Daily Current Affairs 22nd November 2013

Hamid Ansari released book entitled Maimaar-E-Qaun-Dr A.R. Kidwai ....

Maimaar-E-Qaun-Dr. A. R. Kidwai edited by Mufti Ataur Rahman Ansari

Hamid Ansari, the Vice President of India on 21 November 2013 released a book entitled Maimaar-E-Qaun-Dr. A. R. Kidwai. The book has been edited by Mufti Ataur Rahman Ansari.

Dr A.R. Kidwai has been compiled in the book creatively. He was a learned scientist and served as a professor at Aligarh Muslim University. He contributed in the formation of Mewat Development Board in Haryana

About Dr A.R. Kidwai

• Professor and Head, Department of Chemistry; Dean, Faculty of Science, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh (1951-67).
• Chairman and Member, Union Public Service Commission of India (1967-79).
• Two times, he served Bihar as the Governor of Bihar from 1979-85 and 1993-98
• He served West Bengal as its Governor from 1998-99
• He became the member of Rajya Sabha from January 2000 to July 2004.
• He also remained the member of the following Parliamentary Committees:
a) Consultative Committee for the Ministries of Science and Technology, Environment and Forest from 2000-04
b) Standing Committee on Agriculture, Water Resources and Food Processing Industries from 2000-04
c) Committee on Subordinate Legislation from 2000-04
• He assumed the charge as the Governor of Haryana in 2004

ISRO’s Mars orbiter sent first pictures of earth....

The Mars Orbiter Mission also known as Mangalyaan has beamed back the first set of pictures of Earth on 21 November 2013 that was captured by Mars Color Camera fitted on Mars Orbiter spacecraft. The picture of earth has captured the Indian subcontinent and parts of Africa.
The camera has also captured the cyclonic storm Helen that is heading towards Andhra Pradesh coast. The Picture was taken on 19 November 2013 from an altitude of 67975 km with a resolution of 3.53 km. This is the first time after launch that an instrument on board has been checked for its operation.

Earlier, ISRO had performed all five orbit raising manoeuvres planned on the Mars Orbiter and raised the apogee of the spacecraft to over 1.92 lakh km.

Virat Kohli became Fastest Batsman to Score 5000 Runs in ODIs ....

Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli became the fastest batsman to score 5000 runs in one-day internationals when he scored 86 against the West Indies in the first ODI in Kochi on 21 November 2013.

Virat Kohli achieved the feat in just 120 matches and 114 innings. He has so far scored 5005 runs, which included 17 centuries and 27 fifties in his short career.

In terms of innings, Virat Kohli has equalled the record of Sir Viv Richards of West Indies, who also achieved the feat in 114 innings way back in 1987 but it was Viv's 126th match.

Before Kohli, former captain Sourav Ganguly was the fastest to achieve the feat among Indian batsmen in 131 matches and 126 innings. From India, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (135 innings), Gautam Gambhir (135 innings) and Sachin Tendulkar (138 innings) are the next fastest batsmen to reach the 5000 runs in ODIs.

Batsman	Opposition	Match Date	Matches	Innings
Virat Kohli (India)	West Indies	21 Nov 2013	120	114
Viv Richards (WI)	England	30 Jan 1987	126	114
Brian Lara (WI)	South Africa	3 Nov 1997	120	118
Gordon Greenidge (WI)	Pakistan	13 Nov 1990	122	121
AB de Villiers (SA)	England	28 Aug 2012	129	124
Sourav Ganguly (India)	Pakistan	25 Jan 2000	131	126

Cadila Pharmaceuticals launched Mycidac-C, a lung cancer drug ....

Cadila Pharmaceuticals on 21 November 2013 launched a new lung cancer drug, Mycidac-C, which is priced 40000 rupees for 10 course injection. The drug is much cheaper than the drugs manufactured by the multinational companies.

Cadila developed the drug after 15 years research and it will be available in Indian market from December 2013. Mycidac-C has been licensed and approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). The drug, Mycidac-C is meant for the patients, who suffer from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

24 Percent Jet Airways Equity allotted to Etihad Airways ....

Jet Airways on 20 November 2013 concluded the sale of 24 percent equity stake in the airline to Etihad Airways for 2057 crore Rupees.

The 335 million Dollar deal, which was unveiled in April 2013, is the first cross border transaction in the Indian aviation sector after it was opened up for foreign direct investments in 2012.

In September 2012, Government of India allowed foreign airlines acquire up to 49 percent stake in domestic carriers.

The Jet Airways issued and allotted 27263372 equity shares of a face value of 10 Rupees each at a price of 754.74 Rupees per equity share on a preferential basis to Etihad Airways. With this the paid up share capital of Jet Airways has gone up to 113597383 equity shares of 10 Rupees each. The move formalizes the sale of 24 percent equity of Jet Airways to the Etihad Airways.

The deal has already been cleared by capital markets regulator SEBI, Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) and Competition Commission of India (CCI).

About Jet Airways

Jet Airways is Indian Airline Company based at Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is India’s top two airlines, in terms of market share and passengers carried, after Air India.

About Ethihad Airways

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Set up by Royal (Amiri) Decree in July 2003, Etihad commenced commercial operations in November, 2003, and has gone on to become the fastest growing airline in the history of commercial aviation.

IAF's Sukhoi 30 to be platform for supersonic Brahmos missiles....

Sukhoi-30 fighter jet on 21 November 2013 has been selected as the platform to mount the supersonic BrahMos missiles by the Indian Air Force. The first test launch will be carried out by the end of 2014.

The air version of the BrahMos missile is ready but testing; simulations and aircraft modifications will take about a year. Thus the final flight with the missile will be done only at the end of 2014.

This is the only supersonic cruise missile platform in the world with abilities to travel at the supersonic speed and it can also be launched from both the sea and land. The BrahMos missile was jointly developed by the Indian and Russian Army in early 2000s and has since been inducted by the Army and the Navy. An air platform, has however, not been completed yet.

IAF's Sukhoi 30MK
The Sukhoi Su-30MK aeroplane has been designed on the platform of the Su-27UB. It is in the series production in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and in Irkutsk. It is a two seat highly manoeuvrable fighter designed for air-superiority and strikes at ground and naval surface targets using a variety of guided and unguided ADO, with an option of supporting group actions.

The negotiations to supply the Su-27 type fighter started in 1994 and the design bureau started the development of Su-30 based plane for India's Air Force in 1995. A.F. Barkovsky was appointed chief designer of the project.

About BrahMos
BrahMos is the first supersonic cruise missile known to be in service. BrahMos Weapon Complex first version was inducted in the Indian Navy from 2005 with INS Rajput as the first ship. The first regiment of BrahMos missile Block (A1) with the formation of N816 missile regiments and the deliveries started to the Indian Army in 2007.

Gurbaksh Singh Sandhu reappointed as India Boxing Coach....

Gurbax Singh Sandhu was on 20 November 2013 reappointed as the national coach of the men's Indian boxing team till the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. This decision was taken in consultation with the Sports Authority of India at New Delhi.

First appointed as coach in 1993, Gurbax Singh Sandhu has ably served for almost two decades during which Indian boxers have made ground-breaking progress in the international arena including winning the country's first Olympic medal, and first World Championship medal, through Vijender Singh (75kg category).

National Innovation Council got approval of 75 percent Innovation Fund Corpus.....

The National Innovation Council (NInC) on 20 November 2013 got approval of 75 percent of the 500 crore rupees initial corpus of the upcoming India Innovation Fund (IIIF), which is an Indian model of innovation.

IIIF will have contributions from Ministry of Finance, public sector banks (PSBs) and multilateral agencies and is being mobilized by NInC. The main objective of IIIF is to finance Enterprises focusing on the bottom of the pyramid that is, firms delivering goods and services to the poorest of the country. Multilateral agency, PSBs and financial institutions already gave commitment of 375 crore rupees and additional commitments to council, which mentioned in NInC annual “Report of the People 2013”. The launch date not yet decided though it is in its final stage of launching the fund.

Minimum 50 percent of advances from the fund would be to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the first close. The fund will not invest more than 15 percent of the corpus in any single company to ensure spread of investment. The fund intends to partner with public R&D programmes and laboratories to support the commercialization and deployment of socially relevant technologies and solutions.

The fund would be registered with Securities and Exchange of India (SEBI). A pipeline of the potential investment prospects has been identified. A specialised core team is also expected to be in place before the first closure. It is expected that the fund would be operational by the beginning of 2014. The fund may increase eventual size of 5000 crore rupees in the long term.

About National Innovation Council (NInC)

The National Innovation Council (NInC) was set up by the Prime Minister under chairmanship of Sam Pitroda, an adviser to PM on public information infrastructure and innovations (PIII).

NInC will provide mutually reinforcing policies, recommendations and methodologies to implement and boost innovation performance in the country.

The task  of the National Innovation Council include  formulating Roadmap for innovation for 2010-2020 and creating framework for evolving an Indian model of innovation, with focus on inclusive growth, encouraging central and state governments , universities and R&D institutions to innovate and to encourage the multi-displinary and globally competitive approaches for innovations and others.

The Council will also promote the setting up of State and Sector Innovation Councils to help implement strategies for innovation in Stated and Specified sectors.

Heads of Competition authorities of BRICS Nations signed the Delhi Accord ....

The Heads of the Competition Authorities of BRICS Nations signed a Joint Accord namely Delhi Accord on 22 November 2013 at 3rd BRICS International Competition Conference (ICC) at New Delhi.

The Delhi Accord was signed to ensure effective enforcement of competition rules, among the BRICS nations and to strengthen the co-operation among their fair trade regulators by exchanging views and boosting communication.

BRICS Competition Authorities also considered the need of establishing good communication between the BRICS Competition Authorities on competition law and policy to further improving and strengthening the relationship between the BRICS Competition Authorities.

BRICS Competition Authorities, while recognising the benefits of technical cooperation among the competition agencies, in sound and effective enforcement of competition laws expressed their resolve and commitment to exchange views on different aspects of competition policy.  The Competition Authorities of BRICS also support the hosting of the Fourth BRICS ICC during 2015 at South Africa.

The Delhi Accord was signed by Alessandro Serafin Octaviani Luis, Commissioner, CADE for the Brazilian Competition Policy System, by Andrey Tsarikovsky, Stats Secretary-Deputy Head of the FAS, Russia for the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation, by Ashok Chawla, Chairman, for the Competition Commission of India, by Sun Hongzhi, Vice Minister, for the State Administration for Industry and Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and by Tembinkos Bonakele, Acting Commissioner for the Competition Commission of South Africa.

Prof CNR Rao Elected to Chinese Academy of Sciences....

Eminent Scientist and Bharat Ratna Awardee Prof CNR Rao was on 4 November 2013 elected as honorary foreign member of Chinese Academy of Science (CAS).

He is first Indian to be elected to this prestigious Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) which comprises of many Nobel laureates and eminent scientist across the world.

CNR Rao has been elected to almost all scientific academies of the world including The Royal Society-London, National Academy of Science-USA, Pontifical Academy of Science, Japan Academy and Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences, among others.

About Prof CNR Rao

Prof. Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao (CNR Rao) was born on 30 June 1934, Bangalore, India. He is an eminent scientist and a well recognized international authority on solid state and materials chemistry.

He has published over 1400 research papers and 45 books. Prof. CNR Rao's contributions have been recognized by most major scientific academies around the world through conferment of memberships and fellowships. He has been honoured with several national and international awards, including Padma Vibhushan.

Prof. CNR Rao was founder and Honorary President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India. Prof, CNR Rao is presently serving as the head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India.


The Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister is the uppermost body that deliberates on various policy issues, pertaining to Science & Technology and also on the role it can play in the upliftment of the Indian economy.

Daily Current affair 20th November 2013

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro got Special Powers....

Nicolas Maduro, the President of Venezuela on 19 November 2013 got the final approval to special powers by Venezuela National Assembly. Because of this approval, Maduro will be able to govern without consulting the congress for 12 years.

The new powers assigned to the power will help him to tackle corruption and the economic crisis of the country. Presently, Venezuela is facing the shortages of food and other essential goods, power cuts and inflation about 54 percent.

As the economic sabotage activity, the retailers of the country have been forced to slash the prices up to 60 percent. Strict controls over the sale of the foreign currency have been introduced by the government to control the growing black market of dollars.

India and Russia decided to held a Joint Air Force Exercise in 2014.....

India and Russia on 18 November 2013 agreed to expand the range of strategic partnership in a significant manner in Moscow. The two countries will also hold a Joint Air Force Level exercise for the first time in 2014.

The decision was taken during the 13th Meeting of the India–Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRITC-MTC) and it was co chaired by AK Antony, the Defence Minister of India and His counterpart of Russia, Sergey Shoigu. This decision was taken by the two countries within two days after commissioning of INS Vikramadatya into Indian Navy.

The Agreements 

• The two countries agreed to hold a joint Air Force level exercise for the first time, which will happen in 2014 with a joint Navy Exercise in the Peter the Great Bay in the Sea of Japan. Recently, the armies of the two countries held an Exercise Indra in Rajasthan with a focus on anti-terrorism.
• Agreement was reached between the two ministers on further cooperation at all levels, especially in view of the regional and global challenges and to fight the menace of terrorism jointly. Both sides reviewed the situation in West Asia, especially in Syria and the evolving paradigm in Afghanistan.
• The two sides also agreed on to expand the cooperation not only in product design and development but also to involve various echelons of the Defence establishments in strategizing policies and cooperation in the fast changing global security scenario.

The Indian delegation in Russia also laid a wreath at the World War-II memorial at Poklonnaya Gora (Bow-Down Hill) of the Victory Park. A ceremonial guard of honour was also presented. Shoigu has also assured to India that the Indian pilots will be trained by the Naval Aviation Specialists to take offs and landing on the INS Vikramaditya, which may be held in Goa

Lionel Messi awarded third Golden Shoe.....

Lionel Messi, the Barcelonan forward footballer on 20 November 2013 won the Golden Shoe award. Messi won the award in recognition of his 46 goals in 32 leagues appearances in the Europe’s domestic football league in the 2012-13 season.

This is the third Golden Shoe award of Messi and with this win he became the first footballer win the show three times. Earlier Messi won the award in 2009-10 for 34 goals and a Spanish record 50 in 2011-12.

About Lionel Messi
Lionel Andres Messi (26) is an Argentine Footballer and a captain to the national team of Argentina. At present he plays for FC Barcelona in Spain. He is the fourth footballer to win 3 Ballons d’Or. He is the second player to win three Ballon’s d’Or consecutively after Michele Platini.

Bharatiya Mahila Bank launched by Prime Minister of India....

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi Jointly inaugurated India’s first all-women bank, Bharatiya Mahila Bank in Mumbai on 19 November 2013,marking the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The main objectives of the bank will be to focus on the banking needs of women and to promote their economic empowerment. The bank will commence operations with an initial capital of one thousand crore rupees.

The Union Government on 12 November 2013 appointed Usha Ananthasubramanian as the first chairperson and managing director of public sector Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB).

About Bharatiya Mahila Bank

1.The Mahila bank aims to service women and women-run businesses, support women’s self-help groups and their livelihoods and promote further financial inclusion.
2.An only-for-women bank first time in India.
3.Bhartiya Mahila Bank will be a universal bank and will provide every banking service and facility that is provided by comparable Public and Private sector banks. It will establish branches all over the country and, in due course, some branches in abroad.
4.The Union Cabinet cleared the proposal for setting up of all-women bank on August 2013.
5.The Reserve Bank of India gave its in-principal approval for the Bharatiya Mahila Bank in June 2013 and the banking company was set up.
6.The Union government approved 1000 crore Rupees seed capital for the women-focused public sector bank, announced by Union finance minister P. Chidambaram in his 2013-14 budget speech.

SPMCIL conferred with Engineering Excellence Award 2013 ....

Engineering Excellence Award 2013 was conferred on the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL), a Public Sector Unit under the Ministry of Finance, and Government of India on 19 November 2013. The award was given by Engineering Watch at SCOPE Convention Centre in Delhi.

The second Best Engineering Marvel for Project Innovativeness was conferred on Modernisation of Ink Factory Project at Bank Note Press, Dewas. Indigenisation of Bank Note Paper production at Security Paper Mill, Hoshangabad and Modernisation of Bank Note Press, Dewas have been awarded under the Special Mention Category.

Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited

Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL) was formed after corporatization of nine units including four mints, four presses and one paper mill, which were earlier functioning under the Ministry of Finance. The Company was incorporated on 13 January 2006 under the Companies Act, 1956 with its headquarters at New Delhi. SPMCIL is a Miniratna Category-I CPSE, and wholly owned Schedule ‘A’ Company of Government of India. It is engaged in the manufacture of security paper, minting of coins, printing of currency and bank notes, non-judicial stamp papers, postage stamps, travel documents and others.

UN urged Myanmar to grant Rights to Rohingya Muslims .....

The UN General Assembly’s human rights committee on 19 November 2013 passed a resolution urging Myanmar to give the stateless Rohingya minority equal access to citizenship. The committee also asked Myanmar to crack down on violence against them and other Muslims in Myanmar.

The resolution also expressed "concern about remaining human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests and detentions of political activists and human rights defenders, forced displacement, land confiscations, rape and other forms of sexual violence and torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment."

In the resolution, the 193-nation committee reiterated its serious concern about communal violence and other abuses of the Rohingya minority in Rakhine State of Myanmar. The UN resolution, which will move to the full UN General Assembly, acknowledged "the scale of the reform effort undertaken" so far in Myanmar.

Background
Myanmar emerged from a half-century of military rule in 2011, but its transition to democracy has been marred by sectarian violence that has left more than 240 people dead and sent another 240000 fleeing their homes, most of them Rohingya Muslims.

In 1982, Myanmar passed a citizenship law recognising eight races and 130 minority groups — but omitted the nation’s 800000 Rohingya, among Myanmar’s 60 million people.

Many Myanmar Buddhists view the Rohingya as interlopers brought in by British colonialists from modern-day Bangladesh, but many Rohingya say they have lived in the country once known as Burma for hundreds of years.

Government approved twenty proposals of Foreign Direct Investment .....

The Government of India on 19 November 2013 approved 20 proposals of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) amounting 915.83 crore rupees on the recommendation of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). The FIPB hold a meeting in regard of the FDI on 24 October 2013.

The FIPB has sent a proposal of M/s Federal Bank Ltd., Kerala, amounting to 1400crore rupees for consideration to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

CHOGM 2015 to be held in Malta as Mauritius pulls out

he next CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) 2015 will be held in Malta. The south European nation invited the Commonwealth to hold the summit after Mauritius pulled out in protest against the decision to hold this year’s gathering in Sri Lanka despite an international protests over alleged rights violations and war crimes.

Earlier, Mauritius was to host the biennial meet in 2015 but Prime Minister Navin Chandra Ramgoolam said just ahead of the Colombo summit that it no longer wanted to stage the event, citing Sri Lanka’s human rights record.

The international pressure on Sri Lanka is aggravating over alleged human rights abuses committed by the army against Tamils during the final phase of nearly three-decade long war against the LTTE that ended in 2009.

The Prime Ministers of India and Canada also didn’t attend this year’s summit over the same issue.

NASA launches MAVEN to explore Mars

In a bid to dismantle the ancient mystery of Mar’s radical climate change, US space agency NASA launched robotic explorer MAVEN rocketed toward the red planet. The unmanned spacecraft was launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US. This is NASA’s 21st mission to Mars since the 1960s. But it’s the first one dedicated to studying the Martian upper atmosphere.

Scientists are eager to know why the climate of Mars changed from warm and wet during its first billion year to cold and dry today. The early Martian atmosphere was thick enough to hold water and possibly support microbial life. But much of that atmosphere may have been lost to space, eroded by the sun.

About MAVEN:

• MAVEN: Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN
• Aim: To study the Martian upper atmosphere and conduct its experiments from orbit around Mars.
• Launched by NASA on November 20, 2013 from Cape Canaveral on Atlas V rocket.
• It is the first spacecraft devoted to exploring and understanding the Martian upper atmosphere.
• Reach Mars on September 22, 2014 after travelling over 440 million miles (700 million kilometres).
• Carries 8 instruments: Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer, Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph, Magnetometer, Solar Wind Electron Analyzer, SupraThermal And Thermal Ion Composition, Langmuir Probe and Waves antenna, Solar Energetic Particles and Solar Wind Ion Analyzer.

Waheeda Rehman to receive First Centanary Award at 44th IFFI

Legendary actress Waheeda Rehman will be conferred with the first Centanary Award for the Indian Film Personality at the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Goa. The award has been instituted this year (2013) which consists of a trophy, a cash of Rs. 10 lakh and a citation. This award to Waheeda Rehman acknowledges the creative contribution of an artist who opted for roles which were much more than just the appealing shadow of the male actors of the times.

About Waheeda Rehman:

Born in Chengalpattu near Chennai in 1936

Started acting career with Tamil and Telugu movies. Her first film was Kaalam Maari Pochu along with Gemini Ganesan.

Guru Dutt, her mentor, introduced her in Hindi movies as he offered her a role in film ‘C.I.D.’

Waheeda Rehman & Guru Dutt served the audience with such marvels as ‘Pyasa’. ‘ Kaghaz Ke Phool’, ‘Saheb Bibi aur Ghulam’ and ‘ Chudhvin ka Chaand’.

Preformed impressively with the other megastars like Dilip Kumar (Ram aur Shayam, Dil Diya Dard Liya), Raj Kapoor (Teesri Kasam) and Dev Anand (Guide).

Gathered laurels for her roles in ‘Reshma aur Shera’, ‘Kabhie Kabhie’, ‘Khamoshi’, ‘Delhi-6’and ‘Rang De Basanti’.

Became famous in media as the ‘Quintessential Beauty of Bollywood’

Won the National Award for the Best Actor in 1971 for ‘Reshma Aur Shera’ and Filmfare Awards in 1966 for ‘Guide’ and in 1968 for ‘Neel Kamal’.

Honoured with Padma Shri in 1972 and with Padma Bhushan in 2011.

Sl. No.	Name of the applicant	Particulars of the proposal	FDI/NRI inflows (Rs. in crore)
1.	M/s Castleton Investment Ltd., Mauritius; M/s GlaxoSmithKline Pte Ltd., Singapore	NR to NR transfer of shares between the foreign promoter group companies of an Indian pharma company – deletion of the standard conditions.	Nil
2.	M/s Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd.	To issue fresh equity shares to eligible non-resident investors in a book-building IPO and by an offer for sale by an existing foreign investor M/s Mozart Limited to carry out the business of pharmaceutical sector.	225
3.	M/s Fenwal India Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon	Transfer of shares from NR to NR as a part of global restructuring of the group companies.  The investee company is engaged in the pharma sector.	Nil
4.	M/s Menarini Raunaq Pharma Ltd.	Conversion of ECB into equity shares in a pharma sector company.	Nil
5.	M/s Perrigo API India Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai	To increase the foreign equity participation from 85% to 100% by way of issue of fresh equity shares and transfer of equity shares from resident to non-resident shareholders in a pharma sector company.	130
6.	M/s Cigniti Technologies Ltd., Hyderabad	Transfer of shares by way of share swap in a software company.	Nil
7.	M/s Hardinge Machine Tools B.V., Netherlands	To set up a LLP to carry out the end-to-end business of workholding products and their after sales services.	21.99
8.	M/s Casbaa Ltd., Hong Kong	To set up a LLP in India to be engaged in representing and promoting cable and satellite industry in India.	0.02
9.	M/s Luxora Realators Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai	Condonation of delay in bringing in the minimum capitalization amount of US $ 5 million into the FDI compliant real estate project.	Nil
10.	M/s Sugam Vanijya Holdings Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi	NR to NR transfer of FCDs within group companies before the completion of the 3 year lock in period.	Nil
11.	M/s Religare Enterprises Ltd.	To issue warrants to carry out the business of Investment Advisory Services and Financial Consultancy and to make holding investments in the NBFC Sector.	179.43
12.	M/s ANZ Capital Pvt. Ltd.	Post facto approval for exemption from minimum capitalisation requirement for a fund based NBFC, in order to regularise all transactions before winding up and liquidating the NBFC.	Nil
13.	The Nuance Group AG	To set up a duty free shop in Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai.	19
14.	M/s Emerald Group Publishing (India) Pvt. Ltd., Delhi	WOS of a foreign company to undertake the additional activities of Publishing of books and their supplements (text books, hand books, eBooks) in India for universities, educational institutions, research centres, other corporate etc.	12.37
15.	M/s DA Vinci GmbH, Berlin	To set up a WOS in India to undertake the down-linking and distribution of a Non-news and Non-current Affairs Edutainment Channel.	5
16.	M/s Berns Brett India Insurance Broking Pvt. Ltd., Delhi	Company having foreign investment to carry out the business of insurance broking under the regulation of IRDA.	0.65
17.	M/s JM Financial Limited, Mumbai	An Indian Core Investment company to issue warrants.	22.19
18.	M/s Aavishkar India Micro Venturecental Fund	Transfer of units from NR to NR in a Domestic Venture Capital Fund (DVCF).	Nil
19.	M/s Sacmi Engineering (India) Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai	Issue of equity shares to the shareholders of its foreign parent company pursuant to a High Court approval of the Scheme of Demerger.	Nil
20.	M/s Singapore Airlines Ltd., Singapore	To set up a JV Company in the ratio of 49%: 51%, which will be engaged in domestic and international full service scheduled passenger airlines services in the civil  aviation sector in India.	303.18

• The proposals of M/s Mordril Properties (India) Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai and M/s Cygnus Medicare Pvt. Ltd., Delhi were deferred
• The proposals of M/s Big India Malls Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi and M/s Indostar Capital Finance Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai (No.217/2012-FC.I) were rejected
• Proposal of M/s MY Mobile Payment Ltd., Mumbai (MMPL) has been advised to access automatic route
• In case of M/s Dashtag UK proposal has been advised that FIPB approval is not required.
• M/s Provimi Animal Nutrition India Pvt. Ltd., of Karnataka's proposal has been advised to apply afresh after the approval of the scheme of arrangement by the competent court.
• The proposal of the Federal Bank Ltd., Kerala was recommended for the consideration of CCEA, as the investment involved in the proposals is above 1200 crore Rupeees
• In case of M/s DLF Limitless Developers Pvt. Ltd. and M/s SingTel Global (India) Pvt. Ltd. the decision in case of their proposals have been kept in abeyance

RBI Directed Public Sector Banks to give loans to women SHGs at 7 percent......

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 19 November 2013 directed Public Sector Banks (PSBs) to provide loans to women self-help groups (SHGs) at 7 per cent per annum to avail the benefit of interest rate subvention scheme under the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana-Aajeevika (SGSY) scheme.

Salient features of RBI Notification

1.All women SHGs will be eligible for interest subvention to avail the credit upto 3 lakh Rupees at 7 per cent per annum.

2.PSBs will be subvented to the extent of difference between the Weighted Average Interest charged and 7 per cent subject to the maximum limit of 5.5 per cent, for the FY-2014.

3.This subvention will be available to all the PSBs on the condition that they make SHG credit available at 7 per cent in the 150 districts.

4.The Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) will be subvented to the extent of difference between the lending rates and 7 per cent for the FY-2014 on the condition they make SHG credit available at 7 per cent.

5.SHGs will be given an additional 3 per cent subvention on prompt repayment of loan.

Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana-Aajeevika (SGSY) is an initiative by the government to provide sustainable income to poor people living in rural areas of the country.

About Interest Rate subvention concept

Interest Rate subvention is a subsidy of interest given by Government to certain sectors like Textiles, Agriculture etc. For eg. Textile Company borrows from Bank at 10 percent and Government gives subvention of 2 percent. Hence net bank takes interest from textiles companies 8 percent. Other sectors have to pay 10 percent to the bank.

Anjolie Ela Menon awarded with Dayawati Modi Award....

Anjolie Ela Menon, a contemporary artist was awarded with Dayawati Modi Award for Art and Culture and Education by Dayawati Foundation on 19 November 2013. The award comprised of a cash price of 2.51 lakh rupees, a silver shield and a scroll of hounour. It was presented to her by the Minister of state for Prime Minister Office, Department of personnel and Training, Government of India.

About Anjolie Ela Menon
• Anjolie Ela Menon was born in 1940 in India
• She is one the leading contemporary female artist and well known muralist
• She held a solo exhibition with fifty-three variety style at age of 18
• She was awarded Padma Shree in 2000
• Most recently a major work yatra was acquired by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, California.

ISRO Performed last orbit Raising Manoeuvre on its Mars Mission .....

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 16 November 2013 performed the last of the five orbit-raising manoeuvre on its Mars Orbiter, raising the apogee (farthest point from Earth) of the spacecraft to over 1.92 lakh km.

In the series of five orbit raising manoeuvre with a supplementary operation after the fourth one, the space agency had raised the apogee of the spacecraft to over 1.92 lakh km.

After the successful completion of these operations, the Mars Orbiter mission is expected to take on the crucial event of the trans-Mars injection around 12.42am on 1st December 2013. It will reach the orbit of the red planet by 24th September, 2014 after taking on a voyage of over 10 months.

ISRO's PSLV C 25 on 5 November 2013 successfully injected the 1350-kg 'Mangalyaan' Orbiter (Mars craft) into the orbit around the earth, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pra desh.

Daily Current Affairs 18 November 2013

1. Abdulla Yameen became the 6th President of Maldives after he scored a decisive electoral win in the second phase of Presidential election held on 16 November, 2013

2. Malta would host the next Commonwealth summit in 2015, after it was unanimously chosen as the host during the concluding ceremony of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2013 at Colombo, Sri Lanka on 17 November, 2013

3. Waheeda Rehman, veteran Hindi film actress was announced as the winner of the inaugural Centenary Award for the Indian Film Personality of the Year 2013, which was constituted recently by the Union Govt. to mark the 100 years of Indian Cinema.

4. Liechtenstein became famous black money-heaven country which recently announced shedding its secrecy cloak and join hands with a host of countries including India for automatic exchange of information and mutual assistance in tax matters

5. India’s largest software services firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) opened its newest 10,000-seat campus on 16 November, 2013. This huge campus of TCS has been established at – Gandhinagar, Gujarat

16th November 2013 -Daily current affairs

33rd India International Trade Fair opened at New Delhi...

The 33rd India International Trade Fair began at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on 14 November 2013. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the India International Trade Fair (IITF). The trade fair aimed to spur international trade while highlighting India's economic growth. The Theme of IITF 2013 is Inclusive Growth. The 14-day event scheduled from 14 to 27 th November 2013. About 6000 exhibitors including 250 from foreign countries are participating in the fair. This year Japan is a partner country and South Africa, the focus country. While Bihar is a partner state, Odisha is the focus state. About India International Trade Fair The trade fair is organized by the India Trade Promotion Organization, and the fair is housed at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The IITF is one of the largest international trade fairs in the world. The Indian International trade fair first opened in 1980. And this annual event provides a common platform for the manufacturers, traders, exporters and importers. The fair displays comprises a wide range of products and services including Automobiles, Coir Products, Jute, Textiles, Garments, Household Appliance, Kitchen Appliances, Processed food, Beverages, Confectionery, Drugs, Pharmaceuticals, Telecommunication, Power sector, Electronic Sector, Furniture, Home Furnishings, Sports Goods, Toys, Engineering Goods etc.

Government announced the Provision for Higher Sugar Export ...

The Union Government of India on 15 November 2013 announced the provision of higher sugar export with domestic production becoming surplus. The condition of export of sugar has been relaxed by doubling the limit of the overseas shipment that sellers can register.

The export of sugar has been doubled to 50000 tonnes from 25000 tonnes per application for registration was announced by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.

The sugar production of India is projected at 25 million tonnes in 2013-14, which is two million tonnes more than the domestic demand.

Fifth Session of India-Ukraine Inter-Governmental Commission held in New Delhi...

The fifth session of India-Ukraine Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological, Industrial and Cultural Cooperation held in New Delhi on 13 November 2013. The Commission was chaired by E. Ahamed, the Minister of State for External Affairs.

The Ukrainian delegation was led by Ihor Mykolayovych Prasolov, the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine. He was accompanied by a 15 member official and 12 member business delegations from Ukraine.
During the session current status and future prospects of cooperation in trade and investment, heavy/light industry, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, mining and metallurgy, science and technology, energy (coal, nuclear), transportation, agriculture and food processing, education, culture and tourism were reviewed.

The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India, and the State Administration of Ukraine on Medicinal Products signed the Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in Joint Ventures and Research and Development in Pharmaceuticals and Bio-pharmaceuticals.

The Ukrainian Business Delegation held an interactive session with Indian business community organized by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The Ukrainian side agreed to address the concerns of Indian pharmaceutical companies operating in Ukraine. Both sides also agreed to work on an agreement on simplification of visa procedures to ease movement of business people and tourists. The bulk of India’s exports of pharmaceuticals to Ukraine amount to about 375 million US dollars per annum.

India and Ukraine also agreed to increase trade beyond the existing level of 3.2 billion US dollars.

The fourth session was held in Kyiv in June 2012 and the sixth session of the Commission will take place in 2014 at Kyiv.

Ram Kripalu Tripathi, Popularly Known as Jagadguru Kripaluji Maharaj, Died ....

Ram Kripalu Tripathi, popularly known as Jagadguru Kripaluji Maharaj passed away on 15 November 2013 at New Delhi. He was 91 years old. He was given the title of Jagadguru (the world teacher) at the age of 34 years, in 1957.

Life History of Ram Kripalu Tripathi

• Ram Kripalu Tripathi was born in October 1922 at Allahabad, India.
• He was the preceptor of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, which is the worldwide Hindu non-profit organization with 5 main spiritual centers. This is considered as one among the largest Hindu Temple complexes in entire Northern Hemisphere.
• His discourses were broadcasted everyday on various religion channels such as Zee Jagran, Aastha TV and Sanskar TV.
• He authored various books such as Prem Ras Siddhant, Bhakti Shatak and Radha Govind Geet.

18th International Children's Film Festival of India Inaugurated at Hyderabad...

The 18th International Children Film Festival of India (ICFFI) was inaugurated on 14 November 2013 at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari was inaugurated the week-long (14 to 20 Nov 2013) event popularly known as Golden Elephant. 

The film festival was thrown open with the screening of Hindi Animation Film "Gopi Gawaiyya Bhaga Bajaiyya"

Over 200 films from 48 countries scheduled to be screened at 11 theatres in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. About one lakh 50 thousand children are expected to take part in the biennial event.

The film festival is jointly organized by the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Children’s Film Society of India and the Andhra Pradesh state government.

Boeing delivered second P-8I Aircraft to India...

Boeing on 15 November 2012 delivered its second P-8I aircraft to Indian Navy at the INS Rajali Air Base in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu. This will boost up the long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities of the Indian Navy. It will also raise its surveillance capabilities that extend from Gulf of Aden on the West to Malacca Straits on the East.
The second aircraft will begin its flight trials in coming months. Eight P-8I aircraft is being developed by Boeing for India. It is based on the company’s Next-Generation 737 commercial airplane, the P-8I is the Indian Navy variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing has developed for the U.S. Navy.

The first P-8I aircrafts was delivered to India in May 2013. The first P-8I recently completed testing its weapons capabilities, including successfully firing a Boeing Harpoon missile at a target and dropping a torpedo.

About P-8I 

The P-8I is a long range anti submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations.

This military derivative of the Next-Generation 737-800 combines superior performance and reliability with an advanced mission system that ensures maximum interoperability in the future battle space.

The Indian navy is the first international customer for the P-8. Boeing signed a contract on 1 January 2009, to deliver eight long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft to the Indian navy.

About Boeing

Boeing is the world's leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. Additionally, Boeing designs and manufactures rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems. As a major service provider to NASA, Boeing is the prime contractor for the International Space Station. The company also provides numerous military and commercial airline support services. Boeing provides products and support services to customers in 150 countries and is one of the largest U.S. exporters in terms of sales.

OPCW adopted final roadmap for destruction of Syria’s Chemical Weapons...

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the UN Chemical weapons watchdog on 15 November 2013 started its work on the final roadmap for the destruction of chemical arsenals of Syria. In the plan, Syrian chemical weapons will be transported for destruction outside its territory to ensure their destruction in the safest and soonest manner, and no later than 30 June 2014.

The deadline of OPCW to agree on the destruction milestones of more than 1000 tonnes of dangerous chemicals in Syria expired on 15 November 2013. The plan was adopted during the meeting of its 41-member Executive Council in The Hague.
The UN Security Council gave its mandate to the agency to destroy the weapons of mass destruction by mid-2014. As per the reports, OPCW will send the resource for packaging and handling the chemical materials to 12 chemical storage sites by December 2013, under a tentative plan. Subsequently, the chemicals would be taken to Syria's Latakia port from where they would be shipped out by 5 February 2013.

About Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) that entered into force in 1997. As of today the OPCW has 190 Member States, who are working together to achieve a world free from chemical weapons. They share the collective goal of preventing chemistry from ever again being used for warfare, thereby strengthening international security.

15th november 2013-Daily current affair

Krishna Tirath gave away National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement ...

Krishna Tirath, the union Minister for Women and Child Development on 14 November 2013 gave away the National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement to 22 children on Children’s Day during the opening ceremony of Vatsalya Mela at Dilli Haat.

The awards initiated in 1996 are presented every year to the children between the age group 4-15 years for their exceptional achievements in various fields including academics, art, culture and sports etc. They include a Gold Medal with cash prize of 20000 Rupees and a citation, and 21 Silver Medals with cash prize 10000 Rupees and citations.

The Vatsalya Mela is celebrated on the day of Jawahar Lal Nehru’s birth anniversary, which also marks the Children’s Day.

The Gold Medal was presented to Harshal Shahi from Delhi for his exceptional achievement in the field of chess.

Out of 21 Silver Medal winners, 10 are girls. The names are:

1. S. Harshitha Reddy from Andhra Pradesh for her exceptional achievement in the field of mathematics.
2. Dhanraj Sahariah from Assam for his exceptional achievement in the various fields like martial arts, dance, music, swimming and theatre.
3. M. Shraddha from Chandigarh for her exceptional achievement in the field of Hindustani classical music.
4. Anjali Yadav from Chattisgarh for her exceptional achievement in the various fields like yoga, taekwondo, painting and dancing.
5. Hardik Jay Prakash Nayar from Daman & Diu for his exceptional achievement in the field of academics.
6. A.A. Aravinda Lochanan from Delhi for his exceptional achievement in various fields like musical instrument (Violin), recitation, quiz etc.
7. Vaishnav Chinmay Surilbhai from Gujarat for his exceptional achievement in the field of academics and sports.
8. Harman Singh from Haryana for her exceptional achievement in the field of dance and culture.
9. Kushagra Rastogi from Himachal Pradesh for his exceptional achievement in the field of academics.
10. Kariha Javaid from Jammu and Kashmir for her exceptional achievement in the field of martial arts and academics.
11. Simpi Kumari from Jharkhand Kashmir for her exceptional achievement in the field of archery.
12. Pooja G. Prabhu from Karnataka for her exceptional achievement in the field of music.
13. Akshay V. A from Kerala for his exceptional achievement in the field of painting.
14. Usman Hanif Patel from Maharashtra for his exceptional achievement in the field of Technical Innovation.
15. Khagembam Binta Devi from Manipur for her exceptional achievement in the field of boxing.
16. Harsha Pattnaik from Odisha for her exceptional achievement in the field of literature.
17. Chirag Gupta from Punjab for his exceptional achievement in the field of sports.
18. Megha Gupta from Rajasthan for her exceptional achievement in various fields such as academics, sports, dance, skating, drawing, football and arts.
19. R. Ajeetha from Tamil Nadu for her exceptional achievement in the field of yoga.
20. Pranay Fartyal from Uttar Pradesh for his exceptional achievement in the field of academics.
21. Mitrabha Guha from West Bengal for his exceptional achievement in the field of chess.

Fourth Biennial Conference of Asian Society on International Law Inaugurated ....

The Vice President of India M. Hamid Ansari inaugurated the Fourth Biennial Conference of Asian Society of International Law on Asia and International Law in the Twenty-First Century: New Horizons on 14 November 2013. The Conference is hosted by the Indian Society of International Law (ISIL).

It is important to note that conflict between international law and national sovereignty is today the subject to vigorous debates and there is a growing trend towards judging a State’s domestic actions in the light of international law and standards.

The international law addresses issues such as trade and business, trans-national crimes, human trafficking, climate change, terrorism, cyber crime, corruption, torture, intellectual property rights, child rights, women’s rights, rights of the disabled, piracy and a host of other issues.

Objective of the Conference

The objective of the 4th Biennial Conference of the ASIL is to provide a vibrant platform for meaningful interaction and exchange among scholars and practitioners in the field of international law in order to promote better understanding of international legal issues and to comprehend the emerging trends.

Theme of the Conference

The theme of this Conference: Asia and International Law in the Twenty-first Century: New Horizons is appropriate and timely. The topics chosen are relevant and reflective of changing times and perceptions.

IAF C 130J sent to Philippines on a Humanitarian Aid Mission ....

Government of India on 14 November 2013 dispatched relief package that includes medicines, hygiene and chemicals, tentage, blankets, tarpaulins and ready to eat meals to Hurricane ravaged Philippines by an Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft to Mactan.

The relief package will helped the people of Philippines to meet the urgent needs at the time of trouble like life-saving medical care, food supplies and construction of temporary shelters in this hour of need. A similar aid was provided to Philippines by India in 2006.

The Problem of Philippines
Super Typhoon Haiyan of category-5 struck Philippines on 8 November 2013 and left behind more than 10000 people dead. It also affected about 4 million people. This was one of the most powerful typhoons to hit Philippines. It pushed winds up to 300 kilometers an hour.

Mushirul Hasan was conferred with Nehru Fellowship..

Professor Mushirul Hasan, the former Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia on 14 November 2013 was conferred with the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship by the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund. The title of the Hasan’s fellowship project is Roads to Freedom – Prison, Prisoners and the Raj.

The project of professor Hasan will see how the jails were used during the time of Raj to bring down the body and soul of those resting or revolting against the British.

About Professor Mushirul Hasan

• He is an internationally known historian and has written extensively on the partition.
• He did his MA from Aligarh Muslim University and the PhD from Cambridge in 1977.
• He was awarded Padma Shri and the Ordre des Palmes Academiques by the French Government in 2010.
• He was also the Director-General of the National Archives from May 2010 to May 2013.

Veteran Journalist R.K. Mukker Passed Away at 88....

Veteran journalist R.K. Mukker passed away on 13 November 2013 after prolonged illness. He was 88 years old. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. He died at Sahibabad in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad district.

Life History of R.K. Mukker

• He had 60 years long career.
• He started off with The National Herald in Lucknow.
• He also worked with the Indian Express and The Statesman.
• He was also the Editor of Morning Echo, which was the tabloid of the Hindustan Times Group.
• He served as the Editor of Searchlight by the Hindustan Times Group in Patna.
• R.K. Mukker was the founder-Editor of the Lokmat Times, which was the English daily of the Lokmat Newspaper Group, published from Maharashtra.

 Kenichi Ito set his new Quadruped Record....

Kenichi Ito, a Japanese man broke his own Guinness World Record for the 100 meter dash on 14 November 2013. He runs on his arms and legs broke.

ITO of 30 years finished the dash in 16.87 seconds by saving about 30 seconds of his 2012 run of 17.47 seconds.

Law Ministry said that Amendment of Article 371(D) is needed for bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh ....

The Union Law Ministry on 14 November 2013 told to the Group of Ministers (GoM) about the necessity of amendment of Article 371 (D) of the Constitution of India for bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. The Article 371D of Constitution of India writes Special provisions with respect to the State of Andhra Pradesh.

Two-third majority of Parliament will be needed for the passage of the constitution Amendment Bill, which will be the biggest political inference in passage. The GoM will seek the advice of Goolam Vahanvati, the Attorney General before they proceed with the Bill. As they want to enquire that a single bill on bifurcation is sufficient or a separate bill will be required to be amendment.

India-Republic of Korea Joint Commission Meeting was held...

The 7th India-Republic of Korea Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) was held in New Delhi on 8 November 2013. The Indian side was led by External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, while the Republic of Korea (ROK) side was led by Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. The two nations did a comprehensive review of bilateral relations, which were upgraded to a Strategic Partnership and acquired range and depth over the past few years. Noting that high level political exchanges had imparted momentum to the relationship, India and South Korea discussed the possibility of a visit to India by ROK President Madame Park Geun-hye in early 2014. The JCM discussed ways to add strategic and economic content to bilateral ties including in the political, security, trade, investment, consular, scientific and cultural spheres. Regional and international issues of mutual interest were also discussed. The 8th India-ROK Joint Commission Meeting at a mutually convenient time will be held in Seoul in 2014.

Coffee Board ready to launch new hybrid varieties of Coffee ...

awaid Akhtar, the Chairman of the Coffee Board on 14 November 2013 declared about the plan of the board to introduce three or four new hybrid varieties of coffee during the 55th Annual Conference of the Karnataka Planters Association.

The board is also trying to expand the land under coffee in the traditional coffee growing states by 20000 hectares. The expansion is also being planned in the non-traditional like Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

As per Jawaid Akhtar, the Government supports the efforts of the coffee growers by increasing mechanization. During the 12th Plan Period, the Government has also preparing the scheme for the implementation of the coffee growers referring the increase in the demand of the coffee.

14th november 2013-Daily current affairs

Prasar Bharti and Radio-Television of Slovenia inked Broadcasting MoU ..

Prasar Bharati, the India's public broadcaster, and the Radio-Television of Slovenia (RTV-SLO) on 13 November 2013 signed an MoU in the field of broadcasting. This will help to develop and strengthen the mutual friendly relations through an increased cooperation in broadcasting.

The signed MoU allow to explore the opportunities in potential projects of production programs, further. It also allows the exchange of programs in the field of culture, entertainment, education, sports and news. 

The agreement was signed by the head of the international department of RTV-SLO, Suzana Vidas Karoli and Member Personnel of Prasar Bharati, VAM Hussain.

The MoU will help to develop the relations between the two countries and also strengthen people to people contact between the two sides and will develop better understanding among people.

Government nod to three year BSc Community Health Course....

The Union Government of India on 13 November 2013 gave its nod to the Union Health Ministry to go ahead with the scheme aimed at creation of the mid-level rural health cadre of professionals. To give the nod of creation of the mid-level rural health cadre of professionals, the government overruled the Parliamentary Committee recommendation to scrap the course in community health.

The Union Cabinet in its meeting gave its nod to the health ministry to start a new three-year BSc community health program. The program would help in creation of the new cadre of health professionals to improve the rural medicare infrastructure in India.

The proposal was pending for few years but after the Ministry came up with the idea to create a new cadre of health professionals in rural areas as the doctors were unwilling to serve there.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health had opposed the introduction of the undergraduate community health course. The committee had instead recommended compulsory one-year rural posting for fresh medical graduates to meet the shortage of doctors in rural areas. The introduction of the course was also opposed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

IAF Flagged in White Water Rafting Expedition Called IAF Aqua Scullers....

Air Marshal HB Rajaram on 13 November 2013 flagged in IAF (Indian Air Force) Aqua Scullers on the successful completion of their white water rafting expedition on the Ganges from Gangotri (at an altitude of 3049 mtrs) to Ganga Sagar in West Bengal.

It is worth noticing that the River Ganges is known to be one of the most challenging rivers in the world for White Water rafting. The Himalayan portion of the river from Gangotri (at 3049 mtrs) to Haridwar (at 295 mtrs) is considered one of the most treacherous white water stretches in the world, with forceful Grade IV and V rapids. IAF Aqua Scullers completed the expedition by overcoming challenges in the record time of 16 days.

Also, this is the first and the most unique kind of expedition undertaken by the Indian Armed Forces.
Milestones Achieved During the Expedition

• This was the longest Rafting expedition ever in India and covered 3000 km.
• It took shortest duration ever to raft down the entire length of Ganga. The IAF expedition took 16 days with larger distance traversed while the ITBP expedition took 53 days.
• The Indian Armed Forces completed the longest non – stop rafting at a stretch in a single day. On 23 October 2013, the team rafted continuously for 15 hrs from Jalalpur (near Garmukteshwar) to Rajghat (near Anupshahar) in Uttar Pradesh.
• In the meanwhile, the IAF also covered the longest distance by the raft in a single day. On 3 November 2013, more than 300 kms were covered from Ramakantapura iron bridge to Barrackpore in West Bengal.

What is White Water Rafting?

• Rafting is primarily a challenging recreational outdoor activity by making use of a raft in order to navigate the river or a water body.
• Rafting or White Water Rafting is usually done on white water or the different degree of rough water.
• White Water is basically formed in the rapid when the gradient of a river increases so much that it disturbs the laminar flow to create turbulence.
• White Water Rafting became a popular leisure sport since mid 1970s. It is the extreme adventure sport and can also be fatal.

World Diabetes Day observed on 14 November...

World Diabetes Day was observed on 14 November 2013 across the world to raise awareness of diabetes-a chronic disease.

World Diabetes Day is an annual campaign, led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its member associations. It engages millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness.

The theme for 2009-13 is Education and Prevention.

The world Diabetes day is celebrated every year on 14 November. The date was chosen because it marks the birthday of Frederick Banting, who, along with Charles Best, is credited with the discovery of insulin in 1921.

World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to concern over the escalating incidence of diabetes around the world. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2007 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225.



Key facts about Diabetes by WHO

1.347 million people worldwide have diabetes.
2.In 2004, an estimated 3.4 million people died from consequences of high fasting blood sugar.
3.More than 80 percent of diabetes deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
4.WHO projects that diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of death in 2030.
5.Healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and avoiding tobacco use can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

About Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease, which occurs when the pancreas gland does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. This leads to an increased concentration of glucose in the blood (hyperglycaemia).

Types of Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (previously known as insulin-dependent or childhood-onset diabetes) is characterized by a lack of insulin production.

Type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes) is caused by the body’s ineffective use of insulin. It often results from excess body weight and physical inactivity.

Gestational diabetes is hyperglycaemia that is first recognized during pregnancy.


About Pancreas gland

The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as an exocrine gland, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that pass to the small intestine. These enzymes help in the further breakdown of the carbohydrates, protein, and fat in the chyme.

Book Entitled Indian Railway Track-Design, Construction and Maintenance Released ...

The Minister of Railways Mallikarjun Kharge released a Ruby Jubilee-40th Year Edition of the book titled Indian Railway Track-Design, Construction and Maintenance (Ruby Jubilee-40th Year Edition) on 13 November 2013. The book is authored by a renowned Civil Engineer M.M. Agarwal who served Indian Railways for 33 years and retired from the post of Chief Engineer.
About the book- Indian Railway Track-Design, Construction and Maintenance (Ruby Jubilee-40th Year Edition)

• This is the 19th revised edition of the book, which was originally written in 1973. The book has since then been revised almost every two years to include the latest technical developments in the track taking place on Railway around the world with special reference to Indian Railways.
• Indian Railway Track is designed for all the permanent way members, whether in office or in the field.
• The Ruby Jubilee (40th year) revised and enlarged edition 2013-14 contains 30 updated chapters covering the entire spectrum of track technology including its design, construction, maintenance and modernization from the fundamental.
• The book is a complete treatise on track technology and has been serving as a useful guide to all Railway Supervisors, Engineers and other professionals for the last about four decades.
• It is important to note that the Railway Track, also called Permanent Way, is the basic structure over which the trains run. The book covers all the vital aspects of Railway Tracks and related issues for the safety of Rail operations.
• The latest edition of the book covers not only the existing details about Track Standard, Track Maintenance and Track Modernisation but also gives details about high speed railway, dedicated freight corridors and all other new developments taking place on Indian Railways.
• The Railway Engineers use this book to ensure that they are able to carry out their duties more efficiently and smoothly with good technical input.

About the author of the book- M.M. Agarwal

• M.M. Agarwal wrote various other Civil Engineering books which are patronized by Railway professionals. These include Railway Works Engineering- Design, Construction, Maintenance - Objective Railway Engineering-Track, Works & Others,  Indian Railway Safety-Ultimate Goal to prevent Railway Accidents)- Railway Engineering,  Rail Path Parchiya (Hindi) and Rail Nirman & Pul Engineering (Hindi).
• He has also won various awards such as National Award (Railway Minister’s Prize & Award) for special work done on ‘Track Modernisation’ on Indian Railways (1973), President’s Award “Indira Gandhi Raj Bhasa Award” by Government of India for the best original book written in Rajbhasa for Engineering professionals (1993) and Lal Bahadur Raj Bhasha Award by Railway Board for best professional book in Raj Bhasa for Railway technical staff (2005).

Children's Day Observed Across India on 14 November ....

Children's Day was celebrated in India on 14 November 2013 in order to commemorate the birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964), the first Prime Minister of India after Independence. The day is celebrated to commemorate the affection of Jawaharlal Nehru towards children.
Children’s Day across the World

• The United Nations recognised 20 November as the Universal Children's Day in the year 1954. This was done in order to create attentiveness on the development of children.
• The World Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland in the year 1925, had recognised 1 June as the International Children's Day. However, the United Nationals General Assembly approved 20 November as the Universal Children's Day.

Children’s Day Celebrations in India

Children’s Day is celebrated in India with various innovative activities at schools.
Competitions, poems, feast and dance are organised by community groups and schools in order to mark the event.

Also, the Children’s Day festivals are organised, in which the focus remains on education, recreation, cultural, economic and health needs of the children.

Paras Ajmera resigned from MCX Board....

Paras Ajmera, Director of Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX) resigned from the board on 12 November 2013.

Paras Ajmera is a nominee of promoter Financial Technologies India Ltd (FTIL) to the board of directors of Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX).

MCX on 13 November 2013 informed the BSE that FTIL had withdrawn the nomination of Paras Ajmera, a shareholder director, from the board with effect from 12 November 2013, consequent to his resignation from the MCX Board.

The resignation came amid the continuing 5600 crore Rupees payment crisis at the FTIL-promoted National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL). Paras Ajmera was the only FTIL representative on the MCX Board after FTIL’s founder Jignesh Shah resigned from the board in October 2013.



About MCX

The Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited (MCX), India’s first listed exchange, is a state-of-the-art, commodity futures exchange that facilitates online trading, and clearing and settlement of commodity futures transactions, thereby providing a platform for risk management.

The Multi Commodity Exchange, which started operations in November 2003, operates within the regulatory framework of the Forward Contracts Regulation Act, 1952 (FCRA, 1952).

NASA Cassini Spacecraft provided New View of Saturn and Earth...

NASA in November 2013 released a natural-color image of Saturn from space, the first in which Saturn, its moons and rings, and Earth, Venus and Mars, all are visible. The panoramic mosaic of the majestic Saturn system was taken by Cassini Spacecraft of the NASA. It shows the view that can be seen by the human eyes. It was unveiled at the Newseum in Washington on 12 November 2013.

To create the panorama, the image team of Cassini processed 141 wide-angle images. The image sweeps 404880 miles across Saturn and its inner ring system, which includes Saturn rings out to the E ring, the second outermost ring of Saturn.

On July 19, people for the first time had advance notice a spacecraft taking the picture from planetary distance during the Cassini’s Wave at Saturn campaign. During the campaign, NASA invited public to celebrate by finding Saturn in their part of the sky, waving at the ringed planet and sharing pictures over the internet.

An annotated version of the Saturn system mosaic labels points of interest. Earth is a bright blue dot to the lower right of Saturn. Venus is a bright dot to Saturn’s upper left. Mars also appears, as a faint red dot, above and to the left of Venus. Seven Saturnian moons are visible, including Enceladus on the left side of the image. Zooming into the image reveals the moon and the icy plume emanating from its south pole, supplying fine, powder-sized icy particles that make up the E ring.

The E ring shines like a halo around Saturn and the inner rings, because it is tenuous and can be seen with the light shine from behind it.

About the Cassini Spacecraft
Cassini Spacecraft was launched in 1997 and explored the Saturn system for more than nine years. NASA has planned to continue the mission through 2017 with the anticipation of many more images of Saturn, its rings and moons, along with scientific data.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manage the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo.

 Haryana Launched its First Food Bank at Gurgaon with Support from Cargill ....

Haryana, on 11 November 2013, launched its first food bank in order to give assistance to the different feeding programmes in Gurgaon as well as nearby areas. The food bank received support by global food major Cargill and India Food Banking Network (IFBN), which is initiated by Sam Pitroda, Advisor to Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations.

The Haryana Industries Minister, Randeep Singh Surjewala explained that Haryana recently adopted the National Food Security Ordinance in order to ensure that people have adequate quantity as well as quality of food at reasonable prices.

The new Gurgaon Food Bank targets sustained daily feeding of approximately 10000 beneficiaries by 2014 in the Gurgaon region. It is estimated that if replicated on a national level, this model will play a crucial role in eliminating the hunger completely from the country by the year 2020.

Yogesh Agarwal, the Chairman of PFRDA Resigned; Anup Wadhawan Took Over....

The Chairman of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), Yogesh Agarwal resigned from the post of Chairman on 13 November 2013. He resigned because of the Government’s decision to not allow him to be a part of the selection panel for members of the regulator.
In the meanwhile, Joint Secretary Anup Wadhawan was appointed as the new Chairman of PFRDA by the Finance Ministry. It is important to note that Yogesh Agarwal had one and half years more as his tenure of the Chairman.

Inclusion of Chairman in the Selection Panel as Per the PFRDA Act 2013

The selection panel members include Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram, Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Takru, Department of Personnel and Training Secretary Syamal Kumar Sarkar, Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), TS Vijayan, former LIC Chairman S B Mathur. According to the PFRDA Act 2013, the body should include the Chairperson and not more than six members (out of which three should be the full-time members), to be appointed by the Union Government of India.

Term of the Chairman of PFRDA

The Chairman as well as every full-time member of PFRDA holds the office for the term of five years. Also, the Chairman and members are eligible for reappointment. The age limit for a Chairman of PFRDA is 65 years and that of the full-time members is 62 years. Part-time members, in the meanwhile, can hold the office for the term not exceeding five years from the date of joining the office.

Oceans acidifying at Unprecedented Rate: International Scientific Study ....

A report released in second week of November 2013 claimed that the world's oceans are becoming more acidic at an unprecedented rate. The oceans of the world are becoming hot, sour and breathless due to the impact of the greenhouse gases. As per the new report from scientists, the way those changes work together is creating a very serious outlook for global water.

The scientists from the International Biosphere Geosphere Programme said that the human emissions of Carbon Dioxide are the matter to be blamed. The human activities add 24 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide to the World’s ocean every day. These emissions will have a profound effect on the chemistry of sea water.

The increasing acidity of the oceans is making the life of the marine organisms hard. The acidity is happening in the polar oceans at a higher speed, where the cold water holds the larger amount of CO2. The researchers and scientists claim that by the end of this century the acid effect would be global and scientists warn, at least 30 per cent of ocean species will be unable to survive.

The acidification of the ocean has increased at an unprecedented rate in the past 300 million years. The scientists have calculated that the world oceans have became 26 percent more acidic since 1880 due to the increase of carbon in the water.

Shiraz Naval Minwalla won New Horizons in Physics Prize 2014  ....

Shiraz Naval Minwalla, Professor of Physics in TIFR, Mumbai selected for the 2014 New Horizons in Physics Prize on 5 November 2013.

He was awarded "for his pioneering contributions to the study of string theory and quantum field theory; and in particular his work on the connection between the equations of fluid dynamics and Albert Einstein’s equations of general relativity".

The New Horizons for Physics Prize awarded to promising junior researchers by Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation. The award carries prize money of 100000 US Dollars.

The other laureates of 2014 New Horizons in Physics Prize are:

Freddy Cachazo, Perimeter Institute, for uncovering numerous structures underlying scattering amplitudes in gauge theories and gravity.

Vyacheslav Rychkov, CERN/Pierre-and-Marie-Curie University/École Normale Supérieure, for developing new techniques in conformal field theory, reviving the conformal bootstrap program for constraining the spectrum of operators and the structure constants in 3D and 4D CFT’s.

About Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation

The Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation established by the Milner Foundation, Russia in 2012 and dedicated to advancing our knowledge of the Universe at the deepest level by awarding annual prizes for scientific breakthroughs, as well as communicating the excitement of fundamental physics to the public.

Two categories of prizes will be awarded for past achievements in the field of fundamental physics, with the aim of providing the recipients with more freedom and opportunity to pursue even greater future accomplishments.

The Fundamental Physics Prize recognizes transformative advances in the field, while the New Horizons in Physics Prizes are targeted at promising junior researchers.

13th november 2013-Daily current affair

Industrial production grew by 2 percent in September 2013...

The Industrial Production output grew by 2 percent in September 2013 mainly on account of better performance by power and mining sectors. The growth in the output of the industrial production is showing the signs of recovery. The factory output was measured in terms of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) had contracted by 0.7 per cent in September 2012.

Meanwhile, the IIP for August 2013 has revised to 0.43 percent from the provisional estimate of 0.6 percent.

The industrial output for April-September 2013 was 0.4 percent, when compared to 0.1 percent in the same period in 2012-13 as per the data released by the Government. Whereas, the power generation displayed the growth of 12.9 percent in September 2013 and the expansion in power generation was 5.9 percent in April to September 2013, when compared to 4.6 percent in the same time in 2012-13.
The mining sector grew by 3.3 percent in September 2013, whereas in September 2012 it was 2.2 percent. The output during April to September shrank by 2.5 percent in 2013 against the contraction of 1.1 percent in 2012. The mining sector is about 14 percent in the IIP.

The manufacturing sector grew by 0.6 percent in September 2013, which was against the decline of 1.6 percent in September 2012. During the time period of April to September 2013 the output of the sector grew by 0.1 percent against the decline of 0.3 percent in the same time period of 2012. The manufacturing sector constitutes over 75 percent of the index.

Prasar Bharti signed MoU with Slovenia Radio & TV for Cooperation in Broadcasting...

India's public broadcaster Prasar Bharati and Radio-Television of Slovenia (RTV-SLO) on 13 November 2013 signed an MoU to develop and strengthen mutual friendly relations through an increased cooperation in the field of broadcasting.

The agreement was signed by head of international department of RTV SLO, Suzana Vidas Karoli and Member Personnel of Prasar Bharati, VAM Hussain

The MoU allows to explore further opportunities in potential projects of production of programmes. It also entails exchange of programmes in the field of culture, education, entertainment, sports and news.

Usha Ananthasubramanian appointed as CMD of Bharatiya Mahila Bank ....

The Union Government on 12 November 2013 appointed Usha Ananthasubramanian as the chairperson and managing director of public sector Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB), the first women’s bank.

Before joining BMB, she was an Executive Director with Punjab National Bank (PNB).

Usha Ananthasubramanian started her career in the actuarial department with LIC and banking career in February 1982 with Bank of Baroda. She holds a master’s degree in statistics from the University of Madras and a master’s degree in ancient Indian culture from University of Mumbai.

During her tenure at Punjab National Bank, she was part of the panel formed for examination of the blueprint and other issues for setting up of the women’s bank. The panel’s report paved the way for India’s first public sector women’s bank.


About Bharatiya Mahila Bank
• The bank aims to service women and women-run businesses, support women’s self-help groups and their livelihoods and promote further financial inclusion.

• An only-for-women bank first time in India.

• The Union Cabinet cleared the proposal for setting up of all-women bank on August 2013.

• The Reserve Bank of India gave its in-principal approval for the Bharatiya Mahila Bank in June 2013 and the banking company was set up.

• The Union government approved 1000 crore Rupees seed capital for the women-focused public sector bank, announced by Union finance minister P. Chidambaram in his 2013-14 budget speech.

• One of the key objectives of the bank is to focus on the banking needs of women and promote economic empowerment.

Government Introduced Risk Management System (RMS) for Trade Facilitation in Export Sector....

Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram was on 13 November 2013 inaugurated the IT based Risk Management System (RMS) for the Customs clearance of export goods at New Delhi.

Government has introduced RMS to enhance trade facilitation in export sector and to check smuggling of drugs, weapons and other illegal substances harmful to the country.

RMS will also enable the Excise and Customs Department to enhance the level of facilitation and speed up the process of cargo clearance. The single window system of RMS will contribute to reduce in dwell time, by achieving the desired objective of reducing the transaction cost in order to make the business internationally competitive.

The launch of RMS in exports covers 11 Customs stations at Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune and Tutocorin. It would be extended to all EDI Customs stations by year end. Benefits are expected to accrue to the trade in terms of faster clearances and reduced transaction costs thereby enhancing the global competitiveness of our export goods.

COP-19, UN Climate Change Conference Kicked off at Warsaw, Poland .....

The UNFCCC's 19th Conference of the Parties (COP19) began on 11 November 2013 at Warsaw, Poland.

The 19th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the 9th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol will be held from 11 to 22 November 2013 at Warsaw, Poland. In this conference, delegates from more than 190 countries are meeting to discuss the global climate change issues, plans and solutions.

The COP19/CMP9 began with calls for governments to harness the strong groundswell of action on climate change across all levels of government, business and society and make real progress here towards a successful, global climate change agreement in 2015.

One of the key talking points in COP 19 will be the Global Climate Fund (GCF), the mechanism being used to transfer money from the developed to the developing world to assist with the effects of climate change.

About UNFCCC

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was created in 1992. Each year it hosts the Conference of the Parties (COP) in a different city around the world in order to debate and discuss the most effective ways to combat climate change.

MTNL signed MoU with US Firm to impart Security Training in India ...

MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited) signed a MoU with Los Alamos Technical Associates, Inc. (LATA) of USA on 12 November 2013. The MoU has been signed to launch the state of the of the art training programs on Cyber Security, Risk and Crisis Management, Public Safety and Disaster Management, Homeland Security/ Critical Infrastructure Protection, Security Operations Management, Industrial Security, Fire & Safety Management etc.

The MoU will bring to India the practices followed in US for security, which has been developed over a period of time. The security needs are evolving in India at a rapid speed and the partnership between MTNL and LATA will help in development of professional programs in cyber and physical security to meet the growing demands of India.

The trainings of MTNL are going to start at the training centers at New Delhi and Mumbai. The first batch of training will start from March 2014. For the top management of the companies and the government department a one or two day series of awareness programme will be developed by MTNL.

India declared itself free from Bird Flu....

India on 12 November 2013 declared itself free from Notifiable Avian Influenza (H5N1), commonly called bird flu and notified the same to World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

India notified the outbreak of the Avian Influenza (H5N1) at poultry production unit, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Anjora, Durg and Government Poultry Farm, Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh on 05th August, 2013.

The control measures adopted in the outbreak was taken in form of stamping of the entire poultry population and it included the destruction of eggs, litters, feed and other infected materials within the radius of one kilometer around the location of the outbreak, restriction of the poultry movement, disinfection and cleaning up of the infected premises and subsequently issuing of the Post Operation Surveillance Plan (POSP). On 12 August 2013 the POSP was issued.

Although India is free from the bird flu, but regular surveillance will be continued across the country especially in the vulnerable areas that is bordered by the infected countries and in areas which are visited by migratory birds.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Inaugurated Services Conclave 2013 ...

The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma inaugurated Services Conclave 2013 on 12 November 2013. During the occasion, Anand Sharma highlighted that services trade is an essential ingredient to economic growth, sustainable development and contributes prominently to employment generation.

It is worth noticing that 80 percent of India’s total exports are dominated by the high skilled services including software business services, financial services and communication services. Also, exports from IT&ITES in the year 2012 stood at 1.40 lakh crores Rupees, registering a growth of over 70 percent over the year 2011.

About Services Conclave 2013
• Services Conclave 2013 has the focus on few select sectors that have the potential for India’s service sector export strategy.
• The Services Conclave 2013 will deliberate on a roadmap for augmenting exports of various services so as not only to diversify India’s services exports but also to position India as a key player in world services trade.
• The Conclave is organised by the Department of Commerce in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) with support from the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) and Centre for WTO Studies (CWTOS).
• The primary aim of the Conclave will be to address issues relating to the challenges and opportunities of Services sector exports for India especially in the specific sectors of logistics, professional services (Architectural services, accountancy, management consultancy services), IT/ITeS, telecom services, tourism, health and medical services and creativity and entertainment services.

Infosys Science Foundation Announced Winners of the Infosys Prize 2013 .....

The Infosys Science Foundation on 12 November 2013 announced the winners of the Infosys Prize 2013 across six categories: Engineering & Computer Science, Humanities, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences.

The winners were recognized for their outstanding achievements and contributions to scientific research. The Infosys Science Foundation also announced an increase in the prize purse by 5 Lakhs to 55 Lakhs rupees for each category for 2013. The prize for the Humanities category will be split equally between the two winners.

The seven winners were chosen based on significant progress showcased in their chosen spheres, as well as for the impact their research will have on the specific field. In addition to the prize purse, each category award includes a gold medallion and a citation certificate.

The distinguished winners of the 5th Infosys Prize 2013 are:
1.Engineering and Computer Science
Prof. Ramgopal Rao, Institute Chair Professor – Department of Electrical Engineering and Chief Investigator, Centre of Excellence in Nanoelectronics, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai

2.Humanities

• Archaeology

Prof. Nayanjot Lahiri, Professor – Department of History, University of Delhi, New Delhi

• Linguistics

Prof. Ayesha Kidwai, Professor – Centre for Linguistics, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

3.Life Sciences

Dr. Rajesh Gokhale, Director, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi

4.Mathematical Sciences

Prof. Rahul Pandharipande, Professor – Department of Mathematics, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zürich (ETH Zurich)

5.Physical Sciences

Prof. Shiraz Naval Minwalla, Professor – Department of Theoretical Physics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai and Member, School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Studies, New Jersey, USA

6.Social Sciences

Prof. Aninhalli R. Vasavi, Senior Fellow, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi

About the Infosys Science Foundation

The Infosys Prize is awarded under the aegis of the Infosys Science Foundation, a not-for-profit trust set up in February 2009 by the management of the Infosys company. The Infosys Science Foundation is funded by a corpus which today stands at over 100 Crore Rupees contributed by the trustees and Infosys.

CCI approved Jet-Etihad deal worth 2058 Crore Rupees ....

Competition Commission of India (CCI) on 12 November 2013 approved the proposed acquisition of 24 percent stake in the Naresh Goyal–led Indian carrier by Abu Dhabi based airline. This decision will allow the closure of long pending Jet-Etihad deal.

Etihad is acquiring the stake for 2058 crore rupees in a deal that was announced in April 2013. This will become the first-ever Foreign Direct Investment in an Indian carrier by an overseas airline.

The deal has already been cleared by capital markets regulator SEBI, Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) and Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA).

Public Service Broadcasting Day observed in India on 12 November ...

12 November: Public Service Broadcasting Day
The Public Service Broadcasting Day was observed on 12 November 2013. The day is marked to commemorate the Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to All India Radio (AIR) studio in New Delhi in 1947. On this day Gandhi spoke on the radio to the refugees from Pakistan, stationed at Kurukshetra. It was Gandhi’s first and last visit to the studio of AIR.

What is public service broadcasting?

In case of Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) the broadcasting is financed and controlled by the public for the public. The broadcasting is neither state owned and nor commercial and that’s why it is free from political interference and pressures by the commercial forces.

Russia Successfully Launched Proton-M Rocket Carrying a Military Satellite ....

Russia on 12 November 2013 successfully launched the Proton-M rocket carrying a defense satellite, Raduga-1M from its Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

It is important to note that Russia restarted the launch of Proton rockets in September 2013 after a small gap in order to check why a Proton rocket launched on 2 July 2013 exploded while taking off. The Proton-M rocket is the most popular rocket of Russia for the commercial satellite launches.


About the Raduga-1M Defense Satellite
• Raduga-1M is primarily a defense satellite of the third generation.
• It is a part of the Stage Two Unified Satellite Telecommunications System.
• It is equipped with the multichannel transponder equipment, which enables it to establish reliable communications with mobile geo-service stations.

What is a Proton-M rocket?

Proton-M rocket is a Russian carrier rocket which is derived from Soviet-developed Proton. Proton is actually an expendable launch system which is used for commercial as well as Russian Government space launches.

Proton-M rocket is built by Khrunichev and launched from sites 81 and 200 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The commercial launches of Proton-M rocket are marketed by International Launch Services (ILS). First Proton-M launch took place on 7 April 2001.

All the Protons are built at the Khrunichev plant in Moscow. These are then transported for the launch to Baikonur Cosmodrome from where they are raised into the vertical position for the purpose of launch.