests not only thegeneral knowledge and language skills but also inter- personal skills and the logical reasoning and analytics ofan individual.

Winners are inspired by the prospect of beating the competition, whereas losers are cowed down by thecompetition. It is this pressure that takes the heaviest toll and this happens during the preparation and notduring the hours of the actual test. Close to 30% students give up on their hopes of clearing the examinations bythe time they give the mock tests. Remember, the paper is the same for everyone. If you have studied well andput in hard work, there is no reason why you should not be selected. In fact, it is this competition pressure thatweeds out the losers from the winners. Believe in yourself and believe in the goal that you have set for yourself.Do not rethink your position as a student and strengthen yourself. Take as many tests as possible and Identifytopics you sailed through and topics that were difficult to crack. Determine these topics you are weak at and taketime to make these areas stronger. Study hard and prepare without fear. You should consider this as just anotherexam and do not give in to the various pressures and insecurities.

Exam stress is perhaps the biggest menace for students. Dealing with it effectively can make the differencein acing the exams. Exam time is round the corner and students are working hard to ace their papers and securegood results. Cut throat competition and high expectations have now become part of the package. And thoughstress and pressure during exams is not new, students must learn to use this to their advantage. One of the mostimportant driving forces is confidence. You must believe in your capabilities and be sure of what you can do.Many students sail through the preparation but often panic on the day of the examination. It is natural to feelnervous prior to the exam, but getting excessively nervous is counterproductive as it will hinder your ability tothink clearly. Develop a time table so that you can track and monitor your progress.

Give more emphasis on understanding and analysis than memorizing This is test of the candidate’s aptitudefor the prestigious civil services from the ethical and moral dimension. Candidates with low moral and ethicalaptitude will get weeded out. Spruce up your general awareness and mental ability. Focus more on decision-oriented analytical questions. Be prepared to answer situational questions faced in real life by the civil servants.Throughout the preparation for the prelims exam, it is important to remember that any topic or concept shouldnot be studied in isolation. It is better to understand and establish a correlation between related concepts fromother subjects and current events and happenings. Here are some easy to follow steps:

• When you start losing concentration, take a short break.

• Don’t get influenced by the revision your friends are doing.

• Close your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply.

• Try to relax tensed muscles; imagine the tension disappearing.

• After 20 minutes, take some deep breaths and stretch.

And finally in the examination hall, when you see a question you can’t answer do not panic. It is better towrite something down than nothing at all. Try your best, but if you do not do as well as you hoped, it is not theend of the world. Then, spend time on deciding a particular strategy for taking the exam, the order in which youwould like to tackle the sections, which questions to attempt first and which ones to avoid within a section, theapproach to tackling reading comprehension, etc. Experiment with these parameters while taking the variousmock exams and take a call on which strategy works best for you.

Yagya Nand Jha

- Editor’s Note

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ANational PerspectivePlan for water resourcesdevelopment by

transferring water from water-surplus basins to water deficitbasins/regions in 1980 wasformulated by the ministry ofwater resources. National WaterDevelopment Authority aftercarrying out detailed studiesidentified 30 links for preparationof feasibility reports. These linkscan be divided into twocomponents—the Himalayan (14links) and the Peninsular (16).These links are aimed atmitigating the effects of floods anddroughts, and as well asaugmenting income in rural areasin general, and in agriculture inparticular. The ILR programme isfocused on reducing irrigationuncertainties and mitigating theadverse impact of floods anddroughts. Once these canals are

built, they will also be used aswaterways for navigation,reducing stress on road/railtransport. The successfulimplementation of theprogramme is, therefore, ofutmost importance for thedevelopment of the country andit is necessary that a supportiveclimate for the programme becreated.

When the project wasannounced a decade ago in 2002,one section of public opinionsupported it, and anotheropposed its implementation. It iswithout taking any note of theconflicting public opinion that thepresent binding directions havebeen issued by the court. Apartfrom increased irrigation, linkcanals have the potential togenerate hydroelectricity, whichduring summer is low. Once thecanals and reservoirs are in place

and enough water is stored inreservoirs, it can be used togenerate hydro electricity. The ILRprogramme with the MSTG linkis envisaged to generate 28,994.5MW of power and require 4,193MW of power for the project,resulting in net power generationof 24,801.5 MW. The JTF link isenvisaged to generate 24,822.5MW of power and require 5252MW of power for the projectresulting in net power generationof 19,570.5 MW. The idea of inter-basin transfers is based on theassumption that certain surplus(flood-prone) and deficit(drought-prone) areas exist so thatwater is readily available withoutany objection to transfer from theformer to the latter. But inpractice, people in so-calledsurplus areas do not agree thatthey have spare water which canbe transferred to other, faraway

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areas. Startling news for some andsomewhat dreamy for others is theresurrected plan of interlinkingthe rivers of India. Cited byformer President Kalam andpushed by former Chief JusticeKirpal, the sheer grandeur of theidea is meant to appeal to peoplefacing drought and flood. Anyonewho knows what river systemsare, what inter-basin transfersbring forth, and the politics andeconomics of large river valleyand inter-basin projects, will knowthat whatever water this planholds is but a mirage. We haveseen the politics that come withany human intervention in riversflowing since generations fromone administrative unit to another.With all the water that has flownor not flown into Cauvery, onecannot take seriously a grandiosedream of linking all the rivers. Buthearing it from the highestechelons of the State and judiciary,one cannot wait for some agencyof the same state to bring out theplus and minus of it. A hastybeginning may not be preventedunless civil society, experts, andcommon people respond.

Inter-basin water transfersare complex human interventionson natural systems that can haveprofound adverse as well asbeneficial social, economic andenvironmental implications.India’s plan to interlink its rivers(ILR) and to transfer water may,according to one set of views,generate positive benefits throughimproved and expanded

irrigation and may also contributeto flood and drought hazardsmitigation for India, although themagnitudes are debatable.However, there are opposingviews, in the context of India itself,that the interlinking plan iseconomically prohibitive, fraughtwith uncertainties, and haspotential for disastrous andirreversible adverse after-effects.Water deficit can be reducedthrough improved watermanagement without large scaleengineering interventions.Moreover many of the riversinvolved, particularly in theHimalayan component, areinternational and, therefore, thescheme has major implications forother riparians. Indeed, theplanned transfer of water from theGanges and Brahmaputra riverswill adversely impact Bangladeshsocially, economically ande n v i r o n m e n t a l l y — u n l e s sarrangements are made tomaintain historical flows, which isunlikely to be feasible. Anymultipurpose storage reservoirs inupstream countries, such as Nepaland Bhutan, would facilitateenergy generation and otherbenefits but will also causeadverse environmental and socialimpacts to these countries.Therefore, the ILR plan willfurther complicate existing watersharing and managementproblems between India and otherco-basin countries. Strengtheningand expansion of cooperativeefforts among the co-basin

countries for water resourcesdevelopment and sharing cangenerate economic benefits for thepeople of these countries and alsofoster co-riparian relationships.

But somehow this importantproject was was dumped after thechange of government. Linkcanals have both short and long-term impact on the economy. Theshort-term impact of the link canalis in the form of increasedemployment opportunities andthe growth of the services sector.Sectors supplying crucial inputs tothe construction sector, such ascement and iron and steel, alsogrow. In the medium to long term,the major impact of link canals isthrough increased and assuredirrigation. Although the major anddirect gainers of the ILRprogramme will be agricultureand agriculturedependenthouseholds, the entire economywill benefit because of increasedagriculture production. The fullimpact of the ILR programme oneconomy will be realised onlywhen construction is completed,reservoirs filled and the waterreaches the ultimate users forirrigation, drinking water,industrial purposes andhydropower generation. Untilconstruction is complete, theimpact of the ILR programme willbe through governmentinvestment.

On February 27 while givingthe go-ahead to the controversialproject of inter-linking of rivers,the Supreme Court specifically








mentioned the benefits — floodcontrol and drought moderationAs plans for inter-basin transfersof water across vast distances,from surplus to deficit areas,appear to have got a lot ofattraction for a country exposedall too often to droughts andfloods, these need to be seriouslyevaluated and debated. As suchwhile large-scale transfers ofwater can be expensive, we shouldalso explore whether there arecheaper and better alternatives.Any neat division between“deficit” and “surplus” areasbecomes more of a problem inthese times of climate changewhen erratic weather patterns aremore frequently seen. Some timeago we had a curious situationwhen arid, deficit parts of westernIndia (including Rajasthan) hadexcess rain and experiencedfloods while flood-prone parts ofeastern India (including Assam)had drought-like conditions. Ifbillions had already been spent tocreate an infra-structure fromtransferring surplus water fromeast to west, just imagine what adifficult situation would havearisen at the time of such erraticweather.

So the basic conditions ofproblem-free transfer of waterfrom the country’s “surplus” to“deficit” areas simply do not exist.The tensions are likely to be muchgreater when inter-basin transfersalso involve neighbouringcountries, a reality that cannot beavoided in the existing geography

of national-level links as manyrivers pass through othercountries. As soon as the grandlooking river-linking plans aretransferred from paper to reality,we enter the real world of shiftingrivers bringing enormous siltloads, landslides, hills, plateaus,seismic belts, gorges, ravines,bends and curves which make thetask of large-scale transfer ofwater difficult, enormouslyexpensive, energy-intensive andhazardous. If rivers had beencreated by engineers and not bynature, they would have flowedalong predictable straight paths tosuit our needs. But rivers do notgenerally like to abide by thewishes and commands ofengineers. Even when the mightof modern technology forces themto do so, they sometimes seekrevenge in very destructive ways— breaking free and causingfloods.

Of course no one has had thetime and inclination to explorehow the bio-diversity flourishingin a particular river system willreact when it is linked to anotherriver. But the problems faced bythe vast majority who areadversely affected by dams anddisplacements of this giganticriver-linking project have to befaced surely and squarely. Thisbrings us to the question ofwhether safer, less disruptive andcheaper alternatives are availablefor reducing the distress of floodsand droughts. Evidence suggeststhat even villages which

experience very low rainfall, as inthe desert areas of Rajasthan, haveevolved a range of local methodsof water conservation andcollection which, if followed upcarefully, take them towards waterself-sufficiency to a large extent.It is true that in modern timesthere is pressure leading to thebreakdown or inadequacy ofsome of these self-reliant systems.Nevertheless it can be said that acombination of traditional water-collection/conservation practicesand other drought-proofingmethods — which also usemodern technology — stillprovides the best available answer(also the cheapest one) to waterscarcity in drought-prone areas.

In the case of flood-proneareas we should not ignore theresilience of local communitieswhere people learnt from earlychildhood how to cope with risingrivers. Their ability has beenadversely affected by increasingdrainage obstruction created bythoughtless “development”works because of which floodssometimes become more fierce,creating prolonged water logging.So what people really need is agood drainage plan — so thatflood water clears quickly —combined with a package oflivelihood, health, education andother support suited to the needsof flood-prone areas andcommunities. This will work outmuch cheaper and more effectivethan all the dams, diversions andembankments put together. So the








question of what people ofdrought-prone areas and flood-prone areas really need should betaken in consultation with them.Do they want huge waterdiversions and transfers with alltheir dams and displacements, ordo they prefer more funds fortrusted, small-scale localsolutions?

Prior experience teaches thatwe must study basic aspects ofeach river basin, includingcatchment area treatment,command area development,benchmark survey of the affectedpopulation, impacts of thereservoir and canal system onfarmers, and fisheries, and publichealth. Environmental ImpactAssessment will be inevitable.Compensatory and mitigatoryplans must be rationallyconceived. Where the canalnetwork extends, will surveyorsassess whether soil is irrigablethrough surface water flowswithout waterlogging andsalinisation that has taken amillion hectares ofIndian Land?What would be the impacts onfood security already in crisis, ofa sudden change in croppingpattern? Enough warnings havebeen given. The River ValleyGuidelines (1983) discussenvironmental and social impactsdue to transfer of water andpeople beyond suitability. Unlessthese become part of the projectplanning, they are neitherconsidered nor dealt with.Struggles in the Narmada Valley

and on other projects pushed dueto political expediency withoutcomplete appraisal, have broughtout the seriousness of large scaledisplacement as well as impactson and injustice to the proposedbeneficiaries. Basic questionsdemand investigation. Will sucha linking of rivers actually prevent

drought? Or merely transferdrought? What will be the extentof displacement, and provisionsfor rehabilitation? Canals alsodisplace. In the Sardar Sarovarproject, 1,50,000 landholdersstand to lose land due to the canal

network, of whom 23,500 will losemore than 25% of their land, and2,000 will become landless. Noneis considered project-affected noreligible for rehabilitation.For intra-river basin transfers, the principleof subsidiarity requires that waterbe harnessed from where it firstdrops.

The whole crisis of watermanagement today is due to totalneglect of water harvesting, eitherbecause it is considered peripheralor to be a non-replicable, non-profitable micro-level experiment.Therefore we see the destruction








of cultures, communities, andecosystems, creating conflictsbetween states, as in Cauvery, andbetween state and people, as inNarmada. Conflicts are dealt withmore politically than scientifically.If this happens in just one riverbasin, imagine the consequencesacross several river basins.Interstate disputes could takedecades to resolve.

As our national highwayshave become conveyor belts forenormously polluting noxiousemissions, the huge interlinkthreatens to become an opensewage garlanding India. Thecanals, designed for carryingirrigation waters rather than largepeak flows, will not be sufficientto control or divert floods in thenorthern states but will transfersilt. Several large dams built toprovide the head and storagerequired to supply the canals willpermanently submerge fertilelands, forests, village communitiesand towns, leaving millions ofpeople displaced or dispossessed.Any attempt to obtain fullinformation, question impacts anddemand just compensationrequires sacrifice by communitiesliving on the natural resources.

Interlinking Himalayan andpeninsular rivers is budgeted atRs. 5.6 lakh crores, even before thecompletion of feasibility studies,expected by 2008, at a cost of 150crores. Have alternatives beenassessed? When pending waterprojects require Rs. 80,000 croresto be completed and made usable

as per Parliamentary Committeereport, is such a plan viable,scientific, or democratic? There isno time, space, or processindicated for participation ofcommunities whose riparianrights must be considered, andwho face upstream impacts,which are now known, and lesser-known downstream impacts.Annual Irrigation budgets of stategovernments are about 1000crores each. From where will themoney for inter-linking riverscome even if states pool resourcesfor the next several decades? Atthe cost of local irrigation projectsof the true and tested kind thathave kept India self-sufficient. Inthis esoteric experiment of Inter-linking rivers, India itself is theguinea pig. It will be nothing shortof criminal if water is not treatedproperly and the water crisisworsens. Already Shivnath riverin Chattisgarh is privatised, andthe contractor has snatched awaypeople’s right even to drinkingwater. People of the countrydeserve to know if this centralisedplan will nationalise the wateronly to privatise, just as nationalpublic property is doled - not sold- out at reduced prices, whether itis oil, gas, land or mineralresources, to private companies,foreign and domestic. Theinterlinking of rivers programme(ILR) programme is aimed atlinking different surplus rivers ofcountry with the deficient riversso that the excess water fromsurplus region could be diverted

to deficient region. This wouldhelp in increasing irrigationintensity in the country, increasingwater availability for drinking andindustrial purposes, mitigatingeffect of drought and floods to acertain extent. Basic purpose ofthe this study is to assess themacro impact of the ILRprogramme on Indian economy.In this study macro impacts areanalysed both at short- as well aslong-term. Short-term impact isanalysed with the help of a socialaccounting matrix for the year1999-00 at 2000-01 prices. Short-term impact helps us in evaluatingthe impact of the ILR programmeon different sectors of theeconomy. Longterm impact of theILR programme is evaluated withthe help of a macro econometricmodel.

Water is not like cement orconcrete - it is life. Just distributionand full appreciation of itseconomic, financial, environ-mental and social dimensionsmust be part of the planningprocess. The 73rd amendment andthe Tribal Self-rule Act direct thatpeople’s consent and consultationcannot be sidelined. Riverssupport millions of people. Agrandiose scheme such asinterlinking would be likely toinvolve international lendingagencies. Before anything starts,let people know what is in the mindof the president, the ministers andsanctioned by the outgoing chiefjustice within a few days.








T he Union cabinetapproved the creation ofa company that will set up

the information technology (IT)backbone for the proposed goodsand services tax (GST) and cleareddraft legislation aimed at bringingtransparency to governmentprocurement, among severaldecisions taken by ministers onThursday. The GST network(GSTN) connecting the Centre andthe states will be used toimplement registration based onPAN (permanent accountnumber), the filing of returns, anda payment processing system.GSTN, a key element of India’smost ambitious tax reform thatseeks to create a unified market,is expected to be operational byAugust, finance minister PranabMukherjee said in his 16 Marchbudget speech.

With the roll-out of GSTlikely to be delayed furtherbecause of a lack of consensusbetween New Delhi and the states,the empowered committee of statefinance ministers has given its nodto migrate value-added taxes(VAT) to the IT network. Besidesmaking the administering of VATmore efficient, this will also serveas a test for GST preparedness.The not-for-profit company thatwill set up and run the ITbackbone will be a non-state,private limited company in whichthe government will retainstrategic control, according to anofficial note. “It would have anequity capital of Rs.10 crore withthe Centre and the states havingequal stakes of 24.5% each,” therelease said. “Non-governmentinstitutions would hold 51%equity. No single institutionwould hold more than 10% equity,

with the possibility of one privateinstitution holding a maximum of21% equity.”

National SecuritiesDepository Ltd, the country’slargest depository, is expected tohold that 21% stake. Theremaining 30% is likely to bedivided equally among threepartners in the banking and ITindustries, according to financeministry officials.The note addedthat the company “would have aself-sustaining revenue modelbased on levy of user charges ontaxpayers and tax authoritiesavailing its service”.The use of acommon PAN for both direct andindirect taxes is expected to checkevasion and increase transparencyas it will help the Centre and statescompare income tax, VAT,customs and excise duties paid bya person, and determinediscrepancies. The empowered








group on IT infrastructure on GST,headed by Unique IdentificationAuthority of India chairmanNandan Nilekani, had in its reportrecommended a common PAN-based taxpayer registration to geta unified view of all taxpayers.

The introduction of GST willlead to the levy of a uniform rateof tax across the country,effectively turning it into acommon market and getting ridof the inefficiencies anddistortions caused by disparatelevies. Initially meant to have beenlaunched on 1 April 2010, it hasbeen delayed indefinitely due toa lack of consensus between theCentre and the states. AConstitution amendment Bill,required for the introduction ofGST, is being currently examinedby the parliamentary standingcommittee on finance. States will

use the IT platform of GST forcollection of value addedtax (VAT) till the new indirect taxregime comes into effect, theChairman of EmpoweredCommittee of State FinanceMinisters. The GSTNetwork (GSTN), he said, is likelyto be operational by Septemberthis year and would be used bystates for VAT collection purposestill GST is rolled out.

The Cabinet has approved aproposal to set up a SpecialPurpose Vehicle (SPV)namely Goods and ServicesTaxNetwork SPV (GSTN SPV) tocreate enabling environment forsmooth introduction of Goodsand Services Tax (GST). GSTNSPV will provide IT infrastructureand services to variousstakeholders. The GSTN SPVwould be incorporated as a

Section 25 (not-for-profit), non-Government, private limitedcompany in which theGovernment will retain strategiccontrol. It would have an equitycapital of Rs. 10 crore, with theCentre and States having equalstakes of 24.5% each. NonGovernment institutions wouldhold 51% equity. No singleinstitution would hold more that10%, with the possibility of oneprivate institution holding amaximum of 21%. The GTSNSPV would have a self-sustainingrevenue model, based on levy ofuser charges on tax payers and taxauthorities availing its services.While the SPV’s services would becritical to actual rollout of GST ata future date, it is also expectedto render valuable services to theCentre / State tax administrationsprior to the GST implementation.

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I ndia is located in a disturbedand unstable neighbourhood,which is rocked by tremors emanating

from a variety of hostile organisations,internal as well as external. The main threatis from the jihadi fundamentalists sponsoredby the covert warfare branches of thePakistan Army and the Inter-ServicesIntelligence (ISI), like the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba(LeT) and its Indian offshoot, the IndianMujahideen. Other extremist groups likeNaxalites and tribal guerrillas also contributeto the quantum of overall threat. TheIntelligence Bureau (IB) is the designatednodal agency in India for counter-terrorismand counter-intelligence, but the terroristinvasion of Mumbai on 26/11 graphicallyhighlighted many serious deficiencies inIndian intelligence and security systems. Itre-emphasised, once again, the need forrefurbishment of the national counter-terrorism effort. The proposal for creation ofsuch an agency at the national level to collate,








analyse, integrate inputs from allintelligence sources at Central aswell as state levels and plancoordinated counter-terrorist andcounter-espionage operations hadbeen amongst the importantrecommendations of the KargilStudy Group set up in 2001 toanalyse the conflict and drawlessons from it. The initial steps toimprove coordination to counterterrorism was the establishment ofa Multi-Agency Centre (MAC),but its logical extension into anintegrated NCTC has not beenformalised to date. The MAC wascreated out of existing resourceswithout any additional accretionsand is not fully effective becauseof shortages of resources andpersonnel. Part of the reason forthese deficiencies and delays inimplementation are internecineturf battles between variousgovernment bureaucraciescompeting for control of theproposed centre.

The NCTC proposed as amodel for India is based on theAmerican system, which MrChidambaram had theopportunity to examine during hisfour-day visit to the US inSeptember 2009. Much of theorganisational and legislativeinfrastructure required toestablish NCTC already exists inIndia within the MAC, which canbe expanded and redesigned asrequired. Internecine departme-ntal rivalry amongst intelligenceservices regarding the sharing ofinformation is a ground-level

obstruction in India as also inother countries but if NCTC is tosucceed what really requires to befirmly overcome is the prevalentmindset of reluctance towardsconstructive mutual cooperation.The NCTC in the United Stateswas created in May 2003 in theaftermath of the attack on theWorld Trade Center on September11, 2001. In India, the trigger eventwas the terrorist attack onMumbai on November 26, 2008 bysea-borne terrorists from Pakistan.The attacks resulted in 164 Indiancitizens killed and upwards of 308injured. In the aftermath of theattack, the Maharashtra stategovernment instituted acommittee of inquiry under RamPradhan, a former Union homesecretary. The report drewattention to inter-agency lapsesvery similar to those experiencedby Americans during and after the9/11 attacks.

The Union Government ofIndia on 3 February 2012 notifiedthe setting up of the anti-terrorbody called National CounterTerrorism Centre (NCTC). NCTCwill have the power to carry outoperations including arrest, searchand seizure. It will draw itsfunctional power of search andseizures under the provisions ofthe UAPA (Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Act. It will workas an integral part of Intelligencebureau. The notification mandatesthe terror-fighting agencies toshare their inputs with NCTC andit also appoints the director and

his core team. Director of NCTCwill have full functional autonomyand he will have the power to seekinformation on terror fromNational Investigation Agency,NATGRID, intelligence units ofCBI, National Technical ResearchOrganisation and directorate ofrevenue intelligence in addition toall seven central armed policeforces including NSG. He willreport to the IB chief and the homeministry. The notification wasissued under the Article 73 of theConstitution of India.

National Counter TerrorismCentre of India is an ambitiousproject that aims at fighting thegrowing menace of terrorism inIndia. However, from the verybeginning it is in doldrums. Fearsof it becoming an all powerful andcentralised point for terrorismrelated issues have never allowedit to take a start. Besides there aremany “practical difficulties” thatmay prevent the actualimplementation of the muchneeded NCTC of India. Presentlyintelligence agencies of India areoperating under differentDepartment/Ministries and therewould be a “reluctance” to submitto the centralised NCTC of India.Another problem pertaining tointelligence agencies of India ingeneral and projects likeNCTC, National Intelligence Grid(Natgrid) Project of India, etc inparticular is that in India we haveno “parliamentary oversight”over intelligence and lawenforcement agencies. In this








background, it has now beenreported that the proposed NCTCof India may not be an umbrellaorganisation having control overvarious arms of intelligenceagencies in India.

The “Safest and EasiestMethod” to establish NCTC is togive a Parliamentary Scrutiny toIntelligence Agencies and theirfunctioning. In the same LegalFramework, establishment androle of NCTC can be formulated,suggests Praveen Dalal. It seemsP Chidambaram cannot proceedfurther due to administrative andbureaucratic problems but ifParliament of India enacts suitablelaws in this regard, much of theproblems can be solved. India hasplethora of intelligence agenciesand security agencies. Theseinclude Research and AnalysisWing (RAW), Aviation ResearchCentre (ARC), Intelligence Bureau(IB), National Technical ResearchOrganisation (NTRO) andDefence Intelligence Agency(DIA), etc. Presently, intelligenceagencies of India are operating ina decentralised manner. There isno centralised authority orMinistry that can coordinate orcollaborate between differentintelligence agencies. Further,there is no Parliamentaryoversight of these intelligenceagencies as well.

However, “PracticalDifficulties” may prevent theactual implementation of themuch needed NCTC of India, saysPraveen Dalal, a Supreme Court

lawyer and leading techno legalexpert of India. He says thatpresently Intelligence Agencies ofIndia are operating underdifferent Department/Ministriesand there would be a“Reluctance” to submit to theCentralised NCTC of India.

NCTC draws its powersfrom Article 73 of the Constitutionwhose clause a) notes that theexecutive power of the Uniongovernment shall extend ‘to thematters with respect to whichParliament has power to make thelaws’. NCTC Will integrate allintelligence pertaining toterrorism & will analyse theinformation, mount an effectiveresponse to terrorism. NCTCshould be an independentorganisation and not under the IB,as it is currently envisioned. FromArticle 73 also has a section b)which says “the executive powerreferred to in sub-clause (a) shallnot, save as expressly provided inthis Constitution or in any lawmade by Parliament, extend inany state to matters with respectto which the Legislature of thestate has also power to make laws.The Constitution is clear that lawand order is a state subject.NCTC’s mission of integrating allinformation relating to terrorismalso clashes with the work of theResearch & Analysis Wing, India’sexternal intelligence agency,which is the nodal agency forintelligence on terror generatedabroad. It will also clash with themandate of the NTRO, which is

tasked to collect and analyseinformation relating to nationalsecurity, which includes terrorism.In its task of ‘responding toterrorism’ it will also clash withthe National Investigation Agencywhich has been mandated toinvestigate and prosecuteterrorism-related cases Mostimportantly, the NCTC whichclaims to derive its powers fromthe Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Act of 1967, functionsunder the Intelligence Bureau (IB)which has no legislative authoritysince it was set up by agovernment order.

It was proposed that theMulti-Agency Centre (MAC), setup by the group of ministersreport of 2002 to fuse intelligenceon terrorism from a variety ofsources, become the core of thenew NCTC. But where the MACwas confined to intelligencegathering and analysis, the NCTCwill have investigation andoperations functions as well. Evenmore ambitious was the move, asenunciated by Union homeminister P. Chidambaram in aspeech at the Intelligence Bureaucentenary endowment lecture inDecember 2009, to placeinstitutions like the NationalInvestigation Agency, the NationalTechnical Research Office(NTRO), the National CrimeRecords Bureau, the Crime andCriminal Tracking Network andSystems and the National SecurityGuards under the NCTC; andhave the counter-terror work of








the Research & Analysis Wing(RAW), the Aviation ResearchCentre and the Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI), too under thisorganisation.

Thisnote deals with the genesis,objectives, structure and powersof the proposed NCTC. A Groupof Ministers (2001) that reviewedthe internal security system in theaftermath of the Kargil conflicthad recommended establishmentof a Multi Agency Centre (MAC),a permanent Joint Task Force onIntelligence (JTFI) and an InterState Intelligence SupportSystem (INSIST). Therecommendations were broadlyaccepted by the then Government.The Second AdministrativeReforms Commission (8th Report,2008) had recommended that theMulti Agency Centre should beconverted into a National Centrefor Counter Terrorism withpersonnel drawn from differentintelligence and security agencies.

Referencehas been made to section 43A.That section enables the Centralgovernment to empower anyofficer of the DesignatedAuthority under certaincircumstances. The circumstancesare that the officer knows that aperson has committed an offenceunder UA(P)A or knows of a designby a person to commit any offenceunder UA(P)A. In thosecircumstances alone, the officerwould have the power to arrestand the power to search.

However, section 43A has to beread along with section 43B andin particular sub-sections (2) and(3) of section 43B which read asfollows: ”(2) Every person arrestedand article seized under section 43Ashall be forwarded withoutunnecessary delay to the officer incharge of the nearest policestation. ( 3) The authority or officerto whom any person or article isforwarded under sub-section (2) shall,with all convenient dispatch, takesuch measures as may be necessaryin accordance with the provisions ofthe Code.”

Until now, there was noappropriate body which could bespecified as the “DesignatedAuthority” under section 2(e) orupon which powers could beconferred under section 43A.When the Cabinet Committee onSecurity approved the setting upof NCTC, it also decided that theDirector, NCTC may be specifiedas the “Designated Authority”and the officers of the Operationsdivision of the NCTC may begiven the powers under section43A. A body mandated to dealwith counter terrorism must have,in certain circumstances, anoperational capability. This is trueof all counter terrorism bodies inthe world. When engaged incounter terrorism operations, theofficers must have the power toarrest and the power to searchwhich are the bare minimumpowers that would be necessary.Besides, the powers conferredunder section 43A must be read

with the duty under section 43Bto produce the person or articlewithout unnecessary delay beforethe nearest police station ( whichwill be under the State government ),and the SHO of the Police Stationwill take further action inaccordance with the provisions ofthe CrPC.

National Counter TerrorismCentre (NCTC) of India ispresently facing stiff oppositions.A majority of them are self createdproblems but some of them arealso arising due to practicaldifficulties and internal turf war.The net result is that the obviousbut unsolvable terrorism dilemmain India still continues. NCTC, likeother governmental projects, isnot supported by any legalframework. This is the mostinappropriate step taken by theIndian government in general andhome ministry in particular. Whilethe constitutionality of theNational Investigation Agency Act2008 (NIAA 2008) is still doubtfulyet NCTC without a legalframework is definitelyunconstitutional. By tagging itwith the Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Act, 1967 thisunconstitutionality is not cured.Add to this the list of otherprojects of home ministrylike National Intelligence Grid(Natgrid) and other similarprojects by other ministrieslike Aadhar project. None of theseprojects are supported by a legalframework of any kind and theyare just pure executive orders








violating the constitutionalprovisions. The NCTC Project ofIndia is also “very significant” forthe national security of India.Terrorist attacks against India are

on increase and we need a“specilaised institution” likeNCTC to provide and analysevaluable intelligence inputs andleads. However, the inadequacies

and unconstitutionalities of NCTCproject is proving costly and majorhurdle for the successfulimplementation of the same.

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CAG REPORT ON COAL BLOCKSAUCTIONING

According to comptrollerand auditor general’s draft reporttitled ‘Performance Audit Of CoalBlock Allocations’, thegovernment lost Rs 10.67 lakhcrore by not auctioning coal blocksbetween 2004 and 2009. 155 coalblocks were given to commercialentities without auction between2004 and 2009 thereby causing theexchequer a loss of Rs 10.67 lakhcrore at 31 March 2011 prices . Theestimated loss is six times higherthan the loss figure of Rs 1.76 lakhcrore suffered for the 2G scam.The government extended unduebenefits totalling a mind-bogglingRs 10.67 lakh crore to commercialentities between 2004 and 2009.The beneficiaries include some 100private companies, as well assome public sector units, in

industries such as power, steel andcement.

An estimate of the cost ofproduction for each block wasarrived at first by taking intoaccount the actual cost ofproduction in a similar Coal Indiamine for the same year. Differencebetween CIL’s sale price and cost

of production was then multipliedby 90% of the reserves in eachblock. The figure obtained was thewindfall gain for that block. CAGalso specified the reason behindtaking 90% of the total reservesrather than the entire lot.According to CAG, detailedexploration establishes reserves at






http://www.civilservicesmentor.com16 http://upscportal.com

a confidence level of 90%. CAGreport listed both private entitiesand public utilities as beneficiariesof the alleged largesse. privatecompanies were believed to havebenefitted more than Rs 4.79 lakhcrore of the giveaway, whilearound Rs 5.88 lakh crore went tocentral and state governmentutilities. The list did not nameReliance Power, which is settingup the Sasan and Tilaiya ultra-mega power projects. ReliancePower is missing from the listbecause the section on Windfallbenefit to private companies doesnot include 12 coal blocks givenfor the government’s showpiecepower projects since they wereallocated through a tariff basedcompetitive bidding route.

25% OF DELIVERIES BY UNTRAINEDHANDS IN 2010 IN INDIA

According to the registrargeneral of India’s latest SampleRegistration System (SRS) 2010data, two in 10 women in Indiareceived medical attention by aqualified professional in 2010while delivering at home. It wasnoted that fewer women in urbanIndia received medical attentionwhile delivering at home than inrural India — 10.8% against16.2%. Nearly 1 in 4 births overallwere attended by untrainedfunctionaries. Delivery byuntrained functionaries werefound to vary from as high as53.5% in Jharkhand to as low as0.2% in Kerala. More women werenoted to have delivered in

government hospitals (41%) asagainst private hospitals (19.4%).Kerala recorded the highestdeliveries in private hospitalswhile Odisha recorded the least.Tamil Nadu recorded the highestnumber of women who deliveredin a government hospital whileJharkhand recorded the least(19%). 55% of women in Delhidelivered in government hospitalswhile 23% went to privatehospitals. 17% of births at homewere carried out by a qualifiedprofessional. Deliveriesconducted by a qualifiedprofessional at home were as lowas 4.5% in Maharashtra.Untrained functionary deliverieswere as high as 47% in Bihar, 35%in UP, 25% in West Bengal and27% in Madhya Pradesh.

Institutional deliveries(children being born in healthcentres or hospitals and not intheir homes) were found to havepicked up in India. As per the datareleased, more than three-fourthsof deliveries in India were foundto be occurring in institutional andby qualified professionals atpresent. Several states recordedvery low births by untrainedfunctionaries. They include Kerala(0.2%), Tamil Nadu (0.9%),Andhra Pradesh (1%), Punjab(2.6%), Delhi (5.3%), Gujarat(8.8%), Haryana (6.3%) andKarnataka (9.3%). Rural regions inseveral states recorded high ratesof delivery in private hospitals.Like Kerala, where 52% of birthsin rural settings took place in a

private hospital, followed by 35%in Andhra, 23% in Delhi, 36% inGujarat, 32% in Haryana, 20% inKarnataka, 36% in Maharashtra,35% in Punjab and 24% in TN.

ELECTION COMMISSION’S POLLSYMBOL RULES UPHELD

Supreme Court of India on 18April 2012 upheld Electioncommission’s poll symbol rules,which entitled a political party thestatus of state party and commonsymbol for its candidates only ifit secures not less than 6 percentof the total votes polled in a stateand returns at least two membersto the assembly. The courtdismissed the petitions, whichchallenged the poll symbols orderas discriminatory. The petitionshad challenged the constitutionalvalidity of Clause 6 B of ElectionSymbols (Reservation andAllotment) Order on the basis thatalthough smaller political partiessecured less than 6 percent votes,they were able to get twocandidates elected to assembly.Election commission of Indiaamended the Election SymbolsOrder, 1968 in December2000(inserting clause 6 B) to set thebenchmarks for a political partyto get Election Commission’srecognition as political party.

AMENDMENT IN THE REGISTRATIONOF BIRTHS AND DEATHS ACT, 1969BILL APPROVED

The Union Cabinet on 12April 2012 gave its approval to theintroduction of a Bill seeking an







amendment in the Registration ofBirths and Deaths Act, 1969 toinclude registration of marriagesas well, so that the existingadministrative mechanisms willbe able to carry out suchregistration of marriages inaccordance with the specifiedprocedures and be able tomaintain necessary records andstatistics for registration ofmarriages also. The Cabinet alsoapproved introducing a Bill inParliament to further amend theAnand Marriage Act, 1909 toprovide for registration ofmarriages under the Act. Theproposed Bill is set to benefit thewomen from unnecessaryharassment in matrimonial andmaintenance cases. It also seeks toprovide evidentiary value in thematters of custody of children,right of children born from thewedlock of the two persons whosemarriage is registered and the ageof the parties to the marriage.

UNION CABINET GAVE ITSAPPROVAL TO THE PUBLICPROCUREMENT BILL

Union Cabinet on 12 April2012 gave its nod to the PublicProcurement Bill. The bill is aimedat bringing transparency in thebidding process for publicprocurement. The bill will regulatethe government purchases ofabove 50 lakh rupees through atransparent bidding process. Atpresent there is no legislationexists governing publicprocurement by the central

government and central publicsector enterprises. The GeneralFinancial Rules, 2005, governprocurements made by the Centre.The present bill provides for a jailterm ranging from six months tofive years for public servantsfound guilty of demanding andaccepting bribes from bidders ofgovernment contracts. Thelegislation is largely based on thesuggestions made by Committeeon Public Procurement headed byformer bureaucrat Vinod Dhallwhich were accepted by a Groupof Ministers to tackle corruptionon 22 February 2012. The GoMheaded by Finance MinisterPranab Mukherjee had sent thebill for the approval of the UnionCabinet.

SUPREME COURT UPHELD THECONSTITUTIONAL VALIDITY OF THERTE ACT, 2009

The Supreme Court of Indiaupheld the constitutional validityof the Right to Education Act, 2009,which mandates 25 per cent freeseats to the poor in governmentand private unaided schoolsuniformly across the country. Theapex court clarified that itsjudgment will come into forcefrom 12 April 2012. However, theact will apply uniformly togovernment and unaided privateschools except unaided privateminority schools. A three-judgebench of Chief Justice S H Kapadiaand justices K S Radhakrishnanand Swantanter Kumar gave theruling. The bench had reserved

its verdict on 3August 2012 on abatch of petitions by privateunaided institutions which hadcontended that the section 12(1)(c) of RTE Act violates the rightsof private educational institutionsunder Article 19(1) (g)whichprovided autonomy to privatemanagements to run theirinstitutions without governmentalinterference. Right to EducationAct (RTE) was passed by theIndian parliament on 4 August2009.The act came into force on 1April 2010. It has the provision offree and compulsory education forchildren between 6 and 14 in Indiaunder Article 21A of the IndianConstitution. India became one of135 countries to make educationa fundamental right of everychild. Section 12(1)(c) of the RTEact says that every recognizedschool imparting elementaryeducation is obliged to admitunderprivileged children even ifit is not aiaded by the governmentto meet its expenses.

MEDIA SHOULD NOT REPORT ONMOVEMENT OF TROOPS

The Lucknow Bench of theAllahabad High Court directedthe Union government of Indiaand the Uttar Pradeshgovernment to ensure that thereis no reporting on movement oftroops by the print or electronicmedia. Acting on a PIL, a benchcomprising justices Uma NathSingh and Virendra Kumar Dixitruled that the issue of movementof army troops does not require







public discussion at the cost ofdefence secrecy and the securityof the country. The court,however, dismissed the plea for ahigh-level probe into the report bya national daily alleging unusualmovement of troops on the nightof 16 January 2012, the day theArmy Chief Gen VK Singhapproached the Supreme Court onthe issue of his date of Birth.

SUPREME COURT SOUGHT DETAILSOF 18 MERCY PLEA PENDINGBEFORE THE PRESIDENT

The Supreme Court of Indiaon 3 April 2012 directed the Union

government to provide records ofall 18 mercy pleas, pending beforethe President of India. The courtasked Additional Solicitor-General Harin Raval to furnishdetails of all the mercy pleaspending consideration before thePresident for periods rangingfrom one to seven years. A

Supreme Court bench comprisingjustices G S Singhvi and S JMukhopadhaya also asked RamJethmalani, amicus curiae, to filewritten submissions on “whetherthe President should objectivelyapply mind while deciding mercypetitions”. The apex courtobserved that the role of the statewas perhaps advisory and thefinal verdict lies with thePresident. The court directionscame while hearing a plea filed bydeath convict Devender Pal SinghBhullar, challenging the unduedelay in disposal of his mercypetition by the President.

CVC RECONSTITUTED THE ADVISORY

BOARD

The Central VigilanceCommission (CVC) on 29 March2012, reconstituted the advisoryboard on bank, commercial andfinancial frauds. The board, withformer Deputy Governor of RBI

Shyamala Gopinath as itschairman, will help CBI ininvestigating cases of bank,commercial and financial frauds.The six-member board, which isthe part of the organizational setup of CBI, will have a tenure oftwo years. The board will beprovided with the operationalfunding by the RBI. The othermembers on the reconstitutedboard include retired IndianAdministrative Service officerVivek Mehrotra, retired IndianPolice Service officer BalwinderSingh, former Chairman andManaging Director, Bank ofMaharashtra, A S Bhattacharya, exExecutive Director of CorporationBank, Asit Pal and CharteredAccountant, T N Manoharan.

SUPREME COURT REFUSED TO PASSORDER ON CLEMENCY PETITION

The Supreme Court of Indiaon 30 March 2012 refused to passany order on a mercy petition inthe death sentence to BalwantSingh Rajoana, awarded deathsentence for assassination offormer Punjab Chief MinisterBeant Singh. A Supreme CourtBench of Justices T S Thakur andGyan Sudha Misra observed thatsince the convict has not filed anypetition before the court and thepetitioner Abhinav Ramakrishnahas no locus standi to plead on hisbehalf, the court can not pass anyorder in the clemency petition.Petitioner Abhinav Ramakrishna,an advocate, was told by the courtthat since petition was filed under







Article 32, it cannot be entertainedas in no way, any fundamentalright of the petitioner wasviolated. The bench ruled that theArticle 32 of Indian Constitutioncould only be invoked by a personwhose fundamental right isviolated.

UNION CABINET APPROVED THEMARRIAGE LAWS (AMENDMENT)BILL, 2010

The Union Cabinet of Indiaon 23 March 2012 approved theredrafted Marriage laws(Amendment) Bill, 2010. The billseeks to give a woman share in herhusband’s property in case of adivorce but the quantum of sharewill be decided by the courts oncase by case basis. It also aims atgiving rights to adopted childrenon par with biological off-springs.According to the redrafted bill,adopted children will have rightson par with biological off-springsof a couple in case the parents gofor a divorce. It is important tonote that all these changes in thebill were based on therecommendations made by theParliamentary StandingCommittee on Law and Justiceand Personnel. The MarriageLaws (Amendment) Bill, 2010,was introduced in the Rajya Sabhain August 2010 and then it wasreferred to the ParliamentaryStanding Committee on Law andJustice and Personnel. Earlier, TheUnion Cabinet of India on 10 June2010 had approved theintroduction of a Bill, namely, the

Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill,2010 to further amend the HinduMarriage Act, 1955 and the SpecialMarriage Act, 1954, to providetherein irretrievable break downof marriage as a ground ofdivorce. The Bill would providesafeguards to parties to marriagewho file petition for grant ofdivorce by consent from theharassment in court if any of theparty does not come to the courtor try to avoid the court to keepthe divorce proceedingsinconclusive.

THE UNION GOVERNMENT OF INDIANOTIFIED NCTC

The Union Government ofIndia notified the setting up of theanti-terror body called NationalCounter Terrorism Centre(NCTC). NCTC will have the

power to carry out operationsincluding arrest, search andseizure. It will draw its functionalpower of search and seizuresunder the provisions of the UAPA(Unlawful Activities (Prevention)

Act. It will work as an integralpart of Intelligence bureau. Thenotification mandates the terror-fighting agencies to share theirinputs with NCTC and it alsoappoints the director and his coreteam. Director of NCTC will havefull functional autonomy and hewill have the power to seekinformation on terror fromNational Investigation Agency,NATGRID, intelligence units ofCBI, National Technical ResearchOrganisation and directorate ofrevenue intelligence in addition toall seven central armed policeforces including NSG. He willreport to the IB chief and the homeministry. The notification wasissued under the Article 73 of theConstitution of India.

CARETAKERS CAN’T CLAIMOWNERSHIP OF PROPERTY

The Supreme Court ofIndia ruled that one cannotacquire title to a property onlybecause he or she had beenallowed to stay in the premisesfor long. The apex courtdirected the courts to dealfirmly with those involvinginnocent owners in prolongedreal estate litigation. A three-judge bench including justicesDalveer Bhandari, DeepakVerma and HL Dattu gave the

ruling. The bench also set freshguidelines that caretakers,servants and watchman do notacquire property merely becauseof its possession by them forseveral years.







4TH BRICS SUMMIT WAS HELD INNEW DELHI

The Fourth BRICS summitwas held in New Delhi on 29March 2012. The theme of thesummit was BRICS partnership forGlobal Stability, Security andProsperity. The summit wasparticipated by India, Brazil,Russia, China and South Africa.At the end of the summit, DelhiDeclaration was issued. Development banks of BRICSsigned two agreements- i) Masteragreement on extending creditfacility in local currency. ii) BRICSMultilateral letter of creditconfirmation facility agreement.The five participating banks areBanco Nacional deDesenvolvimento Economico eSocial- BNDES, Brazil; StateCorporation Bank forDevelopment and ForeignEconomic Affairs-Vneshecon-

ombank of Russia; Export-Importbank of India; China DevelopmentBank Corporation, andDevelopment Bank of SouthernAfrica. These two agreements areexpected to enhance cooperationamong the BRICS developmentbanks and to significantlypromote intra-BRICS trade.

The BRIC (Brazil, Russia,India and China) idea was firstconceived in 2001 by GoldmanSachs as part of an economicmodeling exercise to forecastglobal economic trends over thenext half century; the acronymBRIC was first used in 2001 byGoldman Sachs in their Global







Economics Paper No. 66, “TheWorld Needs Better EconomicBRICs”.

BRIC Foreign Ministers attheir meeting in New York on 21stSeptember 2010 agreed that SouthAfrica may be invited to joinBRIC. Accordingly, China, as thehost of 3rd BRICS Summit, invitedSouth African President to attendthe Summit in Sanya on 14 April2011 with the concurrence of otherBRIC Leaders.

INDIA’S AER BOARD BECAME THE11TH MEMBER OF MEDP

India’s Atomic EnergyRegulatory Board was admittedas the 11th member of MEDP(Multinational Design EvaluationProgramme) on 4 April 2012. Theother members of this body areChina, Finland, Japan, Korea,South Africa, USA, UK, Canada,France and Russia. MDEP is amultinational initiative taken bynational safety authorities todevelop innovative approaches toleverage the resources andknowledge of the nationalregulatory authorities who arecurrently or will be tasked withthe review of new reactor powerplant designs. It was launched in2006 by the Nuclear RegulatoryCommission (NRC) of the UnitedStates and the French NuclearSafety Authority. The OECDNuclear Energy Agency (NEA)acts as the Technical Secretariat forthe MDEP. The InternationalAtomic Energy Agency participates

in many of the MDEP activities,including the harmonisationefforts.

EU CALLED ON NORTH KOREA

The European Union on 28March 2012 called on North Koreato abandon its planned rocketlaunch and dismantle its nuclearweapons programme. The EUstated that it was deeplyconcerned about North Korea’splan to launch a satellite into orbitnext month. It asked NorthKorea’s government to be moreconcerned with improving itshuman rights violations andhunger issues. North Korea saysit will go ahead with its mid-Aprillaunch, adding that it is a peacefulscientific project meant tocelebrate the 100th birthanniversary of founding leaderKim Il Sung.

USA EASED TRAVEL AND FINANCIALSANCTIONS AGAINST MYANMAR

The USA on 4 April 2012eased some sanctions againstMyanmar which includes traveland financial sanctions. Theannouncement came within daysof the National League forDemocracy leader Aung San SuuKyi winning a seat in Parliamentand her party sweeping the by-elections. High-ranking Myanmarofficials will now be able to visitthe United States and the US willopen a development office inMyanmar. The EU is alsoconsidering a similar package.

WTO PEGGED WORL D TRADEGROWTH AT 3.7 PER CENT FOR2012

World Trade Organisation(WTO) on 11 April 2012 pegged







world trade growth at 3.7 per centfor 2012 thereby projecting afurther slowdown in world trade.World trade expanded by a mere5 per cent in 2011 a sharpdeceleration from the 2010rebound of 13.8 per cent. TheWTO expects trade to recover by2013 and result in additionalgrowth of 5.6 percent. The dollarvalue of world merchandise tradein 2011 increased 19 percent to$18.2 trillion thus surpassing 2008peak of $16.1 trillion due to highercommodity prices. Asia recordedthe strongest growth in exports(6.6 percent), on account of a leapof 16.1 percent in India and 9.3percent in China.

India recorded exportsgrowth of 16 per cent in 2011, thefastest in the world in volumeterms in 2011. China had thesecond-fastest export growth ofmany major economies at 9.3 percent. India also emerged as thesecond-fastest importer afterChina growing at 6 per cent in2011.

SYRIA ACCEPTED THE UN PEACEPLAN

Syria on 27 March 2012accepted the 19-point UN peaceplan to end violence in country.The 19-point plan was handedover by Kofi Annan to SyrianPresident during his recent visit tothe Syria. The plan calls for acease-fire by Syrian forces and tocommit to a daily two-hour haltin fighting to allow humanitarianaccess and medical evacuations. It

also calls for a full cease-fire to besupervised by the UN so that allparties can discuss a politicalsolution. The protests againstSyrian regime started in March2011.

USA AND AFGHANISTAN SIGNEDMOU

United States of America andAfghanistan on 8 April 2012signed MoU on the controversialissue of conduct of night raids onAfghan homes. It empowered theAfghan security forces oversightover the raids led by the UStroops. The agreement leads to amore comprehensive long-termstrategic partnership agreementbetween the two nations after thedeparture of all foreign troopsfrom Afghanistan in 2014. Theissue of night raids was a bighurdle in the way of the strategicpartnership agreement.Afghanistan had repeatedlydescribed the night raids aviolation of its sovereignty andcalled for stopping them

immediately. However, the USforces had always maintained thatnight raids were important andeffective in dealing withinsurgency.

QATAR REJECTED IRAQ’S REQUESTTO HAND OVER TAREQ AL HASHEMI

Qatar on 3 April 2012 rejectedIraq’s request to hand over thenation’s fugitive Tareq AlHashemi to face terror charges inBaghdad. Qatar stated that itwould not extradite him sincesuch a move would be contrary todiplomatic protocol. Qatar willnot hand him over because thereis no court verdict against him andbecause al-Hashemi is a foreignofficial with diplomatic immunity.Iraq had asked Qatar to extraditethe top Sunni leader Tareq Al-Hashemi against whom the ShiiteGovernment issued an arrestwarrant in December 2011 oncharges of running death squadsfor killing of Government officialsand opponents. The row is likelyto further strain ties between







Shiite-led Iraq and Sunni GulfArab states. Tariq al-Hashimi wasgeneral secretary of the IraqiIslamic Party (IIP) until May 2009.He is Sunni. Along with AdilAbdul Mahdi, he was a VicePresident of Iraq in thegovernment formed after theDecember 2005 elections.

ISRAEL SNAPPED WORKINGRELATIONS WITH THE UNHRC

Israel snapped workingrelations with the United NationsHuman Rights Council. The

Council passed a resolutionrecently against Israel. Theresolution condemned Jewishsettlement construction in theWest Bank and East Jerusalem anddecided to send a fact-findingmission to investigate suchactivity. Israel stated that noUNHRC team would be allowedto enter Israel or the West Bank forinvestigation of Jewishsettlements. Israel moved 5 lakhJews to the West Bank and eastJerusalem settlements aftercapturing the areas, along withGaza in the 1967 war.

TUAREG REBELS CONSOLIDATEDTHEIR HOLD ON NORTHERN MALI

Tuareg rebels on 1 April 2012tightened their grip on northernMali. It seized control of a key citycalled Gao and encircled thehistoric desert town of Timbuktu.Moreover, the two military campsof Gao have fallen into the handsof the different rebelgroups. Earlier, Army seizedpower in Mali because the

government had not done enoughto stem the Tuareg rebellionrekindled in January 2012. Mali islocated in western part of Africa.It is land-locked country. Tuaregpeople form a distinct minority inall the Saharan countries they livein and a majority in many Saharanregions.

6.6 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKEJOLTED EASTERN INDONESIA

A strong 6.6-magnitudeeartquake hit waters off easternIndonesia on 21 April 2012. Thetremor was centered only 30kilometers below the ocean floor.Indonesia, given its location on the

Pacific “Ring of Fire”, is highlyprone to earthquakes. The countryover the past few months haswitnessed a string of seismicturmoil. More than 2 lakh peoplewere killed in a massive earthquake that hit the country on 26December, 2004. The deadlyquake had triggered a tsunami inthe Indian Ocean whichsubsequently claimed the life of







tens of thousands of people acrossthe Indian Ocean region.

MORE THAN 120 PEOPLE KILLED INTHE PLANE CRASH IN PAKISTAN

A passenger aero plane crashnear Islamabad in Pakistan on 20April 2012, left more than 100

people dead. The tragic incidentoccurred while the airliner wasattempting to land during athunderstorm. The Bhoja airlinerhad been flying from the southernseaport city of Karachi and burstinto flames right before its landingin the Islamabad following a 3½-hour flight. The airline Boeing 737was carrying 121 passengers,including 11 children, as well assix crew. The crash occurred nearthe Chaklala airbase, a militarysite used by the country’s air force,which is adjacent to the BenazirBhutto International Airport inIslamabad.

JAPAN EXTENDED THE SANCTIONSAGAINST NORTH KOREA

The Japanese governmentdecided to extend the sanctionsagainst North Korea for one year.The sanctions, expiring 13th ofApril, ban all imports from andexports to North Korea. Japan has

been imposing punitive measuresto North Korea since July 2006following North Korea’s missiletest. The decision by the Japanesegovernment came at a time whenNorth Korea confirmed that itwould not give up its plannedsatellite launch. A lack of progressin resolving Pyongyang’s pastabductions of Japanese citizensalso led to the extension.

COUP IN MALI OUSTED ITSPRESIDENT AMADOU TOUMANITOURE

Rebel troops in Mali oustedits President Amadou Toumani on22 March 2012. The oustedpresident Amadou ToumaniToure was due to leave office afterelections on 29 April 2012. Therebels blamed the government forfailing to control an ethnic Tuareginsurgency in the Northern part ofMali. The Tuareg insurgencyincludes fighters who supportedMummar Gaddafi in Libya. Thearmy leaders who staged the coup

called themselves the NationalCommittee for the Reestablishment ofDemocracy and the Restoration of theState (CNRDR). USA suspendedmilitary aid and other fundsdirected to Mali’s government inits response to military coup inMali. It called for immediaterestoration of constitutional rule.

TALIBAN ATTACKED KABUL AGAIN

Taliban militants on 15 April2012, unleashed a string of attackin the high profile diplomaticpockets, NATO bases andParliament of Kabul capital city ofAfghanistan. The militants also hitthree provinces—in Jalalabad,Logar and Paktia. The attack left24 people injured and 7 militantskilled. The attackers also fired







rockets at the parliament buildingand at the Russian embassy.Across the border in Pakistan,Talibani militants also stormedneighbouring state Pakistan asthey raided a jail at Bannu andreleased close to 400 of theircadres. In two separate incidentsof attack the militants killed 12people in Peshawar and injured 12in a time bomb explosion in LowerKurram. The attack is consideredto be the most severe ever sincethe NATO forces took control overthe troubled nation in 2001. Theattack,came at a time whenAfghanistan is going through aperiod of political transition, holdsa great strategic importance forUSA, which along with its NATOallies is planning to leave thecountry by July 2013. Consideringthe deadly attacks that Talibanmilitants have unleashed over thelast few months, the US’ decision

to withdraw its troops from thetrouble torn nation seems to be afar fetched idea.

UNSC SUPPORTED KOFI ANNAN’SPLAN

The United Nations SecurityCouncil on 20 March 2012adopted a statement supportingU.N.-Arab League envoy KofiAnnan’s plan to try to end Syria’syear-long unrest. The statementsays Syria will face furthersanctions if it rejects Annan’s six-point peace proposal. The plancalls for a cease-fire, politicaldialogue between the governmentand opposition, and access forhumanitarian aid agencies. KofiAnnan sent a five-member teamof international experts to Syria on18 March 2012 to try to secure acease-fire between governmentand rebel forces.

SYRIAN GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEDCEASEFIRE AGAINST REBELS

The Syrian governmentannounced ceasefire against rebelson 12 April 2012. There would beno military operations againstrebels. But the troops will remainon alert to thwart attack by armedgroups against civilians and thesecurity forces. The ceasefire willbe effective throughout Syria.However, the Syrian authoritiesreserved the right to respond toany attacks by armed terroristgroups against civilians, governm-ent forces and private property.

UNHRC PASSED A RESOLUTIONPROBE INTO ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS

UN Human Rights Councilon 21 March 2012 passed aresolution in Geneva calling for aprobe into Israeli settlements inoccupied territories. Thirty-Sixnations voted in favour, 10abstained while United States wasthe only nation to vote against theresolution. The UN resolutionstates that the Israeli settlementsis infringing on the rights of thePalestinian people. The resolutionasked Israel to confiscate arms toprevent acts of violence by Israelisettlers. In fact, more than 3.10lakhs Israelis live in settlements inthe occupied West Bank and theirnumber is increasing. Another 2lakhs live in a dozen settlement ineast Jerusalem, which wascaptured by Israel in 1967.Palestinians have demanded afreeze on the settlements as one ofthe pre condition for peace talks.







TRAFIGURA PICKED UP 24 % EQUITYIN NOCL

Trafigura Pvt. Ltd. picked up24 percent equity in Nagarjuna OilCorporation Ltd (NOCL) byinvesting around 650 crore rupees.Trafigura is a commodity traderin the global sphere. NOCL iscarrying out six million tone oilrefinery project at Cuddalore inTamil Nadu. The total estimate ofthe project is 7610 crore rupees.Trafigura has also planned toinvest 600 crore rupees into theconstruction of storage facilities.This will be done through anotherjoint venture between Trafiguraand NOCL called Portoil Ltd.

SWAVALAMBAN SCHEME

The Union Cabinet on 12April 2012 approved the extensionof funding support forimplementing the Swavalamban

Scheme under the New PensionSystem (NPS) from three years to

five years for all subscribersenrolled during 2010-11, 2011-12and 2012-13. The exit norms of thescheme were also relaxed toenable subscribers underSwavalamban to exit at age 50instead of 60, or a minimumtenure of 20 years, whichever islater.The Cabinet decided toprovide an additional fundingsupport of Rs 2065 crore to thescheme till 2016-17. The cabinet’sdecision will benefit 70 lakhworkers in the unorganised sector.

RESERVE BANK OF INDIA CUT THEREPO RATE BY 50 BASIS POINTS

Reserve Bank of India, theapex Indian Bank, on 17 April2012, cut the key policy rates forthe first time in the past threeyears. While the repo rate (the rateat which the RBI lends money tobanks) was cut down by 50 basispoints from 8.50 per cent to 8.00per cent, the reverse repo rate(normally fixed at a spread of 100basis points below the repo rate)was reduced to 7.0 per cent. Themarginal standing facility rate,which has a spread of 100 basis







points above the repo rate, nowstands at 9.0 per cent. NBFCs inthe space. However, Muthoot, thecountry’s biggest player in goldloan stated that there would notbe much impact.

INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND(IMF) LOWERED INDIA’S ECONOMICGROWTH FORECAST TO 6.9% IN2012

The International MonetaryFund (IMF) in its World EconomicOutlook (WEO), released ahead ofthe IMF-World Bank SpringMeetings, marginally loweredIndia’s economic growth forecastto 6.9% in 2012, from 7% projectedearlier. The IMF projected worldeconomic growth rate to slump to3.5% in 2012 from 3.9% in 2011. Itpegged India’s growth during the2013 calendar year at 7.3%. TheWEO pointed out that in emergingAsia, including India, strengthe-ning domestic demand will requireimproving the conditions forprivate investment by addressinginfrastructure bottlenecks andenhancing governance and publicservice delivery. The WEO whilereferring to the declining growthrate stated that domestic factorsalso contributed to the slowdown,as deterioration in businesssentiment weakened investmentand policy tightening raisedborrowing costs.

UNION GOVERNMENT TO LIBERALISEECB

The Union governmentdecided to liberalise the external

commercial borrowing (ECB)norms for the power sector. Theannouncement was made in tunewith the announcement made inthis respect by the FinanceMinister, Pranab Mukherjee whilepresenting the Union budget 2012-13. Power sector companies willnow be able to use up to 40 percent of ECB loans to refinancetheir rupee debt, provided theremaining 60% balance is utilisedfor investments in new projects. Sofar, power companies werepermitted to use only 25 per centof the ECB to refinance theirdomestic rupee-debt loan.Besides, the government alsoopened the ECB route for capitalexpenditure on maintenance andoperations of toll systems in theroadways and highways sector,only if these constitute a part ofthe original project.

UNION GOVERNMENT DECIDED ON1 MILLION CAP ON ECB

The Union government on 19April 2012 permitted companiesengaged in the aviation sector toraise working capital resourcesthrough the external commercialborrowings (ECBs) route to thetune of $1 billion. The limit forindividual airline companies wasset at $300 million. This limit canbe availed themselves of either ina lump sum or in tranches,depending on the utilisation of thelimit during the one year when thefacility is available. So far airlineswere allowed to raise foreigncapital only for import of capital

equipment such as aircraft. Thepolicy decision in this respect willprovide an additional source oflow-cost capital to the airlineindustry and help them tide overits present financial crunch.

INDIA REGISTERED HIGHEST EVERTRADE DEFICIT

Commerce Secretary on 19April 2012 announced that Indiasurpassed the export target of$300 billion for 2011-12. India wasable to surpass the trade target of$300 billion despite slowdown indemand in its traditional marketsof the U.S. and Europe. Exportsincreased by 21 per cent to $303.7billion in 2011-12 powered by astrong growth in petroleum,pharmaceuticals and engineeringproducts. However, importssurged by 32.1 per cent to $488.6billion thereby leaving the highest-ever trade deficit of $184.9 billion.Engineering exports grew by 16.9per cent to $58.2 billion. Exportsof petroleum and oil productssurged by 38.5 per cent to $57.5billion and gems and jewelleryexports increased to $45.9 billion.

INCREASED INTEREST RATE ONLOANS PROVIDED FROM SUGARDEVELOPMENT FUND TO 7.5%

Following RBI’s decision tohike bank rate, the Food Ministryincreased the interest rate on loansprovided to sugar factories fromthe Sugar Development Fund(SDF) to 7.5% from the earlier 4%from 14 February 2012. The Fundis utilised to provide loans at







concessional rates to sugarfactories for development,modernisation, co-generation ofsugar-cane and as well as ethanolprojects.

The interest rate wasincreased after Reserve Bank ofIndia announced its decision on 13February to hike the Bank Rate to9.5 per cent per annum from 6 percent per annum.

Given that the Food Ministryprovides SDF loans at 2 per centless than the prevailing bank rate,the interest rate was revised to 7.5per cent per annum (2 per cent lessthan bank rate of 9.5 per cent).

ADB PROJECTED MODERATE

INCREASE IN INDIA’S GDPThe Asian Development

Bank (ADB) in its flagship annualpublication Asian DevelopmentOutlook (ADO) released on 11April 2012 projected moderateincrease in growth rate for Indiato 7 percent in 2012-13. The ADBstated that strong economicperformance would depend onthe country’s ability to pushreforms agenda and addressissues constraining investments.

The government howeverestimated a growth rate of 7.6 percent for 2012-13 fiscal. Moderationin the growth of non-oil importsin 2012-13 and improvedeconomic prospects in theadvanced countries in 2013-14 islikely to help the current accountdeficit to improve to 3.3% in 2012-13 and further to 3% in 2013-14.

SEBI DECIDED TO ENFORCE BROADGUIDELINES FOR ALGORITHMICTRADING

The Securities and ExchangeBoard of India (SEBI) on 31 March2012 issued broad guidelines onAlgorithmic Trading. Based onrecommendations of technicaladvisory committee (TAC) andsecondary market advisorycommittee (SMAC), SEBI decidedto enforce broad guidelines foralgorithmic trading in thesecurities market.

The market regulatordirected stock exchanges toundertake system upgradation,including periodic upgradation ofits surveillance system so as tokeep pace with the speed of tradeand volume of data that may arisethrough algorithmic trading. Also,the stock exchanges were asked toput in place monitoring systemsto identify and initiate measuresto impede any possible instancesof order flooding through thissystem.

ZEE TV BECAME THE FIRST INDIANCHANNEL TO GET LANDING RIGHTIN CHINA

Zee TV on 27 March 2012became the first Indian channel toget a landing right in China.China’s State Administration for

Radio, Film and Television(SARFT) granted the landingrights to the Indian channel aftera long six years of wait.

Zee TV had already beenselling to Chinese televisionchannels its popular Mandarin-dubbed Indian programmeswhich had garnered aconsiderable viewership in thecountry. Zee TV Asia Pacific inkeda landing agreement with theCTV-STVP, only Chinese agentallowed to distribute foreignchannels.

INDIA’S FISCAL DEFICIT IN THEAPRIL-FEBRUARY PERIOD OF 2011-12 STOOD AT RS 4.93 LAKH CRORE

As per the Controller Generalof Accounts’ (CGA) data releasedon 30 March 2012, uniongovernment’s fiscal deficit duringthe April-February period of 2011-12 stood at Rs 4.93 lakh crore, or95% of the revised estimates. Atthe end of the 11 months endingFebruary, the fiscal deficit was Rs493571 crore or 94.6% of the target.During the April-February period







of 2010-11, the deficit had stoodat 68.6% of the budgeted target.The government in March revisedupwards the fiscal deficit targetfor the 2011-12 fiscal to 5.9% ofGDP, from 4.6% projected earlier.Rise in fiscal deficit was attributedto high subsidy bill, increasingcrude oil prices, low tax collectionand poor realisation from sale ofgovernment equity in state-ownedcompanies.

SUB-COMMITTEE SUGGESTEDCREATION OF A NATIONAL FUND FORURBAN TRANSPORT PROJECTS

A government sub-committee set up to look intoprobable sources of funds forurban transport projects in the12th Plan recommended creationof a national fund, resource forwhich can be generated throughtaxes on vehicles and petrolconsumption. The Sub-Committeeon Financing Urban Infrastructurein the 12th Plan report suggestedinvestments to the tune of Rs87000 crore in the Five Year Planduration. The sub-committee,constituted by the UrbanDevelopment ministry opinedthat the huge investment needscannot be met only fromtraditional budgetary sourcesalone. A dedicated urbantransport fund at the national levelas envisaged in (National UrbanTransport Policy) or NUTP-2006was recommended. The sub-committee also identified somesources of revenue for the creationof the National Urban Transport

Fund which were based onPolluters pay Principle and aimedto reduce the use of personalvehicles.

RBI TIGHTENED THE REPORTINGREQUIREMENTS OF THE BANKS TOMONITOR GOLD IMPORT

The Reserve Bank of India on3 April 2012 tightened thereporting requirements of thebanks. As per the directionsissued, banks will have to submita monthly statement informingthe central bank about thequantity of gold imported andmode of payment adopted. Thestatement is to be filed with theforeign exchange department ofthe RBI and has to be submittedat the end of March andSeptember.

The directive was issuedamidst concerns of huge outflowof foreign exchange on import ofgold which is believed to beputting pressure on the India’scurrent account deficit (CAD).Banks were directed to file a halfyearly statement on quantity andvalue of gold imported bynominated banks, agencies,export-oriented units (EOUs) andspecial economic zone (SEZs) in

gem & jewellery sector, as well asmode of payment. Banks werealso directed to file monthlystatement on the quantity andvalue of gold imports by thenominated agencies (other thanthe nominated banks), EOUs,SEZs as well as the cumulativeposition at the end of the reportingmonth.

RBI DIRECTED BANKS TO PRINTMICR AND IFSE CODE ON THEPASSBOOK

Apex Indian bank, theReserve Bank of India on 21 April2012 directed all commercialbanks to print the MICR and IFSEcode on the passbook andstatement of account of thecustomers. The bank made theprinting of MICR and IFSE codecompulsory for all the banks. Thebanks, under their currentpractice, provide MICR code onthe cheque leaf along with theIFSC code of the branch. Underthe RBI guidelines, MICR code ismandatory for all electronicclearing services (credit and debit)transactions. IFSC code is a pre-requisite for national electronicfunds transfer (NEFT) and realtime gross settlement (RTGS)transactions.

MICR (Magnetic InkCharacter Recognition) isthe bottom line on all checks. It isprinted using a special font. IFSCCode (Indian Financial SystemCode) is an eleven character codeassigned by RBI to identify everybank branches uniquely, that are







participating in NEFT system inIndia. This code is used byelectronic payment systemapplications such as RTGS,National Electronic Fund Transferand CFMS.

FDI INFLOWS INTO INDIA’S SERVICESSECTOR IN INDIA WENT UP BY 62%DURING APRIL-JANUARY PERIOD2011-12

Foreign direct investment(FDI) inflows into the servicessector in India went up by 62%during April-January period 2011-12 on account of unfavourableeconomic conditions of thewestern markets. The financialand nonfinancial services sectorattracted FDI worth $4.83 billionduring the 10-month period of2011-12 as compared to $2.98billion in the April-January periodof 2010-11. The trend reflectedconfidence in India’s growth story.It was observed that though theeconomic growth in India itselfdeclined in 2011-12 to 6.9%, theeconomy was among the bestperforming in the world. Despitetaxation and policy issues, thecountry enjoys the investorconfidence as is evident from a 53per cent increase in total FDIinflows to $26.19 billion during the10-month period (April-January2011-12). The sectors that attractedsizeable FDI inflows include drugsand pharmaceutical ($3.20 billion),construction ($2.23 billion),telecommunications ($1.99 billion)and power ($1.56 billion). Thehighest FDI of $8.91 billion came

from the Mauritius, followed bySingapore ($4.30 billion) andJapan ($2.75 million).

DOT’S POWER TO IMPOSE PENALTYON OPERATORS

The Department of Telcom’s(DoT) power to impose penalty onoperators for not dully completingformalities of customerverification for security purposeswas upheld by tribunal TelecomDispute Settlement AppellateTribunal’s (TDSAT). Whiledelivering its judgement a two-member TDSAT bench stated thatthe matter related to the securityof the nation so far as conduct oftelegraph is concerned, can beimplemented through conditionsof licence.

TDSAT’s order followed apetition filed by the GSM lobbygroup COAI and variousoperators challenging the penaltyimposed by the DoT. Operatorshad requested that the penaltyregime introduced by DoT on 22November 2006 be quashed asthey felt that the penalty imposedby the DoT ‘s TERM Cell invarious circles as illegal, arbitraryand suffering from proceduralimpropriety.

Operators claimed thatimposition of the Scheme ofFinancial Penalty for Violation ofTerms and Conditions of theLicence Agreement for SubscriberVerification Failure Casesimposed by DoT was notcountenanced under the terms ofthe licences.

PROPOSAL TO SET UP SPV FORGOODS AND SERVICES TAXNETWORK APPROVED

The Union Cabinet on 12April 2012 approved a proposal toset up a Special Purpose Vehicle(SPV) for Goods and Services TaxNetwork (GSTN) to help facilitatethe smooth introduction of thenew indirect tax regime. GSTNSPV is to be incorporated asSection 25 not-for-profit privatelimited company in whichstrategic control would be held bythe Centre. It will provide ITinfrastructure and services tovarious stakeholders including theCentre and states.The SPV willhave an equity capital of Rs 10crore, with both the Centre andstates having stakes of 24.5 percent each. Non governmentinstitutions would hold 51 percent equity.

STAR GROUP ENDED ITS JOINTVENTURE WITH INDIAN TELEVISION

Rupert Murdoch led StarGroup on 16 april 2012 decided toput an end over its joint venturewith its Indian television newschannel partner. The companycited the split on regulatoryheadaches as the reason behindthe decision. Star’s logo will stopto be broadcast on the three newschannels run under the jointventure within four months. Thecompany held 26 percent stake inthe joint venture with local partnerthe Ananda Bazaar Patrika Group.The JV came into being in 2003. InMedia Content & Communi-







cations Services the maximumpermissible level of investmentunder Indian regulations is 26 percent.

PUBLIC PROCUREMENT BILL & AD-VALOREM REGIME FOR CALCULATINGROYALTY FOR COAL APPROVED

The Union Cabinet on 12April 2012 approved PublicProcurement Bill, 2012 which aimsat regulating public procurementof above Rs 50 lakh and providesfair treatment to bidders. Themove is aimed at bringingtransparency in State purchases.Public Procurement Bill, 2012 aimsat regulating public procurementby all ministries and departmentsof the Union government, Centralpublic sector enterprises (CPSEs),autonomous and statutory bodiescontrolled by the Centre and otherprocuring entities. The Bill alsoproposes absence of pricenegotiations, except incircumstances that are prescribed,and for which reasons are to berecorded.

The Cabinet Committee onEconomic Affairs (CCEA) alsoapproved an ad-valorem regimefor calculating royalty for coal andlignite. Following the approval thecoffers of coal-bearing states willget richer by over Rs 1000 crore.Currently the hybrid formula is inplace for charging royalty on coaland lignite at the rate of 14 percent and 6 per cent respectively.Royalty rates on coal and lignitehave not been revised since 2007.The ad-valorem regime will

enable major coal producing statesto earn revenue of about Rs 6980crore in place of Rs 5950 crorebeing earned at present at existingrates. The new regime is toincrease the combined earning bymore than Rs 1050 crore.

RS 30000 CRORE BAILOUT FOR AIRINDIA

The Union governmentapproved Rs 30000 crore bailoutfor Air India. It was decided thatRs 6750 crore would be infusedimmediately to meet the airline’sworking capital requirement andthe total of bailout amount wouldbe spread out over a period of 9years. The Rs 30000 crore bailoutpackage was approved in additionto the equity infusion of Rs 3200crore already in place. Thegovernment also decided on otherissues with an objective of pullingout ailing Air India from its debtburden and enabling it to turn intoa profit making venture. Thedecisions of the CabinetCommittee on Economic Affairs(CCEA) decided to hive off theengineering services and groundhandling business, and go aheadwith the induction of 27 newBoeing 787 Dreamliners. Thedomestic carrier will get thegovernment guarantee forrepayment of principal amountand payment of interest on thenon-convertible debentures of Rs.7400 crore proposed to be issuedto financial institutions, banks, theLife Insurance of Corporation andused to repay part of working

capital loans.

The proposal to make theairline’s MRO (Maintenance,Repair and Overhaul) businessand its Engineering Services astwo wholly-owned subsidiarieswas also approved. The MRO unitis to get Rs. 375 crore over threeyears and is projected to be aprofit-making company from2017-18. The MRO unit will aimat tapping the potential of nearly$1.5 billion in the Asia Pacificregion. About 7000 employees ofAir India will migrate to thesubsidiary company.

E-FILING OF RETURNS COMPULSORYFOR INDIVIDUALS WITH INCOMEABOVE RS 10 LAKH

The Union governmentmade it mandatory forindividuals with income above Rs10 lakh to file their tax returns2011-12 onwards electronically. E-filing was made compulsory forthe person who is an individual,or a Hindu Undivided Family, ifhis or its total income, or the totalincome in respect of which he isor it is assessable under the Actduring the previous year, exceedsRs 10 lakh for assessment year2012-13 onwards. E-filing for suchindividuals was optional till 2010-11. Currently business houseswith receipts of Rs 60 lakh andprofessionals with income of Rs 15lakh are mandatorily required toe-file their return with digitalsignature.

The department had receiveda record number of 1.64 crore e-







returns in the 2011-12 financialyear. As on 31 March 2012, therewere 19684,592 tax payers whohad registered for e-filing. The e-filing measure was adopted toencourage people to go for e-filingof returns so as to fasten theprocess of filing of taxes. Thedigital signature was however notmandatory for them. The new taxreturns forms ask assessees tofurnish details of donations madefor claiming tax deductions. Alsothe government made itmandatory reporting of assets

held by individuals abroad,including financial interest in anyentity, overseas.

JAGRAN PRAKASHAN L IM IT EDACQUIRED HINDI NATIONAL DAILYNAI DUNIA IN A 150 CRORE RUPEESDEAL

Jagran Prakashan Limited(JPL), the publisher of the India’slargest read daily Dainik Jagran,on 2 April 2012 bought Suvi InfoManagement (Indore) PrivateLimited, the company that underits subsidiary Nai Dunia Media

Limited publishes Hindi daily NaiDunia in Madhya Pradesh andChhattisgarh. Nai Dunia, whichhas a daily circulation of around500000 copies, publishes severaleditions from Indore, Gwalior,Jabalpur and Bhopal in MadhyaPradesh and Raipur and Bilaspurin Chhattisgarh. Jagran PrakashanLimited had acquired Englishdaily Mid Day in 2010 in a 175crore rupees deal. The newacquisition will enable thecompany to grow inorganicallythrough mergers and acquisitions.

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INDIA & BRITAIN

India and Britain held thefifth ministerial level India-UKeconomic financial dialogue inNew Delhi on 2 April 2012. Bothnations discussed ways tostrengthen their mutualcooperation and further boosttrade and investment betweenthem. Highlights of the dialogueare as following:

v Both nations agreed thatwhile the global economy hasstabilized in recent months,growth will remain subduedand at risk from a series ofthreats.

v India and Britain welcomedthe exchange of ideas infinancing infrastructure aspart of the Dialogue, notingthat both countries share acommon aim of increasingthe role of institutional

investors in infrastructurefinancing.

v India and Britain alsodiscussed the importance ofdeveloping deep and efficientcapital markets to supportinfrastructure financing inIndia. Foreign capital canplay an important part in thisprocess.

v Both nations supported the

progress on the Reserve Bankof India’s (RBI) roadmap forforeign banks in India.

v Both sides agreed that therewas a clear benefit to sharingexperiences on this andwelcomed the ongoingtechnical collaboration toassist the FSLRC (FinancialSector Legislative ReformsCommission) in carrying outits mandate.







v Both sides welcomed theCannes Action Plan forGrowth and Jobs agreed atthe November 2011 CannesSummit.

v Both nations are committedto ensuring that the IMF isadequately resourced to playits systemic role in theinternational financialsystem in support of its entiremembership and that thequota and governancereforms of the IMF areimplemented within theagreed timelines.

v Both sides agreed to remaincommitted to pursuing thefinancial regulatory reformagenda according to the timetable agreed in G-20 in aninternationally consistentand non-discriminatorymanner. This will bemonitored by the FinancialStability Board through itsCoordination Framework forImplementation Monitoring.Both sides discussed the jointapproaches to meeting thesecommitments and willcontinue to work together tostrengthen the globalfinancial system.

v Both sides recognized theneed for countries to sign theMultilateral Convention onMutual AdministrativeAssistance in Tax Mattersand engage in automaticexchange of informationwhere legally required to

improve tax compliance anddecrease tax evasion.

v Recognising the importanceof open trade for the globaleconomy, India and UKreaffirmed their commitmentto refrain fromprotectionism.

v India and the UK welcomedthe 40% year on year increasein the export of goods fromthe UK to India and theincrease by 35.05% of exportsfrom India to UK in 2011.

INDIA & PAKISTAN

The Pakistan governmentissued the Statutory RegulatoryOrder (SRO) for switching over toa negative list regime for tradewith India. As per SRO, the importof 1209 Indian products will beincluded in the negative list andwill not be importable from India.Of the importable items fromIndia, 137 products can be broughtin from India through the Wagahland border crossing. Several

items that were included innegative List of 1209 items aresports goods and surgical goods,cigarettes , crude and palm oil,tobacco, paracetamol, eye drops,perfumes, toothpastes, cellularmobiles phones, leather madejackets and coats, different typesof papers, telephone cables, CNGand LPG buses, gas and electricitymeters, mini vans and rickshaws.Finalising the negative list willhelp increase bilateral tradebetween India and Pakistan.

INDIA & UAEIndia and the UAE signed an

agreement in Abu Dhabi to amendthe double taxation avoidancetreaty, paving the way for greatersharing of tax related informationbetween the two countries andalso agreed to set up a jointcommittee to look after consularissues.The India-UAE agreementon avoidance of double taxationwas updated to bring it at par withthe internationally accepted







standards. Now the bankinginformation as well as anyinformation without any domestictax interest can be shared betweenthe two nations. A JointCommittee will be set up to lookinto and address the concerns ofIndian and Emirati nationals oncounsellar issues. These includeissues such as birth or deathregistration, quasi judicial matterslike detention or arrest, traveldocuments like passport and visaand others affecting the people.Itis expected that the agreementswill protect the interests of thepeople and promote strongerrelations between the twocountries.

INDIA & GERMANY

India and Germany decidedto promote bilateral cooperationin the field of sustainable urbandevelopment through explorationof solutions to problems of mutualconcern. A joint declaration to thiseffect was signed at a meeting inNew Delhi between UrbanDevelopment Minister KamalNath and his German counterpartPeter Ramsauer.

The Joint Declarationenvisages promoting discussion

and strategies on integratedpolicies and principles for urbandevelopment and revitalization inthe two nations.

INDIA & QATAR

India and Qatar signed sixagreements, including a pact oncooperation in oil and gasexploration. The agreements weresigned in New Delhi during thevisit of Qatar ’s Emir SheikhHamad bin Khalifa al- Thani.

Both the leaders haddiscussions on a range of issues,including boosting trade andinvestment as well as energy tiesbetween the two countries. Issuesrelating to the welfare of Indianworkers in the Gulf country werealso discussed. India and Qatarsigned a pact on establishing acooperative framework toincrease bilateral cooperation inoil and gas.

It is likely to encourage andpromote investment andcooperation between the twoMinistries of oil and gas andthrough affiliated companies. Amemorandum of Understandingwas signed between the ReserveBank of India and Qatar CentralBank.

INDIA & BANGLADESH

The Bangladesh governmentdecided to honour 132 foreignleaders, intellectuals, culturalpersonalities and organisationswho helped in the country’sLiberation war of 1971.

The list of people to behonoured includes 47 Indians.Thehonour will be conferred on 27March 2012. The Indians who arebeing awarded include SachindraLal Singh, Rajeshawar Rao,Siddhartha Shankar Ray, P ASangma Justice Sadat AbulMasud,Dr Karan Singh, MaharaniBiva Kumari Devi, Field MarshalSAM Manekshaw, Lt Gen JagjitSingh Aurora, Lt Gen Jacob, LanceNayek Albert Ekka.

INDIA & COLOMBIA

India and Colombia signeda Cultural Exchange Programme(CEP) in New Delhi for the Years2012-2016. The CEP was signed inconformity with the provisionestablished in the CulturalAgreement between theGovernment of India and theGovernment of Colombia. CEPwas signed in Bogota, capital ofColumbia on 22 May 1974. TheCEP includes areas such asCultural Heritage, Museums,







Archives, Exhibitions, Scenic Arts,Visual Arts, Cinematography,Radio and Television, Music,Libraries, Book and Literature,Creative Industries and EditorialIndustry for cooperation. BothIndia and Colombia shallcontribute to the exchange andcooperation between institutionsand organisations that deals withcultural affairs, as well as amongst

cultural creators, researchers andcultural agents of the twonations. India and Colombia shallexchange visits of culturaldelegations. Both the nations haveagreed to set up a joint workinggroup to look after theimplementations of theirprogramme. The joint workinggroup will have a meetingalternately in India and in

Colombia when decided by boththe nations.

7TH MEETING OF THE INDIA-RUSSIAJOINT WORKING GROUP

The seventh meeting of theIndia-Russia Joint WorkingGroup was held in New Delhi on11 April 2012. India and Russiaheld comprehensive discussionson combating internationalterrorism and reaffirmed theircommitment to consolidatebilateral interaction in the fightagainst this menace. The twocountries emphasised that co-operation in countering newchallenges and threats is anintegral part of the Indian-Russianspecial and privileged strategicpartnership. Moreover, bothnations underlined the role ofinternational efforts in preventingand suppressing terrorismincluding consistent implemen-tation of the UN Global Counter-terrorism Strategy and therelevant resolutions of the UNSecurity Council.







PLANTS REACT TO SOUND, MAKENOISES

When South African botanistLyall Watson claimed in his 1973best-seller “Supernature” thatplants had emotions that couldregister on a lie detector, scientistsscoffed and branded it as hippienonsense. But a new Australianresearch at The University ofWestern Australia has claimed tohave discovered that plantsappear to react to sounds and mayeven make clicking noises tocommunicate with each other.Monica Gagliano of UWA hasteamed with colleagues DanielRobert at the University of Bristol(UK) and Stefano Mancuso at theUniversity of Florence (Italy) toshow that the roots of youngplants emit and react to particularsounds. Gagliano and fellowresearchers established that young

roots of corn made regularclicking sounds. In addition toother forms of sensory response,“it is very likely that some formof sensitivity to sound andvibrations also plays an importantrole in the life of plants”. Gaglianosaid.

AN ANCIENT PLANETARY SYSTEMDISCOVERED

Astronomers discovered anancient planetary system, whichbelonged to oneof the earliestcosmic eras, 13billion years ago.The planetarysystem consists ofthe star HIP 11952and two planetsnamely HIP11952b and HIP11952c. The 2.2 mtelescope at La

Silla made the discovery. Thenewly discovered planetarysystem will shed light on planetformation in the early universe.During that period, the planetformation was quite differentfrom later planetary information.HIP 11952c is the size of Jupiterwhile the other, HIP 11952b isthree times the size of Jupiter. Theplanets orbit their sun in 290 daysand 7 days respectively.







TOXIC TRUTH OF TRADITIONALCHINESE MEDICINES

Traditional Chinesemedicines (TCMs) also carrypotentially lethal plantingredients, allergens and tracesof endangered species, accordingto a new research, which warnedthe consumers to be aware ofhealth safety issues beforeadopting these as a treatmentoption.The 15 TCM samples,seized by Australian borderofficials, in the form of powders,tablets, capsules, flakes, andherbal teas were audited using theDNA sequencing technology.DNAs are preserved in thesamples. “TCMs have a longcultural history, but todayconsumers need to be aware of thelegal and health safety issuesbefore adopting them as atreatment option,” said MichaelBunce, research leader andMurdoch University AustralianResearch Council Future Fellow,the journal Public Library of ScienceGenetics reports.

A WAY TO IMPROVE CLIMATEPREDICTIONS

A study into how the PacificOcean leaks into the Indian Oceanhas revealed details whichresearchers say could improveclimate predictions. This so-calledTasman leakage in the south ofAustralia is the second-largest linkbetween the Pacific and Indianoceans after the Indonesianthrough-flow to the country’snorth, according to an

international team led byUniversity of New South Wales.Water travels through the world’soceans along great loops driven bymassive and often deep currentsin a process known as the globalthermohaline circulation, said thestudy’s lead author, Dr Erik VanSebille. Acting over millennialtime scales, the globalthermohaline circulation can exertsignificant influence on globalclimate variability. Because theTasman leakage acts as abottleneck in the Pacific-to-Indianflow, changes in this pathway canhave significant impact on theglobal thermohaline circulation,say the researchers.

STEM CELLS TO CURE BALDNESS?Japanese researchers have

successfully grown hair onhairless mice by implantingfollicles created from stem cells,they announced Wednesday,sparking new hopes of a cure forbaldness. Led by professorTakashi Tsuji from TokyoUniversity of Science, the teambioengineered hair follicles andtransplanted them into the skin ofhairless mice. The creatures

eventually grew hair, whichcontinued regenerating in normalgrowth cycles after old hairs fellout. When stem cells are growninto tissues or organs, they usuallyneed to be extracted fromembryos, but Tsuji and hisresearchers found hair follicles canbe grown with adult stem cells,the study said.

EVIDENCE OF WAT ER ICE ATMERCURY’S POLES FOUND

A NASA spacecraft calledMessenger in the last week ofMarch 2012 discovered furtherevidence for the existence of waterice at Mercury’s poles. Althoughsurface temperatures at Mercurycan soar above 400 C, some cratersat Mercury’s poles arepermanently in shadow, turningthem into so-called cold traps.

SUPERCOMPUTER TO F IGHTALZHEIMER’S AND OTHER BRAINDISEASES

Scientists are building ahuman brain. For that they areusing the world’s most powerfulsuper-computer. It will stimulatethe entire human mind to fightagainst Alzheimer’s and other

brain diseases. Thehuman brain thusdesigned willcombine all theinformation andwill replicate themdown to the level ofindividual cells andmolecules. Thetechnology will







help in understanding diseaseslike Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

HUMAN GENE IFTIM3 TURNED FLUINTO A KILLER

Scientists discovered thegenetic flaw that explains thereason why flu makes somepeople seriously ill. They in factfound a human gene calledIFTIM3 that influences howpeople respond to flu infections.

It explains why some peopleexperience mild flu symptomswhile others are hospitalised.People who carried a particularvariant of IFTIM3 and in largequantities had resisted the virusesin lungs while the others whoseIFITM3 levels were lower, the fluvirus could replicate and spreadmore easily, causing more severesymptoms.

A NEW HORMONE THAT CAN LOWERA PERSON’S BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL

Scientists identified a newhormone that can lower a person’sblood sugar level. It could pavethe way for more effectivediabetes treatment. It will be auseful alternative to insulin. It cansend glucose out of the bloodstream and into muscle in the

same way insulin does. The teamof scientists used fat stem cells ofmice for their research. Theyfound that mice showedremarkably low blood sugarlevels. Because of the abundanceof glucose transporters at theirsurfaces, the muscles of mice weretaking up glucose at two to fourtimes the usual rate. Scientistsrevealed that the mouse musclescontinued to absorb extra sugarwhen they were isolated in the laband exposed to blood serum.

INHERITED INTELLECTUAL DISABILITYCAN BE REVERSED

Studies undertaken in adultmice showed that the Fragile Xsyndrome (FXS) that causes themost common forms of inheritedintellectual disability, includingautism, can be reversed. FragileX syndrome is caused by“mutations in the fragile X mentalretardation 1 (FMR1) gene.” Apaper published today (April 12)in the journal Neuron , showedthat such reversals can beachieved through chronicpharmacological intervention(mGlu5 inhibition) to correct foraltered glutamate signalling. Thestudy was undertaken in mice.The good news is that suchreversals can be achieved evenwhen the mice have becomeadults and where FXS has alreadybecome well established. Previousstudies have shown the usefulnessof pharmacological mGlu5inhibition. The scientists startedtreatment in adult mice (4-5 weeks

old) that have a fully developedbrain that is still “highly plastic.”The chronic treatment lasted forfour weeks. The treated miceshowed reversal of “learning andmemory deficits, hyperreactivityto sensory stimuli. Chronictreatment for 17 weeks reversedelevated locomotor activity.

A COMBINATION OF PROTEINSINVOLVED IN PROSTATE DISORDERSDISCOVERED

Scientists recently discovereda combination of proteinsinvolved in prostate disorders.This could pave the way foreffective and better treatments. Infact, scientists identified the Gprotein-coupled receptors, whichenable cells to respond toneurotransmitters and hormones.

G protein- coupled receptorsare essential proteins on theoutside of cells that enabledsignals from hormones and neuro-transmitters to be transferred intothe cell. Scientists found that thatthese receptors did not work inisolation, but in particularcombinations, which they termedas heteromers. They suggestedthat a number of side effects fromdrugs may result from not fullyunderstanding which combina-tions form and their side-effects.







Prostate disorders such as benignprostatic hyperplasia affect mostof the men at some stage in his life.Better drugs with fewer sideeffects were required to reduce theneed for surgical operation.

FETOSCOPY TECHNIQUE

If non-identical twins areborn from two totally differentzygotes (fertilised eggs), identicaltwins form by the splitting of onezygote (fertilised egg) into twofoetuses. Problems can arise whenthe splitting takes place betweenfour and eight days after the eggis fertilised.

What results due to suchdelayed splitting is that twoamniotic sacs containing onefoetus each are found inside oneplacenta. While 85 per cent of suchfoetuses go on to full term ofdevelopment and are born ashealthy infants, complications canarise in the remaining 15 per cent.

OLFM4 AND HOXB5Scientists identified two

genes called OLFM4 gene andHOXB5 that increase the risk ofcommon childhood obesity. Theearly Growth Genetics (EGG)Consortium made this finding.

This finding will pave theway for preventive interventionsand treatments for children basedon their individual genomes.

The scientists identified twonovel loci, one near the OLFM4gene on chromosome 13 and theother within the HOXB5 gene onchromosome 17. So far, Scientistsknew little about genes implicatedin regular childhood obesity.

DIARRHOEA BUG CALLED

DIENTAMOEBA FRAGILIS IN PIGS

Italian Scientists in thesecond week of April 2012 foundan intestinal parasite in pigs calledDientamoeba Fragilis, which alsocauses diarrhoea in humans. Thisdiscovery will help scientistsunderstand its transmission betterand find effective treatment.Scientists concluded that pigfaeces was responsible forspreading parasite to humans.Dientamoeba fragilis is a single-celled parasite. It is found in thegastrointestinal tract of somehumans, pigs and gorillas. Itcauses gastrointestinal upset insome people.

It causes travellers diarrhoea,chronic diarrhoea and fatigue.

MECHANISED COTTON STRIPPERMAKES WORK MORE EASY

Many employed personswho consider their jobmonotonous or boring, would likea change. But how many are ableto give up their jobs and a steadyincome and try something else?“A farmer, Mr. MansukhbhaiPatel’s personal experience mayserve as an example andencouragement for many. A tenthstandard school dropout, Mr.Patel, born in a poor farmerfamily, is credited for inventing anupdated cotton stripper machine,that revolutionized cottoncultivation in Gujarat,” says ProfAnil Gupta, Vice Chairman,National Innovation Foundation,Ahmedabad.

GENETIC TRAIL LEFT BEHIND BYMICE

If carrying insects and smallanimals on board is commonplacetoday, could it have been differentin the past — ten to 12 centuriesago? Not so, going by the evidenceprovided in a paper publishedrecently in the journal BMCEvolutionary Biology. The paperprovides an interesting find thatrodents carried by the Vikings, theScandinavian people who raidedmuch of Northern and WesternEurope from 8{+t}{+h} to10{+t}{+h} century, left behind agenetic trail. Looking at the trailthe study concludes that micedistribution in Iceland, Greenlandand Newfoundland parallels the







human explorations of theseareas. They were able to confirmthis by comparing the DNA ofmodern mice population with theDNA obtained fromarchaeological material like bonesfrom these places.

INDIA’S NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONTO UNFCCC ON CLIMATE CHANGE

The Union Cabinet of Indiaon 12 April 2012 approved India‘sSecond National Communicationto the Secretariat of the UnitedNations Framework Conventionon Climate Change towardsfulfilment of the reportingobligation under the Convention.This report shall benefit state andnational level policy makers inenhancing the understanding ofthe issues related to climatechange and its impact and creategeneral awareness of thestakeholders relating toGovernment of India‘s proactivecommitment towards addressingthe challenges due to climatechange. The range of studiesincluded in this report has beenconducted broadly at the nationallevel, with some specific casestudies highlighting the enormousdiversity of India and theirregional imperatives. India is aParty to the United NationsFramework Convention onClimate (UNFCCC).

STRENGTH OF AEROGEL

A pound of aerogel, anamazing, ultra lightweightmaterial, is enough to build a boat

capable of carrying half tonneloads, says a study. Aerogel, abuoyant material, is among thelightest solid substances on earth.Composed of tiny nano-fibrils, itis derived from plant cellulose andmimics the water strider, an insectwhich can walk on water on long,thin feet. Olli Ikkala, from theHelsinki University of Technology,Espoo, Finland, said aerogels areso light that some of them aredenoted as “solid smoke.” Theyalso have remarkable mechanicalproperties and are flexible.

NEW LIGHT ON EARLY BIPEDALISM

If the ability to walk and runon two legs (bipedalism) setshumans apart from apes, couldthis transition from tree-climbingto terrestrial walking have beensmooth? Scientists think not, andthe evidence provided in a paperpublished today (March 29)in Nature , shows why. A partiallypreserved skeleton of a single footfrom a site (Worsanso-Mille) in thecentral Afar region of Ethiopiaprovides important evidence ofthe human ancestor’s ability towalk on land while still retainingthe ability to climb trees. Thetaxonomic affinity of the newspecimen remains undetermined.The skeletal remains, dated toaround 3.4 million years ago, donot match the Australopithecusafarensis early humans (hominins)found between 2.9 million yearsto 3.6 million years ago. In fact, thefossil shows close resemblance tothe earlier Ardipithecus

ramidus (about 4.4 million yearsago) with a divergent andrelatively short big toe, as in thecase of apes.

By comparing the “functionalmorphology and proportions ofseveral early hominin footelements,” the researchers havebuilt a strong case to test thediversity in bipedalism in earlyhumans. The new species“indicates the presence of morethan one hominin locomotoradaptation at the beginning ofLate Pliocene epoch.” The studyalso records the presence of morethan one early human species ineastern Africa around 3.4 millionyears ago.

Anatomically, the fossil footfalls between modern humans andgorillas, the authors note. Whilecertain features resemble As.Afarensis, it differs fromchimpanzees and from Africanapes.

STUDY FOUND HIMALAYAN GLACIERSDEFYING GLOBAL MELTING TREND

A new study found thatcontrary to the global trend ofmelting glaciers a few glaciers inthe Himalayas mountain range







have gained a small amount ofmass between 1999 and 2008.Thestudy was published in the NatureGeoscience journal. The studyconducted by the France’sUniversity of Grenoblemaintained that the Karakorammountain range in the Himalayashas contributed less to the risingsea level. The study, reversed tothe common perception,estimated that the Karakoramglaciers have gained around 0.11to 0.22 metres (0.36 feet to 0.72feet) per year between 1999 and2008. The Karakoram mountainrange is spread across the bordersbetween India, China andPakistan and is covered by 19950square kilometres (7702 squaremiles) of glaciers. The mountainrange also houses the secondhighest mountain in the world,K2.

RE-WRIT ING SOLAR SYSTEMHISTORY?

The early days of our solarsystem might look quite differentthan previously thought, claimphysicists. In its research, a teamat the US Department of Energy’sArgonne National Laboratoryused more sensitive instrumentsto find a different half-life forsamarium, one of the isotopesused to chart the evolution of thesolar system.

STUDY FOUND HIMALAYAN GLACIERSDEFYING GLOBAL MELTING TREND

A new study found thatcontrary to the global trend of

melting glaciers a few glaciers inthe Himalayas mountain rangehave gained a small amount ofmass between 1999 and 2008.Thestudy was published in the NatureGeoscience journal. The studyconducted by the France’sUniversity of Grenoblemaintained that the Karakorammountain range in the Himalayashas contributed less to the risingsea level. The study, reversed tothe common perception,estimated that the Karakoramglaciers have gained around 0.11to 0.22 metres (0.36 feet to 0.72feet) per year between 1999 and2008. The Karakoram mountainrange is spread across the bordersbetween India, China andPakistan and is covered by 19950square kilometres (7702 squaremiles) of glaciers. The mountainrange also houses the secondhighest mountain in the world,K2.

LIGHT WEIGHT SOLAR CELLS

Austrian and Japaneseresearchers recently unveiledsolar cells thinner than a thread ofspider silk that are flexible enoughto be wrapped around a singlehuman hair.

The thin-film device,comprising electrodes on a plasticfoil, is about 1.9 micro-metresthick, a tenth the size of thethinnest solar cells currentlyavailable, the researchers said.One micro-metre is one millionthof a metre. “The total thickness ofthis device is less than a typicalthread of spider silk,” theresearchers said in a report carriedby online science journalNatureCommunications . “Being ultra-thinmeans you don’t feel its weightand it is elastic,” said one of theresearchers, Tsuyoshi Sekitanifrom the University of Tokyo.“You could attach the device toyour clothes like a badge to collectelectricity (from the sun)... Elderlypeople who might want to wearsensors to monitor their healthwould not need to carry aroundbatteries,” Sekitani told AFP. Theresearch was done jointly byMartin Kaltenbrunner, SiegfriedBauer and other researchers fromJohannes Kepler University ofAustria as well as Sekitani andother contributors fromUniversity of Tokyo.

HOW BLACK HOLES GROW BIGGER

Supermassive black holescan grow still bigger by rippingapart double-star systems andswallowing one of the stars, saysa new astrophysics study. “Blackholes are very efficient eatingmachines,” said Scott Kenyon ofthe Harvard-Smithsonian Centrefor Astrophysics (CfA). “They candouble their mass in less than a







billion years. That may seem longby human standards, but over thehistory of the galaxy, it’s prettyfast.” “I believe this has got to bethe dominant method for growingsupermassive black holes,” addedBenjamin Bromley of theUniversity of Utah, who led thestudy, reports The AstrophysicalJournal Letters . Their work followsup on the 2005 discovery, by a

team of CfA astronomers led byWarren Brown, of hypervelocitystars — stars that were flung outof the galactic centre bygravitational forces and aretravelling fast enough to escapethe Milky Way. Hypervelocitystars can travel tens of thousandsof times as fast as a bullet. Theyoriginate from a binary (double)star system that wanders too closeto the Milky Way’s centralblackhole. Tidal forces capture one

star and eject the other, accordingto an Utah and CfA statement.

NTCA:337 TIGERS LOST THEIR

LIVES IN INDIA IN THE LAST DECADE

NTCA (National TigerConservation Authority) said in areply to the RTI Query that 337Tigers lost their lives in India inthe last decade. NTCA elaborated

that 58 tigers were found dead in2009 and 56 in 2011. While in 2008,the number was 36 and 28 each in2007 and 2002. As per the DATAreleased By NTCA, as many as 68tigers were killed due to poachingduring the period.

While others died of naturalcauses like old age, accidents,starvation. According to NTCA’sestimates, 14 tigers were thevictim of poaching in 2010, 11 in

2011, 13 in 2009, six each in 2007and 2008. NTCA is a statutorybody under the ministry ofenvironment and forests.

MOEF BANNED THE USE OF LIVE

ANIMALS

The Union ministry ofenvironment and forests (MoEF) on 16 April 2012 banned the useof live animals in dissection andother experiments in educationaland research institutions. However, the ban won’t beapplicable on scientistsconducting new molecularresearch.

The ban is based on theprevention of cruelty to AnimalsAct (1960). Ministry issuedguidelines to ministry of healthand family welfare, Pharmacycouncil of India and the MedicalCouncil of India and theUniversity Grants Commission.The guidelines asked colleges,hospitals, laboratories andresearch institutes to usealternatives like computersimulation instead of animaldissection.

The guidelines were framedbased on the duties of theCommittee for the Purpose ofControl and Supervision ofExperiments and Animals(CPCSEA).

It was constituted under theprovisions of Section 15 of thePrevention of Cruelty to AnimalsAct (1960).







Social stress changes geneexpression

The ranking of a monkey within hersocial environment and theaccompanying stress dramaticallyalters the expression of nearly 1,000genes.

Electronic cigarettes mayhelp memory

Electronic cigarettes — battery-operated devices that providenicotine via inhaled vapour — mayhelp the memory as well as easecravings.

Favourite music boostsperformance

Listening to your own choice ofmusic could improve yourenjoyment of taking part andperformance in competitive sports,a study has found.

Incisive research links teethwith diet

You are what you eat is truism thathas been given new impetus by‘cutting edge’ research that revealsyour teeth are literally shaped byyour food.

New report on the state ofpolar regions

A synthesis of reports fromthousands of scientists is the firstin 50 years to offer a benchmark forenvironmental conditions in thepolar regions.

Dead Sea almost dried up100,000 years ago

Researchers from Israel reveal thatwater levels of the Dead Sea have

risen and fallen by hundreds ofmetres over the last 200,000 years.Material recovered by a drillingproject may help forecast futurechanges, says the study.

U.S. records warmest Marchsince 1895

More than 15,000 temperaturerecords dating back to 1895 werebroken in March in the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. The averagetemperature was 8.6 degrees abovethe 20{+t}{+h}century average.

Predator loss affectsecosystem health

Large herbivore populations, whichhave far exceeded their historiclevels in the northern hemispheredue to the loss of predators likewolves, are causing disruptedecosystems, an Oregon StateUniversity release says.

New method for cleaning upnuclear waste

A new crystalline compound can betailored to safely absorb radioactiveions from nuclear waste streams,say researchers at the University ofNotre Dame.

Super-Earth unlikely totransfer life

While conditions suitable for lifemight exist on the so-called ‘Super-Earth’ in the Gliese 581 system, it’sunlikely to be transferred to nearbyplanets.

The next big thing in smallmemory devices

New memory chips that aretransparent, highly flexible, and

heat-resistant could usher in thedevelopment of next-generationflash-competitive memory.

‘2 degree target out ofreach’

The UN’s former climate chief saidthe global warming pledge hehelped set at the CopenhagenSummit little more than two yearsago was already unattainable. “Ithink two degrees is out of reach,”Yvo de Boer, former executivesecretary of the UN’s FrameworkConvention on Climate Change(UNFCCC), said recently. Thetarget was set by a core group ofcountries at the CopenhagenSummit in December 2009 andbecame enshrined by the forum atCancun, Mexico a year later.But more and more scientists arewarning that the objective isslipping away without radical,early cuts in greenhouse-gasemissions.

Mimicking butterfly wingsfor ‘green’ fuel

One promising technology forgreen fuel involves producingclean-burning hydrogen fuel fromsunlight and water. Black butterflywings turned out to be a naturalsolar collector worth studying andmimicking.

Deep-ocean impact of oil-well explosion

At an area 11 km to the south-westof the Gulf of Mexico spill site, aresearch team found numerouscoral communities covered in abrown flocculent material andshowing signs of tissue damage.







Pregnancy increases risk ofheart attack

Heart attacks during pregnancytend to be more severe, lead to morecomplications, and also occur fordifferent reasons than commonlyseen in the non-pregnant generalpopulation, says new research.

Under-sea study of sub-seafloor structure

An expedition aboard the researchvessel JOIDES Resolution learntmore about Atlantis Massif, anundersea mountain that formeddifferently than most oceans’seafloors. Properties of rocks weremeasured directly in place.

Soy products may helplower blood pressure

Soy-based food products’ benefitsare steadily beginning to emerge.Eating foods that containisoflavones — a key compound insoy milk, tofu, green tea and evenpeanuts — every day may helpyoung adults lower their BP.

Engineers unlock secrets ofbeetle flight

Mechanical engineers are usingremote-controlled rhinoceros beetlesto study the mechanics behind theirability to fly.

Predicting progress ofdementia using MRI

It may be possible to predict theprogress and path of manydegenerative brain diseases using anew technique for analyzing brainimages by magnetic resonanceimaging (MRI) says a studypublished in a journal.

New imaging technique todetect cancer

A newly developed imagingtechnique may be able to detectcancers that have spread to thebrain even when tumours are small.

Same DNA codes found invarying plant species

University of Missouri researcherscomparing genomes of six plantspecies (including grape) foundidentical sequences between thespecies. A ground-breakingcomputer algorithm was used in thestudy, published in a journal.

Faster, cheaper way to coolelectronic devices

North Carolina State Universityresearchers used a ‘heat spreader’made of a copper-graphenecomposite, which is attached to anelectronic device using an indium-graphene interface film to cool it.

Faster, cheaper way to coolelectronic devices

North Carolina State Universityresearchers used a ‘heat spreader’made of a copper-graphenecomposite, which is attached to anelectronic device using an indium-graphene interface film to cool it.

Greenland Ice sheet may besliding away

Like snow sliding off a roof on asunny day, the Greenland Ice Sheetmay be sliding faster into the oceandue to massive releases of meltwaterfrom surface lakes, according to anew study by the University ofColorado Boulder.

Plant-light study may leadto high-yield crops

By studying how leaves sensedlight and drove plant growthtowards sunlight, it is now possibleto develop crops that optimise fieldspace and produce more food, biofuels and bio renewable chemicals.

Preventing obesity due tolow birth weight

Babies born small put on weightlater in life if allowed free access tocalories. However, when smallbabies consumed moderatelyregulated calories during infancy,the propensity to become obesedecreases.

Increased nitrous oxide dueto fertilizer use

Increased fertilizer use over the past50 years is responsible for adramatic rise in atmosphericnitrous oxide, a major greenhousegas contributing to global climatechange, says a study.

Plants use catalysis to splitoxygen from water

Green plants produce oxygen fromwater efficiently using a catalytictechnique powered by sunlight —a process that is part ofphotosynthesis and so effective thatit is Earth’s major source of oxygen.

Sampling the Pacific forsigns of Fukushima

A scientific team has found thatfollowing Fukushima, theconcentrations of several keyradioactive substances wereelevated but varied widely across aPacific study area, due to thecomplex marine environment.







Tadpoles change shape dueto herbicide

The world’s most popular weedkiller, Roundup, can causeamphibians to change shape.Sublethal and environmentallyrelevant concentrations of Roundupcaused tadpoles to alter theirmorphology.

Baboons spot specificcombinations of letters

Monkeys identify specificcombinations of letters in wordsand detect anomalies — a capacitythat certainly existed before speech.Baboons recognised and memorisedthe regular patterns which make upwords, in a study.

Queen bees on island keepcolonies healthy

By mating with nearly 100 males,queen bees on isolated islands avoidinbreeding and keep colonieshealthy. The results, publishedin PLoS ONE , focused on beecolonies on Hainan Island.

Mammals’ eating habitsover evolutionary time

The feeding habits of mammalshaven’t always been what they aretoday, particularly for omnivores,finds a study. Some groups ofmammals maintained steady diets,others changed their feedingstrategies over time.

Making high quality glasswith less heating

The transformation of powdermixtures into molten glass has beenvisualised. This insight will makeit possible to produce high qualityglass at lower temperatures, leadingto significant energy savings.

Strong oral carcinogen insmokeless tobacco

(S)-N’-nitrosonornicotine chemial,which is present only in the case ofsmokeless tobacco products, is astrong oral carcinogen. It is theonly chemical in smokeless tobaccoknown to cause oral cancer.


UPSCPORTAL’S

CSATPAPER–2BASIC NUMERACY MCQS



MCQ Series







STAR TV WON THE BROADCASTINGRIGHTS OF INDIAN CRICKET TEAMIN A 3851 CRORE RUPEES BID

Star TV on 2 April 2012 wonthe rights to broadcast Indiancricket for next six years in a bidto the tune of 3851 crore rupees.Rupert Murdoch owned Star TVwon the bid defeating Sony whichhad offered 150 crore rupees lessthan the winning bid.

The rights include TV,Internet and Mobile broadcasting.

The agreement will remaineffective for a period of six yearsstarting from from July 2012 toMarch 2018.

The agreement gives Star TVrights to cover all homeinternational matches anddomestic tournaments involvingIndian Cricket team. The right will

not be applicable for the IndianPremier League (IPL). Star TV willpay around 40 crore rupees foreach international match, which is8 crore more than what was beingpaid by previous broadcasterNimbus. The bid for thebroadcasting rights wasnecessitated as the BCCI hadabruptly terminated itsbroadcasting agreement withNimbus in December 2011, threeyears before it was due to expires,over the issues related to payment.

CRICKET

TENNIS

RAFAEL NADAL DEFEATED NOVAKDJOKOVIC TO CLINCH HIS EIGHTHCONSECUTIVE MONTE CARLOMASTERS

Ace tennis player RafaelNadal on 22 April 2012 clinchedhis eighth consecutive Monte

Carlo Masters. The second seededNadal defeated Serbian NovakDjokovic in the final.

The Monte Carlo Title isNadal’s first since French Opentitle in 2011and the 47th of his ATPcareer. Prior to this the top seeded

Djokovic had defeated Nadal inseven title face-offs.

Rafael Nadal and NovakDjokovic had defeated GillesSimon and Tomas Berdychrespectively in the semi finals ofthe tournament.







TOP SEEDED NOVAK DJOKOVICDEFEATED ANDY MURRAY TO LIFTMIAMI MASTERS TROPHY

World number one NovakDjokovic won the Miami Masterstitle on 1 April 2012. Djokovicdefeated fourth seeded AndyMurray in the final. It was the thirdMiami Open Title win forDjokovic who also won it in 2007and 2011. Only six-time championAndre Agassi won more men’stitles.

Serbian Tennis star haddefeated 21st seeded Juan Monacoof Argentina in the semi-finals.Andy Murray made it to the finalsafter Rafael Nadal pulled out ofthe tournament given his kneeinjury right before his scheduled

semi-final match against Murray.

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA DEFEATEDMARIA SHARAPOVA TO CLINCH MIAMIMASTERS TITLE

Fourth seeded AgnieszkaRadwanska, on 31 March 2012,defeated Russian Tennis starMaria Sharapova to clinch MiamiMasters women singles Title.Sharapova, a three-time GrandSlam champion, had beendeprived of victory in four MiamiOpens finals. She was also therunner-up in 2005, 2006 and 2011.

While, Poland’s Radwanskahad defeated seventh seededMarion Bartoli in the semi-finals,Sharapova had beaten CarolineWozniacki in the semi-finals.

LEANDER PAES AND RADEKSTEPANEK CLAIMED THE DOUBLESTITLE OF MIAMI MASTERS

Seventh seeded, Indo-Czeckpair of Leander Paes and RadekStepanek claimed the doubles titleof Miami Masters on 31 March2012. Paes by winning the MiamiTitles took the total number of hiscareer titles to 50. The pair haddefeated the world No.1 pairingof Americans Bob and Mike Bryanin the semifinals on 29 March2012. Paes, who became the 24thplayer in ATP Tour history tocomplete 50 doubles titles,claimed 24270 dollars in prizemoney and 250 points.

CROATIA ’S IVAN LJUBICICANNOUNCED RETIREMENT FROMTENNIS

Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicicannounced retirement from tennison 15 April 2012 after he suffereda 6-0,6-3 defeat to Ivan Dodig atthe Monte Carlo Masters. Ivan’scareer high ATP ranking wasnumber 3. He won his first ATPsingles title at Lyon in 2001.

He entered professionaltennis in 1998. He won two ATPtitles and was the runner-up at 6ATP events.

ARCHERY/SHOOTING

KOREAN C ITY OF CHANGWONSLATED AS THE VENUE FORSHOOTING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP2018

The shooting WorldChampionship of 2018 was

awarded to Korean city ofChangwon on 17 April 2012. Thedecision regarding the venue ofthe championship was made atthe General Assembly meeting ofInternational Shooting Sport

Federation (ISSF) in London. TheKorean government, as per thereports, has earmarked 30 milliondollar to enhance the amenities inthe shooting complex andorganize the world championship







support from long term sponsorslike JK Tyre, MAS Holdings andPetra Energy saw him rise throughthe ranks and later into moreadvanced formats such as the VWPolo R Cup and the VW SciroccoR Cup in Germany, where he

finished 5th overall, in 2011. Thelatest contract with Audi willprovide Aditya access to various

international racing platforms.

FERRARI DRIVER FERNANDOALONSO WON THE FORMULA ONEMALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX

Ferrari driver FernandoAlonso on 25 March 2012, won theFormula One Malaysian GrandPrix. The Spaniard defeatedMexican Sergio Perez and Britishnational Lewis Hamilton whocame second and thirdrespectively. Alonso, a two-timeWorld Champion had won hisfirst Formula One World Driver’sChampionship title at the age of24 years and 58 days, in year 2005.

Alonso was the third-youngest driver ever to start aFormula One race when he madehis debut in year 2001 withMinardi at the Australian GrandPrix.

with six shotgun ranges, 100targets each in 10 metres and 50metres apart from 14 lay-outs in

the 25-metre range. The last WorldChampionship was held inMunich, Germany, in 2010 and the

next championship will be held inGranada, Spain, in 2014.

AUDI SIGNS UP INDIAN MOTORSPORTDRIVER ADITYA PATEL FOR THREEYEARS

German luxury carmanufacturer Audi on 13 April2012 signed a 3 year contract withpromising young motorsportdriver Aditya Patel.Aditya was signedup by Audi for ateam called Pro-Handicap e.V., in thechallenging VLNendurance series inGermany. The serieswill provide Adityawith a much neededi n t e r n a t i o n a lexposure.

Aditya Patelbegan his motorsports career at 14with the JK Tyre National RacingChampionship in 2001. Consistentperformance and dedicated

MOTOR SPORTS

BADMINTON

CHINA’S XIAO JIA CHEN DEFEATED

SAINA NEHWAL IN THE ASIAN

BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIP

China’s Xiao Jia Chendefetaed ace Indian shuttler SainaNehwal, in the second round ofthe Asian Badminton Champion-ship on 20 April 2012. The 40thranked Chen outplayed the Fifthseeded Nehwal in a closelycontested match.

Saina in the first round of thechampionship had defetaed KaoriImabeppu of Japan.

With regard to Olympicqualification, the significant losswas that of the mixed doubles pairof Jwala Gutta and V Diju. Theylost to Korea’s Sa Rang Kim andHye In Choi. Jwala and Diju arecurrently ranked No.16 in theworld and will have to maintain

or improve their ranking in orderto make the cut for the LondonGames.

INDIAN ACE BADMINTON PLAYERSAINA NEHWAL WON THE SWISSOPEN GRAND PRIX GOLD TROPHY

Indian ace badminton playerand World no five Saina Nehwalretained the Swiss Open GrandPrix Gold trophy by securing a







victory over China’s Shixian Wangin a 48-minute summit clash atBasel, Switzerland on 18 March2012. With the victory at the SwissOpen GP she won her first title of2012. The world number fiveIndian defeated third rankingShixian 21-19 21-16 and thusdefended her title.

Saina began with a healthy11-3 lead in the first game. Sainahad an early 3-0 lead in the secondgame forcing Shixian to claw herway back to 11-8 at the break.Saina caught up with Shixian at13-13 after the breather and thenregistered four straight pointsfrom 15-all to eventually win thegame comfortably. Saina had

earlier defeated Japan’s MinatsuMitani in the semifinals. She haddefeated Mitani 21-16 21-18 in 35minutes to set up a summit clashwith Shixian. Saina had reachedthe quarterfinal of the All EnglandChampionship in early March2012. She has also managed toreach the semifinals at theMalaysia Open and thequarterfinal in the Korea Open inJanuary 2012.

SAINA NEHWAL SUF FERED ACRUSHING DEF EAT AT ALLENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIP

India’s ace Badmintonplayer Saina Nehwal suffered astraight-game defeat in the

women’s singles quarterfinals ofthe All England Championship atBirmingham on 9 March 2012.

The Fourth seeded Nehwallost to seventh seeded Li Xueruiof China in a forty-minute match at the National Indoor Arena.

Saina on 8 March 2012haddefeated French shuttler Hongyan Pi to make it to thequarter finals of thechampionship. Saina in 2010 hadreached the semi finals of AllEngland Championship. In 2010she had won three Super Seriestitles -Singapore, Indonesia andHong Kong beside the Common-wealth Games gold medal.

INDIAN BOXER VIJENDER SINGHQUALIFIED FOR THE LONDONOLYMPICS

In Boxing, India’s VijenderSingh on 8 April 2012 qualified forthe London Olympics in the 75-kilogram category.

He is the first Indian boxerto qualify for the Olympics for thethird time in succession. In theAsian Olympic qualifier at Astanain Kazakhstan, Vijender reached

the semifinals after defeatingChuluntumur Tumurkhuyag ofMongolia in the quarterfinals.Vijender Singh is also the firstIndian to win an Olympic andWorld Championshipsmedal(bronze in both events).

M.C. MARY KOM AND SARITA WON

GOLD MEDALS IN THE ASIAN

WOMEN’S BOXING CHAMPIONSHIP

Indian women boxers M.C.Mary Kom and Sarita on 25 March2012, clinched two gold medals inthe Asian women’s boxingchampionship at Mongoliancapital Ulaanbator.

Mary Kom, the five-timeworld champion, routed the two-time world title winner and 2010Asian Games gold medalist Ren

Cancan of China 14-8. Sarita, the2006 world title winner, smasheddefending champion ChorievaMavzu of Tajikistan 26-15.

Success of Indian femaleboxers at Asian women’s boxingchampionship in the Olympicweight categories has boosted theprospects of the Indian womenboxers’ qualification to theLondon Olympics 2012. Makingits presence felt substantially, theIndian team claimed two gold,four silver and two bronze medalsat the championship.

SHIVA THAPA BECAME THE

YOUNGEST INDIAN BOXER TO

QUALIFY FOR OLYMPICS

The 18-year-old Shiva Thapa(56kg category) on 11 April 2012

BOXING







became the youngest Indian boxerto qualify for the Olympics bybeating Japan’s Satoshi Shimizu31-17 to enter the final of the Asian

INDIAN SQUASH PLAYER SAURAVGHOSAL WON THE $120000 ELGOUNA INTERNATIONAL OPEN

Top Indian squash playerSaurav Ghosal won a 3-2 victoryover Robbie Temple of England atthe $120,000 El GounaInternational Open in El Gouna,

Egypt on 9 April 2012. Ghoshaldefeated Robbie8-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-4 in a match that lasted 85minutes. Ghosal had earlier lost toWillstrop at the Canary WharfClassic tournament in March 2012.The left-handed qualifierEnglishman, Robbie had made

headway in the opening gamesand sailed through the first twogames easily. Ghosal howeverlifted his game and made a strongcomeback in the third and thefourth game. He made anaggressive start to the fifth gameand eventually took the final setwith great ease.

qualifiers in Astana, Kazakhstan.India will have an unprecedentedseven boxers in the OlympicGames after teen sensations Shiva

Thapa (56kg) and Sumit Sangwan(81kg) booked their LondonOlympic births by advancing tothe finals in the Asian OlympicQualifiers in Astana, Kazakhstan.

WRESTLING

GEETA KUMARI MADE A HISTORY,BECAME THE FIRST INDIAN WOMANWRESTLER TO QUALIFY FOROLYMPICS

Geeta Kumari, the womanwrestler, won a gold in 55kgcategory at the ongoing Asianqualifying tournament in Astana,

Kazakhastan. Geeta with thisvictory also made a history, as shebecame the first Indian womanwrestler to have ever qualified forthe Olympics. Women’s wrestlingwas first introduced at theOlympics during the 2004 AthensOlympics. The wrestler from

Bhiwani in Haryana,overpowered Kyrgyzstan’sGulina in the first round. Then shewent on to defeat Aiym Abdildinaof Kazakhstan in the semifinal. Inthe final, the grappler thrashedher Korean challenger Ji-Eun Umto clinch the gold medal.

SQUASH


UPSCPORTAL’S

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ENVIRONMENT MCQSUseful for

IAS (CSAT)/ PCS /PCS (J)/ NDA/ CDS/ SSC &All Other Examination

MCQ Series

CSATPAPER–1







DADASAHEB PHALKE AWARD FOR2012

Legendary versatile Bengaliactor Soumitra Chatterjee was on21 March 2012 selected for India’shighest film honour - theDadasaheb Phalke Award for2012. The Dadasaheb PhalkeAward is India‘s highest award infilm industry which is given forlifetime achievement in Indiancinema by the Centralgovernment. Born inKrishnanagar in West Bengal, 100Kms from Calcutta, in 1935completed his graduation andMasters in Bengali literature fromthe University of Calcutta. Priorto joining films he had worked inAll India Radio. Chatterjee whoportrayed a versatile range of leadcharacters in films by Satyajit Raymade his debut in 1959 with Ray’ssuper-hit movie Apur Sansar.

Chatterjee was one of Ray’sfavourite, and became the leadactor of most of his’ classicsincluding Sonar Kella, Charulata,and Ghare Baire. Chatterjee’sassociation with Ray is comparedwith the chemistry betweenfamous actor-director duos of the

world like Akira Kurosowa-Toshiro Mifune and MarcelloMastroianni-Federico Fellini.

Soumitra featured asFeluda/Pradosh Chandra Mitter,the famous private investigatorfrom Calcutta in Ray’s Feludaseries of books. He acted in two







films of this series in the 1970s- Sonar Kella and Joy Baba Felunath.in Ghare Baire, an adaptation ofRabindranath Tagore’s novel hewas cast in a leading role in thecharacter of a radicalrevolutionary in a love trianglewith his friend’s wife. These roleshelped to showcase his versatilityin playing diverse characters,especially in an urban setting.Padama Bhushan awardee alsoworked with other internationallyacclaimed directors of his time,including Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinhaand Tarun Majumdar in his careerspanning over half a century. Heis also reputed to have workedwith Aparna Sen, Goutam Ghoseand Rituparno Ghosh. Some of theother notable movies featuringChatterjee include Jhinder Bandi,Koni, Kaapurush, Akash Kusum,Aranyer Din Ratri, Joy BabaFelunath, Teen Bhubaner Pare,Ganashatru and Sakah Prashakha.Besides films, Chatterjee was alsopassionate about stageperformance. He both acted anddirected plays.

SARASWATI SAMMAN 2011The K K Birla Foundation

announced on 22 March 2012 itsdecision to honour Tamil writer AA Manavalan with the SaraswatiSamman 2011 for his book onRamayana. Retired professor andhead of the department of Tamilin Madras University, Manavalanis be bestowed with the 21stSaraswati Samman for hiswork Irama Kathaiyum

Iramayakalum (Ramakatha andRamayanas) published in 2005.Special areas of interest ofManavalan who is a scholar inTamil, English, Hindi and Teluguare translation and comparativeliterature. He was trained in theseareas by professors Henry H.H.Remak and Ulrich Weisston in theUniversity of Indiana inBloomington, United States. Theaward-winning book, IramaKathaiyum Iramayakalum is acomparative study of 48Ramayanas in the languages ofPali, Sanskrit, Prakrit, Tibetan,Tamil, Old Javenese, Japanese,Telugu, Assamese, Thai andKashmiri. The Saraswati Sammancarries award money of Rs 7.5lakh, a citation and a plaque.Theprestigious award was institutedby the K K Birla Foundation in1991. The award is conferred uponevery year for an outstandingliterary work written in anyIndian language mentioned inSchedule VIII to the Constitutionof India by an Indian citizen andpublished in the last ten years. Theaward carries a prize money of Rs750000, a citation and aplaque. The selection for theSaraswati Samman is made by ahigh-level Chayan Parishad whichis presided over by former ChiefJustice of India R.C. Lahoti,includes renowned scholars andwriters.

TEMPLETON PRIZE FOR 2012The John Templeton

Foundation on 29 March 2012

decided to honour TibetanBuddhist spiritual leader, theDalai Lama with one of theworld’s leading religion prizes,Templeton Prize for 2012. TheBuddhist leader who lives in exilein India had won the Nobel PeacePrize in 1989 for advocatingnonviolent liberation for Tibet.

The Dalai Lama was named thewinner of the 2012 TempletonPrize in recognition of his work onscience and religion. TheTempleton Prize to be presentedto him on 14 May 2012 at St. Paul’sCathedral in London is a $1.7million award. Tenzin Gyatso, the14th Dalai Lama is the highest-profile winner of the award whichwas earlier presented to likes ofBilly Graham and the late MotherTeresa. The Dalai Lama is founderof the Mind & Life institute forresearch on science andBuddhism. His talks at StanfordUniversity led to the creation ofthe Center for Compassion and







Altruism Research and Education,which works to unite scientistsand religious scholars.

BRITISH SAFETY AWARD

BSES Yamuna Power limited(BPYL) won the prestigious 54thBritish International SafetyAward. BYPL has been selectedfor this award given the stepstaken by it for the safety of its over11 lakh consumers and safety andhealth of its employees. The list ofaward winners was announced inLondon in the last week of March2012. The award will be presentedin May 2012. BPYL is the firstIndian discom to be selected forthis award. BYPL distributespower to an area spread over 200sq kms with a population densityof 5953 per sq km. It’s 11.9lakhcustomers are spread over 14districts across Central and Eastareas of Delhi including ChandniChowk, Daryaganj, Shankar

Road, Patel Nagar, G TRoad,Paharganj, Karkardooma,Krishna Nagar, Mayur Vihar,Yamuna Vihar, Laxmi Nagar,Nand Nagri and Karawal Nagar.

PULITZER PRIZES 2012The 2012 Pulitzer Prize was

announced on 16 April 2012. TheAssociated Press won a PulitzerPrize for investigative reportingfor documenting the New YorkPolice Department’s spying onMuslims. The PhiladelphiaInquirer was on the other handhonoured in the public servicecategory for its examination ofviolence in the city’s schools. Asecond Pulitzer for investigativereporting was given to The SeattleTimes for a series about accidentalmethadone overdoses amongpatients with chronic pain. TheNew York Times won twoPulitzers, for explanatory andinternational reporting. The

Huffington Post received its firstPulitzer, in national reporting, forits exploration of the challengesfacing American veteranswounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.The Patriot-News in Harrisburg,Pa., won for local reporting forbreaking the Penn State sexualabuse scandal that eventuallybrought down legendary footballcoach Joe Paterno. The staff of TheTuscaloosa (Ala.) News won thePulitzer for Breaking newsReporting for its coverage of adeadly tornado.

The judges declined to awarda prize for editorial writing. ThePulitzer Prize board has failed toselect a winner of the award forfiction for the first time in 35 years.The Pulitzers are given outannually by Columbia Universityon the recommendation of a boardof journalists and others. Eachaward carries a $10,000 prizeexcept for the public serviceaward, which is a gold medal.

CURRENTAFFAIRS-2012

UPSCPORTAL’S








SHYAMALA GOPINATH

Central VigilanceCommission (CVC) on 29 March2012 appointed ShyamalaGopinath as the Chairperson ofthe Advisory Board on Bank,Commercial and Financial Frauds.Gopinath, a former Reserve Bankof India Deputy Governor, willhold the position for two years,effective from 26 March 2012.

The chairperson’s positionwas vacant for nearly two monthsprior to her appointment. Prior toGopinath, Janki Ballabh was the

Chairman of the Advisory Boardtill 31 January 2012. The Board ispart of the organisational set-upof the Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI), Which isprovided the requiredinvestigative and secretarialservices, along with necessaryfunds, by the RBI. The Board isinstrumental in probe cases ofbank, commercial and financialfrauds. In particular, they help intendering advice in cases of anydispute or of differences ofopinion while enquiring into thecases of alleged burgling. Thefrauds covered by CBIinvestigations include those inborrowal accounts in public sectorbanks, and financial orcommercial frauds in a financialinstitution or public sectorundertaking.

MATA PRASAD PANDEY

Samajwadi Party MLA fromItwa in Sidhhartnagar districtMata Prasad Pandey wasunanimously elected Speaker ofthe 16th Uttar Pradesh Assemblyon 13 April 2012.

APPOINTED







Pandey was elected to serveas Speaker for the second time. Hefirst held the post when MulayamSingh headed the SP governmentfrom 2003 to 2007. Pandey hasbeen elected six times to theAssembly six times. He succeededBSP’s Sukhdeo Rajbhar, who wasthe Speaker in the 15th Assembly.On the other hand Umar Ali Khan,son-in-law of the Shahi Imam ofDelhi’s Jama Masjid, Syed AhmedBukhari, filed his papers for theVidhan Parishad (LegislativeCouncil) elections scheduled to beheld on 26 April 2012. He is theeighth SP candidate for the pollsfor 13 seats. The other SPcandidates include Chief MinisterAkhilesh Yadav, Revenue MinisterAmbika Chaudhary, RajendraChaudhary, Madhu Gupta, RamSakal Gujar, Naresh Uttam andVijay Kumar Yadav.

NANCY POWELL

The US Senate on 30 March2012 confirmed career diplomatNancy Powell as ambassador toIndia. The position had remainedvacant for the past year followingthe resignation Timothy Roemer.Obama’s first ambassador toIndia, former congressmanTimothy Roemer had announcedhis resignation in April 2011. USpresident Barack Obama hadnominated Powell as his nextambassador to India on 16December 2011. Powell hadpreviously served as US envoy inPakistan and Nepal and currentlyholds the prestigious rank of

career ambassador. The Senateconfirmed ambassadors to 16countries. The Senate alsoconfirmed ambassadors toBarbados, Cambodia, Croatia,Estonia, Georgia, Haiti, Kosovo,Latvia, Libya, Malta, Nicaragua,Panama, Togo, Tunisia andUruguay.

S NARSING RAO

Coal India Limited ( CIL) on3 April 2012 appointed S NarsingRao as its full time Chairman andManaging Director.

The appointments committeeof the Union Cabinet approvedRao’s appointment for a five-yearterm. Rao,53, a 1986-batch IASOfficer, is currently serving as theChairman and Managing Directorof Andhra Pradesh Government-controlled Singareni CollieriesCompany Limited (SCCL). Rao isthe first non-CIL nominee toassume the top post of thecompany since July 1983.Since theretirement of Partha SBhattacharyya in February 2011CIL did not have any full timehead. NC Jha, took over theadditional charge of CMD till

January 2011 following theretirement of Partha SBhattacharyya. For last twomonths, Zohra Chatterji,Additional Secretary of coalministry, was the part-time CMDof CIL.

D SARKAR

Public Sector Lender, UnionBank of India, on 1 April 2012appointed D. Sarkar as itsChairman and Managing Director(CMD). The appointment is ineffect from 1 April 2012. Sarkarreplaced MV Nair, who washolding the top post of the bankover the past six years six years.Prior to his appointment as theCMD of Union Bank of India,Sarkar was Executive Director ofthe Kolkata-based AllahabadBank. He started his career withBank of Baroda in 1982.

AJAY BANGA

Mastercard CEO Ajay Bangawas on 15 April 2012 elected nextchairman of the US-India BusinessCouncil (USIBC).







USIBC is a trade associationmade of 350 top American andIndian companies. Bangasucceeded Terry McGraw III,president, chairman, and CEO ofThe McGraw-Hill Companies.Banga had become the presidentand CEO of global payments andtechnology company, Mastercardin July. Banga currently serves onthe board of Kraft Foods and is amember of such prestigiousgroups as the Council on ForeignRelations, the BusinessRoundtable, and the ForeignPolicy Association.

AMARENDRA KHATUA

India in the last week ofMarch 2012 appointed AmarendraKhatua as its special envoy toSouth Sudan and Sudan to brokerpeace between the two countries. This was done with the objectiveof strengthening India’s pursuit ofoil and other hydrocarbonresources in Africa. AmarendraKhatua is the MEA additionalsecretary. He handles the passportdivision. India and China arecompeting with each other to tapenergy resources in Africa. Chinasent its own special envoy toprotect China’s oil interests inAfrica.

F. M. IBRAHIM KALIFULLA

Jammu & Kashmir HighCourt Chief Justice F. M. IbrahimKalifulla was sworn in as SupremeCourt judge on 2 April 2012. ChiefJustice S. H. Kapadiaadministered the oath of office to

him in the presence of the FullCourt and members of the Bar. Hewill remain a Supreme Courtjudge for a little over four years. With the appointment of Kalifullathe number of judges has nowgone up to 26 against thesanctioned strength of 31.

Justice Kalifulla hails fromTamil Nadu and will be thesecond judge to represent theMadras High Court in theSupreme Court after Justice P.Sathasivam. Born on 23 July 1951,Justice Kalifulla, who hails fromKaraikudi, Sivagangai District inTamil Nadu, was enrolled as anadvocate on 20 August 1975 and

was an active labour lawpractitioner and also appeared forvarious public and private sectorundertakings, nationalised andscheduled banks. He had joinedthe judiciary on 2 March 2000when he was made a permanentjudge of the Madras high court.He was later the standing counselfor the Tamil Nadu StateElectricity Board. Justice Kalifullawas transferred as Judge of theJammu & Kashmir High Court inFebruary 2011. He became itsacting Chief Justice in April 2011and regular Chief Justice inSeptember 2011. Justice Kalifullatakes oath as SC judge.

JIM YONG KIM

The World Bank on 16 April2012 appointed Korean-bornAmerican health expertJim YongKim as its new president. Kim whois president of Dartmouth College,will assume his new post on 1 July2012. He succeeded RobertZoellick as the head of World







Bank. The decision by the WorldBank’s 25-member board was notunanimous.

The emerging economieswere found to be divided in theirchoice. On 23 March 2012,President Barack Obama hadannounced that the United Stateswould nominate Kim as the nextpresident of the World Bank. Histraining and experience, includingdirecting the World HealthOrganization’s HIV/Aidsdepartment and developingtreatments for a form of drugresistant tuberculosis, gave himimmediate credentials as acampaigner on behalf of the poor.

Kim, a physician andanthropologist won the job overNigeria’s widely respectedfinance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, with the support ofWashington’s allies in WesternEurope, Japan and Canada, aswell as some emerging economies.The US’s grip on the job was thusretained. The selection processhowever frustrated severaldeveloping countries.

PRITI MOHANTY

The 1977 batch IndianDefence Accounts Service Officer,Priti Mohanty took over as

Controller General of DefenceAccounts (CGDA) on 01April 2012. Prior to herappointment as CGDA, she hasheld various importantassignments in the DefenceAccounts Department as well asoutside the Department, whichincludes Principal IntegratedFinancial Adviser (Army),Controller of Defence Accounts inPension Office etc. Alumni ofNational Defence College,Mohanty has a sizable experiencein Budgeting, FinancialManagement and AdministrativeVigilance.

DEATHNKP SALVE

Former BCCI president andformer Union Minister NKP Salvepassed away on 1 April 2012 inNew Delhi. Salve was associatedwith cricket administration forseveral years.

He was the president of theVidarbha Cricket Association, oneof the affiliates of the Board ofControl for Cricket (BCCI) inIndia, from 1967 to 1977. Salve hadsucceeded Barrister S.K.Wankhede as BCCI president in1982. NKP Salve had been thepresident of the BCCI when Indiawon the World Cup in 1983. He isalso credited with helping Indiaand Pakistan win rights to hostingthe 1987 World Cup. TheChallenger Trophy, an annual one-day tournament organised by theBCCI, was named after him. Bornin Chhindwara in MadhyaPradesh on 18 March 1921, he wasa chartered accountant, with anactive practice from 1949 to 1982.He was considered an authorityon direct taxes. He, however, gaveup active practice after joining thecentral cabinet in 1982.

MANIK GODGHATE

Marathi poet and SahityaAkademi awardwinner, ManikGodghate passed away in Pune on26 March 2012 after battling livercancer for a year. He waspopularly known by his penname Grace and it was theambiguity in his poetry thatcaught the imagination of hisreaders. Grace was born on 10May 1937 in Nagpur.

He rose to prominence withhis very first book SandhyakalchyaKavita . It was published byPopular Prakashan in 1967 under







their project Nave Kavi- NaviKavita. Nave Kavi- Navi Kavitaaimed to encourage new poets.The book had won the stategovernment’s Kavi KeshavsutAward. Grace who served aslecturer in Nagpur remainedundeterred by critics who calledhis workobscure. Churchbell, ChandramadhaviChe Pradesh, and SanjbhayachyaSajani are some of his famousw o r k s . S a n d h y a k a l c h y aKa vita , Chandram adha vi chyaPradeshat and SandhyaparvatilVaishnavi were his three popularbooks of poetry. He was honouredwith the Sahitya Akademi for hisprose collection Waryane HalteRaan in February 2012. OlyaVeluchi Basri released in January2012 was his last book that. Gracewas honoured with the SahityaAkademi award for his prosewriting ‘Varyane Halate Ran’.

NITYANANDA MOHAPATRA

Veteran litterateur, freedomfighter and former MinisterNityananda Mohapatra died on 17April 2012 at the age of 100. Bornin July 1912, he was eldest son ofcelebrated Odia poet KantakabiLaxmikanta Mohapatra.Nityananda was imprisoned threetimes by the British between 1930

and 1942 for nationalist activities.Post independence was electedthrice as MLA from Bhadrak,twice as an Independent and onceas a Jana Congress candidate.Mohapatra was the Minister forCultural Affairs and Food andCivil Supplies in the Swatantra-Jana Congress coalitionGovernment headed by RN SinghDeo during 1967-71.

He rose to literaryprominence as editor of Odiamagazine Dagara, and as a short-story writer after Independence.Mohapatra was the recipient ofKendriya Sahitya Academy andOdisha Sahitya Academy awards.His well-known books include

Bhangahada, Gharadiha, NahonmTistami Baikunthe, KalagaraDharagara and Priya OPriyatama. He also wrote thefamous flag-song for the State unitof the CPI “Ei lal patakara tale.

FANG LIZHI

One of China’s best-knowndissidents and astrophysicist,Fang Lizhi died in exile in the USon 6 April 2012. He had become aforce to reckon with prominentduring the 1989 pro-democracymovement. He was compelled tospend 13 months hiding out in theUS embassy after the tanks movedin to crack down on the studentdemonstrators on TiananmenSquare on 4 June 1989. He wasknown as China’s Sakharov, areference to the famous Sovietphysicist and dissident, AndreiSakharov. Fang went to BeijingUniversity in 1952 to studytheoretical physics and nuclearphysics. He became an importantresearcher in laser theory. He roseto political prominence duringpro-democracy studentdemonstrations from 1986 to 1988,when he became China’s mostoutspoken and eloquentproponent of democratic reform.

ACCUSED/RESIGNED/CONTROVERSY

JAMES MURDOCH

James Murdoch on 3 April2012 resigned as the Chairman ofsatellite broadcaster British SkyBroadcasting, BSkyB. Murdoch

was forced to step down given hisalleged role in phone hacking atnow closed The News of theWorld newspaper.JamesMurdoch, the younger son of

Rupert Murdoch, the founder ofNews Corporation will howevercontinue as a non-executivedirector, and be succeeded asChairman by a current director of







the group Nicholas Ferguson.Murdoch’s role in the allegedphone hacking by The News of theWorld newspaper has been underscrutiny ever since the scandalbroke out last year. Murdoch hadstepped down as Chairman ofNews International, on 29February 2012.

AMADOU TOUMANI TOURE

The President ofMali, Amadou ToumaniToure resigned on 8 April 2012following the agreement signedwith the mediators. He was inhiding since the Army coupagainst him in March 2012. Thespeaker of the Malian parliamentDiouncounda Traore will be theinterim president.

The northern part of Maliwas captured by a mix of separatistTuareg-led rebels and Islamistfighters recently and security of thenation was in danger. That is whya coup was staged againstPresident Toure. The insurgentgroup is called National Movementfor Liberation of Azawad. They have

declared an independent stateofAzawad.

Amadou Toumani Toure wasPresident of Mali from 2002 to2012. He had overthrown formerpresident Moussa Traore in aMarch 1991 military coup. Afterthat he handed power to civilianauthorities in June 1992 andentered politics as a civilian in2002 and won the Presidentialelection.

DINESH TRIVADI

Union Rail Minister DineshTrivedi, tendered his resignationon 18 March 2012 to the PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh.Trivadi was instructed to resign byhis party Trinmool Congress as thedecision of increasing the rail faresdid not go well with the party.Trinmool Congress chief, MamtaBanarjee had vociferouslydemanded the rollback of farehikes. Trivedi in his rail budget,which he had presented in the

Loksabha on 14 March 2012,proposed a hike in passenger faresranging between 2 paise to 30paise per kilometre. The decisionwas taken to improve the ailingcondition of Indian Railways.Trivedi, a Loksabha MP fromBarrackpore in West Bengal, tookover as the Union Rail Minister on13 July 2011. Trivedi was slated tobe the Union Rail Minister by hisparty Trinmool Congress, afterMamta Banarjee quit the job.

It is for the first time in thehistory of independent India thata Railways Minister has beenmade to resign just after five daysof presenting the budget in theparliament.

THE UNION DEFENCE MINISTRYBLACKLISTED SIX COMPANIES FORTEN YEARS

The Union Defence Ministryof India on 5 March 2012blacklisted six companies — fourforeign and two Indian — from







the defence procurement processfor 10 years for allegedinvolvement in a multi-croreordinance factory scam.

The six blacklistedcompanies include the SingaporeTechnologies, Israeli MilitaryIndustry, Germany’s RheinmetallAir Defence, Corporation Defenceof Russia, Delhi-based TS Kisanand Co Pvt Ltd and RK MachineTools of Ludhiana. The companieswere blacklisted following actionagainst former Director General ofOrdnance Factories (DGOF)Sudipta Ghosh who waschargesheeted by CBI for hisalleged role in defence scams.

MOHAMMED KHALIL CHISHTY

Pakistani scientistMohammed Khalil Chishty wasreleased on bail from Ajmer jail on11 April 2012. Chishty, 80, waslodged in the Ajmer jail in a twodecade old murder case.

The Supreme Court bench ofjustices P Sathasivam and

J Chelameswar took into accountthe ailing condition of scientistand the prolonged period of timethat he has been in India, whilegranting him the bail. Chishty wasasked by the court to furnish apersonal bond of 1 lakh rupeesand two securities of 50000 rupeeseach in a fast track court. Chishty,a virologist by profession, hadcome to visit his sick mother inAjmer in 1992 when he gotentangled in a dispute. One of hisneighbours was shot dead whilehis nephew got injured in theviolent brawl. Release of Pakistaniscientist Chishty from Ajmer jail,

has also given afresh lease of hope to therelease ofSarabjeet Singh,an Indian citizenlodged inPakistani jail forpast 22 years. TheIndian govern-ment has made

considerable efforts to persuadePakistani establishment to releaseSarabjeet from the prison, to availno success. Sarabjeet, who isimprisoned in the Kot Lakhpat jailin Lahore, was awarded withcapital punishment by the Anti-Terrorist Court in 1991 for hisalleged involvement in 1990 serialbomb blasts in Lahore and Multanthat killed 14 people. Though hishanging has been postponed forseveral times, the Pakistaniestablishment has shown grossreluctance in granting Srabjeet theclemency.

HONOUR

VANYA MISHRA

Chandigarh girl VanyaMishra crowned as the PantaloonsFemina Miss India World 2012 inthe grand finale of the 49th editionof the beauty pageant on 30 March2012 in Mumbai. The Miss IndiaEarth title went to 24-year-oldPrachi Mishra of Pune won theMiss India Earth title whileChennai girl Rochelle Maria Raowas crowned as the Miss IndiaInternational. The 2012 winners

selected among 20 finalists werecrowned by last year’s winnersKanistha Dhankhar, Hasleen Kaurand Ankita Shorey. 19-year-oldVanya will represent India at theMiss World 2012 Pageant. Prachiand Rochelle is to represent thecountry at Miss Earth 2012Pageant and Miss International2012 Pageant, respectively. Feminawill not send the beauties to theMiss Universe pageant as it haddecided in 2010 to abstain fromthe event.







MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRSANNOUNCED SETT ING UP OFCOMMITTEE FOR CORPORATEGOVERNANCE

Ministry of Corporate Affairsin March 2012 set up a committeeunder the leadership of AdiGodrej, chairman Godrej Group tobring out a formal policydocument that will initiateenlisting of diverse elements ofcorporate governance under asingle national corporategovernance policy. The committeethat comprised members fromindustry chambers and corporatehouses is to submit its report insix. The first meeting of thecommittee is scheduled to be heldon 5 April 2012. The members ofthe committee include KiranMazumdar Shaw, CMD of BioconLtd; former ONGC chairman RSSharma; former ICAI chairman GRamaswamy; CMD L&T FinanceHoldings YM Deosthalee; SBalasubramanian, ex-chairmancompany law board; former SAILchairman SK Roongta; Zia Modyof AZB and partners, andrepresentatives from the instituteof company secretaries and costand works accountants. Thecommittee’s report is to synthesisethe disparate elements in diverseguidelines and draw oninnovative best internationalpractices and practices of specificcompanies. Also, the committee isentrusted with the responsibilityto anticipate emerging demands

on corporate governance inenterprises of various classes andscales of operations.

F INANCE M INISTRY SET UP ACOMMITTEE TO ADDRESS THE STEEPRISE IN BAD LOANS

The finance ministryconcerned over the steep rise inbad loans, set up a committee tosuggest sector-specificmechanisms to address risingissue. The ministry decided to setup the committee after ratingagency Moody’s downgraded theUnion Bank of India one notch on19 March 2012 due to its high levelof troubled assets and lowprovisions for coverage. Moody’shad earlier downgraded country’slargest lender SBI. The committeewill have representation from thefinance ministry, the Reserve Bankof India and some banks. Thegovernment stated that containingbad assets will be an importantparameter while evaluating theperformance of the top brass instate-run banks. Finance Ministerin Budget 2012-13 allowed $1-billion external commercialborrowing (ECB) for the airlineindustry for one year, and allowedforeign debt to part-finance rupeedebt taken by power companiesand also for affordable housing.Rise in bad loans affected farmsector lending as well. InNovember 2010, the share of farmloans was 13.10%, and dropped to11.18% in November 2011.

ADARSH JUDICIAL COMMISSION SETUP BY MAHARASHTRA GOVERNMENTSUBMITTED INTERIM REPORT

The two-member AdarshJudicial Commission set up by theMaharashtra Government toprobe into the scam-taintedAdarsh Housing Societysubmitted its interim report to thestate Government on 13 April2012. The commission was formedunder N N Kumbahar. Theinterim report included thecommission’s findings on twoissues — ownership of the land insouth Mumbai where the 31-storey Adarsh building stands andwhether the land was reserved forKargil war widows and theirrelatives. The MaharashtraGovernment had earlier in Aprilfiled an application before thejudicial panel seeking an interimreport on two of the 13 issuesbeing looked into by it. Thecommission accepting theapplication directed all the parties— the State Government, theMinistry of Defence and AdarshSociety to argue on the two issuesfrom 1 March 2012. The interimreport was formed and submittedto the government after hearingout all the parties involved in thecase. The commission was set upby the Government in January2011 after the scam surfaced.While the panel was to completeits probe within three months, wasextended from time to time. Thepanel has now been asked to

COMMITTEE/COMMISSION/CONFERENCE







AUNG SAN SUU KYI

Myanmar’s pro-democracyleader Aung San Suu Kyi on 1April 2012 won a parliamentaryseat in a historic by-election. It setthe stage for her to take publicoffice for the first time. Her partyNational League for Democracy(NLD) won 43 seats. It will be themain opposition force in a nationalparliament wherethe political partybacked by themilitary has themajority. Suu Kyiwill attend thenew session ofthe lower houseon 23 April 2012.She was releasedin late 2010 aftershe had beendetained underhouse arrest bythe military. Shehad won theNobel peaceprize in 1991.

AGNI-VIndia on 19 April 2012

successfully test-fired its maidennuclear-tipped inter-continentalballistic missile ( ICBM) Agni-V.The missile successfully struck itstarget ranging more than 5000kms away from its launchingpoint. It was test-fired from a

mobile launcher at the WheelerIsland off the Orissa coast in thebay of Bengal.The missile reachedan altitude of 600 km and attainedvelocity of 7000m/second. Withthe successful launch of Agni-V,India has entered into an elitegroup of nations (USA, Russia,China, UK and France) which hassuch technology. India now hasacquired the capability to hit

targets in China, including Beijing,Eastern Europe, east Africa andthe Australian coast. Indigenouslybuilt Agni-V is 17.5m tall, solid-fuelled, surface to surface, three-stage missile with a launch weightof 50 tons, which includes a 1.5tonne warhead. The DRDO(Defence Research andDevelopment Organisation)

Scientists began to work on theproject of Agni-V three years ago.This was the first testing of themissile.

IMPORTANT IMFORMATION

Agni-V has multipleindependently targeted re-entry(MIRV) capability. Its range is over5000 Kms. A missile which has arange of 5500 Kms is termed as

I C B M .M I R Venables am i s s i l eto hits ev e r a ltargets inan area.

INSCHAKRA

TheI n d i a nNavy on4 April2 0 1 2inducted

a Russian-origin nuclearsubmarine, INS Chakra, into itsflotilla. The nuclear submarine hasplaced India into the elite groupof nations which operate nuclearvessel. The Akula-II classsubmarine K-152 Nerpa, renamedINS Chakra-II, is on a 10-year leasefrom Russia at a cost of nearly 1billion dollar. Defence minister AK

submit its report by May 2012. The terms and conditions under which the commission was set up authorisesthe Government to seek an interim report on its findings.

VARIOUS







Antony formally inducted the8000-ton vessel as India is lookingforward to strengthen its positionin the Indian Ocean region. Apartfrom India the other nations whichpossess the capability to operatenuclear vessel includes US,Russia, France, the UK and China.The induction of INS Chakra inthe Indian Navy is strategicallyvery important given the fact thatChina over the last few years hasbeen aggressively indulged intaking the Indian Ocean Regionwithin its clout. Besides, itsgrowing belligerence in the entireAsia-Pacific region has also beena reason of grave concern forIndian security establishment. TheINS Chakra will offer India adefining strategic edge over itsconventional rivals China andPakistan.

BRAHMOS

BrahMos, the supersoniccruise missile, was successfullytest-fired on 28 March 2012 by

BrahMos Aerospace, from theInterim Test Range, Chandipurfrom Balesore district ofOdisha.BrahMos, which has atarget range of 290-km, is thesurface-to-surface cruise missile.It is capable of carrying aconventional warhead of 200 to300 kg. The important advantageof new version of the cruisemissile is that it can hit the targetvertically and at high speed. Thecompeting versions in the globalarena fly and hit the target almostat horizontal levels and lowerspeeds. The BrahMos, supersoniccruise missile attained 2.8 Machspeed and a full range of 290 km.The Indian Army has alreadyinducted the missile in a coupleof its regiments. BrahMos, asupersonic cruise missile, has beendeveloped by BrahMos AerospacePrivate Limited, a joint venturebetween Republic of India’sDefence Research andDevelopment Organisation(DRDO) and Russian Federation’s

NPO Mashinostroeyenia. It is theworld’s fastest cruise missile inoperation. It can be launched fromsubmarines, ships, aircraft or land.The name BrahMos is the blendof the names of two rivers, theBrahmaputra of India and theMoskva of Russia.

NARAIN MURTHY

Infosys co-founder NarainMurthy got his name figured inthe list of 12 greatestentrepreneurs of our time. The listpublished by the magazine on 28March 2012 was preparedconsidering the economic andsocial impact and world changingvision of entrepreneures. Otherfamous personalities who gottheir name included in the list areSteve Jobs of Apple, who alsotopped the list. Microsoft’s BillGates was second on the listfollowed by Fred Smith of FedEx.The list comprised of tenentrepreneurs from America, onefrom India and one fromBangladesh. The Fortune placesthe 12 individuals in the followingorder:

1. Steve Jobs of Apple,

2. Bill Gates of Microsoft,

3. Fred Smith of FedEx,

4. Jeff Bezos of Amazon,

5. Larry Page and Sergey Brinof Google,

6. Howard Schultz ofStarbucks,

7. Mark Zuckerberg ofFacebook,







8. John Mackey of WholeFoods,

9. Herb Kelleher of SouthWestAirlines,

10. Narayana Murthy of Infosys,

11. Sam Walton of Wal-martStores,

12. Muhammad Yunus ofGrameen Bank.

2200-YEAR-OLD TAMIL-BRAHMIINSCRIPTION FOUND ATSAMANAMALAI IN MADURAI DISTRICT

A 2200-year-old Tamil-Brahmi inscription belonging tothe second century BC, wasdiscovered at Samanamalai inMadurai district. The inscriptionis associated with Jainism as it wasfound at Samanamalai (“JainaHill”), 15 km from Madurai . Theinscription was discovered by V.Vedachalam, former SeniorEpigraphist, Tamil NaduArchaeology Department, and V.Muthukumar, research scholarfrom Tamil University, Thanjavur.The script has a total of 13 letters.The scholars of Tamil-Brahmiscript, termed the discovery ofgenuine importance as it will helpthem to unravel the hidden truthsrelated to Jain monks.

COMMEMORATIVE POSTAGE STAMPRELEASED TO MARK THE BIRTHCENTENARY OF PRESIDENT R.VENKATARAMAN

President Pratibha Patil on 18April 2012 released acommemorative postage stamp tomark the birth centenary of

President R. Venkataraman atRashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.The release of the stamp markedthe end of year-long centenarycelebrations organised fromDecember 2010 onward tocelebrate the life of India’s eighthPresident, R. Venkataraman. R.Venkataraman had played asignificant role in theindustrialisation of Tamil Nadu.An outstanding administrator, hewas also known as the father ofindustrialisation. The formerPresident had the uniquedistinction of having worked withfour Prime Ministers namely- V.P Singh, Chandrashekhar, P. VNarasimha Rao and Rajiv Gandhi.He was known to have hadexcellent partnership and workingrelation with all the PrimeMinisters and always remainedtrue to the Constitution. Elevatedfrom vice presidency,Venkataraman succeeded ZailSingh and as India’s eighthPresident held office from 25 July1987 to 25 July 1992.

DEFENCE MINISTRY TO SET UP 3COMMITT EES TO ACCELERATEBORDER INFRAST RUCTUREPROJECTS

The Defence Ministry in itsmeeting on 17 April 2012, decidedto set up three new committees toaccelerate procurements andborder infrastructure projects. Themeeting was chaired by DefenceMinister A K Antony and attendedby senior Army officers. Anempowered committee was set up

under the defence secretary toexpedite infrastructuredevelopment in the Northernregion that has borders with bothChina and Pakistan. A newcommittee was also set up todecide on whether the Army willget combat aviation assets, a sorepoint with the Air Force that hasinsisted that all aerial assetsshould be under its command.The Ministry decided to send arequest to the Finance Ministry onrecruitment for the MilitaryEngineering Service and also tocreate eight additional portercompanies, to transport materialthrough difficult terrain. The thirdcommittee, under the Vice Chiefof Army Staff was set up to lookinto purchase of equipment for theSpecial Forces, which use MP-5sub-machine guns, AK-47 andIsraeli assault rifles that have notbeen modernised. This panel is towork on the lines of the onecreated to deal with purchases fortroops posted in Siachen area. Theministry also decided to ask thePlanning Commission to sanction14 new strategic railway linesincluding a line each to Ladakhand the Tawang plateau in orderto bolster defence along the Sino-Indian border. A new proposalwas prepared during the meetingto expand the MilitaryEngineering Services (MES) tocope with the increasedconstruction activity plannedalong the borders. The ministrygave the Army the go-ahead toraise eight new porter companies







to facilitate construction andresupply activity.

POTTERY AND IRON AGE MEGALITHSBELONGING TO THE PRE-MEGALITHIC PERIOD DISCOVERED INTAMIL NADU

Pottery and iron agemegaliths dated to the pre-Megalithic/Iron Age period inT.N. — 1,800 BC-1,500 BC foundat Mandapam village, nearAarpakkam intersection, about 14km from Kancheepuram in April2012. The importance of the vasturn-burial site is that it belongs toa period earlier than theMegalithic Age or Iron Age inTamil Nadu. The site has beenravaged by quarrying for blue-metal. Villager P. Mani, whodiscovered the site, reported it toV. Arasu, Head of the Departmentof Tamil, University of Madras,and S. Elango, lecturer in Tamil,Madras University. The flat/conical bottomed urns wereburied only one or two feet belowthe soil surface. While some hadritual pottery and terracotta platesinside, others were empty. Therewere disintegrated human bonesin several urns. Also, there wereno cairn circles on the surface ofthe graves to mark them. Therewere no graffiti marks on the urnseither. It was discovered that thecairn circles or the big stones, i.e.,liths, were placed in a circle on thesurface of the soil and urns werekept below them. The urns werefound to have been kept insidecists, which are compartments

made of granite slabs. Since bigstones/liths mark the urn burialsbelow, they are called MegalithicAge burials. The Iron Age and theMegalithic Age arecontemporaneous in south India.Archaeologists believed the IronAge in south India extended from1000 BCE to 300 BCE.

PRIME M IN IST ER OF INDIAMANMOHAN SINGH VISITED SOUTHKOREA

The Prime Minister of India,Manmohan Singh visited SouthKorea on 25 March 2012. Duringhis visit, India and South Koreadecided that the seventh meetingof the Joint Commission will beheld in New Delhi in 2012.Moreover, India and South Koreaalso agreed to set a new bilateraltrade target of 40 billion US dollarsby 2015. Besides, it was decidedthat both countries will exploreconstructive and forward lookingways to facilitate greater access toeach other ’s products andservices. Prior to this visit, Indianpresident Pratibha Patil hadvisited South Korea in July 2011.

ARAB LEAGUE SUMMIT WAS HELD INBAGHDAD

Three-day summit was heldin Baghdad from 27 March 2012to 29 March 2012. The Arab leaguesummit was held in Baghdad from27 March 2012 to 29 March 2012.The three-day summit was hostedby Iraq for the first time since 1990when its late dictator SaddamHussein’s forces invaded Kuwait.

The leaders of the 22 Arab leaguestates attended the summit. TheBaghdad summit discussed theuprising in Syria and the Iraqidebts to its neighbours. Theprevious Arab league summit washeld in Sirte. Syria didn’tparticipate in the Summit. It wassuspended in the midst of theuprising against the Assad regime.

FOURTH BRICS SUMMIT WAS HELDIN NEW DELHI

Fourth BRICS summit washeld in New Delhi. The FourthBRICS Summit was held in NewDelhi on 29 March 2012. Thetheme of the Summit was BRICSPartnership for Global Stability,Security and Prosperity. At theSummit, the Leaders of the BRICScountries discussed political,economic and social issues ofmutual and international interest.The Summit took forward thecontinuing efforts towardsstrengthening cooperation,consultation and coordinationamong the BRICS countries for thebenefit of their peoples and of theinternational community.

SECOND NUCLEAR SECURITYSUMMIT WAS HELD IN SEOUL,CAPITAL OF SOUTH KOREA

Second Nuclear SecuritySummit was held in Seoul on 26-27 March 2012. The secondnuclear security summit was heldin Seoul, capital of South Koreaon26-27 March 2012. 53 heads ofstate and government, as well asrepresentatives of the United







Nations (UN), InternationalAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA),European Union (EU) andINTERPOL, attended the 2012Seoul Nuclear Security Summit.Compared to the 2010 WashingtonSummit, there were seven new

participants: Azerbaijan,Denmark, Gabon, Hungary,Lithuania, Romania andINTERPOL. The EU wasrepresented by both the Presidentof the European Council and thePresident of the European

Commission, making the numberof participating leaders 58 in total.The first Nuclear Security Summitwas held in Washington in April2010. It was initiated by USPresident Barack Obama.

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The BRIC (Brazil, Russia,India and China) idea wasfirst conceived in 2001 by

Goldman Sachs as part of aneconomic modeling exercise toforecast global economic trendsover the next half century; theacronym BRIC was first used in2001 by Goldman Sachs in theirGlobal Economics Paper No. 66,“The World Needs BetterEconomic BRICs”. BRIC ForeignMinisters at their meeting in NewYork on 21st September 2010agreed that South Africa may beinvited to join BRIC. Accordingly,China, as the host of 3rd BRICSSummit, invited South AfricanPresident to attend the Summit inSanya on 14 April 2011 with the

concurrence of other BRICLeaders. The BRICS countries -originally Brazil, Russia, India,and China, and now South Africa- have turned out to be a source ofglobal economic development andessential to future generations.The center of global economicactivity is shifting fromindustrialized nations in the westto emerging economies in Asia,Africa, and Latin America. SouthAfrica joined BRIC at the end of2010. And Indonesia should beincluded in BRICS to represent thelarge developing countries thatare increasingly central to globalproduction and consumption.

BRICS is used in economicsto refer to the combination of

Brazil, Russia, India, and China &South Africa which make up over48% of the world’s population.These nations are going to play amajor role in the future of globaleconomy. In 2000, the fourcountries in BRIC (along withIndonesia), contributed just 18percent of global GDP, whileindustrialized nations contributedabout 65 percent. By 2010, BRICcountries provided more than aquarter of the world’s GDP, at 27percent. The rich countries’ sharehad shrunk to 56 percent. Between2000 and 2010, BRIC’s GDP grewby an incredible 92.7 percent,compared to a global GDP growthof just 32 percent, withindustrialized economies having








a very modest 15.5 percent. Therising importance of BRICSeconomies can be seen in thegrowth of imports. Their importand service demands, at over $2trillion, accounts for 13.5 percentof global imports, up from just 6percent 10 years ago. Thisrepresents a 277 percent growth inimports. Global growth of importsduring the same period was just92 percent, while imports inindustrialized economies grewonly 72.3 percent.

BRICS countries have alsodiversified their source of importsand are trading more with otherlarge emerging economies anddeveloping countries. They playan important role in the globaleconomy, and their role in thefuture of global economics seemsmore evident. In the area of newbusinesses, the marketcapitalization of BRIC companiesgrew from $1.2 trillion to $6.4trillion between 2000 and 2010, amassive 641 percent increase.Their companies now account forover 18 percent of global marketcapitalization, up from a verymodest 3.8 percent in 2000. If thistrend continues, by 2025, BRICScompanies will account for morethan half of global marketcapitalization. Demographic shiftsare taking place and BRICS states,especially India and China, willhave much of the world’s youth,a driving force behind growth ofconsumer spending andinnovation. Their large domesticmarkets will create economies of

scale that make BRICS’geographies central to globalproduction and demand. Andthey will emerge as centers ofinnovation and new productdevelopment. India-China tieshave undergone a significantchange in the last two decades:They are broader and with moresubstance. A key element of thatis the economy. China has gonefrom insignificant player to India’slargest trade partner with, $62billion of goods traded in 2010.Indian manufacturing and ITcompanies are making seriousmoves in China, anddemonstrating their ability inhigh-tech engineering, softwaredevelopment, banking and foreignexchange trading.

BRICS countries will need towork together closely to evolvestrategies for the future. Thiscould include cooperation in awide variety of issues like energy,food security, access to naturalresources, climate change, globalgovernance, and internationaltrade policies. What is essential tomaintaining this wide-rangingcooperation is for BRIC countriesto have a stake in each other’seconomy. And increasing tradeand business relations amongthem is a major part of that.

The Fourth BRICS summitwas held in New Delhi on 29March 2012. The theme of thesummit was BRICS partnership forGlobal Stability, Security andProsperity. The summit wasparticipated by India, Brazil,

Russia, China and South Africa.At the end of the summit, DelhiDeclaration was issued. Development banks of BRICSsigned two agreements- i) Masteragreement on extending creditfacility in local currency. ii) BRICSMultilateral letter of creditconfirmation facility agreement.The five participating banks areBanco Nacional deDesenvolvimento Economico eSocial- BNDES, Brazil; StateCorporation Bank for Develo-pment and Foreign EconomicAffairs-Vnesheconombank ofRussia; Export-Import bank ofIndia; China Development BankCorporation, and DevelopmentBank of Southern Africa. Thesetwo agreements are expected toenhance cooperation among theBRICS development banks and tosignificantly promote intra-BRICStrade.

Highlights of Delhi Declarationv BRICS nations agreed on the

reform of IMF and worldbank.

v Brazil, India, China andSouth Africa congratulatedthe Russian Federation on itsaccession to the WTO.

v BRICS nation said they werecommitted to playing theirpart in the global fightagainst climate change andwill contribute to the globaleffort in dealing with climatechange issues.

In the New Delhi summit,leaders of the BRICS group[Thursday, 29 March 2012]pressed Western powers to cede








more voting rights at the IMF thisyear and flayed the rich world’sreflationary monetary policies forputting global economic stabilityin jeopardy. Promised changes tovoting rights at the IMF have yetto be ratified by the United States,adding to frustration over reformof the G7 and the U.N. SecurityCouncil, where India and Brazilhave been angling for years forpermanent seats. The BRICSleaders also accused rich countriesof destabilizing the worldeconomy five years into the globalfinancial crisis by creatingexcessive global liquidity. It alsorecognised the right of Iran topursue peaceful nuclear energy.They said that the crises overIran’s nuclear programme shouldbe resolved diplomatically andshould not be allowed to escalate.

China hopes the summit willcontinue to display the BRICSspirit of unity and win-winpartnership, continue to enhancecoordination and cooperation onglobal economy, finance,development and other majorissues of common interest, pushforward practical cooperation invarious fields, send a jointmessage of confidence for worldeconomic stability and recovery,provide impetus for improvedglobal economic governance andmake a contribution to commondevelopment in the whole world.We also hope the summit will helpstrengthen institutional buildingof BRICS cooperation, map outplans for the future, and lay a solidfoundation for the long-termgrowth of BRICS cooperation.Currently, a large number of

emerging markets and developingcountries have achieved rapideconomic growth and become animportant force in promotingworld peace and commondevelopment. Firmly committingto the path of peacefuldevelopment, cooperativedevelopment and harmoniousdevelopment, these countriesform an important part ofcommon development of theworld, which is conducive to amore balanced world economy,more reasonable internationalrelations, more effective globalgovernance and more durableworld peace.

Since the outbreak of theinternational financial crisis in2008, these countries havespearheaded the global recoverythrough their own development.The steady increase of theirrepresentation and the greater saythey acquired in global economicgovernance have moved theinternational order in the directionof greater fairness and rationality.What has happened testifies onceagain that without the rise ofemerging markets and developingcountries, there will be nouniversal prosperity in the world;and that without the stability ofthese countries, there will be noworld peace and stability. Thedevelopment of these countrieshas a constructive impact on theinternational landscape. Theinternational community shouldlook at these countries from along-term and strategicperspective and actively supporttheir development. BRICScountries are the defender and

promoter of the interests ofdeveloping countries. In theircooperation, BRICS countrieshave committed to promotingSouth-South cooperation andNorth-South dialogue,endeavoured to implement theU.N. Millennium DevelopmentGoals, worked for early realisationof the goals set out in the mandatefor the Doha development roundnegotiations, strived to secure agreater say for developingcountries in global economicgovernance and fought all formsof protectionism. Cooperationamong BRICS countries is madenecessary by the ongoingeconomic globalisation anddemocratisation in internationalrelations. It is consistent with thetrend of the times characterised bypeace, development andcooperation, and fully conduciveto building a harmonious worldof durable peace and commonprosperity.

As for BRICS practicalcooperation in the near future,China wants to see efforts madein the following two areas: First,building a solid foundation. Weshould beef up the existingcooperation programmes in thespirit of practicality and efficiencyand build a number of flagshipprojects. Second, beinginnovative. We should properlyexplore new areas of cooperationin light of the needs of economicand social development in BRICScountries, tap the cooperationpotential and inject new vitalityinto the mechanism of BRICScooperation.








(AGNI-V missile, with arange of 5,000 km (3,100miles), successfully lifts offfrom Wheeler ’s Island ofIndia’s east coast in Odisha.)However, China’s strategicexperts and the official mediaare trying to provoke westerncountries saying the Agni-Vmissile has a longer rangethan India would admit, andit can hit cities in Europe. Incomments that are obviouslyauthorized by the defenceministry, Chinese expertssaid the Indian missileactually has a range of 8,000kilometers and not theshorter range of 5,000 kms, asclaimed by India. There aresigns China will try topressure the US and Russia

not to sell missile guidancesystems to India. “The missilebrings the whole of Asia, 70 percent of Europe and other regionsunder its strike range and putsIndia among a select band ofcountries in the world to possessthe technology of intercontinentalballistic missiles,” the officialXinhua news agency said in adispatch published in dozens ofChinese newspapers. Anotherpaper, the Global Times, evencarried a map showing Moscow,Tehran and Jakarta among citiescoming within the range of Indianmissiles. An expert at the PLAAcademy of Military Sciences saidthe Agni-V actually has thepotential to reach targets 8,000kilometers away, according to theCommunist Party-controlled








Global Times. It quoted theresearcher, Du Wenlong, sayingthe Indian government haddeliberately downplayed themissile’s capability in order toavoid causing concern to othercountries. “According to China’sstandard, an ICBM should have arange of at least 8,000 kilometers.The Agni-V’s range could befurther enhanced to become anICBM,” the paper quoted anotherexpert, Zhang Zhaozhong, aprofessor with the People’sLiberation Army NationalDefence University, as saying.

As for Agni V, let’s beginwith the range, its most celebratedaspect: all of China, most ofEurope. That the range of Agni Vwas said to be 5,000 km, just 500km short of the conventionalminimum range for an inter-continental ballistic missile(ICBM), was a deliberate strategicrestraint imposed by theManmohan Singh government. Itis among the many aspects of UPAgovernment’s strategy that isdefining India’s militaryprojection, or the lack of it.Continuing over-dependence onmilitary imports, lack of majorefforts to leapfrog technologies,over-zealous celebrations overachievements like Agni V andfailure to achieve fresh goals inmilitary research are definingIndia’s military ideology that iswoefully inadequate given thechallenges. But yes, theintermediate range ballisticmissile (IRBM), is a game changer

in many ways. It is the mostmodern variation of the Agnifamily, providing a quickerresponse under India’s no-first-strike policy, in case an adversarywas to launch a nuclear attack.

Agni V is a three-stagemissile, each stage powered bysolid propellants and with acanister-launch system,capabilities that make it a moreagile system. It can be launchedquicker than older missiles. Itdefinitely is a very valuable land-based second-strike capability, acrucial component of the triad (onground, air and sea) of nuclearcapability towards which India ismaking definite strides. TheDRDO would carry out two moretests in about a year-and-halfbefore the production of themissile would commence. It willthen be handed over to theStrategic Command. DRDOwould now be working onequipping Agni V with multipleindependent re-entry vehicles(MIRVs), which would allowlaunching several warheads ondifferent targets from a singlemissile. MIRV would further firmup India’s second-strike capabilitywith a limited number of missiles.

The euphoria over thesuccess of Agni V, when put to arealistic assessment, shows adesperate effort to cover up for thebigger failures of India’sindigenous military research, andits political inability to workout adefinite roadmap for its peacefulrise next to China, in the post-Cold

War era, where strategic focus hasshifted to Asia with foreignpowers from the US to UKmanoeuvring in the nearbywaters. As a scientificachievement, the missiletechnology developed isn’t anybreakthrough on the global stage,given the fact that China, US andmany European powers havemuch more advanced, longer-range and more sophisticatedmissiles in their armoury. Whileit is developing an anti-ballisticmissile shield, India has failed toreally address the immediatethreat of a missile strike fromPakistan, or by rogue elements,where the response time would bejust a few minutes.

India’s military research hasfailed to come up with uniquesolutions. In conventional militaryspend, India would never be ableto match up to China and otherglobal powers. While US spent45.7% of the global militaryexpenditure last year, China wassecond at 5.5%. India is way belowat just 2.3%. China is gallopingahead, and is estimated toovertake the US by 2035. Amilitary strategy, to protect itsautonomy and economic growth,cannot be mere development oflonger-range missiles or otherconventional weapons. It has to beunconventional technologicalleap, of achieving capabilitieswithin the limited resourcesavailable. That would call fordetermined efforts to bring indomestic industries and








revamping of military research.That means a really radicalchange. This would require a firmpolitical leadership, something theUPA government has failed toexhibit so far. Agni V isn’t fieryenough for India.

Let’s look at some ofinteresting questions that aroseafter the recent test of the Agni-Vmissile. The first is whether it isreally an inter-continental ballisticmissile being undersold as anintermediate range ballisticmissile out of reasons of politicalcorrectness.

Well, other than for thepurposes of international armscontrol negotiations, what four-letter acronym we use to refer toa missile is irrelevant. Forexample, an artillery shell firedacross the 14.3 km-wide Straits ofGibraltar is, factually, an inter-continental ballistic missile. Theclassification of missiles withranges less than 5500 km as‘intermediate range’ is a relic ofCold War era arms controlnegotiations and an outcome ofthe strategic geography of that era.So while pedants, lawyers andnegotiators can agonise overwhether Agni-V is an ICBM or anIRBM, what is important from theperspective of our nationalsecurity is its range and itspayload capacity.

Officially, Agni-V has a rangeof 5000kms and can carry 1000kgof multiple warheads. In contrast

to the usual cynical ‘they areinflating their claims’ comment,some foreign commentators havealleged that India is under-declaring the actual range.Chinese experts have claimed thatthe actual range is 8000kms,thereby allowing Europe to betargeted. Could there besomething in these claims? Now,anyone who’s tinkered aroundwith automobile engines or over-clocked their computers knowsthat there is often more juice to besqueezed from the machinesbecause the engineers who designthem are a conservative lot.

Many foreign media reportsconnected India’s test with NorthKorea’s and suggested an Asianarms build-up. Meanwhile, a fewIndian commentators attributed itto Prime Minister ManmohanSingh’s foreign policy. Both arewrong, because they ignore thefact that Agni-V is part of a missiledevelopment programme thatwas started in the early 1980s andhas been consistently pursued byall governments since then. Thebroad timing of the test is morerelated to the development cyclethan to contemporary events —the exact timing might well beinfluenced by factors ranging fromthe diplomatic calendar to thedirection of the wind.

Relating it to Pyongyang’slatest shenanigans or China’srecent assertiveness would beimpute a causation where noneexists. Unlike mothers facing

unexpected dinner guests, DRDOcan’t cook up a new missile justlike that.It is fashionable to arguethat India’s fractious democraticsystem does not allow it to pursuelong term inter-generationalprojects. This is only partly true.India’s nuclear strategycontradicts this argument — theminimum credible deterrent hasbeen pursued for at least the lastthree decades. Will Agni-V changethe balance of power in thebroader Asian region? Not quite.For that India will need to regainthe economic growth trajectorythat it fell out of over the lastdecade. What remains to be seenis whether the security the missileprovides will make us even morecomplacent about implementingthe second-generation reformsnecessary to accumulate power.

This is also why Moscow,Beijing and Tokyo react differentlyto missile tests in North Korea.The first two countries don’t wantany trouble just because theJapanese and Americans areafraid of the North Koreans.However, Pyongyang is veryunlikely to fire a missile at Chinaor Russia. In other words, theintentions and interests ofsuperpowers are more importantin strategic planning than theircapabilities. What are theintentions of Russia’s friend India,which has increased the strikingrange of its nuclear arms deliveryvehicles? Russian PresidentMedvedev shakes hands withChina’s President Hu Jintao








during their meeting at the BRICSsummit in New Delhi. ReutersThemost obvious answer is that thisis bad news primarily for China,which is, by the way, Russia’sfriend, too. Indeed, there’s noreason for India to aim its nuclearweapons against Africa or theUnited States, all the more so sinceAgni can’t reach U.S. shoresanyway. However, all of China’sterritory is now within reach. Forseveral years now, variouspolitical forces in India have beensaying officially (and especially inprivate) that Indians aren’t dumbenough to turn their country intoa missile base against China justbecause, for example, the USwants it to be this way. Both majorIndian parties agree on that.Pakistan, whose government iseither unwilling or unable tocontrol the jihadist groupsresiding on its territory, remainsIndia’s primary threat. Pakistan’snuclear arsenal is not the onlyconcern here. The philosophyunderlying the establishment ofPakistan as a Muslim alternativeto Hindu India is another majorconsideration. It’s not clear whatthis nation will become withoutthis idea, and whether Pakistanwill remain a nation without it.

This is not all there is to it.Jihadism is not only aboutPakistan. Let’s not forget that inaddition to nuclear tests in 1998,India stepped up its politicalinvolvement in the Middle Eastand became very close with Israel.Today, with the Gulf monarchies

successfully promoting the jihadphilosophy across all Arabnations, such as Tunisia, Egyptand Libya to name a few, it hasbecome clear that India’s policywas quite reasonable and theexpansion of its missile rangewon’t hurt either. Next comesIran. The Indian oppositionstrongly criticises its currentgovernment for its incoherentpolicy towards Iran. However, thereal threat to India doesn’t comefrom Iran.

Hypothetically, if the US orthe Gulf monarchies manage tosow the seeds of chaos in Iran aswell, then, in the worst casescenario, extremist regimes willspring up from neighbouringPakistan westward all the way tothe shores of the Atlantic. This issomething that China would liketo avoid as well because it hasmore shared strategic interestswith India than with its old friendPakistan.It is assumed that India’sfailed war against China in 1962and the loss of an uninhabitedglacier in the Himalayas are amajor problem that makes thesetwo key international partners ofRussia bitter enemies. If this werethe case, then the launch of theAgni would spell real drama forRussian foreign policy.

Let’s keep in mind thatRussia is India’s key partner in thearea of armaments. This monthRussia supplied to India thenuclear submarine Nerpa akaChakra on a long-term lease. By

late 2012, India will at long lastreceive the aircraft carrierAdmiral Gorshkov akaVikramaditya. There’s a whole listof armaments that Russia is eitherselling to India or designingtogether with India. If Beijingviewed India similar to the wayJapan looks upon North Korea…And if India saw China – which,by the way, became Delhi’s firsttrading partner – as a source ofpermanent threat…

Things are different in reality,though. The foreign ministers ofRussia, India and China (RIC) metthis month. As it turns out, theoriginal triangle of this groupexists as a separate entity despiteits expansion to include Brazil andSouth Africa (BRICS). And thethree have more and more reasonsfor private meetings. Amongother things, an important topicfor discussion is coordinatingefforts in Afghanistan once the USand NATO forces withdraw. Theproblem is that the spread of jihadpolicies in Afghanistan representsa direct threat to northwesternChina.

As a result, Beijing and Delhinow have more reasons forrapprochement and Moscow haslong been a willing intermediary.As for nuclear arsenals and theirdelivery vehicles, even with anenhanced strike range, they do notinterfere with such efforts. On thecontrary, they are a source of calmfor the partners in theircomplicated relations with eachother.








v The Supreme Court of India on2 March 2012 appointed itsformer judge, Justice H S Bedias the chairman of themonitoring authority.

v Human Resource Development(HRD) ministry launched a webportal for implementation of theNational Scheme of Incentive toGirls for Secondary Education(NSIGSE) in New Delhi. Webportal was developed by theCanara Bank to implement thescheme.

v India recorded a net increase of23.34 sq. km of mangrove coverbetween 2009 and 2011, thanksto efforts of one of the mostindustrialised states, Gujarat, inplanting and regenerating theecosystem rich in biodiversity.

v The Centre is planning to launcha special scheme for delivery ofhealthcare services in 100 out of264 focus districts across thecountry where the healthindicators are very low, by

integrating allopathic and otherIndian systems of medicinesoon.

v The World Health Organisation(WHO) has removed India fromthe list of polio-endemiccountries, suggesting that thewild polio virus had been totallyeliminated from theenvironment.

v In a major administrative move,the Planning Commission hascleared the transfer of thePradhan Mantri Adarsh GramYojana (PMAGY) to theMinistry of Rural Development(MoRD) from the Ministry ofSocial Justice andEmpowerment.

v The fourth phase of an“Intensive Tiger MonitoringProgramme” envisaged by theTiger Task Force of the UnionGovernment has begun at theKalakkad - Mundanthurai TigerReserve (KMTR) in Tirunelveli(Tamil Nadu).

v The fertile and chronicallyflood-lacerated swathe of theMithilanchal belt in north Biharwitnessed a watershed momentin its urban ecosystem whenBihar Chief Minister NitishKumar inaugurated the ‘KosiMaha Sethu’ — a rail-cum-roadbridge — in Supaul district.

v India will be one of the youngestnations by 2020 and thischanging demographic condit-ion, while providing greatopportunities, could pose somechallenges too, the EconomicSurvey 2011-12 has said.

v Union cabinet of India on 9February 2012 approved theNational Data Sharing andAccessibility Policy (NDSAP-2012) to facilitate access tocentral government ownedshareable data and information.

v Rajasthan will soon accord thebio-diversity rich Jawai Bandhforests in Pali district the statusof a conservation reserve.








v The Indian Black Eagle wasspotted in the AravaliBiodiversity Park after a gap of90 years. The bird was last seenin 1920-21 by Basin Edwardes.

v Former Supreme Court judgeJustice D. M. Dharmadhikari,who headed a four-membercommittee on integration ofthousands of employees afterthe merger of two State-ownedcarriers — Air India and IndianAirlines —submitted his reportto the Civil Aviation Minister,Ajit Singh.

v The government of Indiaapproved setting up of anational centre for cold chaindevelopment and allocated aone-time grant of 25 crorerupees for its corpus fund.

v The Union government decidedto operationalise the ambitiousNational Counter TerrorismCentre (NCTC) from 1 March2012.

v The Union governmentunveiled a comprehensivepolicy on narcotic drugs andpsychotropic substances, asannounced by Finance MinisterPranab Mukherjee during thebudget presentation last year.

v As the 2015 deadline of meetingthe Millennium DevelopmentGoals nears, the South AsianAssociation for RegionalConference (SAARC) nationsgot together to give a final pushfor creating sanitation facilitiesfor the 700 million plusuncovered people of the region.

v The Supreme Court expressedconcern over the creation ofKoya Commandos by theChhattisgarh government andgiving them arms to deal with

Maoists .

v The Director General ofInternational Rice ResearchInstitute (IRRI) Robert S. Zeiglerhas said that the institute wasdiscussing with the IndianCouncil for AgriculturalResearch (ICAR) the possibilityof developing an India specificprogramme of moleculargenetic and breeding for rice.

v The Directorate-General of CivilAviation (DGCA) has set upthree teams to examine 40 flyingschools across the country fromApril 18.

v As per the latest SampleRegistration System (SRS)bulletinreleased by the RegistrarGeneral of India (RGI), it isnoted that Infant Mortality Rate(IMR) has dropped further by 3points from 50 to 47 infantsdeaths per 1000 live birthsduring 2010.

v The Union Government of Indiagave the approval for setting upa National Council for SeniorCitizens. It will be headed by theMinister of Social Justice andEmpowerment.

v After failing to effect a hike inrail fares as a measure togenerate internal resources,Railway Minister Dinesh Trivediproposed an independent bodyto take decisions on rail fareswithout being influenced bypolitical exigencies.

v The government has decided toissue biometric PAN cards totaxpayers across the country toweed out the problem ofduplicate and fake ones.

v The Union Home Ministry isstudying the ShungluCommittee report on alleged

irregularities in executingvarious infrastructure projectsrelated to the CommonwealthGames by the Delhigovernment.

v India has the dubiousdistinction of having the highestnumber of stillbirths in theworld. In India, the stillbirthrates varied from 20 to 66 per1,000 total births in differentStates. China has made someprogress over the years toreduce its figure. As high as 66per cent (1.8 million) stillbirthsin the world occur in just 10countries. India is followed byPakistan, Nigeria, China,Bangladesh, Congo, Ethiopia,Indonesia, Afghanistan andTanzania.

v The SC declared Khappanchayats illegal and termedthem as kangaroo courts.Abench of the Supreme Courtincluding Justice MarkandeyaKatju and Justice Gyan SudhaMishra gave the Judgementstating that honour killings,khap panchayats in northernIndia and katta panchayats inTamil Nadu were illegal andbarbaric.

v he National Advisory Council(NAC) decided to put its drafton Communal Violence Bill inthe public domain, with a widerambit of vulnerable sections ofthe society.

v Union Environment and ForestsMinister Jairam Ramesh, alongwith Maharashtra ChiefMinister PrithvirajChavanlaunched a programmegiving tribals the right to harvestbamboo as a forest produce inGadchiroli.








v The SC gave the ruling that non-minority educationalinstitutions have no right toadmit students of their choiceand scrapped 100 percentreservation for children ofarmed forces in the Armycollege of MedicalSciences(ACMS) in DelhiCantonment.

v 11 members of Public AccountsCommittee’s 21 members,recorded their vote to reject thedraft report on 2G scamcirculated to the them by theLok Sabha Secretariat on April27, 2011.

v The Postal Departmentlaunched the new social securityscheme for Gramin Dak Sevaks(GDS) to provide post-retirement financial security toover 2.73 lakh GDS. ServiceDischarge Benefit Scheme(SDBS) for GDS will beoperationalised utilising thePension Fund Regulatory andDevelopment Authority(PFRDA)’s New PensionScheme product, NPS-Lite.

v The Union Ministry of Healthand Family Welfare decided toprovide free nutritious food,transportation and treatment toall pregnant women who visitgovernment facilities fordelivery.

v The SC directed the high courtsand trial courts in India toaward the death sentence topeople convicted in crimesrelated to honour killings.

v The new Foreign ContributionRegulation Act (FCRA) cameinto force on 1 May 2011. Nopolitical party can receiveforeign funds as donation,under

the new law. This law is tofacilitate regulation of foreigncontributions and hospitality byindividuals and organisations.

v Data on infant deaths acrossstates in India was released inMay 2011. The data revealedthat infant mortality rate forIndia as a whole stood at 50 in2009, down by 30% compared to adecade ago.

v The National Advisory Council(NAC) headed by Sonia Gandhion 25 May 2011 gave its nod togovernment’s go ahead for freshsurvey identifying familiesBelow Poverty Line, BPL. TheNAC has acceptedgovernment’s claim that over 66percent of the SC/ST house-holds in the country are likelyto be included in the BPLcategory under the survey basedon the methodology approvedby the Cabinet.

v Union government hadapproved two more tigerreserves in Karnataka.Following the government’sapproval, B.R. Hills inChamarajanagar district andKudremukh in Chikmagalurdistrict became the 40th and 41sttiger reserves in the country.

v The SC banned the employmentof children in circuses anddirected the government torescue those employed in thesector. It also asked theGovernment to formulate arehabilitation programme forthe children.

v The Union Cabinet of India gaveapproval for conducting theBelow Poverty Line (BPL)Census in rural and urban areas.The Census would be

conducted by the Ministry ofRural Development inassociation with the Ministry ofHousing and Urban PovertyAlleviation (HUPA) and theRegistrar General of India (RGI).

v The Supreme Court granted bailto Dr. Binayak Sen, observingthat no case of sedition wasmade out against the rightsactivist, who was convicted andsentenced to life imprisonmentby a trial court in Chhattisgarh.

v India will overtake China interms of population by 2025, ananalysis of the provisionalCensus, 2011 data suggests.

v The Union Cabinet’s Committeeon Infrastructure approved therollout of the e-district missionmode project in all 640 districtsof the country, including the 41districts where pilot projects ofthe scheme have been initiated.

v The Union government willpromote the use of iron fortifiediodised salt (doublefortifiedsalt) to battle anaemia, one ofthe major causes ofmalnutrition, particularlyamong women and children.

v The government has appointeda Committee of Inquiry to probethe circumstances of the PawanHans helicopter crash atTawang in Arunachal Pradeshon April 19 that claimed thelives of 17 people.Thecommittee, headed by AirMarshal (Retd.) P.P. Rajkumar.

v The draft report of the PublicAccounts Committee on the 2Gscam has come out with yetanother figure for the loss to theexchequer, putting it at Rs.1.90-lakh crore in the grant of 122licences in 2008, dual








technology licences and extraspectrum.

v The Supreme Court hasappointed M. Gopalakri-shnan,a former Member of the CentralWater Comm-ission (CWC), toassist the commission ininspecting the Polavaram damto ascertain whether it wasbeing built as per the GodavariTribunal Award.

v Organic farming has thepotential to generate over 20lakh jobs in the state accordingto independent research studyby The Associated Chambers ofCommerce and Industry ofIndia (ASSOCHAM) titled‘Organic Bihar – Way toAgricultural Prosperity.’Promotion of organic farming inBihar can raise income offarmers and lead to wealthaccumulation of over 1,000 crorebesides generating exportsworth 500 crore, according toapex industry body.

v The Supreme Court decisionbanning both mining andmovement of ore in Bellarydistrict in Karnataka, followingthe Lok Ayukta report, isexcessive. The blanket banpenalises even those who didnothing wrong.

v The treaty for constituting a new“Gorkhaland TerritorialAuthority” (GTA)in Darjeeling hills in WestBengal has given rise to deepconcern and fear of moreturmoil in the state. The treatyhas been signed between stateand central government andGorkha Janamukti Morcha, theorganisation leading themovement for a separate state.

v The Union Cabinet of India gaveits approval for setting up anational level security fund(NSSF) for unorganized sectorsnamed as National SocialSecurity Fund. The fund is likelyto benefit 43.3 crore workers inthe unorganized sector.

v Dr. N.C. Saxena Committee wasset up by the Ministry of RuralDevelopment to advise it on thesuitable methodology for BPLCensus and not for estimationof poverty.

v The Supreme Court of Indiaissued a notice to the Centre andthe States on a PIL seeking tobring advanced and affluentScheduled Caste and ScheduledTribes out of the purview ofreservation.

v The union government of Indiahas set up a NationalIntelligence Grid (NATGRID) toaccess all intelligence data. It isto function as a tool forstrengthening the capability ofthe existing intelligence and lawenforcement agencies.

v The Lok Sabha of IndianParliament approved theTransplantation of HumanOrgans (Amendment) Bill, 2011.The bill entails stringentpunishment for those involvedin organ trade.

v Ministry of Overseas IndianAffairs has set up the IndianCommunity Welfare Fund(ICWF), which isoperationalised in the IndianMissions in all the Countrieswith effect from 24 March 2011for safeguarding the welfareand protection especially ofIndian workers going abroad.

v The Food Safety and Standards

Act of 2006 became effective inIndia from 5 August 2011making it at par with theinternational standards. The Actwas passed in Parliament in2006.

v A Parliamentary StandingCommittee has favoured thedeath penalty for hijackers as itwas “the need of the hour andunavoidable in the heightenedthreat of [the] daring crime”.

v In a major blow to the Centre,the Supreme Court quashed theappointment of P.J. Thomas asCentral VigilanceCommissioner (CVC). TheSupreme Court rejected thecontention that the appointmentof Central Vigilance Commiss-ioner must be made throughconsensus among members of theHigh Power Committee.

v The Union Cabinet cleared a Billseeking to prevent sexual abuseof children, with provisions forstringent punishment for suchoffences.

v Even as the Centre on defendedthe telecom policy, the SupremeCourt asked the Central Bureauof Investigation to examine howthe UAE-based Etisalat wasallowed to invest in SwanTelecom after the Union HomeMinistry had expressedapprehensions on such ForeignDirect Investment (FDI) on thegrounds of a threat to nationalsecurity.

v The Law Commission headed byJustice P. Venkatrama Reddiapproved the proposed draftlegislation, The Endangerment ofLife and Liberty (protection,prosecution and other measures)Act,








v The Union governmentunveiled a new remote sensingdata policy called the RemoteSensing Data Policy2011(RSDP2011) which allowsall data of resolutions up to 1metre to be distributed on anon-discriminatory basis.

v A Supreme Court benchincluding Justice GS Singhviand Justice AK Ganguly refusedto stay the Allahabad HighCourt order quashing thenotifications for land acquisitionin the area adjoining New Delhiand NCR.

v The Union Cabinet approvedextension of the RashtriyaSwasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY)to all the registered domesticworkers in India. The schemewill likely cover approximately47.50 lakh domestic workers inthe country. The RSBY willprovide for smart card basedcashless health insurance coverof Rs.30000 per annum to BPLworkers (a unit of five) inunorganised sector in anyempanelled hospital anywherein India.

v Union Cabinet of Indiaapproved of a proposal of thelaw ministry for a NationalMission for Justice Delivery andLegal Reforms, providing forfast track courts to clear thebacklog in the judicial system.

v Sudershan Reddy and Justice SSNijjar declared Salwa Judum asillegal and unconstitutional.

v The Election Commission ofIndia launched the IndiaInternational Institute ofDemocracy and ElectionManagement, IIDEM in NewDelhi.

v The Centre for Social Research(CSR) recently released a report-“Gender dimensions ofinternational migration fromIndia and Bangladesh: Impacton the families left behind” on5 August 2010.

v India signed three agreementswith the World Bank forcleaning the Ganga River on 14June 2011. Besides this, theagreement also held forstrengthening Rural Livelihoodsand Biodiversity Conservationof India.

v The Union Law Ministrydecided to keep the NavodayaVidyalayas in the countryoutside the ambit of the Rightto Education (RTE) Act.

v The UPA Chairperson SoniaGandhi launched the Janani-Shishu Suraksha Programme atMewat in Haryana.

v As part of an effort to ensuretimely and effectiveimplementation of worksproposed under the Member ofParliament Local AreaDevelopment Scheme(MPLADS), the UnionGovernment decided to raisethe amount to be released in thefirst instalment.

v The Union government of Indiaordered security audit of allimportant installationscomprising nuclear stations,military bases and oil refineriesacross the nation.

v SK Sharma, Secretary,Department of FinancialServices, Ministry of Financelaunched an online grievanceredressal portal for insurancepolicy holders in New Delhi.The portal would offer

integrated grievancemanagement system (IGMS).

v The Survey of India report wassubmitted to the submitted tothe Supreme Court. The reportdeals with the mining activitiesof the Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka border that involvedthe Karnataka Cabinetministers- the Reddy brothers.

v The Supreme Court allowedpassive mercy killing of apatient in a permanentvegetative state (PVS) bywithdrawing the life supportsystem with the approval of amedical board and on thedirections of the High Courtconcerned.

v Union Law Minister VeerappaMoily launched the ‘LegalInformation Institute (LII) ofIndia,’ an online portal thatcomprises 108 legal databasescovering all States, UnionTerritories and Centralgovernment jurisdictions.

v The high power reviewcommittee tasked by thegovernment to review thecontroversial agreementbetween Antrix Corporationand Devas Multimedia PrivateLtd submitted its report toPrime Minister ManmohanSingh. The committee, consistedof the former Cabinet Secretary,B.K. Chaturvedi, and ProfessorRoddam Narasimha.

v Observing that Article 21 of theConstitution (right to life andliberty) would apply even to aforeign national staying inIndia, the Supreme Court stayedthe deportation until furtherorders of a Libyan researcherwhose visa is due to expire.








v The Supreme Court of Indiaheld in its recent judgment thatthe prohibition imposed by thecentre on non-iodised salt forhuman consumption isunconstitutional.

v The HRD (Human ResourceDevelopment) ministrysuperseded the NationalCouncil for Teacher Educationthrough a gazette notification.All members of the NCTE wereasked to vacate their office.

v The Union Cabinet of India gaveits approval for setting up anational level security fund(NSSF) for unorganized sectorsnamed as National SocialSecurity Fund.

v According to a latest WorldTrade organisation (WTO)report India achieved tenth rankin export of services worldwideand emerged as the 20th biggestmerchandise exporter in 2010.

v The national green tribunalordered Himachal PradeshPower Corporation Ltd(HPPCL) to stop allconstruction work related to theRenuka Dam project.The damon the Giri river will offer astorage capacity of 542 millioncubic metres of water and aninstalled power capacity of 40MW.

v India registered a 20 per centincrease in tiger population in2010, according to a report- Status of tigers, co-predators andprey in India-2010 .The reportstated that the estimatedpopulation of 1, 706 individualtigers represents a 20 per centincrease from the last survey in2006, which estimated a numberof 1,411 tigers.

v World Health Organization-sponsored study on MajorDepressive Episode (MDE)published in the BMC Medicinejournal revealed that Indians areamong the world’s mostdepressed. 9% of people in Indiareported having an extendedperiod of depression withintheir lifetime, nearly 36%suffered from what is calledMajor Depressive Episode(MDE).

v The Supreme Court of India on25 July 2011 stated in its ruling that water allocated by a statefor a particular region is not amatter of judicial review.

v The Supreme Court of India on19 July 2011 directed the Centre,States and Union Territories tocarry out a comprehensivesurvey to determine the numberof sex workers in India who areagreeable for rehabilitation.

v he Union Cabinet of India in itsmeeting on 7 July 2011 decidedto increase the developmentfunds allocated to Members ofParliament under Local AreaDevelopment (MPLAD) Schemefrom the existing 2 crore to 5crore rupees from the financialyear 2011-12.

v India on 21 July 2011 acceptedinternational norms for theprevention of air pollutionemanating from ships. Thenorms were proposed undera 1997 protocol of the InternationalMaritime organisation.

v The Union Cabinet cleared a Billthat seeks to create a nationaldatabase of academicqualifications in DMAT format,which will authenticate andreissue certificates.

v With the World Bank looseningits purse strings to the tune of$0.5 million, India launched itsfirst pollution cap and tradescheme.

v The Union Cabinet of India,approved the amendments tothe Indian Forest Act, 1927 tostop instances of unnecessaryharassment and prosecution offorest dwellers and tribals forminor offences. Besides, torestrain the arbitrary power ofthe forest official, a clause couldbe added to the Act accordingto which the forest official willhave to consult and record theviews of the gram sabha orvillage assembly beforeadjudging a person to haveviolated the law.

v Union Cabinet of India,approved the PFRDA (PensionFund Regulatory andDevelopment Authority) Billand the State Bank of India(Subsidiary Bank Laws)Amendment Bill.

v The Supreme Court of Indiaupheld that if holding of anenquiry against a governmentemployee involved in espionagehas the potential to jeopardisenational security and India’srelations with its neighbouringcountries, he could be sacked bydispensing with it.

v The Union Cabinet of India,approved the Bureau of IndianStandards (Amendment) Bill,2011. The objective of the bill isto empower the government tomake hallmarking mandatory.

v The Land Acquistion, Relief andRehabilitation Bill, 2011, wasapproved by the Union Cabineton 5 September 2011. It aims to








put in place a transparent andlegal framework for landacquisition.

v An Earthquake of 6.8magnitude Hit Sikkim whichresulted in the innumerable lossof human lives. The epicentreof the quake, the biggest in twodecades, was located at Manganand Sakyong areas, over 50kilometres from Gangtok on theSikkim-Nepal border.

v For Suspension of Operations(against ULFA), a tripartiteagreement was signed betweenthe Centre, the Assam stategovernment and the outlawedUnited Liberation Front ofAsom (ULFA) in New Delhi on3 September 2011 with theobjective of bringing permanentpeace in Assam.

v The National FrequencyAllocation Plan-2011 (NAFP)was released by Shri Kapil Sibal,the Union Minister ofCommunications andInformation Technology toensure its efficient and effectivemanagement.

v The Union Minister of SocialJustice & Empowerment ShriMukul Wasnik has said that theGovernment is activelyconsidering therecommendations of acommittee set up to formulatea draft New National Policy onSenior Citizens.

v The Union Cabinet of India on15 September 2011 approvedAmendments to the NationalInstitute of Mental Health andNeuro-Sciences, Bangalore Bill,2010.

v The Union government of Indiamade it mandatory for tobacco

traders, retailers, vendors todisplay the pictorial warning onall the tobacco related productsat their stores.

v The Supreme Court on 15September 2011 recommendedto the Centre and stategovernments to provide rationand voter cards to sex workersby relaxing the verificationprocedure.

v The Gujarat LegislativeAssembly on 27 September 2011passed the Gujarat AnimalPreservation (Amendment) Bill2011.

v Ministry of Consumer Affairs,Food and Public Distributionhas urged the NationalCooperative ConsumerFederation (NCCF) to plan newstrategies and expend itsnetwork to take advantage ofthe free and open economicenvironment in the country.

v A UN study ranked India at 134out of 187 countries in terms ofHuman Development Index.The study however observedthat life expectancy at birth inIndia has increased by 10.1 percent a year over the last twodecades.

v The Mines and MineralDevelopment and Regulation(MMDR) Bill, 2011 that providesfor mining companies to keepaside 26 per cent of their netprofits for a MineralDevelopment Fund to be usedfor development andrehabilitation of project-affectedpeople in the tribal areas of thecountry approved by UnionCabinet.

v The union government of Indiadecided to ban the use of

infertility drug Letrozole whichis mainly recommended fortreating Cancer patients.

v A developmental action plancalled Saranda Action plan forNaxal Affected districts inNaxal affected districtsparticularly in easternIndia,finalised by the UnionGovernment of India . TheSaranda Action Plan wasprepared by Rural DevelopmentMinistry. It will be implementedfirstly in Jharkhand’s Naxal-hitSaranda district.

v The Election Commission ofIndia raised the cap ofminimum votes a political partymust secure in election to get thestatus of a State party ormaintain it further.

v A study conducted jointly by theInstitute for Health Metrics andEvaluation, University ofWashington, University ofHong Kong and the PublicHealth Foundation of India(PHFI) found that Avahansuccessfully slowed thetransmission of HIV among thegeneral population.

v Haryana has become one of thefirst States in the country to takeup implementation of Crimeand Criminal Tracking Networkand Systems (CCTNS), amission mode project of theUnion Home Ministry, to createa platform for sharingintelligence and informationabout crime and criminalsacross the country.

v Proposal of the Ministry ofInformation and Broadcastingfor pursuing the Prasar Bharati(Broadcasting Corporation ofIndia) Amendment Bill, 2010








approved by the Union Cabinetof India on 1 November 2011.

v A nationwide campaign,“Karmayuga: The right everywrong generation”, aiming tobring together and recognisecitizen volunteers, uncommonand unsung heroes trying tolead society towards a bettertomorrow through theirsustained focus, was launched.

v Proposal of Information andBroadcasting Ministry topublicize the Digitalisation ofAnalogue Cable SystemsOrdinance was approved by theUnion Cabinet of India on 13October 2011.

v The Supreme Court hasdeprecated the practice of saleof immovable propertiesthrough sale agreement/generalpower of attorney/will transfer,and said such sale of propertyis not valid.

v The latest Microsoft SecurityIntelligence Report said thatWhile the world is becomingmore secure when it comes tocyber security, in India thecomputer infection rate isclimbing, having almost threetimes the worldwide average ofcertain threat categories such asviruses and worms.

v The Union Cabinet approvedsetting up of six new NationalInstitutes of PharmaceuticalEducation and Research(NIPERs) to meet the shortageof skilled manpower in thepharmaceutical sector.The newinstitutes will come up atGandhinagar, Hyderabad,Kolkata, Hajipur, Guwahati andRae Bareli.

v The Supreme Court of India on

1 December 2011 stated thatsection497 of the Indian penalCode is biased against men. Thesection punishes a man alonefor adultery for havingconsensual sex with a marriedwoman.

v The Supreme Court ruled on 28November 2011 that awardspassed by the Lok Adalat eitherin criminal or civil matters arebound to be implementedthrough a court decree if partiesafter reaching a compromise failto stick to it.

v Tamil Nadu government on 24November 2011 banned thescreening of Hollywood filmDam 999 with immediate effect.The movie directed by SohanRoy is believed to be based ondisputed Mullaperiyar Dambetween Tamilnadu and Kerala.

v The Supreme Court of Indiaruled that a Hindu Womancannot be evicted from thematrimonial home after divorceexcept through proceduresanctioned by law.

v The Union Cabinet of India on16 November 2011 approved theofficial amendment to theProhibition of Unfair Practices inTechnical Educational Institutions,Medical Educational Institutionsand Universities Bill, 2010 basedon the recommendations of theParliamentary StandingCommittee on HRD forconsideration of the Parliament.

v A report on child rights, India’sChild Rights Index, a first-of-its-kind report was released on 9November 2011 by the HAQ-Centre for Child Rights. Keralatopped the national child rightsindex, followed by Karnataka.

Arunachal Pradesh was foundto be the worst performer inprotecting the rights of children.

v Tribal Affairs Ministry launcheda scheme, Adivasi Shiksha RinnYojana (ASRY) on 2 November2011 to offer subsidisededucation loans to ScheduledTribe students at concessionalrate for higher, professional andtechnical education ing o v e r n m e n t - a p p r o v e dinstitutions.

v Union Rural DevelopmentMinistry announced on 4November 2011 thatComptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) willaudit performance of allschemes under the Ministries ofRural Development andDrinking Water and Sanitation.

v Infant mortality rate (IMR) hasshown a 3 point decline,dropping from 50 deaths per1,000 live births to 47 andmoving a step closer toachieving the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDG)target of 30.

v India has half of Asia’s HIVpatients and is way ahead ofChina in disease burden. It alsofinds a place in the list of 22countries prioritised forpreventing mother to childtransmission infection,according to the latest UNAIDSreport, drafted jointly with theUnited Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF) and the World HealthOrganisation (WHO).

v Rajya Sabha approved theExport-Import Bank of IndiaAmendment Bill, 2011, on 27December 2011.

v The Lok Sabha on 27 December








2011, approved the Lokpal andLokayukta Bill, 2011 with thegovernment making it clear thatsetting up of Lokayuktas by thestates would not be mandatory.

v Rajya Sabha approved theRegulation of Factor(Assignments Receivable Bill,2011) on 27 December 2011 tohelp micro, small and mediumenterprises.

v Rajya Sabha of IndianParliament on 22 December2011 passed the bill theConstitution (Scheduled Tribes)Order (Amendment) Bill, 2011 toamend the list of ScheduledTribes and add more tribes fromNorth-Eastern India.

v Maharashtra government willspend Rs. 800 crore on the firstphase of a health scheme for thepoor, which is slated to benefitnearly 50 lakh families fromeight districts, MaharashtraDeputy Chief Minister AjitPawar said at a function, underthe ‘Rajiv Gandhi JeevandayeeArogya Yojana.

v The Union cabinet of India on22 December 2011 approved 4.5percent share for minoritieswithin the 27% OBC quota injobs and university seats.

v The Union Cabinet of India on18 December 2011 approved adraft National Food Security Billthat seeks to give legalentitlement of cheaper food-grains to 62.5 per cent of thecountry’s population.

v A bench of the Supreme Courtincluding Justices BS Chauhanand TS Thakur on 16 December2011 ruled that even animals areentitled to accidentcompensation.

v The Union Ministry of HomeAffairs agreed to fill 10% of theGroup ‘B’ posts in CentralParamilitary Forces fromamong Ex-Servicemen.Presently, the scheme caters to38 lakh beneficiaries including12 lakhEx-Servicemen and over26 lakh dependents.

v The Lok Sabha on 13 December2011 unanimously passed a Billto further amend theCableTelevision Networks RegulationAct, 1995.

v The Supreme Court of Indiadirected Tamil Nadu to ensurethat the water level in theMullaperiyar dam does notexceed 136 feet but declined toentertain Kerala’s plea forreducing the level to 120 feet.

v Karnataka has now emerged asone of the top sugar producingStates in the country, afterMaharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

v The Lok Sabha on 12 December2011 passed the amendmentsto the Petro-leum and MineralsPipelines (Acquisition of Rightof User in Land) Act, 1962.

v The Lok Sabha on 12 December2011 unanimously passedthe National Capital Territory ofDelhi Laws (Special Provisions)Bill of 2011, which granted athree-year term extension to theMaster Plan of Delhi (MPD).

v The Government decided to setup a village water andsanitation committee in eachGram Panchayat, village andward to ensure safe drinkingwater supply.

v Supreme Court of India on 8December 2011 directed allstates to ensure vehicles carrytamper-free high security

number plates within fourweeks.

v The Supreme Court of India on1 December 2011 stated thatsection497 of the Indian penalCode is biased against men.

v Planning commission od Indiaon 19 January 2012 approvedinvestment clearance for thescheme – Rudrasagar DrainageDevelopment Scheme, Tripura.

v As per the latest official data, thetotal number of family planningacceptors in India increased by3.5 per cent between 2010 and2011.

v Indian MeteorologicalDepartment on its 137thfoundation day (15 January2012), installed C-BandPolarimetric Doppler Radarsystem at Mausam Bhawan,New Delhi.

v Union Ministry for HumanResource Development on 18January 2012 announced thatthere would be a GrievanceRedressal mechanisms in highereducational institutions.

v Union Ministry for HumanResource Development on 18January 2012 announced thatthere would be a GrievanceRedressal mechanisms in highereducational institutions.

v The Union Cabinet of India on12 January 2012 approved theNarcotics Drugs and PsychotropicSubstances (NDPS) policy, withthe objective of checking illicitproduction of psychotropicsubstances, curb drug abuseand stop trafficking of suchitems.

v President Pratibha Patil visitedthe Satish Dhawan Space Centre








(SDSC SHAR) at Sriharikota on2 January 2012 and inauguratedthe new Mission Control Centre.

v The National MineralDevelopment Corporation(NMDC) signed a contract witha consortium led by ShriramEPC Limited (SEPC) for By-Product Plant (BPP) package forthe upcoming three milliontonnes per annum integratedsteel plant at Nagarnar inChattisgarh.

v Rajasthan Chief Minister AshokGehlot on 11 January 2012inaugurated a 5-MW solarenergy plant by SunEdison.SunEdiso is the leading solarenergy services provider, atPhalodi in Jodhpur district.

v The Central InformationCommission(CIS) held in thefirst week of January 2012 thatall information in possession ofthe office of the Chief Justice ofIndia is not completely exemptfrom disclosure under the Rightto Information (RTI) act.

v The Union Cabinet is likely togive its final approval for anational mission to try andimprove the accuracy ofmonsoon forecasts by thismonth-end.

v India became free from bird flu,H5N1. The government made adeclaration to this effect on 4January 2012.

v India on 4 January 2012approved 6600 crore rupeesacquisition of 490 Frenchadvanced missile systems toarm the Mirage-2000 fighterjets.

v Rajya Sabha approved theExport-Import Bank of India

Amendment Bill, 2011, on 27December 2011.

v Rajya Sabha approved theRegulation of Factor(Assignments Receivable Bill,2011) on 27 December 2011 tohelp micro, small and mediumenterprises.

v The 10th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas(PBD) was held on 7-9 January,2012 at Birla Auditorium, Jaipur.

v A US (United States) federaljudge dismissed a lawsuit filedagainst the Sri Lankan PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa.

v North Korea agreed to suspendits nuclear and uraniumenrichment programme inreturn for US food aid.

v India took over the chair ofassembly and governing boardof Association of SupremeAudit Institutions (ASOSAI).

v The UN Human Rights Councilasked Syria to immediately stopthe attacks on civilians by thesecurity forces.

v The second round of talksbetween the five-memberIAEA(International AtomicEnergy Association) team led byits Chief weapons inspector,Herman Naeckarts and Iraniangovernment failed.

v The former President of theMaldives, Mohamed Nasheed,displayed admirable restraint asnew President Waheed Hassanfinally got his act together,named a new Cabinet, andembarked on a Himalayan taskof making the national unitygovernment work.

v In the most unmistakable signyet that he has thrown down thegauntlet to his Republican

challengers in the Novemberpresidential election, UnitedStates President Barack Obamaannounced a dramatic increasein the tax rate for the wealthiestAmericans, to about 30 per cent.

v Iran launched 3 nuclear projectsincluding a fourth generationUltra Centrifuge, which iscapable of enriching theUranium faster than its earliermodels.

v The marines of Italianship Enrica Lexie, LatoreMassimiliano and SalvatoreGirone allegedly killed twofishermen Valentine Jalastineand Ajeesh Binki off the coast ofKollam in Kerala.

v Syria rejected the Arab Leagueproposal for deployment of aJoint UN-Arab Peacekeepingmission by the UN SecurityCouncil to monitor the situationin the country, describing it as ahostile act that targets Syria’sstability and security.

v The Army resumed bordercoordination with theInternational SecurityAssistance Force (ISAF)stationed in Afghanistan and theAfghan National Army after atwo-month freeze in relationsfollowing the NATO air strikeon Pakistani border outposts.

v China has announced it willincrease defence spending by11.2 per cent in 2012, for the firsttime taking its annual militaryexpenditure beyond $100 billionas it puts in place plans tomodernise its Army against thebackdrop of an uncertainregional environment.

v Iran has announced that it isready to open up its Parchin








military facility for inspectionsby the International AtomicEnergy Agency (IAEA) — amove likely to retard thegrowing call for military strikesagainst Iran’s nuclear facilities.

v In Syria, President Bashar al-Assad set 7 May 2012 as the datefor parliamentary elections.

v A 6.8-magnitude earthquakestruck off the coast of the centralPhilippines in the narrow straitbetween the heavily populatedislands of Negros and Cebu.

v A 5p (GBP0.05) plastic bag taxwill be imposed in NorthernIreland from next year. AlexAttwood, environmentminister, said “we want todemonstrate that the NorthernIreland government is dedicatedto the green agenda.”

v Indonesia became the 157thcountry to adopt theComprehensive Test Ban Treaty.Indonesia formalisedratification of the nuclear testban treaty on 6 February 2012at the United Nations.

v Russia and China on 4 February2012 vetoed the UN SecurityCouncil resolution for thesecond time in four months.

v NATO allies discussed onThursday U.S. plans to endcombat operations inAfghanistan in 2013 and shift toa training mission, as thealliance seeks to wind down awar that has dragged on for adecade.

v The International CriminalCourt on Wednesday convictedCongolese militia chief ThomasLubanga of war crimes forconscripting children into his

army, the tribunal’s first eververdict.

v Less than a week after a similarmove by micro-blogging siteTwitter, Internet major Googlehas unveiled plans to makecontent on its blogger platformselectively available, dependingon the local rules of eachcountry.

v China’s ambitious $80-billionproject to divert waters ofsouthern rivers to the arid northis nearing completion and willbegin supplying water nextyear, officials have said.

v The tension intensified betweenRussia and The United States on22 May 2011 over missiledefence in Europe. Russiawarned US of mad arms race ifthe latter goes ahead with itsplans on missile defence inEurope.

v The Chinese government said itviewed the security situation inthe Asia-Pacific as “volatile”,pointing to the United States“reinforcing” regional militaryalliances and rising suspicionsamong China’s neighbours.

v The United Progressive Alliance(UPA) government, after somethought, has abandoned theidea of either tightening thelaws to “protect the honour” ofMahatma Gandhi or of banninghis controversial biography,Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhiand his struggle with India,written by Pulitzer Prize-winning former executive editorof The New York Times JosephLelyveld.

v The United Nations and thegovernment it supports in IvoryCoast are trading accusations

over the killings of hundreds ofcivilians in a western town.

v Ivory Coast leader AlassaneOuattara’s forces, backed byFrench and U.N. troops,captured his besieged rivalLaurent Gbagbo in Abidjan atthe climax of a deadlymonthslong crisis.

v Cuba kicks off a crucialCommunist Party congress witha massive military and civilianparade to mark 50 years sincethe defeat of CIA-backed exilesat the Bay of Pigs, still celebratedas a landmark triumph over theisland’s powerful neighbour tothe north.

v The war of words between oil-rich Iran and Saudi Arabia isescalating dangerouslyfollowing Riyadh’s militaryintervention in Bahrain, wherea security crackdown againstpro-democracy dissidentsshows no signs of abating.

v Popular singer-turned-politician Michel Martelly wasdeclared winner of Haiti’spresidential election.

v U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon hassaid he cannot order aninternational probe into thekilling of tens of thousands ofcivilians during Sri Lanka’s finalassault on Tamil separatists in2009.

v Russia marked a half centurysince Yuri Gagarin became thefirst man in space, the greatestvictory of Soviet science whichexpanded human horizons andstill remembered by Russians astheir finest hour.

v The central bank of Bangladesh,the Bangladesh Bank, has








removed Nobel Laureate Dr.Muhammad Yunus as theManaging Director of GrameenBank.

v China has unveiled plans to linkup Tibet and Xinjiang, its twofar-western frontier regions,with a new railway network aspart of a wider initiative to boostinfrastructure projects in borderareas in the next Five-Year Plan(2011-15).

v he US credit rating wasdowngraded to AA+ from AAAby Standard and Poor ’s. Thiscan increase the cost ofborrowing for the US andsetting off more panic selling instock markets.

v The UN Human Rights Councilordered an investigation intoviolations committed by theSyrian regime during itscrackdown on popular protests.

v China announced measures tomake it easier for Hong Kongcompanies to invest in mainlandsecurities, the latest step in acontinuing drive to make theyuan an international currency.

v Google’s $12.5 billion takeoverof Motorola Mobility, priced at32 times the latter ’s earnings, isthe costliest takeover in the last12 years.

v North Korea agreed to go aheadwith international talks ondenuclearisation of the Koreanpeninsula. North Koreaexpressed its readiness toimpose a moratorium on testsof weapons of mass destructionand resume the stalled six-partytalks on its nuclear programme.

v The opposition group in Yemenelected an umbrella council to

take over power from PresidentAli Abdullah Saleh, who is inRiyadh. He has been there forthe past 10 weeks recoveringfrom a bomb balst. Theumbrella council consists of 143members and it is namedNational Council for the Forcesof the Peaceful Revolution.

v China launched its first aircraftcarrier for a maiden run. Theaircraft carrier is about 300meters long. It will be used fortraining and as a model forfuture carriers.

v New Zealand governmentimposed a 12-month ban onSynthetic cannabisproducts.The government saidthe use of 43 artificial cannabisproducts could cause heartproblems.

v For the first time ever thenumber of people killed in roadaccidents has fallen below 150000 in the 52 member countriesof the International TransportForum (ITF), excluding India.

v US and European nations haspassed draft resolution fortougher UN sanctions againstSyria’s President Bashar al-Assad and other top regimeleaderships for their deadlycrackdown on oppositionprotests.

v To mark the 100th anniversary ofInternational Women’s Day, UNWomen announced a newregional programme to addressthe needs of widows in India,Nepal and Sri Lanka.

v The Dalai Lama announced thathe would step down as“political head” of the so-calledTibetan government-in-exile butwould remain as religious

leader and continue to advocate“meaningful autonomy” forTibet.

v Illinois became the 16th State ofthe United States to abolish thedeath penalty when itsGovernor,Pat Quinn,announced the decision.

v A ferocious tsunami spawnedby one of the largestearthquakes ever recordedslammed Japan’s eastern coast,killing hundreds of people as itswept away boats, cars andhomes while widespread firesburned out of control.

v Hina Rabbani Khar wasappointed as Pakistan’s newforeign minister. Khar ,34, is theyoungest minister to accept thepost.

v The United States Bureau ofLabour Statistics (BLS) revealedthat the unemployment in USincreased to 9.2 percent for themonth of June and over 14million people were jobless.

v USA announced that it withheldthe 800 million dollars aid to thePakistan’s military. This actiontaken by the US governmentsuggests that US doesn’t relycompletely on Pakistan in itsfight against terrorism.

v A two-day meeting of foreignministers of the 46-nation Asia-Europe (ASEM) held inGodollo, Hungary. This was the10th ASEM Foreign Ministers’Meeting.

v The United Nations-AfricanUnion peacekeeping force inDarfur welcomed theagreement signed on 14 July2011, between the SudaneseGovernment and the rebel








Liberation and JusticeMovement (LJM).

v FDA’s Center for VeterinaryMedicine together with othernational and internationalveterinary groups declared 2011as the World Veterinary Year.2011 marks the 250thanniversary of the founding ofthe world’s first veterinaryschool in Lyon, France.

v The World Investment Report2011 was released by UNCTADon 26 July 2011. According to thereport, India’s position amongthe top 20 FDI recipients fell to14th position, from 8th in 2009.

v Russia made an announcementthat it built a missile defenceshield which covers two-thirdsof the country.

v Vietnam’s lawmaking NationalAssembly appointed TruongTan Sang as the communistcountry’s new president on 25July 2011 following Vietnam’s13th National Assemblyelection.

v An Italian parliamentarycommission approved a draftlaw banning women fromwearing veils that cover theirfaces in public.

v 17-nation Euro Zone Summitwas held in Brussels, capital ofBelgium with the objective offinalizing a second rescuepackage for debt plaguedGreece and calm the financialmarkets of Europe.

v Britain announced a new visacategory to facilitate theimmigration for exceptionallytalented people from India andother non-EU countries in thefields of humanities,engineering, arts and science.

v On 20 July 2011 the UnitedNations declared a famine,occurring in the Bakool andLower Shabelle regions ofsouthern Somalia.

v Ahead of the third anniversaryof the March 14 riots in Tibet, atop official from the region saidthe government would paymore attention to preservingTibetan culture to address risingconcerns about imbalancedgrowth.

v Outside the glare of media, a tri-nation monitoring group ofdiplomats has been establishedin Dubai to brainstorm ways ofrescuing sailors on board shipsthat Somali pirates havehijacked.

v Bahrain’s King pledged to bringreforms and anotherdemonstrator was confirmed tohave died in a crackdown onpro-democracy protesters, asinternational calls mounted forrestraint.

v Germany announced itsdecision to phase out its all thenuclear plants by 2022. Thisdecision, prompted by Japan’sFukushima nuclear disaster,will make Germany the firstmajor industrialized nation togo nuclear-free.

v Swiss parliament gave approvalto Switzerland’s amendments totax treaties with other countries,including India. This makeseasier access for India, to collectinformation about the illegalfunds held by the Indiannationals in Swiss privatebanks.

v The Parliament of Bangladesh,the Jatiyo Sangsad, passed theConstitution (15th Amendment)

Bill, 2011 on 30 June 2011 toamend its constitution underwhich the caretaker governmentsystem for holding generalelections was scrapped.

v The six-nation ShanghaiCooperation Organisation(SCO) celebrated its 10thanniversary on 15 June 2011 inAstana, the capital city ofKazakhstan, by summing up itsachievements and outlining itsfuture direction.

v The United Nations launched adrive, Sustainable sanitation:The Five-Year-Drive to 2015 toaccelerate progress towards thegoal of halving the proportionof the population without accessto basic sanitation by 2015.

v Yingluck Shinawatra from thePheu Thai (PT) party, had astunning victory aginst heropposition party, DemocratParty in Thailand’s election .

v President of Yemen AliAbdullah Saleh left for SaudiArabia for medical treatmentand thus ended his 33-year ruleover the nation.

v The Government of India andAsian Development Bank(ADB) signed a $132 millionloan agreement forstrengthening Bihar ’s powersector. The project is expected tobe completed by 31 December2015.

v The International AtomicEnergy Agency (IAEA) in aconcluding session of aninternational ministerialconference in Vienna on 24 June2011 expressed urgency to takeappropriate action on the basisof lessons from the civil nuclearaccident at the quake-and-








tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichiplant in Japan.

v Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad proposed holding of anational dialogue that willrecommend sweeping reformsaimed at transforming thepolitical landscape.

v People of Morocco approvedthe constitutional reformswhich is expected to bringdemocratic reforms in thecountry.

v According to the UN-HABITATreport on the State of the WorldCities 2010/2011: Bridging theUrban Divide, Governmentsacross the world workedcollectively to lift 227 millionpeople out of slum conditions,surpassing the MillenniumDevelopment target by 2.2times.

v According the report, The Worldin 2050 by PricewaterhouseCoopers, India can be expectedto be the fastest growing largeeconomy in the world over theperiod to 2050.

v The Central bank in SouthKorea stated stated that theforeign investment in SouthKorea increased in 2010.

v Iran and Iraq signed agreementsin Tehran on the extradition ofeach other ’s detainees,including provisions for therepatriation of convicts to theircountry of origin.

v Ismail Omar Guelleh won thePresidential Elections inDjibouti according to theelection results declared.Guelleh of the ruling People’sRally for Progress (RPP) partygot 79.26 percent of the votewhile the only opposition

candidate Mohamed WarsamaRagueh could manage 20.74percent votes only.

v Japan decided to cut its OfficialDevelopment Assistance duringthe financial year 2011-12.

v Italy and France, agreed to jointsea and air patrols to blockTunisian migrants from comingto European shores.

v Russia proposed a plan tostrengthen the safety standardsin nuclear power plants of theworld with the objective of notallowing any nuclearcatastrophe similar toFukushima Daichi, Japan orChernobyl to happen in future.

v Iran agreed to resume talks onits controversial nuclearprogramme with six majornations- Britain, China, Russia,US, France and Germany.

v Russia finalised a deal withNATO in the second week ofApril 2011 to supply two dozencombat helicopters toAfghanistan and train localpilots.

v India and the World Banksigned IDA (InternationalDevelopment Association)credit of 162.7 million dollars forRajasthan Rural LivelihoodsProject, which will financelivelihood opportunities forsome 400000 village householdsin 17 districts of Rajasthan.

v India released a list of 50 mostwanted fugitives comprisingunderworld Don DawoodIbrahim, Hafiz Saeed, LeTfounder Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi hiding inPaksitan.India released this listto put pressure on Pakistan.

v The leaders of two mainPalestinian-factions, Fatah andHamas signed a reconciliationagreement.

v India ratified, the UnitedNations Convention againstTransnational Organised Crimeand its three protocols and theUnited Nations Conventionagainst Corruption.

v The Iranian Parliament (Majlis)imposed sanctions on 26 USofficials, including formerdefence and intelligence chiefs,for their alleged involvement inthe killing of civilians and thetorture of suspects in US-runprisons.

v The BRIC nations (Brazil,Russia, India and China) addedSouth Africa in its group inFebruary, 2011 and hence BRICis known as BRICS now.

v Burkina Faso’s president, BlaiseCompaore dismissed thecountry’s cabinet and the armychief.

v The election for the next “KalonTripa,” chairperson of thecabinet of the so-called Tibetangovernment-in-exile, alsoreferred to as its Prime Minister,generated keen interest in theDarjeeling hills not just withinthe Tibetan community therebut also among the rest of thelocal population.

v Thousands of Syrians marchedin the southern town of Daraaafter the funeral of a protesterkilled in the previous day’sdemonstration, a resident said.

v Bahrain’s king, Sheikh Hamadbin Isa Al Khalifa, declared the3-month state of emergency toquell an uprising by the Shiite








Muslim Majority of the nation.

v China’s trade deficit stood at 7.3billion US dollars in February2011, which is largest in sevenyears.

v According to the IATA(International Air TransportAssociation) announcement on23 February 2011, the year 2010was the safest one in terms ofglobal commercial aviation.

v King Abdullah of Saudi Arabiaon 25 September 2011 grantedwomen the right to vote and runin future municipal elections.

v The European Union on 2September 2011announced aban on oil imports from Syria.

v Garman Parliament approvedexpanded powers for the EU’smain bailout fund. TheParliament voted in favour of anenhanced 440 billion euroEuropean Financial StabilityFacility (EFSF).

v The United States on 15September 2011 declared theIndian Mujahideen terror groupas a Foreign TerroristOrganization (FTO) underSection 219 of the Immigrationand nationality act as a speciallydesignated global terroristunder section 1(b) of executiveorder 13224.

v India on 22 September 2011 tookover the presidency of the G-24group of 24 developingcountries after a gap of 28 years.

v The 7th Regional Conference ofADB/OECD Anti-Corruptioninitiative on Asia and the Pacificwas inaugurated by thePresident of India Smt. PratibhaDevisingh Patil in NewDelhi.The Conference is aimed

at ‘building multi-disciplinaryframework to combat corruption’.

v Iran made the announcement on11 September 2011 that it woulddonate USD 100 million toPakistan to help rehabilitate itsflood affected people in thecountry’s Sindh province.

v 8th International Abilympics, avocational skill competitionamong the person withdisability, was held in Seoul,Republic of Korea fromSeptember 25-30, 2011.

v The core voluntary budget ofUN Entity for Gender Equalityand the Empowerment ofWomen or UN Women hasreceived USD 1 million fromIndia, for the year 2011.

v Muammar Gaddafi, who ruledLibya for over 40 years, waskilled on 20 October 2011 whiletrying to flee from hishometown, Sirte.

v An earthquake measuring 7.2on the Richter scale killed manypeople in eastern Turkey on 23October 2011.

v Two former Rwandan Ministerswere jailed for 30 years by theInternational Criminal Tribunalfor Rwanda for involvement inthe central African country’s1994 genocide.

v Russia and Bangladesh signed adeal to build a nuclear powerplant at Rooppur in Pabnadistrict.

v Palestine got the membership ofUNESCO (United NationsEducational, Scientific andCultural Organisation) with 107votes in favour and 14 votesagainst, there were 52abstentions.

v China became Russia’s biggesttrading partner. The exports andimports between these twonations touched 50.8 billion USdollars from January to August2011.

v People living in some of thevulnerable areas along the coastwere evacuated in Orissa,Puducherry and Maharashtra asIndia joined 23 other IndianOcean Rim nations inconducting a 12-hour mocktsunami drill codenamed‘Exercise IO Wave11.

v India took over as the Chairmanof United Nations South AsianRegional Commission fortourism.

v The 6th G20 (industrialist anddeveloping countries) summitwas held in Cannes, France onNovember 3 and 4, 2011 todiscuss key issues in the globaleconomy.

v On 5 October 2011 Russia andChina vetoed UN SecurityCouncil draft resolutionrecommending sanctionsagainst Syria for the ongoingcrackdown on Protesters.

v Egypt’s military councilamended a contentious electionlaw to allow parties to contest athird of the seats in Parliamentreserved for independents.

v The Comptroller and AuditorGeneral of India (CAG) hasbeen appointed as externalauditor of two major UNorganisations, the Vienna-basedInternational Atomic EnergyAgency (IAEA) and the Geneva-based World IntellectualProperty Organisation (WIPO).

v The U.N. General Assembly’s








human rights committee on 22November 2011 voted tostrongly condemn Syria’scrackdown on dissent.

v The United Kingdom shutdown the Iranian embassy inLondon and expelled all its staffin retaliation to the storming ofthe British diplomaticcompound by an angry mob.

v The Bangladeshi Parliament on29 November 2011 passed alandmark bill, the VestedProperties Return (Amendment)Bill 2011 that will enable Hindusto reclaim their property takenover by the government andindividuals.

v Kuwait’s Prime Minister SheikhNasser Mohammad al-Ahmadal-Sabah and the Cabinetresigned on 28 November 2011amid accusations of corruption.

v The Justice and DevelopmentParty (PJD) won theparliamentary elections inMorocco according to the pollresults announced on 27November 2011.

v India was elected to the UnitedNations’ Joint Inspection Unit(JIU) and returned to thisoversight body after a gap of 35years. India’s five-year termwith the body will start from 1January 2013. India defeatedChina to get a place on the JIU.

v China on 18 November 2011signed a contract with ISA(International SeabedAuthority) to gain rights toexplore polymetallic sulphideore deposits in Indian Oceanover the next 15 years.

v World powers on 17 November2011 put forward a resolution at

IAEA (International AtomicEnergy Association), expressingdeep and increasing concernabout Iran’s nuclearprogramme following a hard-hitting IAEA report.

v APEC summit 2011 was held inHonolulu, Hawaii from 8November to 13 November2011. Under the chairmanshipof US President Barak Obama,leaders of the Asia-PacificEconomic Cooperation (APEC)forum agreed a comprehensiveset of measures to increaseeconomic growth and jobcreation by expanding trade andinvestment in the Asia-Pacificregion.

v The 17th SAARC (South AsianAssociation for RegionalCooperation) Summit (theheads of states) held inHithadhoo, Addu, Maldives on10 November and 11 November2011. A 20-point AdduDeclaration was adopted on 11November 2011 to forgeeffective cooperation among themember states in a host of areasincluding economy,connectivity, climate changeand food security.

v The leader of the RevolutionaryArmed Forces of Colombia(FARC), Guillermo Leon Saenzalias Alfanso Cano was killed ina government bombing raid inthe Cauca department,southwest Colombia in the firstweek of November 2011.

v Maldives on 4 January 2012lifted ban on spas in theupmarket tourist destinationfollowing its verification thatthese spas were not being usedfor prostitution.

v The Israel-Palestine talks endedin the first week of January 2012with the international mediatorsfrom Quartet (the UnitedNations, the United States, theEuropean Union, and Russia)and Jordan ended without anybreakthrough in Amman,capital of Jordan.

v India is one of only fourcountries which, during the firsthalf of 2011, requested Googleto remove content on the basisthat it was critical of thegovernment.

v The United Nations (UN) andthe Iraqi Government on 24December 2011 signed anagreement to relocate Iranianexiles living in a camp innortheastern part of Iraq.

v The leaders of the CSTO(Collective Security TreatyOrganisation) nations on 21December 2011 agreed that thedeployment of foreign bases intheir territory would be donewith the approval of all partnersof the defence alliance.

v Making a diplomatically riskytrip to the long-isolatedSoutheast Asian nation ofMyanmar, U.S. Secretary ofState Hillary Rodham Clintonsaid she wanted to see forherself whether new civilianleaders were truly ready tothrow off 50 years of militarydictatorship a test that includesrare face-to-face meetings withformer members of the junta.

v As per the Charities AidFoundation’s World GivingIndex, India ranked as the mostuncharitable nation of SouthAsia in 2011.

v Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai (62), a








Kashmiri-origin U.S. citizenarrested by the Federal Bureauof Investigation on July 19, 2011for allegedly acting as anunregistered lobbyist ofPakistan’s Inter-ServicesIntelligence, pleaded guilty toconspiracy and tax violations.

v NATO ended its trainingmission in Iraq on 17 December2011. The mission was aimed atassisting in the development ofIraqi security forces trainingstructures and institutions.

v The UN Security Council on 16December 2011 lifted sanctionson Libya’s central bank and thecountry’s foreign investmentsbanks.

v The US military officially endedits mission in Iraq on 15December 2011.

v The Government of Canadaannounced on 12 December2011 that women who aspire forCanadian citizenship can’t wearburqa or Islamic hijab whenthey take oath of citizenship.

v The 4th International TaxDialogue (ITD), a globalconference on Tax andInequality was inaugurated bythe Finance Ministry of Indiafrom 7 December to 9 December2011.

v Greek Parliament on 7December 2011 approved abudget for 2012 pledging toughfiscal goals demanded byEuropean Union partners inreturn for fresh loans.

v The first Global BuddhistCongregation which was aimedto provide a joint platform toBuddhist communities acrossthe world and also to impact

geo-politics in Asia wasconcluded in New Delhi on 30November 2011.

v In Egypt, the military rulersdeclared partial lifting ofemergency in the country. Themove comes into effect from 25January 2012- the firstanniversary of the 25th Januaryrevolution which saw theoverthrowing of the decadeslong Mubarak regime in thecountry a year ago.

v Haditha residents and relativesof the 24 Iraqi civilians killed in2005 in the town by U.S. troopsvoiced disgust and shock overthe light sentence meted out toa soldier involved in themassacre.

v Nicaraguan ex-rebel DanielOrtega, joined by allies fromIran and Venezuela, started histhird mandate as President witha legislative super majority thathas provoked fears ofauthoritarianism.

v The Bangladesh army foiled aplanned coup in December 2011attempt to topple thegovernment of Prime MinisterSheikh Hasina.

v The UN nuclear watchdog,IAEA on 12 January 2012confirmed that Iran startedenriching uranium to 20percent. The production istaking place at Fordo, a nuclearfacility 160 kilometers south-west of Tehran.

v China has announced it willaccelerate plans to expand arailway network in Tibet toreach two towns near the borderwith India and will alsoconsider building a railway lineto Nepal. New railway lines

from Lhasa to Xigaze (Shigatsein Tibetan) and the town ofNyingchi, which lies in aprefecture bordering ArunachalPradesh, will be built as keyprojects under a five-yeardevelopment plan (2011-15) forthe Tibet Autonomous Region(TAR).

v Australia on 9 January 2012announced that it would scaleback sanctions againstMyanmar.

v The member states of EuropeanUnion(EU) on 4 January 2012,agreed in principle to banimport of Iranian crude oil toput pressure on Iran for itsnuclear programme.

v In one of their biggest arms deal,the US and Saudi Arabia on 28December 2011 inked anagreement worth 29.4 billion USdollars for the sale of 80 new F-15SA combat jets andmodernisation of another 70.

v An integrated approach tosupply and demand side watermanagement is the bestresponse to water stress andclimate change, experts fromAustralia and India pointed outat a panel discussion.

v India and Saudi Arabiadiscussed the World OilOutlook in New Delhi ,especially the growing demandfor hydrocarbons in Asia andIndia during the delegationlevel talks.

v India and Saudi Arabia agreedto set up a Joint Working Groupon Defence Co-operationduring the visit of DefenceMinister A.K Antony to thelatter.

v Senior officials heaved a sigh of








relief that the two-month-longpolitical confrontation in theMaldives appeared to be gettingpeacefully resolved despitebelligerent statements from asection of the Islamists againstMohd. Nasheed, who resignedas the country’s chief executive

v India handed over 20 millionDollars standby loan toMaldives in view of the difficultfinancial situation there.

v India and Bangladesh will takethe first step towards revisitingthe proposed Teesta river treatywhen officials exchange riverflow data at a technical meetingof the inter-governmental JointRivers Commission in Kolkata.

v India and Colombia signeda Cultural Exchange Programme(CEP) in New Delhi for theYears 2012-2016. The CEP wassigned in conformity with theprovision established in theCultural Agreement betweenthe Government of India andthe Government of Colombia.

v India and Pakistan agreed toextend the agreement to reducethe risk from accidents relatedto nuclear weapons for anotherfive years (till 21 February 2017),in accordance with Article 8 ofthe agreement between the twocountries.

v India asked Somalia to bring ina national anti-piracy legislationfor investigation andprosecution of suspected pirates

v India said there was no need toget its domestic nuclear liabilitylaw vetted by the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA)to ensure it complied with theConvention on SupplementalCompensation (CSC).

v India and United States agreedto explore new models foreducational institutions to takeknowledge partnership to ahigher level.

v Pakistan decided to grant IndiaMost-Favoured -Nation(MFN)trade status.

v India and Pakistan have agreedto normalise their economicrelations and jointly work todouble bilateral trade to sixbillion US dollars by 2014.

v India signed a deal with a SriLankan firm worth over 300crore rupees to procure 80 Fast-Interception Craft (FIC).

v A 14-day long India-Bangladeshjoint military exercise started on9 October 2011 at JalalabadCantonment in Sylhet division,some 240 km northeast ofcapital Dhaka. The militaryexercise between the twonations was code named OpSampriti.

v European Union launched aVisa Information System (VIS)for Indians and other non-EUcitizens applying for a Schengenvisa.

v India and the Czech Republicupgraded their economiccooperation and fixed a targetof bilateral trade volume of twobillion US Dollars by 2012.

v India and Iran agreed to set upa mechanism for payment ofcrude oil and ensure bilateraltrade.

v India has agreed to mentor theAfghan security forces as theygear up to deal with thedrawdown of foreign forces by2014 in a major development.

v India and Nepal on 27

November 2011 signed a revisedDouble Taxation AvoidanceAgreement (DTAA).

v India and the United ArabEmirates on 23 November 2011signed two key agreements. Thefirst agreement will allow eachother ’s convicted prisoners toserve the rest of their jail termsin their native country.

v Chinese Ambassador to India,Zhang Yan on 17 November2011 handed over the cheque of1 million US dollars forconstruction of a library inNalanda InternationalUniversity (NIU) to highlightthe Chinese art and architecture.

v Twelve of the 22 Indiandiamond traders, detained inChina for nearly 2 years oncharges of smuggling, reachedIndia on 5 January 2012 afterthey were let off followingdeportation orders by a Chinesecourt.

v Two merchant vessels ofChinese ownership leftanchorage midway through aninspection by the InternationalTransport Workers’ Federation(ITF), fearing action for nothaving given minimum wagesto their crew.

v India has rejected Pakistan’sproposal to move heavyartillery and mortars away fromthe Line of Control citingfrequent ceasefire violations.

v Global politics will be high onthe agenda of Prime MinisterManmohan Singh’s visit toRussia in the context of shiftingpower equations in the world,said India’s envoy to Russia.

v The Prime Minister of Indiavisited Russia on 15-17








December 2011 to participate inthe 12th Indo-Russian annualsummit. India and Russiasigned five major agreementsduring this summit, whichincludes licensed production ofan additional 42 Sukhoi combatplanes and to manage fly ashresidue at thermal plants inSiberia.

v India and Japan decided toexpedite work on infrastructureprojects and agreed to enhancethe currency swap arrangementfrom $3 billion to $ 15 billion.

v India and Australia on 16December 2011 signed anagreement to amend DTAA(Double Taxation AvoidanceAgreement) with the objectiveof ensuring more effectiveexchange of financialinformation between the twocountries. DTAA was signedbetween India and Australia in1991.

v Australia’s ruling Labour Partyon 4 December 2011 in itsannual policy conferenceapproved plans to open upuranium sales to India.

v India and Pakistan on 25January 2012 agreed in NewDelhi to transit fee formula forTapi (Tajikistan, Pakistan andIndia) gas pipeline project.

v India signed a multi-lateral taxtreaty with economic powerslike France and Germany tocheck both tax evasion andavoidance.

v The Government of India andthe World Bank on 20 January2012 signed an IDA credit of 130million US dollars to finance theproject called NERLP (NorthEast Rural Livelihoods Project),

to empower rural communitiesin the growth-deficient NorthEast (NE) region to improvetheir livelihood opportunities.

v In a breakthrough that will takeforward the ambitious $7.6-billion TAPI (Turkmenistan,Afghanistan, India andPakistan) pipeline project, Indiaand Pakistan on Wednesdayagreed to have a uniform transitfee to ferry natural gas fromTurkmenistan.

v India signed MoU with ASEAN(Association of Southeast AsianNations) at Manado, Indonesiaon 12 January 2012.

v The Economic and TradeMinisters of the BRICS (Brazil,Russia, India, China and SouthAfrica) nations have decided toset up a liaison group tointensify cooperation andpledged to oppose tradeprotectionism.

v The BRICS nations inked a pactto use their own currenciesinstead of the U.S. dollar inissuing credit or grants amongeach other and pushed for theearly conclusion of anIndiainitiated U.N.comprehensive anti-terror law.

v India and the United States on18 July 2011 agreed to step upScience and Technologycoordination in New Delhi.

v Germany on 25 July 2011revised an advisory that hadcautioned against trips toKashmir. Germany thus becamethe first European nation since1995 to allow its citizens to visitKashmir.

v India and Mongolia signedthree agreements which

includes defence cooperation,media exchanges andcooperation between theirplanning commissions duringthe visit of Indian PresidentPrtibha Patil to Mongolia.

v The Government of India signedan Agreement and Protocol forAvoidance of Double Taxationand the Prevention of FiscalEvasion with respect to Taxes onIncome and on Capital (DTAA)with Government of Lithuaniain New Delhi.

v India and the European Unionfinalised an interim settlementto make sure that Made in Indiaconsignments of genericmedicines will not be detainedwhile transiting throughEurope.

v China agreed to issue visas tokaratekas from ArunachalPradesh, who will representIndia in the 11th Asian Karate-do Championship.

v India and China reached an inprinciple agreement for settingup working mechanism forconsultations and coordinationon border affairs to maintainpeace along the boundaries ofthe two countries.

v India and Sri Lanka signed anagreement in Colomboaccording to which India is tohelp Sri Lanka in upgrading itsvocational training centres inthe Nuwara-Eliya district.

v IRCON and Sri Lanka railwayssigned an agreement for supplyand installation of the signalingand telecommunication systemfor railway network inNorthern Province of Sri Lanka.

v India asked Sri Lanka to probeallegation of human rights








violations during the waragainst LTTE (Liberation Tigersof Tamil Eelam).

v The Bilateral Aviation SafetyAgreement (BASA) betweenIndia and the USA wassigned.BASA will facilitatereciprocal airworthinesscertification of civil aeronauticalproducts imported/exportedbetween the two signatoryauthorities.

v India finally got a foothold inthe ongoing rush forhydrocarbons in Central Asiawith the signing of a clutch ofagreements during PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh’smaiden visit to Kazakhstan.

v With most initiatives havingbeen time consuming so far,India and Kazakhstan agreed ona three-year Joint Action Plan.It details specific milestones inhydrocarbons, civilian nuclearenergy, space, IT & cybersecurity, high-tech andinnovative technology,pharmaceuticals, healthcare,agriculture and culturalexchanges.

v Talks for putting together theTAPI “peace pipeline” remaineddeadlocked as representatives ofthe four nations —Turkmenistan, Afghanistan,Pakistan, and India — could notreach an agreement on theissues of gas price and transitfee.

v The Kingdom of Saudi Arabiahas announced additional quotaof 10000 seats for the Haj Season2011 for use by India.

v The Government of India signedan Agreement for Avoidance ofDouble Taxation and the

Prevention of Fiscal Evasionwith respect to Taxes on Incomeand on Capital (DTAA) withGovernment of Georgia.

v Chairman of University GrantsCommission Ved Prakash andDirector of British Council RobLynesformally signed aMemorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) tosupport all activities andprogrammes agreed underPhase Two of the UKIERIprogramme relating to theUniversity sector across the fourstrands.

v Top police officers from theSouth Asian Association forRegional Cooperation (SAARC)countries discussed terrorismand drug traffic-relatedproblems in the region, amongother policing issues, at a two-day conference in Colombo.

v A six-foot high, life-size portraitof Mughal emperor Jahangir,billed as one of the rarest andmost desirable 17th centurypaintings ever to go under thehammer, sold for a whopping £1.42 million (‘ 10 crore) at anauction in London.

v India took another step towardsquality parity with internationalstandards in the realm of non-clinical chemicalsmanufacturing when it joinedthe system for the MutualAcceptance of Data (MAD) inthe Assessment of Chemicals, amultilateral agreementsupported by the Organisationfor Economic Cooperation andDevelopment (OECD).

v With a gloomy economicscenario in the United States andthe European Union, India

should take lead and provide anew meaning to the BIMSTECengagement that has potentialof generating trade worth 43 to59 billion dollars under aproposed free trade agreement(FTA), apex chamberASSOCHAM .

v The United Nations Children’sFund (UNICEF) released theHumanitarian Action forChildren Report, 2011,requesting $1.4 billion in itsappeal to donors to assistchildren and women caught inthe throes of crises.

v India imposed a 3 monthcomplete ban on all foodimports from Japan, citing fearsover radioactive contaminationfrom the latter ’s nucleardisaster.

v Indian foreign secretaryNirupama Rao visited Japan.During her visit, India andJapan agreed to establish anIndia-Japan-United Statestrilateral dialogue on regionaland global issues of sharedinterest.

v India and Japan signed anagreement for six developmentprojects. As soft loan, Japanpromised to provide 7361 crorerupees under this agreement.The agreement was meant tosupport India’s quest for energyand its efforts to improveinfrastructure necessary forrapid growth in economy.

v The United Nations Children’sFund (UNICEF) released theHumanitarian Action forChildren Report, 2011,requesting $1.4 billion in itsappeal to donors to assistchildren and women caught inthe throes of crises.








v India-Japan CEPA(Comprehensive EconomicPartnership Agreement) entersinto force. This is India’s 3rdComprehensive EconomicPartnership Agreement (afterSingapore and South Korea)and India’s first with adeveloped country.

v India and Uzbekistan signed atotal of 34 agreements duringthe visit of Islam AbduganievichKarimov (President ofUzbekistan) to India.

v India and Uzbekistan signed anaction plan on tourismcooperation in New Delhi in thepresence of the First DeputyPrime Minister of UzbekistanRustom Azimov and UnionTourism Minister Subodh KantSahai.

v India signed two MoUs(Memorandum ofUnderstandings) with Ethiopiato avoid double taxation andpromote development of smallindustries.

v India offered expertise andlatest technology in sugarindustry to Ethiopia. NationalSugar Institute will hoststudents and technicians fromEthiopia to make them familiarwith latest technology in sugarindustry and will also sendexperts to provide training onthe spot in Ethiopia.

v India and Senegal discussedpossibilities of cooperation inFertiliser Sector.

v Germany announced easing ofexport control laws for India.The new laws allow India,accessing dual use items,marking a major developmentthat is beneficial in the

expansion of the nuclear energysector.

v India extended duty-free marketaccess to Afghanistan as part ofits economic package for LDCs(Least Developed Countries). Under this scheme, the importof most products from theneighbouring nation will beallowed at zero duty.

v India signed a Double TaxationAvoidance Agreement (DTAA)with the Republic of Colombiafor the avoidance of doubletaxation and for the preventionof fiscal evasion with respect totaxes on income.

v The Foreign minister ofPhilippines, Albert del Rosariovisited India to participate in theinaugural meeting of the JointCommission on BilateralCooperation.

v Foreign Secretary NirupamaRao lead India’s bid for fullmembership in the fourinternational export controlregimes — the NuclearSuppliers Group, the MissileTechnology Control Regime, theAustralia Group and theWassenaar Group.

v Withstanding last-minute U.S.pressure, India abstained fromvoting on a United NationsSecurity Council (UNSC)resolution approving “allnecessary measures,” includingimposition of a no-fly zone overLibya.

v Department of Atomic Energy(DAE), India signed amemorandum ofunderstanding with RosatomNuclear Energy StateCorporation, of Russia, forcooperation in the activities to

be pursued at the Global Centrefor Nuclear Energy Partnership(GCNEP) being set up by theDAE in Haryana.

v India and Russia have signed apact to boost investment andtrade in textile industries in boththe countries.

v During the meeting of the HomeSecretaries of India andPakistan, it was decided torevive the eight-member Indo-Pak Joint Judicial Committee(JJC).JJC includes retiredSupreme Court and High Courtjudges of both India andPakistan.

v India ranks 9th on InnovationEfficiency Index and 62 onGlobal Innovation Index among125 countries

v The Second Africa-India ForumSummit is held in Ethiopia . Thefirst India-Africa ForumSummit in New Delhi in 2008opened a new chapter in thehistory of India-Africapartnership and laid theframework for India’srevitalised engagement with theAfrican continent.

v At the inaugural address of the“India Show : Africa & India :Partners in Progress- FriendsForever,” , it was sid thateconomic partnership betweenIndia & Africa has taken giantleap forward since the 1st IndiaAfrica Forum Summit in 2008,with bilateral trade betweenIndia and Africa which was at ameager $3 billion at the turn ofthe century, crossing the $46billion mark last year.

v “India has become one of theleading investors in Africancountries, with Indian








investments in Africa in JointVentures and wholly ownedsubsidiaries touching US $ 33billion mark, covering diversesectors like Oil & Gas,P h a r m a c e u t i c a l s ,Petrochemicals, IT, Fertilizers,Infrastructure, etc”.

v India and Bangladesh signed ahistoric protocol on landboundary agreement followingthe talks between PrimeMinister Mahmohan Singh andBangladesh Prime MinisterSheikh Hasina in Dhaka on 6September 2011.

v India and China held their firstStrategic Economic Dialogue inBeijing on 26 September 2011.

v Minister of Power ShriSushilkumar Shinde visitedUnited States of America to takepart in the 8th India InvestmentForum in New York.

v International AdvancedResearch Centre for PowderMetallurgy & New Materials(ARCI) Hyderabad of India andthe Fraunhofer Society ofGermany has signed a pathbreaking cooperative R&Dagreement in the field ofautomotive technologies.

v India and South Africa agreedto strengthen bilateralcooperation in the MSME(micro, small and mediumenterprise) sector.

v India and Myanmar on 27September 2011 agreed to set a3 billion US dollars as tradetarget. The trade target will beachieved by 2015.

v India and Israel have decided toenhance cooperation in TourismSector.

v The Government of theRepublic of India signed aDouble Taxation AvoidanceAgreement (DTAA) with theOriental Republic of Uruguayfor the avoidance of doubletaxation and for the preventionof fiscal evasion with respect totaxes on income and on capitalon 8th September, 2011.

v Government of India andCanada agreed that residualissues with regard to ForeignInvestment ProtectionAgreement (FIPA) and BilateralSocial Security Agreement(SSA) between the twocountries have been resolvedand both agreements could nowbe signed at an opportune time.

v India and Zimbabwe agreed toexpedite the ratification of BIPA( Bilateral InvestmentPromotion and ProtectionAgreement) between India andZimbabwe for furtherstrengthening the investmentand trade ties between the twocountries.

v India and Turkey agreed forfuture cooperation in coalrelated areas.

v India and Bhutan signed aMemorandum ofUnderstanding for a period offive years to facilitate exchangeof knowledge and experience,information, material, expertiseand technical knowhow,training of personnel anddevelopment of humanresources in electoral mattersand also for taking up jointinitiatives and providingassistance to others.

v The government-run IndianInstitute of Foreign Trade (IIFT)

setup its first overseas campusin Kampala, Uganda to assiststudents of African nationsunderstand the nuances ofglobalisation and capacity-building in the continent.

v India signed DTAA (DoubleTaxation Avoidance Agreement)with Estonia on 19 September2011 and forged a pact to workwith it in the field ofinformation, communicationsand technology (ICT).

v The Department of IndustrialPolicy and Promotion (DIPP)ON 10 January 2012 notified therules allowing 100% foreigndirect investment (FDI) insingle-brand retail. Currently51% FDI is permitted in thissegment of retailing which wasopened to foreign playersalmost six years ago.

v The Finance Ministryannounced on 10 January 2012that rating agency Moody’sInvestor Services upgrade theshort-term country ceiling onforeign currency bank depositincreasing from NP (not prime)to Prime (P-3).

v Foreign direct investment (FDI)into India went up by 56% to$2.53 billion in November 2011,indicating an improvement ininvestor sentiment. InSeptember and October 2011,the inflows were down by 16.5%and 50% year-on-yearrespectively.

v As per the Forward MarketsCommission data released on 9January 2012 that the turnoverof the 21 commodity exchangesin India increased by 66% to Rs137.22 lakh crore.

v The Reserve Bank of India on 3








January 2011 decided to conductan open market operation(OMO) to inject more liquidityinto the system.

v The HSBC PurchasingManagers’ Index ( PMI) - aheadline index designed tomeasure the overallperformance of themanufacturing sector -registered 54.2 in December, upfrom 51.0 in November.

v The Reserve Bank of India panelsuggested focussed lending tosmall farmers and micro-enterprises who are excludedfrom formal financial channels.

v The Baltic Dry Index, a measureof shipping costs for dry bulkgoods plunged to its lowestlevel after it touched 647 pointson 3 February 2012.

v The apex decision-making bodyof the communications ministry,the Telecom Commissiondecided to allow mobile phonecompanies to share spectrum.The Commission has howeverlimited this facility to 2Gairwaves alone.

v The National Bank forAgriculture and RuralDevelopment (NABARD) hasintroduced a NegotiableWarehouse Receipt (NWR)system to help farmers avoiddistress sale of their produces.

v Sesa Goa Limited, a majority-owned subsidiary of VedantaResources acquired Goa EnergyPrivate Limited from VideoconIndustries Limited in a 101 croreRupees deal.

v Asia Pacific’s leading mediatechnology company, KomliMedia acquired South East

Asia’s largest digital medianetwork Admax Network .

v The mining giant Vedantamerged its Indian subsidiaries,Sterlite Industries into sisterconcern and iron ore miner SesaGoa.

v Foreign direct investment (FDI)in India went up by 31 per centto 27.5 billion US Dollars in 2011despite uncertain globaleconomic slowdown anduncertainities.

v The Prime Minister’s EconomicAdvisory Panel (PMEAC)projected 7.5 - 8 per cent growthrate for the fiscal 2012-13.

v The Reserve Bank of India on 9March 2012 cut the cash reserveratio (CRR) by 75 basis points.The CRR was cut to 4.75 per centof their net demand and timeliabilities (NDTL) effective thefortnight beginning 10 March2012.

v As per the first nationwide retailinflation data released by theCentre of Statistical Office on 21February 2012, inflation basedon the all India Consumer PriceIndex stood at 7.65 per cent inJanuary 2012.

v As per the data released by theministry of statistics andprogramme implementation on12 March 2012, Indian industrialsector registered a growth of 6.8per cent in January 2012 on ayear-on-year basis.

v The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)changed the bank rate, amedium-term signal rate afternine years. The bank rate, abenchmark rate at which RBIbuys or re-discounts bills ofexchange or other commercial

papers eligible for purchase,was hiked with immediateeffect to 9.5% from 6%.

v The New Telecom Policy allowsharing of bandwidth and easedrules for mergers andacquisitions (M&As) in thetelecom sector. The maximumairwaves that companies canhold, also known as theprescribed limit, was enhancedto 8 MHz in all regions exceptDelhi and Mumbai, where thecap is at 10 MHz

v The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)issued the ‘Draft Circular forDeployment of White LabelAutomated Teller Machines(WL ATMs) from non-bankentities.

v The number of foreignersavailing Visa on Arrival (VoA)scheme registered 72 per centincrease in January 2012 asagainst January 2011.

v A government-appointedadvisory group on assetreconstruction firms thatsubmitted its report to FinanceMinister Pranab Mukherjeefavoured $20 billion limit forinvestments by foreigninstitutional investors insecurity receipts (SRs) issued bysecuritisation firms.

v The apex decision-making bodyof the communications ministrycleared the proposal to enablethe Telecom RegulatoryAuthority of India (TRAI) to actlike a civil court.

v India generated 811 billion unitsof electricity in 2010-11 fiscal,According to the data releasedby Central Elect-ricityAuthority, marginally lowerthan the set target.








v The commerce ministryintroduced stricter norms forexport benefit scheme in thewake of detection of severalcases of misuse of incentives.

v Government panel headed byformer finance secretary, AshokChawla was set up torecommend rules for pricing ofall natural resources hasdeclared that all futureallocations of airwaves must bedone through auctions.

v A committee headed by formerfinance secretary Ashok Chawlaon allocation of naturalresources, opposed oilministry’s plan to subsidisecostlier imported LNG bymaking users of domesticnatural gas pay more.

v India slipped one step tobecome the fourth largest steelproducer in the world in 2010with 68.3 million tonnes (MT)production, according to WorldSteel Association (WSA).

v The Indian Farmers FertiliserCooperative (IFFCO) raisedprices of di-ammoniumphosphate (DAP) andcomplexes for the second timein the month of April 2011.

v CII demanded introduction offinancial support throughlegislation for preventingcorrosion of machines, pipelinesand industrial structures.

v The India-MalaysiaComprehensive EconomicCooperation Agreement(CECA) will be effective from 1July 2011.

v The Sri Lankan Central BankMonetary Board on 27 June 2011announced that Chinese

Renminbiwould be included inthe list of designated currenciespermitted for internationaltransactions through banks inSri Lanka.

v Christine Madeleine OdetteLagarde was the first womanever to become minister ofEconomic Affairs of a G8economy, and is the first womanto ever head the IMF.

v Maharatna Steel Authority ofIndia Limited (SAIL) receivedthe prestigious Golden PeacockEnvironment ManagementAward for the year 2011.

v International credit ratingagency DBRS in June 2011upgraded India’s long termforeign and local currency debtoutlook from negative to stable.

v The Reserve Bank of India on 5July 2011 extended the 10 percent ceiling of bank investmentin liquid schemes of mutualfunds to include short-term debtfunds.

v The committee set up to reviewthe role and structure of CentralEconomic Intelligence Bureau(CEIB) recommended that theCEIB maintain a nationaldatabase of economic offencesinvestigated by various agenciesat the Centre and in states.

v The Reserve Bank of India on 4July 2011 allowed refinancing ofredemption of foreign currencyconvertible bonds (FCCBs) byallowing firms to raise freshoverseas borrowing under theautomatic route.

v The World Investment Report2011 was released by UNCTAD.According to the report, India’sposition among the top 20 FDI

recipients fell to 14th position,from 8th in 2009 at a time whenother countries in Asia weresetting new records in foreigndirect investment (FDI) inflows.

v The Central Board of Trustees(CBT) of the Employees’Provident Fund Organisation(EPFO) approved theappointment of StandardChartered Bank as the custodianof securities of the EPFO.

v The Union governmentannounced restoration of thepopular duty entitlement passbook (DEPB) scheme for exportof cotton with retrospectiveeffect from 1 April 2011 and oncotton yarn from 1 October2010.

v The Revenue Departmentannounced it’s decision toimpose anti-dumping duty ofup to USD 1.41 per kg onimports of a gas, used primarilyfor refrigeration purpose withan objective to protect domesticplayers from cheap Chinese andJapanese shipments.

v The oil ministry blocked CairnIndia’s plans to begin oilproduction from the Bhagyamoilfield which is the secondbiggest find in the Rajasthanblock.

v The Central Department ofTelecommunications (DoT)approved 30000-crore NationalOptical Fibre Network (NOFN)for broadband connectivity to2500 Panchayats in India.

v The report on Customer Servicein Banks by a committee chairedby M. Damodaran, formerChairman of the Securities andExchange Board of India (SEBI)was released on 3 July 2011.








v Tuning the policy norms furtherto attract declining foreigninvestment, in a significantdevelopment, the Centreannounced allowing 100 percent foreign direct investment(FDI) in the agriculture sector,including seeds, plantation,horti-culture and cultivation ofvegetables.

v The Telecom RegulatoryAuthority of India (TRAI)issued importantrecommendations related tomanufacturing, infrastru-ctureand green telecom to promotestructured growth of the sector.

v Pawan Hans HelicoptersLimited was conferred the MiniRatna Category-I status byPresident PratibhaPatil.

v Braving the slow economicgrowth and declining demandfrom the western markets,India’s exports posted animpressive 37.1 per cent rise at$245.9 billion for the fiscalending 2010-11.

v The latest data of the PlanningCommission indicates thatpoverty has declined to 32 percent in 2009-10 from 37.2 percent five years ago.

v The full Planning Commissionmeeting chaired by PrimeMinister Manmohan Singhagreed to work towards agrowth target of 9.0-9.5 per centfor the 12th Plan (2012-17).

v Reliance Industries announced“a rich gas and condensatediscovery” in the very first welldrilled in the block located indeepwater Cauvery-Palar basin.

v The Securities and ExchangeBoard of India may soon frame

a stringent set of rules for fundsinvesting in art works, antiques,coins and stamps, with an aimto check black money flow intothese products and safeguardthe interest of genuine investors.

v Telecom Commission, the apexdecision-making body of theDepartment of Telecom in ameeting held permittedimposition of a uniform licencefee of 8.5 per cent on all telecomoperators.

v According to the figuresreleased by the CommerceMinistry on 1 August 2011India’s exports rose by 46.45 percent to $29.21 billion duringJune 2011.

v SEBI (Securities and ExchangeBoard of India) board decidedto make it mandatory for allpromoter entities to disclose anyconsiderable purchase or sale ofshares by them.

v A total of 5.49 crore householdswas provided employmentunder Mahatma GandhiNational Rural EmploymentGuarantee Scheme, MGNREGS,during 2010-2011 as against 5.26crore households the previousyear, thus marking an increasein the number of persons givenjobs in rural areas under thescheme.

v A study titled “Being five starin productivity: road map forexcellence in Indian banking”was released FICCI-IBA-BCG,the eve of IBA-FICCI annualbanking conference. The themefor the banking conference wasdecided to be ProductivityExcellence. India’s grossdomestic product (GDP) growthwill make the Indian banking

industry third largest in theworld by 2025,According to thestudy.

v According to a report fromCRISIL Research, anindependent research house,India needs at least 55 millionadditional jobs by 2015 tomaintain the current ratio ofemployed people to totalpopulation at 39 per cent.

v Gold prices breached the 28000-level for the first time ever inhistory. Gold set an all-timerecord of 28230 rupees per 10grams in India on 20 August2011.

v The Cabinet Committee onEconomic Affairs approvedSAIL’s proposal for revival ofthe Sindri unit of FertiliserCorporation of India at aninvestment of nearly 35000crore.

v The country’s largest lender SBIhas seen its NPAs grow to 3.52%in the last quarter against 3.14%on a quarter-on-quarter basis.

v A high-powered committee ofthe steel ministry headed byadditional secretary SMachendranathan suggestedthat the state-run mineral giantNMDC should fix its iron oreprices on a quarterly basis forits domestic buyers.

v The food ministry prepared anew food security bill ,reworking an earlier version. InAugust 2010 the UPAgovernment had dismissed theprevious draft of the Food Billafter it was found wanting bythe Congress leadership.

v Committee on Small Savingsheaded by RBI Deputy








Governor Shyamala Gopinathon 7 June 2011 suggested raisinginterest rates on Post Officesavings bank deposits to 4 percent.

v A committee on naturalresources allocation on 6 June2011 called for the creation of anational coal market to ensuregreater transparency in theallocation of the dry fuel andreduce the demand-supplymismatch.

v The cess slapped on coal in lastyear’s budget will help pay forschemes to protect andregenerate forests and clean uppolluted sites announced in thisyear’s Budget.

v India and the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations(ASEAN) are committed toachieving a trade target of $70billion by 2012, up 40 per centfrom $50 billion in 2010,Commerce and IndustryMinister Anand Sharma said atthe first India-ASEAN businessfair and conclave being held inNew Delhi by the CommerceMinistry and the Federation ofIndian Chambers of Commerceand Industry (FICCI).

v Finance Minister PranabMukherjee said banks had beenasked to waive collateralsecurity when they lend toborrowers from the ScheduledCastes, Scheduled Tribescommunities.

v Goldman Sachs AssetManagement announced that ithas agreed to acquireBenchmark Asset ManagementCompany, an asset managementcompany in India.

v As per the new guidelines

issued by the Department ofPublic Enterprises, a companyqualifying for the Maharatnastatus should have an averageannual turnover of 20,000crorein the last three years, as against25,000 crore prescribed earlier.

v The Central Governmentconstituted the Financial SectorLegislative ReformsCommission (FSLRC) under thechairmanship of former JusticeB. N. Srikrishna to rewrite andharmonise financial sectorlegislations, rules andregulations.

v Even as Asia continued to be thefavourite destination forinvestors parking money inclean energy projects risingsharply by 33 per cent, Indiacontinued its rise as topdestination ranking 10th amongthe G-20 countries and Chinaemerging on the top.

v Ambuja Cements, a HolcimGroup company declared on 6June 2011 that it acquired 85 percent stake in Dang CementIndustries in Nepal for aconsideration of 19.13 crore.

v Industry body FICCI proposedsetting up of NationalKnowledge Functional Hub(NKFH). FCCI proposed thesetting up of this body to engagehigher educational institutionswith the industry in order toproduce quality engineeringgraduates and meet increasingrequirement of skilled hands inthe market.

v The information andbroadcasting ministryendorsed/okayed therecommendation by TRAI toenhance foreign direct

investment (FDI) ceiling fordirect to home TV, Internetprotocol TV and teleport from49% to 74%.

v BHEL’s board approved on 23May 2011 the proposal to divest5 per cent stake in the powerequipment major. The decisionis likely to fetch over $1 billion(about 4,500 crore) for thegovernment.

v State-run power equipmentmaker Bharat Heavy ElectricalsLtd (BHEL) announced thesuccessful manufacturing andtesting of India’s first turbogenerator of 600 MW rating.

v NMCC was set up by thegovernment as an inter-disciplinary body at the highestlevel to serve as a policy forumfor credible and coherent policyinitiatives in the manufacturingsector.

v The Supreme Court of Indiaallowed the export of more thanone million tons of controversialinsecticide Endosulfan on 30September 2011, subject to strictmonitoring and supervision bythe Customs and EnvironmentMinistry officials.

v The total approximate eraningsof Indian Railways onoriginating basis during theperiod from 11th to 20thSeptember 2011 wereRs. 2495.07 crore compared toRs. 2299.20 crore during thesame period last year,registering an increase of 8.52per cent.

v India post signed aMemorandum ofUnderstanding (MOU) withNational Stock Exchange (NSE)for deploying LCD TV screens








in selected post offices acrossthe country.

v The Government constituted aHigh Level Committee (HLC) in2006, which suggested forevolving a mining code adaptedto the best internationalpractices, streamlining andsimplifying procedures forgrant of mineral concessions toreduce delays, etc.

v The agro advisory servicescontinue to serve 50 AgroAdvisory Services units againstthe largest of 600 during themonth of last July.

v The Union governmentincreased the foreign directinvestment limit for FM radiofrom 20 per cent to 26 per centon 30 September 2011.

v The Government has decided tolift the ban on the export ofonions.Onions can now beexported subject to a MinimumExport Price (MEP) of US$ 475per tonne.

v The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)directed banks to implementvarious safety measures relatedto credit card and debit cardusage over a period of next twoyears in order to eliminate casesof fraud and ensure security oftransactions on 22 September2011.

v The Union governmentextended the terms of referenceof the Nilekani task force ondirect transfer of subsidies on 20September 2011.

v The Union Government decidedto allow corporates to raiseExternal CommercialBorrowings (ECBs) in yuan(Renminbi) equivalent to $1

billion to help companies whoare trading with China on 15September 2011.

v India Post has signed aMemorandum of Under-standing (MOU) with M/s VFSGlobal to provide visa relatedservices for different countriesthrough Post Offices.

v According to a report Hype cyclefor green IT and sustainability inIndia, 2011 by leading ITresearch and advisory companyGartner, India’s spending ongreen IT and sustainabilityinitiatives will double from $35billion in 2010 to $70 billion in2015.

v Even as exports continued tomaintain a robust growth,registering a 36.3 per centgrowth at $24.80 billion inSeptember despite downturn inthe U.S. and eurozone, signs ofdeceleration have alreadystarted to set in.

v The gross direct tax collectionjumped 20.28 per cent duringthe April-October period of2011-12 to Rs 284081 crore dueto an increase in corporate taxmop-up, according to theFinance Ministry’s statement

v Oil and Natural GasCorporation Videsh Ltd. (OVL),the overseas arm of ONGC,inked an agreement withVietnam’s national oil companyPetroVietnam to jointly explorefor oil and gas in South Chinasea in Vietnam, India and thirdcountries.

v The government allowed 100per cent FDI in beekeeping, alsoknown as ‘apiculture’, to attractforeign investment in theagriculture sector.

v India’s exports grew by over 36per cent on an annual basis to24.8 billion dollars inSeptember, 2011, demonst-rating impressive year-on-yearexpansion despite a slowdownin the US and Europe.

v Union Ministry of Commerce,Industry and Textiles sanctioned21 new Textiles Parks under theScheme for Integrated TextilesParks with a project cost of 2100crores rupees to beimplemented over a period of36 months.

v Coromandel Fertilisers, part ofthe Rs.17,000-crore MurugappaGroup, has announced plans forsetting up a greenfield singlesuper phosphate plant in Punjabwith an estimated investment ofRs.116 crore.

v The Director General of ForeignTrade (DGFT) announcedintroduction of a new NiryatBandhu scheme forinternational businessmentoring for young turks ininternational businessenterprises.

v India decided to continue with100 percent Foreign DirectInvestment (FDI) for newventures in the pharmaceuticalsector.

v The credit rating of the StateBank of India was downgradedby the Global ratings firmMoody’s. The ratings agencytook SBI’s grading to D+ fromC-.

v The Union Cabinet of Indiaapproved the introduction of theEnforcement of Security Interestand Recovery of Debts Laws(Amendment) Bill, 2011 in thewinter session of Parliament.








v Communications and ITMinister Kapil Sibal unveiledthe draft National Policy onElectronics, 2011, aimed atachieving a turnover of $400billion for the sector by 2020,which involved investment ofabout $100 billion, besidescreating employment for 2.8crore people.

v Anil Ambani-owned ReliancePower said it would earn Rs.2,000 crore by trading carboncredits from its Tilaiya ultramega power project (UMPP) inJharkhand in the first ten yearsof its operations.

v Cairn Lanka has stuck gas in thefirst well in the Mannar basin inSri Lanka. The company, awholly-owned subsidiary ofCairn India, has notified the SriLankan government of a gasdiscovery in the Mannar basin.

v The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)on 2 December 2011 approvedthe creation of a separatecategory of non-bankingfinancial companies for themicrofinance institution (MFI)sector.

v State-owned Oil and NaturalGas Corp (ONGC) on 1December 2011 announced twosignificant oil discoveries.ONGC discovered oil in NorthKadi area of Gujarat’s Mehsanadistrict

v The Cabinet Committee onEconomic Affairs (CCEA)approved a proposal foradditional funds under theinterest subsidy scheme to thetune of over 2000 crore rupees.

v According to the study titledIndian Digital Consumer Industryby financial services firm

Avendus, the number of peopletransacting online is expected totouch 39 million by 2015.

v The Finance Ministry on 17November 2011 increased theinvestment limit for foreigninstitutional investors (FII) ingovernment securities (G-secs)and corporate bonds by $5billion each.

v The Union Cabinet on 16November 2011 agreed topartially allow foreign directinvestment (FDI) to enter thepension sector to the extent of26 per cent, as is now availablein the area of insurance.

v The insurance regulator, theInsurance Regulatory andDevelopment Authority(IRDA), on 9 November 2011relaxed its earlier decisionasking insurance companies toguarantee a minimum return of4.5 per cent on unit-linkedpension policies.

v Insurance regulator IRDA on 4January 2012 introduceduniform asset-liabilitymanagement norms for marketplayers to ensure their solvency.

v The Finace Ministry on 4January 2012 clarified that therates applicable on smallsavings instruments schemeswould be announced on April1 each year and the rate wouldremain valid till the maturity ofthe scheme.

v The Union government on 3January 2012 approved RelianceIndustries’ (RIL) $1.529 billioninvestment plan for developingfour satellite fields in theflagging KG-D6 block.

v The Union government raisedthe ad valorem duty (export

duty) on iron ore exports to 30per cent from 20 per cent.

v The Union governmentquadrupled (four times) thelimits on loans that a bank’sinternal committee can approve.The giovernment’s move isexpected to quicken creditclearance at 26 state-run banks,including the Bank of Barodaand Punjab National Bank.

v Telecom Commission, thedecision-making body of theDepartment of Telecom-munications recommended auniform licence fee of 8 per centof adjusted gross revenues(AGR).

v According to the Tea Board datareleased in December 2011, teaimports declined by 14 per centto 9.91 million kg in the April-October period of 2011.

v The first pan-India satellitesurvey jointly commissioned byIndian Sugar Mills Association(ISMA) and the NationalFederation of Co-operativeSugar Factories Ltd (NFCSF)pegged the cane area for 2011-12 crop year starting October at51.82 lakh hectares (lh).

v Credit rating agency Moody’son 21 December 2011 upgradedthe credit rating of the Indiangovernment’s bonds from thespeculative to investmentgrade. According to a releaseissued by the Finance Ministry,Moody’s unified India’s localand foreign currency bondratings at Baa3.

v Fears of continuing economicslowdown, lack of decisionmaking at the centre, risingfiscal deficit combined with not-so-impressive revenue








collections upset Dalal Streetinvestors on 20 December 2011leading to a 204 points loss insensex to end at 15175.

v According to the InternationalData Corporation’s (IDC)Quarter 3 2011 Mobile PhoneTracker release, the Indianmobile phone market grew 12%in units shipped in the July-September quarter of 2011 toclock 47.07 million units.

v The Cabinet Committee onEconomic Affairs( CCEA) on 13December 2011 approvednational electricity fund toprovide subsidy of 8466 crorerupees for projects of electricitydistribution sector for a periodof 14 years.

v India’s largest private lender byassets, ICICI Bank and IDBIBank, the seventh largest publicsector bank in India togetherlaunched India’s first creditdefault swap (CDS) on 7December 2011.

v With the inauguration of thefirst state-of-the-art ATDC-SMART (Skill forManufacturing Apparelsthrough Research and Training)in Egmore, Chennai, theIntegrated Skill DevelopmentScheme (ISDC) for the textileand apparel sector waslaunched by the Ministry ofTextiles.

v The Centre for Development ofTelematics (C-DoT) on 5December 2011 transferredi n d i g e n o u s l y - d e v e l o p e dGigabit Passive OpticalNetwork (GPON) technology toseven telecom equipmentmanufacturers, includingprivate players.

v As per data published by themarket regulator SEBI on 27January 2012, net FII buyingcrossed the $2-billion mark inJanuary 2012 making Januarythe best month in terms offoreign fund flows sinceNovember 2010. FIIs hadrecorded a net outflow of $358million in 2011.

v As per data published by themarket regulator SEBI on 27January 2012, net FII buyingcrossed the $2-billion mark inJanuary 2012 making Januarythe best month in terms offoreign fund flows sinceNovember 2010. FIIs hadrecorded a net outflow of $358million in 2011.

v The poor performance ofNational Pension System, orNPS led the Pension FundRegulatory and DevelopmentAuthority (PFRDA) to changethe incentive structure for thedistributors from a fixed sum toa percentage of the investmentamount.

v The pension regulator on thebasis of the recommendation ofthe G.N. Bajpai committeeconstituted by PFRDA to reviewNPS, fixed the incentive at0.25% of the subscriptionamount.

v The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)on 24 January 2012 cut the cashreserve ratio (CRR) by 50 basispoints from 6 per cent to 5.5 percent with effect from 28 January2012.

v The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)on 24 January 2012 cut the cashreserve ratio (CRR) by 50 basispoints from 6 per cent to 5.5 percent with effect from 28 January2012.

v The Reserve Bank of India inJanuary 2012 allowed banks togrant permission to listed andunlisted companies to hedgeprice risk in commodities otherthan precious metals ininternational exchanges.

v The Telecom RegulatoryAuthority of India (TRAI) on 16January 2012 proposed a fee ofRs.20 crore for a national-levelunified licence under the newregime, which suggests thatthere will be only four types oflicence in future as against manycurrently available across thecommunication sector.

v The Union government nearlydoubled the import duty ongold and silver by changing thecustoms and excise dutystructure on precious metals.The measure was adopted bythe government to arrest thewidening current accountdeficit.

v As per the Index of IndustrialProduction (IIP) data, industrialproduction bounced back witha growth of 5.9 per cent inNovember 2011, marking a five-month high in a reversal fromthe negative trend witnessed inOctober 2011.

v The Prime Minister ’s Office on11 January 2012 directed cash-rich public sector undertakings(PSUs) to invest around Rs.1.76lakh crore, including Rs.1.41lakh crore domestically to act asa stimulus in the next fiscal(2012-13).

v India’s Polar Satellite LaunchVehicle- C16 placed on a 822-kmsunsynchronous orbit threesatellites – ResourceSat – 2, anIndo-Russian YouthSat and








mini satellite X Sat fromNangyang TechnologicalUniversity of Singapore.

v A Japanese supercomputer, KComputer built by Fujitsu Co.grabbed the title of world’s best-performing machine therebyreturning Japan to the top of thecomputer arms race for the firsttime in seven years.

v International scientists claimedthat they have found evidencethat a medicinal mushroomused in Asia can completelysuppress prostate tumours bytargeting cancer stem cells.

v According to NASA sceintists,in the first week of May 2011, agiant asteroid named YU55 isheading close to the earth. If ithits the earth, it would have animpact equivalent to 65000 atombombs.

v Scientists developed a newvaccine named Bapineuzumabjab, which is effective againstthe Alzheimer ’s disease notonly in stopping but alsoreversing the damage caused tothe brain due to the disease.

v The US military successfullyconducted its most challengingtest of a ballistic missile defensesystem. It will deploy in Europeto counter an Iran missile threat.

v NASA (National Aeronauticsand Space Administration)launched Space Shuttle,Endeavour from the KennedySpace Centre, Florida for itsfinal mission.

v Scientists at the University ofWarwick in England discovereda new form of ultra-badcholesterol called MGmin-LDL,that increases the risk of heartdisease.

v A rapid molecular test kit hasbeen iAccording to a new studydone at the Mount Sinai Schoolof Medicine in New York in thelast week of April 2011, acontrolled diet low incarbohydrate and high in fat canhelp repair kidney damage indiabetics. nvented to detect bothTB and multi-drug resistant TBin just 90 minutes.

v Indian Space ResearchOrganisation has built asupercomputer, which is to beIndia’s fastest supercomputer interms of theoretical peakperformance of 220 Tera FLOPS(220 Trillion Floating PointOperations per second) .named“SAGA-2203.

v US scientists from theUniversity of Californiadeveloped a gas that can get ridof mosquitoes.

v Scientists have discovered animportant enzyme moleculethat may prevent fatal cardiacdisorders associated withcardiac hypertrophy – theleading cause of sudden cardiacdeath in young athletes.

v A team of Scientists atMassachusetts Institute ofTechnology created the world’sfirst practical artificial leaf thatcan turn sunlight and water intoenergy.

v A University of Southamptonscientist is participating in anew £6.11 million transatlanticresearch project to improve theprocess of photosynthesis.

v DNA polymorphism providesnew insights into the origin andhistory of human populations,Lalji Singh, Bhatnagar Fellow inCSIR and the Centre for Cellular

and Molecular Biology,Hyderabad, has said.

v It looks like the rocket carryingan Earth-observation satellitewas in the Pacific Ocean after afailed launch attempt, saidNASA.

v The Strategic Forces Command(SFC), which handles India’smissiles with nuclear warheads,fired the Dhanush and thePrithvi-II missiles within a gapof an hour, establishing thereadiness of the country’snuclear deterrence systems.

v Union Health and FamilyWelfare Ministry banned themanufacture, sale anddistribution of Gatifloxacin andTegaserod as they caused certainadverse side effects.

v Huge deposits of naturaluranium, which promise to beone of the top 20 of the world’sreserves, have been found in theTummalapalle belt in thesouthern part of the Kadapabasin in Andhra Pradesh.

v Perhaps for the first time in thecountry, researchers of theAshoka Trust for Research inEcology and Environment haveinitiated a project to monitor thepresence of frogs and toads inthe evergreen forests of theWestern Ghats to preserve theseendangered species serving asindicators of climate change.

v Acheulian stone tools, datingback to about 1.51 million yearsago, have been discovered atAttirampakkam in theKortallayar River Basin, about60 km northwest of Chennai.

v Annually changing flu vaccineswith their hit-and-misseffectiveness may soon give








way to a single, near-universalflu vaccine, according to a newreport from scientists at TheScripps Research Institute andthe Dutch biopharmaceuticalcompany Crucell.

v Scientists from NorthernIreland’s Queen’s UniveristyBelfast developed a new testcalled spermocomet for maleinfertility which will save time,money and heartache forcouples around the world.

v A new technique which targetsantibiotic-resistant bacteria andshields patients from the toxicparts of an antibiotic drug hasbeen developed by CardiffUniversity scientists.

v French Scientists developed atwo-minute cure for glaucoma thatuses intensely focused beams ofultrasound.

v A research team led by Queen’sUniversity developed the firstever drug to treat Celtic gene inpatients suffering from cysticfibrosis (CF).

v The Scientists on 5 June 2011discovered a werewolf genewhich causes hair to grow allover the body. The discoverycould provide a remedy forbaldness.

v A breakthrough in geneticresearch uncovered the defectbehind a rare heredi-tarychildren’s disease that inhibitsthe body’s ability to break downvitamin D.

v A team of astronomers from theAustralian National University(ANU) on 6 June 2011discovered that a planet namedWASP-17b moves in theopposite direction to the spin ofthe star around which it orbits.

v International scientists claimedon 24 May 2011 that they havefound evidence that a medicinalmushroom used in Asia cancompletely suppress prostatetumours by targeting cancerstem cells.

v The health-researchers foundthat a drug named exemestanenot only prevents breast cancerbut also has no side effects.

v An engineer from theUniversity of Missourideveloped a flexible solar sheetthat captures more than 90percent of available light.

v Scientists have tweakedchicken DNA to create embryosthat grow alligator-like snoutsinstead of beaks, a process theysay has enabled them to rewind65 million years of evolutionaryhistory.

v Scientists found components ofDNA in meteorites whichconfirms the theory that someof the materials required tomake early life forms came toEarth from space.

v Limited technical trials withsome major and minorimprovements on Main BattleTank (MBT) Arjun Mark-I, aspart of MBT Arjun Mark-II,have been carried out by theDefence Research andDevelopment Organisation(DRDO) in the deserts ofRajasthan.

v Animals across the world arefleeing global warming byheading north much faster thanthey were less than a decadeago, a new study says. About2,000 species examined aremoving away from the equatorat an average rate of more than

15 feet per day, about a mile peryear.

v Astronomers discovered thatthe planet named TrES-2b wasdarker than any planet or moonin our solar system.

v British scientists developed animplanted sleeve which cancure diabetes. The implantedsleeve looks like a giant sausageskin.

v US scientists found an antibodycalled CH65 that acts against 30of 36 strains of influenza,according to a study publishedon 8 August 2011.

v The study, funded by CancerResearch UK and the OxfordBiomedical Research Centre, islooking at a drug called 6-mercaptopurine, or 6MP.

v Scientists at the University ofColumbia in New Yorkdeveloped a portable blood testdevice which can diagnose aninfection within minutes.

v The secret to creating artificialskin might be spider silk,researchers now suggest. Skingrafts are vital for treating burnvictims and other patients.

v The research offers several newtargets for developing futuredrugs to boost the success rateof the tumour-shrinking drugpaclitaxel (Taxol).

v A 500 Mwe prototype FastBreeder Reactor (PFBR) is anadvanced technology reactordesigned and builtindigenously. The plant isexpected to be commissioned in2012.

v India’s first-ever permanentexhibition on nuclear power ,called ‘Hall of Nuclear Power’








has been dedicated to the nationat Nehru Science Centre inWorli, Mumbai.

v The Earth’s oldest fossils havebeen found in Australia by ateam from the University ofWestern Australia and OxfordUniversity. The microscopicfossils show convincingevidence for cells and bacterialiving in an oxygen-free worldover 3.4 billion years ago.

v The actinides contained in thespent nuclear fuel arepotentially a valuable resource.There are major and minorActinides present in the nuclearfuel.

v New observations from theinfrared Herschel SpaceObservatory reveal that anexploding star expelled theequivalent of between 160,000and 230,000 Earth masses offresh dust.

v The Navy has startedpreparations to take charge ofaircraft carrier INSVikramaditya (AdmiralGorshkov) from Russia, withthe first batch of officers andsailors having commencedtraining there ahead of itsinduction next year.

v Nagpur will be promoted as thetiger capital and a gateway totiger land.

v The Stockholm Conventionmeet in Geneva to discuss,among other things, a globalban on the pesticide endosulfan.

v Doctors in Spain performed theworld’s first double-legtransplant, giving two new legsto a man whose legs weresevered in an accident.

v The Human DevelopmentIndex (HDI) is directlydependent on two mainparameters: Per CapitaElectricity Consumption andFemale Literacy.

v A team of Scientists led by PaulHartogh of Max Planck Institutefor Solar System Researchrecently solved a 14-yearmystery by discovering thesource of the water in Saturn’supper atmosphere.

v Egg sized Robots developed bythe scientists, can directlymonitor nuclear reactors andpinpoint corrosion.

v Scientists found a geneticchange which makes men lessfertile. The genetic change wasfound in a gene called DEFB126.This gene codes for a proteinthat clings to sperm, helpingthem swim through a woman’sbody to fertilize the egg.

v Short-range surface-to-surfacemissile developed by DefenceResearch and DevelopmentOrganisation, Prahar wassuccessfully test-fired on 21 July2011 from the Integrated TestRange in Balasore.

v Deep beneath the Antarctica icesheets are at least 145 lakes thatare teeming with microscopicorganisms. The ice sheetsare up to 4km thick.

v A 12-month analysis reveals thatcurrently available commercialblood tests for diagnosing activeTB often lead to misdiagnosis,mistreatment and potentialharm to public health.

v It was “sweet seventeen” for thePolar Satellite Launch Vehicle(PSLV), with the PSLVC16

scoring a spectacular success byputting three satellites into orbitwith precision.

v The Conference of Parties to theStockholm Convention inGeneva approved therecommendation forelimination of production anduse of Endosulfan and itsisomers worldwide, subject tocertain exemptions.

v A new laser developed by theresearchers at Michigan StateUniversity, which canaccurately detects roadsidebombs and helps identifyImprovised ExplosiveDevices(IEDs).

v NASA’s Kepler mission madethe first unambiguous detectionof a circumbinary planet - aplanet orbiting two stars - 200light-years from Earth,on 15September 2011.

v NASA’s Wide-field InfraredSurvey Explorer (WISE)captured rare data of a flaringblack hole, revealing newdetails about these powerfulobjects and their blazing jets.

v NASA’s twin lunar GravityRecovery and InteriorLaboratory (GRAIL) spacecraftlifted off from Cape CanaveralAir Force Station in Florida on10 September 2011 to study themoon in unprecedented detail.

v A team of Scientists fromRutgers University in Brazildiscovered a tiny plant whichthey say bows down and sowsits own seeds.

v Scientists discovered fossilisedremains of a large predatory fishwith a fearsome mouth whichprowled North American








waterways some 375 millionyears ago.

v Scientists discovered geneticfactors that make frog immuneto the fungal diseasechytridiomycosis.

v A composite herbal formulationnamed ‘Perfomax’ launched,that has been developed byDRDO and has been found toimprove physical and mentalperformance in High Altitudeand Hypoxic Conditions at afunction held in Leh, Ladakh.

v A virus found in the sea offChile is the biggest in the world,harbouring more than 1,000genes, surprised scientists . Thegenome of Megavirus chilensisis 6.5 percent bigger than theDNA code of the previous virusrecord-holder, Mimivirus,isolated in 2003.

v A mysterious little dwarf planetwas discovered by theAstronomers, which is believedto be covered in ice. The planetwas nicknamed Snow White.

v The launch of Agni-II was a bigsuccess, with the missiletraversing 2000 km across thesky in nine minutes of flawlessmission.

v A half-km wide asteroid whichstreaks past the Earth next weekcould provide clues about howthe planet was formed. Thespace rock, known as “2005YU55,” has passed earth within320,000 km on Nov 8.

v India’s Polar Satellite LaunchVehicle (PSLV-C18)demonstrated its reliability andconsistency yet again when itput four satellites in orbit withaplomb.The satellites were:

Megha-Tropiques, an Indo-French mission to study theweather and climate in thetropical regions of the world;SRMSat, built by students ofSRM University, near Chennai;Jugnu, put together by IndianInstitute of Technology, Kanpurstudents; and VesselSat fromLuxembourg.

v Vitamin D, a fat soluble vitaminresembles sterols in structureand functions like a hormone.Ergocalciferol andcholecalciferol, both sterols arethe precursor substances for thesynthesis of vitamin D and arereferred to as provitamins.

v China launched its unmannedspacecraft, Shenzhou-8. LongMarch-2F rocket propelled theunmanned spacecraft into orbitin the next step towards China’sambitious plans for a mannedspace station by 2020.

v Scientists claimed to havereconstructed the genome of thebug that caused the bubonicplague (often referred as blackdeath) in Europe. The bug wasdiscovered to be an ancientstrain of a bacterium calledYersinia pestis and not so muchdifferent from today’s.

v Indian scientists succeeded indecoding the genome of thearhar dal, which is also knownas pigeon pea.

v Australian Scientists created theworld’s first drug which canprevent blindness fromcataracts. Cataracts are formedwhen a protein, known ascalpain, clouds the eye lens andimpairs vision.

v A team of British scientists andengineers planned to drill three

kilometers through the ice inAntarctica to explore signs oflife in a lake called Ellsworth,which is buried under theglacial surface.

v Caloric restriction slows downaging by preventing an enzyme,peroxiredoxin, from beinginactivated.

v The world’s most efficientorganic light-emitting diodes onplastic have been developed,enabling a flexible form factorand a cheaper alternative totraditional OLEDs whichcurrently rely on glass.

v Under the influence ofsufficiently high electric fields,liquid droplets of certainmaterials will undergosolidification, simulations show.

v Graphene, the world’s thinnestand toughest material, couldspur the development of nextgeneration computer chips,besides revolutionisingmaterials science.

v The Baltic Sea emits morecarbon dioxide than it can bind.Local variations have increasedthe exposure of the Bay ofBothnia.

v Researchers have revealed forthe first time the existence of anew signature of the birth of thefirst stars in our galaxy, theMilky Way.

v Though long-term calculationsare subject to uncertainties, thesea will continue to rise in thecoming centuries and it willmost likely rise by 75 cm by theyear 2100. By 2500 the sea willhave risen by 2 metres.

v India’s most advanced long-range missile, Agni-IV was test








fired successfully on 15November 2011 from a road-mobile launcher from theIntegrated Test Range (ITR) atWheelers Island, off the coast ofOrissa. The missile covered arange of more than 3,000 km in20 minutes of fluent flight.

v Russia successfully launched amanned spacecraft on 14November after its severalbotched launches in 2011.

v Dracula Therapy is the latesttechnique in medical science,being used to fight ageing withyour own blood.

v A team of six scientists at theIndian Institute of Petroleum(IIP) developed a newtechnology to convert plasticinto petroleum products.

v A new study done by thescientists discovered a geneHTR7, which plays a major rolein making a person problem-drinker.

v An orchid that unfurls its petalsat night and loses its flowers byday has been found on an islandoff the coast of Papua NewGuinea. The flowers of thespecies, Bulbophyllum nocturnum, are thought to be pollinated bymidges and last for only onenight, according to a descriptionof the plant published in theBotanical Journal of the LinneanSociety.

v India successfully test-fired itsnuclear capable Agni-I strategicballistic missile on 1 December2011 from the test range atWheeler Island off Odisha coast,as part of the Indian Army’suser trial.

v A team of the Scientists at theLudwig Maximilians University

of Munich identified the gene,called ABCC9 that can reducethe length of time people sleep.

v Research has found a novelroute to fighting cancer. Theantibiotic tigecycline targets anddestroys leukaemia stem cellsby cutting off the cell’s energyproduction.

v A new model based on satelliteremote sensing data allows thepotential presence of bluefintuna to be tracked through dailyupdated maps, thus helping toprotect endangered stocks andfight illegal fishing.

v The journal Science has laudedan eye-opening HIV study,known as HPTN 052, as themost important scientificbreakthrough of 2011.

v Early results of the clinical trialof a malaria vaccine, known asRTS,S, provided a shot in thearm to malaria vaccine research.

v Scientists discovered a way totransform ordinary tissue intobeating heart muscle cells.

v China on 23 December 2011launched a high-speed bullettrain in Quingdao, Shandongprovince. Its speed can reach upto 500 kilometre per hour.

v NASA’s Kepler mission on 20December 2011 discovered thefirst Earth-size planets orbitinga sun-like star outside our solarsystem. The planets,calledKepler-20e and Kepler-20f,are too close to their star to bein the so-called habitable zonewhere liquid water could existon a planet’s surface, but theyare the smallest exoplanets everconfirmed around a star like oursun.

v Scientists claimed that now asimple test could diagnosebreast cancer in women in eightseconds. They claim to havedeveloped it from a technologythat is used to detect landmines. The new screening tool,called MARIA, is safer andmore comfortable thantraditional mammogram X-rays.

v Scientists developed a hydro gelthat regenerated healthy andscar-free tissue on skindamaged by severe burns. Thehydro gel helps in formatting ofnew blood vessels and skinincluding hair follicles.

v An increase in fruit yield mightbe achieved by manipulating amolecular timer that determinesthe number of branches thatmake flowers.

v Using computed tomographyimaging and advancedmanufacturing techniques, ateam of experts has created areproduction of a 1704Stradivarius violin.

v The tree is presently in the fieldof farmer Mr. K. Narasimhaiahand is nearly 300 years old andthe tree bears nearly 300 fruitsannually, which the farmer sellsfor Rs 20,000- Rs.30,000.

v New experiments andcomputations have revealedthat iron oxide undergoes a newkind of transition under deep-Earth conditions due to highpressures and temperatures (asatoms, electrons are squeezedtogether).

v A study advances ourunderstanding of the sources ofexposure to arsenic and thepotential for consuming








harmful levels of arsenic viarice. Arsenic exposure duringpregnancy has health risks tothe foetus.

v Steroids hitching a ride into theretina on nanoparticles calleddendrimers offer a new way totreat age-related maculardegeneration and retinitispigmentosa. The steroids targetdamage-causing cells.

v Under the cold clear waters ofLake Huron, researchers havefound a five-and-a-half-foot-long, pole-shaped piece ofwood that is 8,900 years old.

v For the first time, the fossilremains of sauropoda has beenrecorded in Antarctica. Untilnow, remains of the herbivorousdinosaurs had been recoveredfrom all other continentallandmasses.

v Astronomers have discoveredthe largest black holes to date —two monsters with massesequivalent to 10 billion suns thatare threatening to consumeanything, even light, within aregion five times the size of oursolar system.

v The recently discovered CometLovejoy has been captured instunning photos and time-lapsevideo taken from the EuropeanSouthern Observatory’s ParanalObservatory in Chile.

v A 33,000-year-old dog skullunearthed in a Siberianmountain cave presents some ofthe oldest known evidence ofdog domestication.

v Researchers have used metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) tocapture and remove volatileradioactive gas from spentnuclear fuel.

v A one-week NASA airborneradar campaign will helpscientists better understandprocesses occurring underEarth’s surface at Kilauea,Hawaii’s current most activevolcano.

v Grain crops that produce lesscarotene can produce morefood, especially in Africa, asthey are less affected byparasitic plants. Rice plants thatproduce less carotene than usualare less infected by the Strigaparasite.

v 200 million years ago fish withjaws capable of feeding oncorals emerged, but the realexplosion in reef diversity didnot occur till about 50 millionyears ago when fishes liketoday’s specialist coral feedersemerged.

v Tranquillityite — the lastmineral thought to have beenunique to the Moon has beendiscovered in the remote Pilbararegion of Australia. It is namedafter the Apollo-11 landing site.

v Reduced snowfall in mountainsis causing powerful, cascadingshifts in mountainous plant andbird communities through theincreased ability of elk to stayat high elevations over winterand consume plants.

v The UK scientists on 16 January2012 discovered a new gene inmaize plants, called Meg 1. Thegene regulates the transfer ofnutrients from the plant to theseed. It could increase the cropyields and improve foodsecurity. The Scientists from theUniversity of Warwick andOxford University identified thegene.

v Saturn has a ring system. Nowa team has discovered a ringsystem around a sun in theconstellation Centaurus similarto Saturn’s. Data from theSuperWASP and All SkyAutomated Survey projects wasused.

v In Himachal Pradesh, more than1.20 lakh migratory birds fromSiberia and Central Asiancountries descended onMaharana Pratap Sagar,popularly known as Pong DamLake, in Kangra district.Although, 415 species ofmigratory birds had landed atdifferent places of the PongDam over the past 10 years, it isfor the first time that ‘salcadedduck’ has arrived in thiswetland.

v Scientists rediscovered a largegrey monkey-the Miller ’sgrizzled langur- in the densejungles of Indonesia. Themonkey was believed to beextinct.

v Scientists at the US NationalInstitutes of Health claimed thatalcohol could be used to treattremors, a brain disorder thattriggers exaggerated shakingand occurs during movement.

v The researchers identified a newspecies of earthworm in PortBlair, the capital of Andamanand Nicobar islands. Thespecies was named Moniligasterivaniosi, after the name of thecollege.

v UK scientists discovered newcrab species on the SouthernOcean floor. The new crabspecies was named the Hoffbecause of its hairy chest. TheHoff lives around volcanic ventsoff South Georgia.








v The scientists for the first timegrew mouse sperm in alaboratory. For this, they usedfew germ cells in a laboratorydish. These cells produce semenin testicles. In fact, the scientistsgrew the sperm by envelopingthe germ cells in a specialcompound called agar jelly tocreate a similar environment tothat found in testicles.

v For the first time, researchershave discovered a new colourfulsnake which sports horns justabove its eyes.The 2.1-feet-longhorned snake having a bodycoloured in striking black andyellow was found in a remotepart of Tanzania, East Africa. It’snamed Matilda’s horned viper,or Atheris matildae , after thedaughter of Tim Davenport, theWildlife Conservation Society’sDirector ofTanzania, DiscoveryNews reported.

v In a pioneering research,scientists claim to haveproduced the world’s firstmagnetic soap that is composedof iron-rich salts dissolved inwater. A team at BristolUniversity says that its soap,which responds to a magneticfield when placed in solution,would calm all concerns overthe use of surfactants in oil-spillclean-ups and revolutioniseindustrial cleaning products.

v China recently released a set of“world’s highest resolution”lunar images taken by its secondmoon orbiter, Chang’e-2, as itbraces to launch its next missionto land a rover to explore itssurface.

v A Russian team has succeededin drilling through four

kilometres (2.5 miles) of ice tothe surface of a mythicalsubglacial Antarctic lake whichcould hold as yet unknown lifeforms.

v Scientists in Germany saidrecently they have sequencednearly all the genome of theDenisova people, an extincthuman-like speciescontemporary with theNeanderthals.

v Scientists identified at least twogenes, NACP and MAPT linkedto Parkinson’s disease, a findingwhich may pave the way forbetter treatments for the secondmost prevalent neurologicalcondition after dementia.

v Researchers at the HarvardSmithsonian centre forAstrophysics discovered thatthe planet GJ1214b was largelycovered in water.

v India’s indigenously developedmicro-light pilotless targetaircraft ‘Lakshya-1’ wassuccessfully test-flown from theIntegrated Test Range atChandipur, as part of a routinetrial.

v DRDO conducted a successfultest launch of the interceptormissile. DRDO’s Air DefenceMissile AAD-05 successfully hitthe ballistic missile anddestroyed it at a height of 15kms off the Coast of Orissa nearthe Wheelers Island.

v International astronomers havefound the fourth potentiallyhabitable planet outside oursolar system with temperaturesthat could support water andlife about 22 light-years fromEarth. The team analysed datafrom the European Southern

Observatory about a star knownas GJ 667C, which is known asan M-class dwarf star and putsout much less heat than ourSun.

v A new species of lizard withstriking iridescent rainbow skin,a long tail and very short legshas been discovered in therainforest in northeastCambodia, conservationistsannounced. Scientists namedthe skink Lygosomaveunsaiensis to honour the VeunSai-Siem Pang ConservationArea in Rattanakiri provincewhere it was found.

v An innovative, environment-friendly, low-cost smart paintthat, using nano-technology, candetect microscopic faults inwind turbines, mines andbridges before structuraldamage occurs is beingdeveloped.

v Scientists have for the first timemeasured how fast large-scaleevolution can occur inmammals, showing it takes 24million generations for amouse-sized animal to evolve tothe size of an elephant.

v An unusual, 50-year-longepisode of four massivevolcanic eruptions led to theLittle Ice Age (1275-1300 A.D).The sea ice expanded and theAtlantic currents weakenedafter the eruptions.

v Scientists have developed a‘biological computer ’ madeentirely from biomolecules thatis capable of decipheringimages encrypted on DNAchips.

v A new study has shown thatweaver ants share a collective








memory for the odour of antsin rival nests, and use theinformation to identify themand compete, like sports fansknowing each other by theircolours.

v Cuttlefish have the most acutepolarisation vision yet found inany animal, researchers at theUniversity of Bristol havefound, by showing them movieson a modified LCD computerscreen to test their eyesight.

v Researchers have detected theelement tellurium for the firsttime in three ancient stars. Theyfound traces of this element —which is very rare on Earth —in stars that are nearly 12 billionyears old.

v There are environmentalconcerns in extracting naturalgas from shale. Water injectedinto the shale picks up selenium,arsenic, iron, salt and evenradioactive particles. The waterhas to be disposed of properly.

v Slowing or preventing thedevelopment of Alzheimer ’sdisease may be as simple asensuring a brain protein’s sugarlevels are maintained.

v The loss of predatory fish leadsto an explosion in sea urchinpopulations. Excessive grazingby sea urchins damages the reefstructure and reduces the extentof crustose coralline algae,which are crucial for reefgrowth.

v The way zebrafish regeneratedamaged retinas after injurysuggests new strategies to beused in humans with reversibleconditions.

v A ‘soft template infiltration’technique fabricates free-

standing piezoelectrically activeferroelectric nanotubes andother nanostructures.

v Focusing their research on atype of amoeba called Paulinellachromatophora, scientists havehomed in on three of the P.chromatophora transferred genes,which encode proteins involvedin photosynthesis.

v Serbia’s Novak Djokovic wonhis first Wimbledon title in 2011and proved himself the bestplayer in the world with astunning win over Rafael Nadal.

v Petra Kvitova won her firstGrand Slam title June 02 bybeating Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 in the Wimbledon final of2011.

v American twins Bob and MikeBryan won a record-tying 11thGrand Slam men’s doubles titletogether on July 02, beatingRobert Lindstedt of Sweden andHoria Tecau of Romania in theWimbledon final of 2011.

v Rafael Nadal of Spain won arecord-equalling sixth FrenchOpen title when he beat RogerFederer of Switzerland 7-5, 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-1 at the RollandGarros in 2011.

v China’s long wait for a GrandSlam champion ended June 04,2011, when Li Na beat FrancescaSchiavone 6—4, 7—6 (0) in theFrench Open final.

v Rafael Nadal won his seventhMonte Carlo Masters bydefeating fellow SpaniardDavid Ferrer 6-4, 7-5 in 2011.

v Twenty-eight years after Indiancricket changed forever on anEnglish summer ’s day, thecountry’s dream of enhancing

its reputation as a major forcein the world game foundglorious realisation at theWankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

v India became only the thirdteam after West Indies andAustralia to win the Cricketworld cup more than once.

v Sachin became the first playerto score 2000 runs in world cupcricket. He has scored sixcenturies and 15 half centuriesin world cup cricket history.

v Wisden, regarded as the Bible ofcricket named Sachin Tendulkaras Wisden’s Leading Cricketerin the World for the year 2010.

v Record-breaking batsmanSachin Tendulkar receivedIndia’s cricketer of the yearaward for his outstandingperformances in 2009-2010.

v MS Dhoni led Chennai SuperKings (CSK) defeated RoyalChallengers Bangalore to winIndian Premier League (IPL)season 4 title.

v The former England coach,Duncan Fletcher, has beenappointed coach of the Indiancricket team for a period of twoyears. He takes over from thehighly successful Gary Kirsten.

v Japan lifted the women’sfootball World Cup by defeatingUSA in a dramatic final inFrankfurt, Germany.

v Spain won the tenth edition ofthe UEFA European Under-19Championship title in Romaniabeating the Czech Republic 3-2.

v Uruguay won the CopaAmérica for a record 15th timeon by defeating Paraguay, 3-0,in Buenos Aires, Argentina.








v Veteran Indian footballerBaichung Bhutia announced hisretirement from internationalsoccer on 24 August 2011.

v India’s under-16 football teamcoached by India coach ThomasJoseph was defeated by Pakistan1-2 in the title clash of the SAFFChampio-nship on 10 August2011.

v Spanish soccer club Barcelonaled by Lionel Messi defeatedManchester United 3-1 toemerge winners of theChampions League of 2011.

v Kerala won the overall trophyin the National Senior AthleticMeet that was held atBangalore’s Sree KanteeravaStadium.

v Tintu Luka coached by P. T.Usha opened her European tourwith a victory in the FolksamGrand Prix meet at Karlstad,Sweden.

v At the 13th World AthleticsChampionships in Daegu,South Korea, USA won gold inthree events out of the total sixevents held on 1 September2011.

v India finishes 8th with a total of11 medals in 19th AsianAthletics Championships2011held in Kobe, Japan.

v India’s middle-distance runnerGhamanda Ram won silver in800m in the opening leg of theAsian Grand Prix meet in theChinese city of Jiaxiang.

v Ace Indian discus throwerKrishna Poonia won the Goldmedal on 14 August 2011 in theAnnual Athletic Meet atPortland in the United States.

v Defending champion Saina

Nehwal failed to complete thehat-trick of titles at theIndonesian Open Super Seriesafter losing to Chinese WorldNo. 3 Wang Yihan in the finalon 26 June 2011.

v India’s Saina Nehwal won herfirst title of the year with acommanding 21-13, 21-14victory over South Korean SungJi Hyun in the Wilson SwissOpen Grand Prix Goldbadminton.

v Star Indian shuttler SainaNehwal was defeated by worldnumber three Xin Wang ofChina in the finals to finishrunner-up in the Malaysian OpenGrand Prix Gold Badmintontournament.

v Italian top seed FabianoCaruana defeated FilipinoWesley to emerge winner of theAAI InternationalGrandmasters chesstournament on 2 July 2011.

v Shyam Sundar of Chennairetained his Asian junior title, inthe Asian Chess championshipwhich concluded in Sri Lankaon 8 June 2011.

v Haryana annexed SeniorNational HockeyChampionship title by defeatingKarnataka, at the AishbaghStadium in Bhopal on 19 June2011.

v McLaren’s Jenson Button wonthe Hungarian Grand Prix 2011.

v Fernando Alonso won theBritish Grand Prix therebydelivering Ferrari’s long-awaited first win of 2011.

v Red Bull’s Formula One Worldchampion Sebastian Vettel ofGermany on 26 June 2011.

v Formula One world championSebastian Vettel won theMonaco Grand Prix 2011,thriller for Red Bull.

v Defending world championSebastian Vettel raced ahead ofLewis Hamilton to win theSpanish Grand Prix 2011.

v McLaren’s Lewis Hamiltonemerged victorious in theChinese Grand Prix 2011.

v Northern Ireland prodigy RoryMcIlroy captured his first Majorgolf title with his victory in the111th U.S. Open on 19 June 2011.

v Indian golfer Abhijit Chadhafinished third in the MalaysianAmateur Open GolfChampionship.

v An amateur Indian golf teamwon bronze in a team event atthe 48-year old Nomura Cup inFiji on 19 August 2011.

v The Indian trio of DeepikaKumari, Laishram BombaylaDevi and Chekrovolu Swurosettled for a silver medal in theArchery World Championshipat Turin after losing the recurveevent final to their Italianopponents.

v Indian trap shooter and AsianGames gold medallist RonjanSodhi won the double trapsilver and an Olympic quotaplace in the shotgun World Cupin Beijing.

v India’s five time worldchampion M.C. Mary Kom won1st gold medal of the year bywinning in the Asian CupWomen’s Boxing tournament inHaikou, china. She won themedal for the 48Kg category.

v America’s Michael Phelps wongold in the 200m butterfly event








in the World SwimmingChampionship in Shanghai.

v China’s Huo Liang clinched histhird successive world title inthe men’s 10m synchroniseddiving. Combining with newpartner Qiu Bo, he gave Chinait’s second gold medal of theworld swimmingchampionships.

v Russia’s Natalia Ishchenko wonher third gold at the Shanghaiworld championships withvictory in the solo free.

v Brazil’s Cesar Cielo andAmerican Dana Vollmer wongold medals in butterfly eventsat the 2011 World SwimmingChampionships in Shanghai.

v Novak Djokovic used hissuperior return game, defenseand speed to defeat the 10-timeGrand Slam champion Nadal, 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1 and win hisfirst career US Open crown andfourth Grand Slam title.

v Australia’s Samantha Stosurdefeated Serena Williams to winthe US Open crown and her firstgrand slam singles title.Stosurbecame the first Australianwoman in 38 years to win thetitle.

v Jamaica’s Usain Bolt won theMen’s 4x100 Relay final and seta world record at the WorldAthletics Championships inDaegu, South Korea on 4September 2011.

v Chen Long claimed his secondtitle in two weeks on 25September 2011 when heshocked World No. 1 Lee ChongWei to win the men’s singlesbadminton title at the JapanOpen.

v Salgaocar defeated East Bengal3-1 in the final of the 33rdFederation Cup at the Salt LakeStadium in Kolkata on 29September 2011.

v India defeated Pakistan 4-2 inthe penalty shoot-out in a nerve-wrecking final to clinch theinaugural Asian ChampionsTrophy hockey tournament on11 September 2011.

v Russian grandmaster PeterSvidler won the Chess WorldCup title on 20 September afterwinning a four-game finalagainst his compatriotAlexander Grischuk. Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia).

v The Indian kabaddi team liftedits first-ever Circle Style Asiankabaddi title on 27 September2011 by defeating arch-rivalsPakistan 53-38 at Tabriz in Iran.

v After the successful launch andimplementation of the Comeand Play Scheme at the SAIStadiums in the Capital, whichwitness more than 12000children and sports loversbenefitting, it has been decidedto launch the Come and Playscheme nationally on October 9,2011.

v India won 5 matches one-dayseries by 5-0 by defeatingEngland in 5th and final matchplayed in Kolkata on 26 October2011.

v The 2011 Durand Cup, the 124thedition of the Durand Cupwhich is the third oldestassociation football competitionin the world was won by theChurchill Brothers. ChurchillBrothers won the 2011 DurandCup at the Ambedkar Stadium

with a 5-4 tie-break win overPrayag United.

v The Indian Grand Prix ,sometimes referred to as theGrand Prix of India) is a race inthe calendar of the FIA FormulaOne World Championship. It iscurrently held at the BuddhInternational Circuit in GreaterNoida, Uttar Pradesh, India.The first event took place on 30October 2011 as the 17th race ofthe 2011 Formula One season.Sebastian Vettel of Redbull wonthe Constructors Trophy. Theonly Indian F1 driver NarainKarthikeyan of HRT F1 finished17th position.The only Indian F1Team Sahara Force India driverAdrian Sutil finished at 9thposition.

v Asian Games gold medallistRonjan Sodhi wound up theseason in style as he defendedthe double trap gold medal inthe World Cup Finals in Al Ain,United Arab Emirates.

v Spain won its fifth Davis Cuptitle after Rafael Nadal defeatedArgentina’s Juan Martin delPotro 1-6 6-4 6-1 7-6 (0) on 4December 2011.

v The Czech Republic won its firstFed Cup title (tennis) in 23 yearsafter Lucie Hradecka and KvetaPeschke defeated MariaKirilenko and Elena Vesnina 6-4, 6-2 in the decisive doublesmatch on 7 November 2011 tosecure a 3-2 win over Russia inthe final.

v India’s Rohan Bopanna andPakistan’s Aisam-ul-HaqQureshi won the StockholmOpen men’s doubles title bydefeating Brazilians MarceloMelo and Bruno Soares 6-1, 6-3on 23 October 2011.








v Malaysian squash superstarNicol David won a record sixthwomen’s World Open title on 6November 2011 by defeatingEngland’s Jenny Duncalf atLuxor Theatre, Rotterdam.

v India beat West Indies by 34runs to win the fifth and finalcricket one-day match andrecorded an emphatic 4-1 seriestriumph in Chennai on 11December 2011.

v Indonesia’s experiencedshuttler, Taufik Hidayat, wonhis first Men’s Singles title of2011 at the 2011 $120,000 SyedModi India Open Grand PrixGold badminton championshipwhen he defeated SourabhVerma of India.

v India won its 6th SAFFChampionship title against thenewcomer, Afghanistan on 11December 2011.

v Rajasthan coached by R R Jadejawon its second consecutiveRanji Trophy title by defeatingTamil Nadu at the MAChidambaram stadium, TamilNadu on 23 January 2012.

v The 2012 men’s final went pastthe 2008 Wimbledon final timerecord, finishing after 5 hoursand 53 minutes of play. It wasthe longest match in the historyof the Australian Open, and infact, the longest ever singlesfinal in the Open Era in GrandSlam history. Serbia’s NovakDjokovic was the defendingchampion in the AuatralianOpen and won in the final 5–7,6–4, 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 7–5 againstRafael Nadal of Spain.

v Belarusian Victoria Azarenkadefeated Maria Sharapova ofRussia to win first Grand Slamtitle.

v Leander Paes (India) and RadekŠtìpánek (Czech Republic). Paeswon his first mens doubles titleat the Australian Open and inthe process completed a long-awaited career Grand Slam inthe doubles.

v Kerala men defeatedUttarakhand 25-22, 25-22, 25-13to win the National title for thefourth time, in the 60th seniorNational volleyballchampionship, at the BalbirJuneja Indoor Stadium, Raipuron 11 January 2012.

v Canadian Milos Raonic won theATP Chennai Open by defeatingworld number nine JankoTipsarevic 6-7 7-6 7-6 in the finalon 8 January 2012.

v Haryana’s Ajay Mittal won thegold medal at the 55th NationalShooting Championships forshotgun on 1 February 2012 bydefeating stalwarts like Sodhiand Athens Olympics silvermedallist Rajyavardhan SinghRathore in the final.

v Australians held their nerve inthe cauldron and defeated SriLanka 2-1 in the Finals ofCommonwealth Bank ODItriangular series at the AdelaideOval.

v Pakistan defeated host Bangladeshto lift Asia Cup Cricket Trophy on22 March 2012.

v Indian national womenKabaddi team clinched maidenWomen World Cup Kabaddichampionship title on 4 March2012. In a thrilling match heldin Patna, capital of Bihar, Indianwomen team defeated Iran 25-19.

v The highest honour of AkademiFellowship (Akademi Ratna

Sadasyata) was conferred oneminent vocalist Girija Devi,renowned dance guru NatarajaRamakrishna, Dhrupad maestroRahim Fahimuddin Dagar, andMridangam vidwan T. K.Murthy.

v Celebrated Bengali writer andactivist Mahasweta Devi wasconferred the YashwantraoChavan National Award 2010“for her contribution to nationalintegration, democratic valuesand the socio-economicdevelopment of India.

v The Norwegian Academy ofScience and Letters has chosenone of the living legends ofmathematics, John WillardMilnor of the Institute forMathematical Sciences in theUniversity of Stony Brook,U.S.A, for the award of itsprestigious Abel Prize for theyear 2011.

v German Chancellor AngelaMerkel was chosen for theprestigious Jawaharlal NehruAward for InternationalUnderstanding for 2009 for herenormous efforts towardsustainable and equitabledevelopment.

v Eminent Hindi litterateurArvind Kumar was presentedthe Hindi Academy ShalakaSamman by well known poetand former bureaucrat Dr. SitaKant Mahapatra at DelhiSecretariat on 24 June 2011.

v Philip Roth was announced asthe winner of the fourth ManBooker International Prize at apress conference at the SydneyOpera House.

v Social activist Anna Hazare wasannounced the winner of the








2011 Rabindranath Tagore PeacePrize by the Indian Institute ofPlanning and Management(IIPM).

v Director K. Balachander wasdeclared the winner ofDadasaheb Phalke Award forthe year 2010 by the Informationand Broadcasting Ministry.

v Noted Hindi poet VishwanathPrasad Tiwari was selected forthe 20th Vyas Samman for hispoetry collection, Phir Bhi KuchRah Jayega.

v Noted Rajasthjani poet GirdharRathi was selected for the BihariPuraskar for 2010 for his poetrycollection, Anta Ke Sanshaya.

v Kannada writer S. L. Bhyrappawas selected for the 20thSaraswati Samman for his novelMandra.

v British-born Sierra Leoneannovelist Aminatta Forna wonthe 2011 CommonwealthWriters’ Prize for her novel, TheMemory of Love.

v Jennifer Egan’s novel A Visitfrom the Goon Squad won thePulitzer Prize for fiction.Thenovel by Jennifer Egan washonoured for its big-heartedcuriosity about cultural changeat warp speed.

v Super 30 founder AnandKumar, whose initiative helpedseveral students fromunderprivileged families makeit to the IIT-JEE was chosen forthe Education in ExcellenceAward-2011 to be awarded onDoha.

v Indian novelist Vikas Kumar Jhahas been chosen for the 2011International Indu SharmaKatha Samman, for his novel‘McCluskieganj ‘ .

v Indian-American physicianSiddhartha Mukherjee’sacclaimed book on cancer, TheEmperor of All Maladies: ABiography of Cancer, has wonthe prestigious 2011 PulitzerPrize in the general non-fictioncategory.

v Indian mathematician andtheoretical computer scientistRavi Kannan has been awardedthe 2011 Knuth Prize, aprestigious internationalrecognition for research incomputer science.

v Six novels, five collections ofshort stories, seven books ofpoetry and one book of folktales and plays in 24 Indianlanguages were selected for the2011 Kendra Sahitya AkademiAwards for Children’sLiterature.

v Two Indians -Nileema Mishra,a lender to the poor inMaharashtra and US-trainedIndian engineer Harish Handewho revolutionized the use ofsolar lights were among sixpeople to have received theRamon Magsaysay Award for2011.

v Former India striker Shabbir Ali,who took up full-time coachingafter retirement on 26 June 2011became the first footballer towin the prestigious DhyanChand award as recognition forhis lifetime achievement insports.

v The Dinesh Khanna-led Arjunaaward panel had recommendedincreasing the number of Arjunaawards to 19 instead of thenormal 15.

v Five coaches were chosen for theDronacharya award. The

awardees are as follows: RamPhal (wrestling), DevendraKumar Rathore (gymnastics), I.Venkateswara Rao (boxing),Rajender Singh (hockey) andKunthal Kumar Roy (athletics).

v 19th Rajiv Gandhi NationalSadbhavana Award to bepresented to the SPIC MACAYfor its outstanding contributiontowards the promotion ofcommunal harmony, peace andgoodwill. The award is givenannually on 20th August.

v The 44th Jnanpith Award for2008 was presented torenowned Urdu poet ProfessorAkhlaq Mohammad KhanShahryar for his distinguishedcontribution in enriching Indianliterature.

v Eminent Hindi authors AmarKant and Shrilal Shukla waschosen for India’s highestliterary honour Jnanpith Awardfor 2009, while renownedKannada litterateurChandrasekhar Kambar won itfor 2010.

v The Indira Gandhi NationalOpen University (IGNOU) on28 September 2011 conferred theRajiv Gandhi International Prizefor Technology in Educationand Development to the AzimPremji Foundation.

v The Norwegian NobelCommittee has decided that theNobel Peace Prize for 2011 is tobe divided in three equal partsbetween Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,Leymah Gbowee andTawakkul Karman for theirnon-violent struggle for thesafety of women and forwomen’s rights to fullparticipation in peace-buildingwork.








v The Nobel Prize in Literature2011 is awarded to TomasTranströmer “because, throughhis condensed, translucent images,he gives us fresh access to reality”.

v One of the most acrimoniousrun-ups to the Man BookerPrize in recent years had ahappy ending as British novelistJulian Barnes was declared theunanimous winner of thisyear ’s £50,000 prize for hisnovella, “The Sense of anEnding’’, hailed as an“exquisite’’ meditation ongrowing old, the nature ofmemory and relationships.

v M.K. Mani, pioneer innephrology in the country andChief Nephrologist at ApolloHospital, Chennai, has beenhonoured with the 40thDhanvantari Award.

v Environmentalist, lawyer andformer Union Minister, MohanDharia, has been selected as thewinner of the 26th IndiraGandhi Award for NationalIntegration.

v Vinoba Sewa Ashram foundersRamesh Bhaiya and VimlaBahan, and social activistsAnupam Mishra, ShobhanaRanade and Agus IndraUdayana were awarded 2011Jamnalal Bajaj Awards on 7November 2011.

v President of India PratibhaDevisingh Patil conferred theAshoka Chakra on Lt. NavdeepSingh (posthu-mous) on theoccasion of the 63rd RepublicDay Parade 2012 in New Delhi.

v The Prestigious 59th NationalFilm awards for Best Actor was

given to Girish Kulkarni for filmDeool (Marathi) and BestActress to Vidya Balan for thefilm The Dirty Picture (Hindi).

v The K.K. Birla Foundation hasawarded the 21 st BihariPuraskar for 2011 to ArjundeoCharan for his Rajasthani poetrycollection “ Ghar Tau Ek NamHai Bhrosai Rau “.

v Noted Hindi writer ProfessorRamdarash Mishra was selectedfor the 21st Vyas Samman for hispoetry collection Aam Ke Pattepublished in 2004.

v Tapas Kumar Kundu ofBangalore-based JawaharlalNehru Centre for AdvancedScientific Research has beenselected for the G.D. Birla awardfor his contribution inbiochemistry.


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