INTERNATIONAL
Patel most common Indian surname in UK: dictionary
Patel has emerged as the most common Indian surname in the UK, according to a new Oxford dictionary. The ‘Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland’ has put together the origins of nearly 50,000. One of the most common Indian surnames, Patel, was a status name from a Hindu and Parsi name for a village herdsman. It is one of the most common Indian surnames in Britain, with over 100,000 bearers recorded in the 2011 census.
2016 will be hottest year on record
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the year 2016 was the warmest year on record globally. It was mentioned in the WMO’s preliminary assessment provided in its ‘Status of the Global Climate in 2016’ report. WMO is the United Nations’s authoritative voice on Weather, Climate and Water. Global temperatures for January to September 2016 were 1.2 degree Centigrade above pre-industrial levels and 0.88°C above the average for the 1961-1990 reference period (baseline).
Moon came close to Earth after 1948
The Supermoon was observed after the moon was closest to the Earth at 356,509 km. This is for the first time moon came closest to Earth since 1948. Last time, the moon came closer to earth on 26 January 1948. Next time the supermoon will be observed on 25 November 2034. During this time moon will be even closer than this year. Supermoon or perigee full moon is a phenomenon that occurs when a full moon coincides with the moon being the closest to the Earth on its orbit. During this time, the natural satellite appears roughly 30% larger in area and 30% brighter than the smallest full moons.
Peru to host 2016 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit
The 2016 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum’s Leaders Summit will be held in Lima, Peru from November 19 to 20, 2016. The theme of the summit is “Quality Growth and Human Development” and the official logo is the architecture of the ancient city of Caral. It will be the second time Peru hosting to the APEC Summit, previously it had hosted the event in 2008. The 2016 summit will gather leaders from the world’s 21 most important member economies, as well as over 1,500 investors and entrepreneurs. These 21 member countries collectively account for nearly 50% of the world’s trade and about 57% of GDP.India is observer of APEC since 2011 and has applied for membership.
Coradia iLint – World’s first zero-emissions hydrogen train unveiled in Germany
World first hydrogen-powered and zero-emission passenger train named as Coradia iLint was un-veiled in Germany. The first of its kind ecofriendly train has been developed by French rail company Alstom. The Coradia iLint only emits excess steam and condensed water into the atmosphere. Coradia iLint is powered by a hydrogen fuel tank fitted on its roof. The fuel cell is supplied with hydrogen and oxygen from the air.The train is totally carbon-neutral and carbon-free which makes it a much more sustainable alternative conventional diesel trains.
Paris climate agreement becomes international law
The Paris Agreement to combat climate change officially entered into force after 55 parties to the convention accounting for at least 55% of total GHG (green-house gas) emissions ratified it. The threshold for entry into force of the Paris Agreement was achieved on 5th October 2016. 94 parties have ratified the convention. India was 62nd country to ratify it on 2 October 2016. It is an international climate deal to combat climate change. It facilitates enforcement of global GHGs reduction measures in the post-2020 Under it, all countries must pursue to keep global temperature rising below 2°C by 2100 above pre-industrial levels with an ideal target of keeping temperature rise below 1.5°C. It forces developed countries to provide 100 billion dollars annually to the developing counterparts beginning in 2020 to deal with climate change.
Bangladesh introduces temporary ban on catching Hilsa Fish
Bangladesh has arrested more than 900 fishermen and deployed the army to patrol its waterways after introducing a temporary ban on catching hilsa in an effort to save the hugely popular fish. Some 60 percent of the world’s hilsa are caught in Bangladesh, but indiscriminate fishing has depleted much of the stock, driving up prices and putting the fish beyond the reach of the poor.
CO2 level reaches record high in 2016 WMO
According to the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin level of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the atmosphere has reached a record high. The globally averaged concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere reached to 400 parts per million (ppm) for the first time in 2015. It is expected to surge again to new records in 2016 on the back of the very powerful El Niño event. This is for the first time CO2 levels have reached the 400 ppm barrier on a global average basis for the entire year.
World Bank must aid countries to manage shift away from coal
The global development lenders like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ABD) must provide help countries including India to shift away from coal for energy purpose. It was proposed by the World Coal Association to finance countries to help them to shift fromtheir to more efficient technologies so that they can meet their COP21 commitments. Super critical and ultra-super critical (USC) plants technologies have capability to substantially reduce CO2 emissions and virtually eliminate PM emissions. It will help countries in reducing their emissions from coal, rather than reducing coal itself and meet target provided in Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). Thus some target of Paris agreement on Climate Change about reducing the emissions from coal power plants will be achieved.
INDIA & WORLD
India and UK sign three Bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) signed three Bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with the Competent Authority of United Kingdom (UK) to reduce tax litigation. Earlier both countries had exchanged mutual agreements amongst them under the Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) Article of the India-UK Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC). With this, CBDT so far has entered into 111 APAs. These three APAs cover international transactions in the nature of payment of intra-group service charges and pertain to the telecom industry. They also have a roll-back provision.
Mauritius PM inaugurates AYUR Herbarium project in Goa
Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius Anirood Jugnauth inaugurated AYUR Herbarium project in North Goa, an initiative by the pharmaceutical major in association with Union AYUSH Ministry. Jugnauth inaugurated the project at the property of Sandu Pharmaceuticals Ltd at Saligao village, 10 kms away from Panaji. The Mauritian Prime Minister along with his delegation is on a tour of India to reciprocate the cordial invitation of delegates of Goa government, who visited the island country in the recent past.
Twenty Nations sign agreement of International Solar Alliance as process begins
Over 20 countries, including India, Brazil and France have signed the framework agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The framework agreement of ISA was opened for signatures on the sidelines of CoP22 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at Marrakech, in Morocco. The signing of the framework agreement has to be followed by ratifications by countries. The agreement will become operational after at least 15 countries have ratified it.
India, Japan sign landmark civil nuclear deal
India and Japan on Nov 11 signed a landmark civil nuclear cooperation deal after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Shinzo Abe, a move that will boost bilateral economic and security ties and facilitate U.S.-based players to set up atomic plants in India.The two countries had reached a broad agreement for cooperation in civil nuclear energy sector during Mr. Abe’s visit to India in December 2015, but the deal was yet to be signed as some issues were yet to be worked out. India is the first non-NPT signatory to have such an agreement with Tokyo.The deal would allow Japan to export nuclear technology to India, making it the first non-NPT signatory to have such a deal with Tokyo. It would also cement the bilateral economic and security ties as the two countries warm up to counter an assertive China. Other nations who have signed civil nuclear deal with India include the U.S., Russia, South Korea, Mangolia, France, Namibia, Argentina, Canada, Kazakhstan and Australia.
India rises to second place in global business optimism index
The latest Grant Thornton International Business Report for the July-September quarter has placed India 2nd on the global scale for business optimism. During the April-June 2016 period, India was ranked at the 3rd position after being on top for two consecutive quarters. Indonesia took the top spot, with the Philippines coming in third. India was ranked third during the April-June period after being on top for two consecutive quarters. India regained its top position on this parameter, from second position in the April-June period, while profitability expectations also moved up.
India, Venezuela sign deals to increase oil production
India and Venezuela have signed an oil production deals worth about 1.45 billion US dollar to increase oil production. The agreement was signed between Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Venezeulas Petroleosde Venezuela SA (PDVSA), and Venezuela’s consortium Delta Finance BVin Caracas. The Indo-Venezuelan partnership created in 2009 is expected to double the daily oil production of San Cristobal field from 20,000 to 40,000 barrels of oil.
Andhra Pradesh tops World Bank’s energy-saving rankings
The sunrise state Andhra Pradesh has been ranked number one in the World Bank’s ‘Energy Efficiency Implementation Readiness’. The ranking of the states were released in the World Bank’s study report titled: ‘India’s State Level Energy Efficiency Implementation Readiness’. Andhra Pradesh topped with overall score of 42.01 followed by Rajasthan (41.89), Karnataka (39.34) and Maharashtra (39.29). Kerala, Gujarat, Delhi (UT), Punjab, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh are the other states in the top ten ranking in that order. Andhra Pradesh topped the list by achieving an energy saving of 1,500 million units (MU) i.e. around 650 MW in two years through use of LED lighting.
India, UNISDR sign Statement of Cooperation on Sendai Framework
India and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction signed a Statement of Cooperation (SoC) of the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR). It was signed during the second day of the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016 held in New Delhi. SFDRR is an international Treaty that was approved by UN member states in March 2015 at the Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan. Statement of Cooperation aims to ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the SFDRR through Training and capacity building for Asian countries. It also seeks at promoting international and regional cooperation to reinforce political commitment.
India-Bangladesh joint military exercise SAMPRITI-2016 to commence from 05 Nov
The joint military training exercise “Sampriti-2016” will be conducted between India and Bangladesh at Tangail, Dhaka, Bangladesh from 05 to 18 November 2016. Exercise SAMPRITI is an important bilateral defence cooperation endeavour between India and Bangladesh and will be the sixth edition of the exercise which is hosted alternately by both countries.
RCEP members worry over market access to China
The 15 Asia-Pacific nations including India of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) are concern to give greater market access to Chinese goods without gaining in return. All these countries in the RCEP grouping are also worried about agreeing to eliminate tariffs altogether, a move that will mainly help China. RCEP is the proposed mega-regional Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between 16 Asia-Pacific countries including India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the 10-member ASEAN bloc. Trade ministers of these countries are slated to meet on November 3-4 at Cebu, Philippines to take forward the FTA negotiations.
India, South Korea sign revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement
The Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation, D.V. Sadananda Gowda has launched the International Household Survey Network (IHSN) Toolkit. He also had launched new Website of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in New Delhi. The IHSN is a standard bench mark which can be used as an active management tool for better integration of administrative structures and statistical access for policy making.
India, New Zealand Sign Three Agreements
“India and New Zealand signed three agreements in the areas of double taxation avoidance (DTA), sports and food security to carry forward the ties between both sides. The agreements were signed in the presence of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart John Key after the delegation-level talks in New Delhi. Both countries have reached an understanding on further co-operation on cyber security, counter-terrorism, customs, education and food safety. Signed agreements are:“(i) Arrangement between the Ministry for Primary Industries of New Zealand regarding Food Safety Cooperation and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) “(ii) MoU on cooperation in the field of youth affairs and sports. It was signed between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of India and Sport New Zealand.“(iii) Protocol to the convention for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.
India-Sri Lanka joint military exercise Mitra Shakti 2016 begins
The fourth edition of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Military Exercise ‘MITRA SHAKTI 2016’ began at Sinha Regimental Centre in Ambepussa, Sri Lanka. The main focus of this edition of joint exercise is to enhance inter-operability while carrying out Counter Terrorism (CT) and Counter Insurgency (CI) operations under the UN Man-date. Under this mandate the comprehensive training programme spanning fourteen days (24 October to 06 November 2016) has been drawn up. In this edition of exercise, India is being represented by a platoon from the RAJPUTANA RIFLES Regiment and Sri Lankan Army is represented by a platoon from the Sinha Regiment. The bilateral military exercise will be conducted in two stages in which both armies will get familiar each other’s respective methodology of such operations, arms and equipment and the command and control systems. It will also graduate towards tactical understanding to en-hance inter-operability while carrying out Counter Terrorism (CT)/ Counter Insurgency (CI) operations.
India ranks 87th on the WEF’s Global Gender Gap Report 2016
“India has been ranked 87th out of 144 countries on the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2016. India has climbed 21 spots from 108th position in 2015. The report measures gender gap as progress towards parity between men and women in four areas “(i) Educational attainment“(ii) Health and survival“(iii) Economic opportunity and (iv) Political empowerment. “The report was topped by Iceland (1st) followed by Finland (2nd), Norway (3rd), Sweden (4th) and Rwanda (5th). “In case of education attainment, India has made considerable strides moving up from 125th rank in 2015 to 113th in 2016. On economic participation and opportunity too, India has moved up to 136th rank in 2016, from 139th in the year 2015.
India ranks 130th in 2017 Ease of Doing Business index
“India has been placed at 130th position among the 190 countries in the recently released World Bank’s ease of doing business index for the year 2017. The index was released as part of the World Bank’s annual report Doing Business 2017: Equal Opportunity for All. This report had revised India’s rank to 131 from earlier 130th for the year 2016. Thus, India has improved its place by one spot in the 2017 index and its place remained unchanged from the previous original ranking of 130 in the year 2016. The ease of doing business index is annually released by World Bank in its Ease of Doing Business Report. It was introduced in 2004. In this index, ranking of country is based on index averages the country’s percentile rankings on 10 indicators each having equal weightage. A higher ranking of country in this list means that its regulatory environment is more conducive and favourable for the starting and operation of firms.“Top 10 Countries: New Zealand (1st), Singapore (2nd), Den-mark (3rd), Hong Kong (4th), South Korea (5th), Nor-way (6th), UK (7th), US (8th), Sweden (9th) and Macedonia (10th). “BIRCS Nations: India ranks lowest in Doing Business among the BRICS nations. Russia (40), South Africa (74), China (78), Brazil (123) and India (130). “India’s Neighbours: Bhutan (73), China (78), Nepal (107), Sri Lanka (110), Pakistan (144) and Bangladesh (176).
NATIONAL
Pradhanmantri Grameen Awas Yojna to provide 3crore housing units across country
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Pradhanmantri Grameen Awas Yojna, an ambitious housing scheme meant for rural poor in Agra. Designed entirely for the rural masses, the ambitious scheme aims to provide affordable houses to all those living below the poverty line by the year 2022. In addition, the prime minister distributed allotment letters to 50 beneficiaries of the scheme, which aims to provide about 3 crore new housing units countrywide.
Income Tax Department to launch Project Insight in May 2017
The Income Tax department is planning to implement the first phase of ‘Project Insight’ from May 2017 to monitor high value transactions, with a view to curbing the circulation of black money. This project has been initiated for data mining, collection, collation and processing of such information for effective risk management with a view to widening and deepening tax base.
Union Govt launches Pradhan Mantri Yuva Yojana for entrepreneurs
The Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entre-preneurship has launched of Pradhan Mantri Yuva Yojana (PMYY) to scale up an ecosystem of entrepre-neurship for youngsters. The scheme was launched by Union Minister of State(I/C) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy to mark 2nd Foundation Day of Ministry of Skill Development and Entre-preneurship (MSDE).PMYY is MSDE’s flagship scheme on entrepreneurship education and training. The scheme spans over five years (2016-17 to 2020-21) with a project cost of 499.94 crore rupees. It will provide entrepreneur-ship education and training to over 7 lakh students in 5 years through 3,050 institutes.The institutes under the PMYY include 2,200 institutes of higher learning (colleges, universities, and premier institutes), 500 ITIs, 300 schools and 50 entrepreneurship development centres through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
India’s first LNG-powered bus rolls out in Kerala
India’s first eco-friendly liquefied natural gas (LNG)-driven bus was launched in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The first pilot run of the eco-friendly bus was jointly flagged off by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.The project has been a joint effort of Petronet LNG Limited (PLL), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOL) and Tata Motors Ltd. LNG is considered to be a cleaner and safer fuel which emits 50% less carbon, for mass transportation. It eco-friendly and more economical compared to diesel for public transportation.The project has been a joint effort of Petronet LNG Limited (PLL), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOL) and Tata Motors Ltd.
Govt to open Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Kendra in every LS constituency
The Centre has decided to open Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Kendra in every Parliamentary Constituency to impart skill training to the people and make them employable. According to Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy, through these centres, a standard will be created to enhance the skill level of trainees so that they could earn more money.
GST Council approves 4-tier rate at 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%
GST will be levied at multiple rates ranging from 0% to 28%. Decision in this regard was taken by the GST Council meeting chaired by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi.GST Council approved a four-tier GST tax structure of 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%, with lower rates for essential items and the highest for luxury and de-merits goods that would also attract an additional cess. Goods and Services Tax is a proposed system of indirect taxation in India merging most of the existing taxes into single system of taxation.
Food Security Act implemented throughout country
The Union Government has announced that the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 which envisages supply of subsidised foodgrains has been implemented across the country. Announcement in this regard was made by Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan after last two remaining states Kerala and Tamil Nadu rolled out the NFSA from November 2016. Now NFSA has been implemented in all States and Union Territories. As a result, 81.34 crore persons will get subsidised wheat at Rs. 2 per kg and rice at Rs. 3 per kg. At the current coverage, the monthly allocation of foodgrains to States and UTs under the Act is about 45.5 lakh tonnes. The subsidy implication of about Rs. 11,726 crore per month and it is overall about Rs. 1,40,700 crore per year.
India’s first titanium project starts test production in Odisha
The first titanium project of India has started its test production Ganjam district of Odisha.The project has been established by Saraf Group.This is first of its ksind titanium plant and the only one in the country. During the test run, one of its four furnaces became functional. After inception, this plant is expected to produce 36,000 tons of titanium slag and 20,000 tons of pig iron per year.
NDTV India ordered to be taken off air for 24 hours
An Inter-Ministerial Committee of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry asked for one-day ban on a leading Hindi News Channel, NDTV India from 12.01 A.M. of 9 November to 12.01 A.M. of 10 November 2016. The channel is facing the possibility of a complete blackout for 24 hours for revealing strategically-sensitive information during its coverage of the anti-terror operations at the Pathankot airbase in January 2016.The telecast under scanner was aired on 2 January 2016 when Indian military forces were preparing their counter attack strategy at the Pathankot airbase.The order by the Inter-Ministerial Committee claimed that the channel revealed several confidential details like location of the ammunition depot, details of arms cache and fighter planes, details of schools and residential areas located around the airbase, endangering lives of both civilians and defense personnel.
Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016 comes into force
The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016, designed to curb black money and passed by parliament in August 2016, came into effect. The new law amended the Benami Transactions Act, 1988 and renamed as the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions (PBPT) Act, 1988. The amendment act also to strengthen the parent Act in terms of legal and administrative procedure. Persons indulging in benami transactions may face up to 7 years’ imprisonment and fine. Furnishing false information is punishable by imprisonment up to 5 years and fine.
PM Modi pays tribute to Sardar Patel on his 141st birth anniversary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31 October paid rich tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 141st birth anniversary. The day is being celebrated as ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ (National Unity Day). Vallabhbhai Patel, one of the founding fathers of the Indian Republic, played a key role in the country’s struggle for independence. The Prime Minister also paid tribute to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary.
DoPT launches Employees Online Application
The Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has launched Employees Online (EO) App. The mobile application aims to update on Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointments and postings on real time basis and to bring transparency. The EO App has been developed keeping in mind the spirit of maximum Governance, minimum Government and meet the need of the hour to bring high-tech systems in the governance.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurates first National Tribal Carnival
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inau-gurated the first National Tribal Carnival in New Delhi to promote a sense of inclusiveness among the tribals. The main purpose of this four-day carnival is to promote a sense of inclusiveness among the tribals. It will also showcase and promote various facets of tribal culture on a large scale. In this carnival around 1,600 tribal artists and around 8,000 tribal delegates from across the country are taking part.
PM Narendra Modi launches Urja Ganga in Varanasi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of Urja Ganga, the highly ambitious gas pipeline project in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The gas pipeline project aims to provide piped cooking (PNG) gas to residents of the eastern region of the country and CNG gas for the vehicles. The project is being implemented by state-run gas utility GAIL. It envisages laying a 2,050-km pipeline connecting Jagdishpur (UP) to Haldia (West Bengal) by 2018. From Varanasi’s perspective, 50,000 households and 20,000 vehicles will get cleaner and cheaper fuel PNG urja-gangaand CNG gas respectively.
ECI amends election rules to allow e-transfer of postal ballot
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has amended the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 to facilitate the e-transfer of postal ballot. The new rules empower a returning officer in any constituency to send postal ballots to an eligible voter by electronic means as specified by the ECI. In India, postal ballots have played a critical role in extending the electoral process to voters who are unable to exercise their franchise due to either the nature of their job or geographical location of their posting.
Union Govt planning to fast-track irrigation projects in Indus basin
The Union Government is planning to fast-track four projects in Indus river basin to increase irrigation area in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) by nearly 2.05 lakh acres. This decision was taken after India had decided to ex-ploit to the maximum the water of Pakistan-controlled rivers Indus, Jhelum and Chenab as per Indus Water Treaty (IWT). Three projects Prakachik Khows Canal in Kargil, Tral Irrigation Project in Pulwama and restoration and modernisation of main Ravi Canal in Jammu’s Sambha and Kathua are expected to be completed by this fiscal. The fourth project of Rajpora Lift Irrigation is planned will be completed by December 2019.
PM launches Sandesh 2Soldiers campaign
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a campaign through which people can send their Diwali greetings and messages to the soldiers to boost their morale. The messages can be sent under the #Sandesh2Soldiers campaign on the Narendra Modi App, through MyGov.in, and also through All India Radio. PM Modi will be leading the campaign.
PM Narendra Modi announces India’s first Railway University in Vadodara
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the integrated terminal building of Vadodara’s Harni Airport on 22nd October 2016. He is also scheduled to attend a programme to distribute artificial limbs and other implements to more than 8000 ‘Divyangs’ (disabled persons) in the city. The event has been jointly organised by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Kanpur based Artificial Limb Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), and Vadodara district administration.
NABARD sanctions Rs. 19,702 crore loan to National Water Development Agency
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned loan worth Rs. 19,702 crore to National Water Development Agency (NWDA). The loan will be provided through NABARD’s Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF) for 50 irrigation projects from 11 States. This loan will be part of the Central share of assistance to State Governments. It will ensure front loading of resources so that the identified incomplete irrigation projects under Pradhan Mandtri Krishi Sinchai Yojna (PMKSY) are executed in time. Loan released by NABARD to NWDA would be disbursed to the respective State Governments as Central Share in the projects sanctioned. The LTIF was set up by NABARD as a sequel to the initia-tives announced by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for irrigation purpose in his Budget Speech 2016-17.
Aviation scheme UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) takes off
The Centre unveiled a regional connectivity scheme, known as UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), with flights priced at Rs.2,500 for one hour of flying time to and from regional airports. Operators have a six-week window (till December 2) to submit their initial proposals. The Government will take two-three days to scrutinise the proposals from various operators keen to operate on RCS routes and announce the winner within 14 days and the entire process is likely to take 10 weeks to complete. The scheme, which provides Viability Gap Funding for operators who cap fares on these flights at Rs.2,500, allows only one operator to fly on a RCS route for three years.
STATES
Jammu and Kashmir Government launches Jhelum-Tawi Flood Recovery Project
Jammu and Kashmir Government has launched Jhelum-Tawi flood recovery project to give push to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of infrastructure post-2014 floods in the state. The project which is funded World Bank was formally launched Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar. The project was conceptualised and pursued by former Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed in the aftermath of devastating floods of 2014 in the state. It aims at reconstructing and recovering support in flood-affected areas in which public infrastructure and livelihoods were impacted severely. It will focus on 20 flood-affected districts in state. As a follow up the Union Government and World Bank had signed a $250 million credit agreement for the project.
Maharashtra becomes first state to adopt Fly Ash Utilization Policy
Maharashtra became the first state in the country to adopt the Fly Ash Utilization Policy. It was approved by state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The policy paves way for prosperity by generating wealth from waste and environment protection. The policy seeks 100% use of fly ash generated from thermal power plants and biogas plants for construction activities. Facilitates use of fly ash to make bricks, blocks, tiles, wall panels, cement and other construction materials.The policy extends use of fly ash to 300 kms radius of power plant from earlier 100 kms radius of power plant. It will help in environment protection and save soil excavation. It also will make available raw material for construction at low cost to help ‘Housing for All’ projects. It will also help create new employment opportunities in the power plant sector and pave way for prosperity by generating Wealth from Waste.
Gujarat govt to open generic medicine stores for poor patients
“Gujarat govt has decided to start Deendayal generic medicine stores to sell generic medicines.“These stores will remain open 24 hours and sell around 1000 generic drugs to the poor patients at 40 to 80 percent lower rates. As per the decision announced on 10 November 2016, in the first phase, 52 stores will be opened in cities and towns. Minister of State for Health, Shankar Chaudhary said, trained staff will operate these computerised stores.”
Andhra Pradesh tops World Bank’s energy-saving rankings
The sunrise state Andhra Pradesh has been ranked number one in the World Bank’s ‘Energy Efficiency Implementation Readiness’. The ranking of the states were released in the World Bank’s study report titled: ‘India’s State Level Energy Efficiency Implementation Readiness’. Andhra Pradesh topped with overall score of 42.01 followed by Rajasthan (41.89), Karnataka (39.34) and Maharashtra (39.29). Kerala, Gujarat, Delhi (UT), Punjab, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh are the other states in the top ten ranking in that order. Andhra Pradesh topped the list by achieving an energy saving of 1,500 million units (MU) i.e. around 650 MW in two years through use of LED lighting.
Maharashtra first to launch cyber police stations in all districts
Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to have a cyber-police station in each district to take on cyber criminals. In this regard, state government is converting 42 state-of-the-art cybercrime labs into cyber police stations simultaneously. These cyber police stations will also be set up at police commissionerate and Range IG offices. Any offence related to cybercrime will be registered in these police stations at district level. Be-sides, additional cyber police stations will also be set up in some cities.
51st Haryana Day observed
The 51st Haryana Day was observed on 1 November 2016. The day was observed as Haryana Golden Jubilee (Swarna Jyanti) across the state. The day marks completion of 50 years of Haryana’s existence as a state of the federal map of India. The year will be celebrated as Haryana Swarna Jyanti from 1 November 2016 to 31 October 2017.
Kerala becomes open defecation free state
Kerala has become the third Open Defecation Free state in the country after Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) (Gramin). The announcement in this regard was made by the Drinking Water and Sanitation Secretary Parameswaran Iyer in New Delhi on the occasion foundation day of Kerala (1 November). With this Kerala becomes first high density populated state in the country to achieve Open Defecation Free status. All 14 districts, 152 blocks, 940 Gram Panchayats and 2117 villages of the State have been declared free from open defecation. Freedom from open defecation has been proven to lead to significant health benefits in terms of incidences of water-borne diseases, especially in children, and provide safety and dignity for all, especially women and senior citizens.
November 1 to be observed as No Tobacco Day in Punjab
Punjab government will observe November 1 as ‘No Tobacco Day’ in an effort to discourage tobacco use in the state. Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has issued directions to all the deputy commissioners in this regard. The aim of this campaign is to reduce prevalence of tobacco or nicotine use in Punjab in order to reduce prevalence of non-communicable diseases. Sale of loose cigarettes, tobacco and e-cigarettes are banned in Punjab.
Maharashtra tops NITI Aayog’s agri marketing index
“Maharashtra has been ranked first state in the country in 2016 Agricultural Marketing and Farmer Friendly Reforms Index. The first-ever index based on initiatives taken by the states in implementing farm sector reforms was issued by the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog. The index ranks states based on their initiatives taken in implementing provision of seven farm sector reforms. These reforms have been proposed under model APMC Act, joining eNAM initiative, special treatment to fruits and vegetables for marketing and level of taxes in mandis. States are ranked based on score on the scale ranging from 0 to 100. The minimum score of 0 implies no reforms at all and score of 100 means state is friendliest to farmers. The index identifies three major parameters. They are “(i) reforms in agricultural marketing“(ii) land lease and “(iii) forestry on private land.”
Ease of Doing Business A.P., Telangana top in 2016 all-India ranking
Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has released the report on State-wise Ease of Doing Business rankings on 31st October 2016. The rankings are on the basis of 340-point business reform action plan and their implementation by the States. This covers the period from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. Andhra Pradesh and Telengana topped the all-India ranking with 98.78 per cent each, followed by Gujarat with 98.21 per cent; Chhattisgarh with 97.32 per cent and Madhya Pradesh with 97.01 per cent. Haryana ranked sixth with 96.95 per cent followed by Jharkhand with 96.57 per cent; Rajasthan with 96.43 per cent; Uttarakhand with 96.13 per cent and Maharashtra completed the top 10 with 92.86 per cent.
Himachal Pradesh declared India’s second Open Defecation Free State
The State of Himachal Pradesh was officially declared Open Defecation Free (ODF). Every individual household in the state has functional toilet under the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’. With this, Himachal Pradesh becomes the second State in the country after Sikkim to achieve the feat. However, among bigger states Himachal Pradesh is the first state to become ODF. Himachal Pradesh has successfully achieved total rural sanitation coverage of 100% in the state. Besides, all 12 districts in state were declared as well as verified as ODF. This status will further entitle Himachal Pradesh to receive World Bank funding under Rs 9,000 crore project to sustain sanitation campaign. Open defecation means people defecate in open spaces such as fields, bushes, forests, open bodies of water rather than using the toilet.
Life expectancy highest in Jammu and Kashmir RGI Data
According to the data given by the Registrar General of India (RGI), Jammu and Kashmir has the highest life expectancy (i.e. post-60 life expectancy), except life ex-pectancy at birth. With this, Jammu and Kashmir has surpassed Kerala which used to be the leader in life ex-pectancy in almost all categories of age till 2010. RGI’s Sample Registration System (SRS) had published state level life expectancy data prepared following surveys done between 2010 and 2014. The data was released for different ages: 0 (at birth), 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70. It had defined life expectancy as estimate of average number of additional years that a person of a given age can expect to live. However this statistical system was confined only to 21 bigger states and UTs and it did not produce life expectancy numbers on 15 small states and UTs such as Arunachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep.
Haryana to observe 2017 as Garib Kalyan Varsh
Haryana Govt has decided to observe 2017 as the “Garib Kalyan Varsh”. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Manohar Lal on 26 October 2016. During the observation period of Garib Kalyan Varsh, the government would lay emphasis on welfare of poor people and generating employment opportunities for the youth.
Uttarakhand High court bans sale of whitener
The Uttarakhand High Court ordered state government to completely ban on the sale of whitener in the state following the death of a teenager from sniffing an excess of it. The High Court issued the order by taking suo motu cognisance of the death of the 14-year-old boy due to sniffing excess whitener for a kick. Besides, the high court also ordered that items such as Feviquick, Iodex should not be sold to children below 18 years of age in view of prevalent abuse of these among teenagers. Whiteners are mainly used for erasing ink on paper and as shoe whitener. It contains volatile aliphatic petroleum hydrocarbons such toluene and trychloroethane which are intoxicating chemicals.
CONFERENCES
World Internet Conference 2016 concludes in Wuzhen, China
The 2016 World Internet Conference concluded on 18 November 2016 in Wuzhen, China. The theme of the 3rd World Internet Conference, which commenced on 16 November 2016, was Innovation-driven Internet Development for the Benefit of All-Building a Community of Common Future in Cyberspace.
International Conference on Brucellosis 2016 inaugurated in New Delhi
The International Conference on Brucellosis 2016 and the 69th meeting of the International Society on Brucellosis was inaugurated in New Delhi. The three day conference has been organised by the Department of Bio-technology (DBT) in collaboration with Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR). It highlights to Provide a technical platform for scientist and experts from all over the world including Participants from 26 countries and Help endemic countries in designing effective control strategies and eradication methods as per the laws governing the livestock production systems.
India to preside next edition of COP in Geneva in 2018
India will preside the eighth edition of the Conference of Parties (COP) to WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) which will be held in Switzerland’s Geneva in 2018. Health Secretary CK Mishra has been chosen as the President of the COP Bureau, for the next two years, after a unanimous decision by the COP7 Plenary session.
Union Govt unveils steps to boost cybersecurity
Union Government has unveiled a slew of measures in an attempt to strengthen cyber security in India. It was announced by the Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad at the Economic Editors’ Conference-2016. The conference was organised by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Finance in New Delhi.Central Government is taking measure to strengthen Cert-IN (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team), the governments’ cyber security arm Mandatory for all organisations having a significant IT infrastructure will need to appoint cyber security officers.
Interior Ministers of IOR adopts Colombo declaration to Counter Drug Trafficking
The High Level Meeting of Interior Ministers of Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to Counter Drug Trafficking was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It had adopted Colombo declaration. The delegates from 18 littoral states of the IOR have resolved to work towards making the region a “Drug Free Zone”. Indian delegation was led by the Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir. The high-level meeting was attended by 18 littoral states of the IOR which included seven Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Home Affairs/Interior. It was also attended by seven international organizations and UN agencies engaged in counter-narcotics initiatives in the region.
PM Inaugurates 1st Intl Agro-biodiversity Congress
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first In-ternational Agro-biodiversity Congress in New Delhi. The 4-day Congress (from November 6 to 9, 2016) will be attended by 900 delegates from 60 countries to discuss conservation of genetic resources. The conference has been organised by the Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources and Biodiversity International, a CGIAR Research Centre headquartered in Rome, Italy. It will address the threats imposed by climate change and ways to achieve sustainable agriculture production. It may adopt ‘Delhi Declaration on Agrobiodiversity management and use’. India is one of the most diverse countries in the world possessing unique crop and animal diversity. It covers only 2.4% of the world’s land area and yet it harbours 7-8% of all recorded species, including over 45,000 species of plants and 91,000 species of animals.
New Delhi Declaration, Asian Regional Plan adopted at AMCDRR 2016
The 2016 Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) adopted ‘New Delhi Declaration’ and ‘Asian Regional Plan for Implementation of the Sendai Framework’. It was the first AMCDRR to be held after the advent of the Sendai Framework for DRR (SFDRR) 2015-2030. The next AMCDRR will be held in Mongolia in 2018. AMCDRR was established in 2005. It is a biennial conference jointly organized by different Asian countries and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).The Conference also commemorated the first World Tsunami Awareness Day (observed on 5 November) to spread awareness on tsunami. The observance of the day stressed on the importance of early warning systems and preparedness of communities in order to mitigate damage from the often devastating natural hazard.
India to host 7th session of COP7 on tobacco control from Nov 7-12
India will host 7th session of Conference of Parties (COP7) on tobacco control from November 7-12, 2016 at India Exposition Mart in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The conference will provide an opportunity to learn from other countries and showcase the steps taken by India to check tobacco consumption. More than 1500 delegates from 180 countries along with other Observers in official relations with the WHO FCTC Secretariat, Geneva are expected to participate in the conference. It is the first occasion that a Conference of Parties (COP) meeting is being held in India.
47th international film festival of India to be held in Goa in November
SEVEN MARATHI films – including four feature and three non-feature films – have made the cut to be screened at the Indian Panorama of the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa from November 20 to 29. The block-busters like Sultan, National-award winning Baahubali and Airlift will be screened at the upcoming 47th International Film Festival of India. The selection has been made from a submission of 38 feature and 22 non-feature Marathi films.
Global Conference to strengthen Arbitration & Enforcement held in New Delhi
The first ever global conference to strengthen Arbitration and Enforcement in India was held in New Delhi. The 3-day Conference was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee on 21 October 2016. The conference aims to provide impetus to commercial arbitration in country or faster and efficient dispute resolution outside the court room. It was started with title ‘National Initiative On Strengthening Arbitra-tion and Enforcement’. It was held to change the face of dispute resolution in India. For the first time six leading international arbitral institutions and all major industry associations had participated in it. Discussions on Indian Arbitration Act, Case Management of Arbitration, Setting up an world class autonomous arbitration institution and court support for arbitration were held.
Western Zonal Council Meeting held in Mumbai
The 22nd meeting of the Western Zonal Council consisting of the States of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli was held at Mumbai under the chairmanship of Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister. The meeting was attended by the Chief Ministers and Ministers of these States and Administrators of Union Territories as well as senior officers of Central and State Governments. The Council reviewed the progress of implementation of the recommendations made in the last meeting. Thereafter, the Council took up issues which relate to coastal security, internal security, issuance of bio-metric identity cards to fishermen & issue of card readers, formulation of plans for countering terrorism, modernization of police force etc. It also reviewed other important issues such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Urban) Mission, providing shelters to the urban homeless, and surplus lands of Union Government for ‘Housing for All: 2022’. Issues related to checking pollution in Daman Ganga River and Kolak River due to discharge of untreated effluents from Vapi industrial area was also discused.
AWARDS & HONOURS
Latin Grammy Awards 2016
“The 17th annual Latin Grammys has been announced at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, US. The nominations were announced on September 21, 2016. Latin Grammy Award is given by The Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry.“ List of Winners:“1. Record of the Year-Carlos Vives & Shakira, “”La Bicicleta 2. Best Rock Album-Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, La Salvación De Solo Y Juan 3. Best Pop/ Rock Album-Julieta Venegas, Algo Sucede 4. Best Singer-Songwriter Album-Manuel Medrano, Manuel Medrano 5. Best Regional Song-“”Ataúd,”” Erika Ender, Manu Moreno & Mónica Vélez, songwriters (Los Tigres Del Norte).”
5 decades and 200 films later, Jackie Chan ‘finally’ wins Oscars
Hollywood actor Jackie Chan received his little gold statuette, an honorary Oscar for his decades of work in film on November 13th at the annual Governors Awards. While receiving the award Chan (62) praised his home-town Hong Kong for making him “proud to be Chinese,” and thanked his fans.
Professor Raj Bisaria selected for Kalidas Samman
Madhya Pradesh Government has selected renowned theatre personality Prof Raj Bisaria for the prestigious ‘Kalidas Samman’ national award for 2015-16. He will be bestowed with the prestigious award for achievement in theatre in a ceremony to be held in Ujjain. He was born on November 10, 1935. He is director, producer, actor and educationalist. The Press Trust of India (PTI) describes him as the father of the modern theatre in North India.
Shamik Chowdhury wins the German Green Talent award
Indian researcher Shamik Chowdhury was awarded the German Green Talent Award. His name is among the list of 25 young researchers who have been honoured with the award. The award was conferred to Shamik Chowdhury by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research for his innovative approach in sustainable development, resource efficiency, cleaner production and eco-innovation.
Saudi Arabia awards water prize to 8 scientists
Saudi Arabia has awarded eight scientists the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water at a ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in New York.The ceremony was hosted on 3 November by UN. Friends of Water and presided over by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon along with the prize committee chairman Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz. The bi-annual prize, established in 2002, aims to provide recognition to scientists and others whose work creatively addresses the problem of water scarcity.
PM gives away Ramnath Goenka Awards for Excellence in Journalism
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has presented the Ramnath Goenka Awards for Excellence in Journalism at a function in New Delhi. The honour acknowledges exceptional work across 28 categories in print, broadcast and online journalism in English, Hindi and regional languages. The Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, the biggest annual event in the Indian media calendar, was instituted by the Ramnath Goenka Foundation in 2005 to celebrate the legacy of the founder of The Indian Express Group. It recognises excellence in journalism and showcases outstanding contributions by individuals each year. In both the size of the award and its scope, these are the largest news media awards in the country. With this year, over 300 journalists from over 50 news organisations – domestic and international – have received these awards. Its categories cover investigative, political and sports journalism, non-fiction writing, feature writing, sports and entertainment, commentary and work done in regional languages.
2 Yazidi women Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji win 2016 Sakharov Human Right Prize
Two Yazidi women Nadia Murad Basee and Lamiya Aji Bashar have been selected for European Union’s prestigious Sakharov Prize for Human Rights for year 2016. Both of them were among thousands of Yazidi girls and women who were abducted by Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq and forced into sexual slavery in 2014. But both survived and had escaped sexual enslavement. Now they campaign for the Yazidi community. They also have become figureheads for effort to protect Yazidis, followers of an ancient religion with more than half a million believers concentrated in northern Iraq.
Paul Beatty wins 2016 Man Booker Prize
Paul Beatty has won the 2016 Man Booker Prize. With this he becomes the first US author to win this prestigious literary award. He was be-stowed with this award for his racial satirical novel ‘The Sellout’ at a ceremony held in London’s Guildhall. His novel tells the story of a young black man who tries to reinstate slavery and racial segregation in a suburb of Los Angeles.
Bill Murray wins Mark Twain Prize for American Humour
Comedian Bill Murray was honoured with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humour. He was presented with the award at the ceremony organised at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall in Washington DC. Murray was awarded the 19th Mark Twain Prize for making an impact on U.S. society similar to Mark Twain’s.
AIIMS, Ganga Ram doctors chosen for Dr B C Roy award
Randeep Guleria, Head of Pulmonology from the AIIMS and C S Yadav, department of orthopaedics from the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital have been selected for the prestigious Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy Award for excellence in the field of medicine.
SPORTS & GAMES
Ashwin 1st bowler ever to take 50 wickets in consecutive years
Ravichandran Ashwin, with his 5-wicket haul against England in the Visakhapatnam Test, became the first bowler ever to complete 50 wickets in two consecutive calendar years. The off-spinner took 62 wickets in 9 Tests in 2015 and has so far claimed 52 wickets in 9 Tests in 2016. Notably, Ashwin was the top wicket-taker in Tests last year.
Sindhu wins maiden Super Series Premier title
Olympic silver medallist P.V. Sindhu clinched her maiden Super Series Premier title after edging out Sun Yu of China in the finals of the USD 700,000 China Open badminton tournament in Fuzhou,China. Sindhu, who became the toast of the country after becoming the first Indian women to win a silver at Rio Games, continued her rampaging run as she lifted the prestigious title after beating Sun 21-11 17-21 21-11 in the summit clash that lasted an hour and nine minutes.
Indian Women’s hockey team wins 2016 Asian Champions Trophy
Indian Women’s hockey team has won the 2016 Asian Champions Trophy held in Singapore. It was the maiden win of Indian Women’s hockey team in Asian Champions Trophy. In summit clash held in Singapore, India defeated China by 2-1 goals. The first goal for India was scored by Deep Grace Ekka in the 13th minute which was equalised by China’s Zhong Mengling in the 44th minute. The second and winning goal was scored by Deepika Thakur that gave the India formidable lead to win the tournatment.
Dhoni most valued athlete among Indians, Federer globally Forbes Fab 40
Team India’s limited-overs cricket skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni remains the most valued Indian athlete in 2016, despite a drop in his brand value when compared with last year, shows the Forbes Fab 40 list released recently. The annual Forbes Fab 40 list, which estimates the brand value of top sports labels, athletes, teams and events, reveals that Dhoni’s brand value reduced from $21 million in 2015 to $11 million this year, and his rank slipped from fifth to 10th during the same period. However, he remains the only Indian among the top 10 athletes globally. Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer toppled golf great Tiger Woods as the most valued athlete globally. With a brand value of $36 million, Federer gained two notches from third last year, while Woods dropped four spots to stand fifth on the latest edition of the list. Among other top athletes on the list is Argentine foot-ball star Lionel Messi, ranked eighth. He was not among the top 10 last year.
Lewis Hamilton wins 2016 Mexican Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton outpaced Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg to win the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo ended on the third spot in the race. The Mexican Grand Prix is an FIA-sanctioned auto race held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.
Sania Mirza retains World Number One ranking in Women’s Doubles
Ace Indian tennis star Sania Mirza will end the season as world’s top doubles Tennis player for the second straight year. Sania finished this season with seven Women’s Tennis Association, WTA titles, a Grand Slam and a semi-final finish in the year ending WTA Finals in Singapore. The ace Indian tennis star was close to being uprooted by Bethanie Mattek-Sands from the top spot, had the American won the WTA Finals Doubles title. However, Bethanie lost in the final and ensured that Sania willend the year at the top once again.
Union Govt recognizes Boxing Federation of India as National Sports Federation for Boxing
The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has recognized Boxing Federation of India (BFI) as the National Sports Federation (NSF) for Boxing. This decision will give massive fillip to the recently-formed BFI and also give a boost to the sport of boxing which had suffered due to absence of an NSF in the discipline since 2012. The BFI was formed recently and had conducted its elections of its office bearers in September, 2016. AIBA, the International Body for boxing had recognized these newly elected office bearers of BFI. Considering the election report and other documents submitted by BFI, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports granted of recognition as NSF for Boxing.
Portugal’s Renato Sanches wins 2016 European Golden Boy Award
Portugal’s Renato Sanches on 24 October 2016 was awarded the 2016 European Golden Boy award. Sanches will be handed a trophy at a Monte Carlo ceremony. He defeated Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, Bayern’s Kingsley Coman and AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donna-rumma to bag the prize.Sanches was selected following a vote by journalists from 30 newspapers across Europe to name the best player in 2016 under the age of 21.
India wins 2016 Kabaddi World Cup
India has won the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup by de-feating Iran by 38-29 score in the final match played at the Arena By TransStadia in Ahmedabad (Gujarat. It was India’s third consecutive Kabaddi World Cup in the Standard Style version of Kabaddi. Earlier India had won in 2004 and 2007. Captain of Indian team: Anup Kumar Captain of Iranian team: Meraj Sheykh. Kabaddi World Cup is standard style indoor international kabaddi competition conducted by the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF). The competition has been previously contested in 2004, 2007 and 2016. All the three tournaments have been won by India by defeating Iran in the finals.
BCCI approves use of DRS in India-England Test series
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given its consent for using the Decision Review System (DRS) in the forthcoming five-Test series against England in November 2016. BCCI will use the DRS on a trial basis to evaluate the improvements and changes made to the system over a period of time. Earlier, BCCI as well as many members of the current Indian cricket team including Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had objected used of DRS as is not 100% accurate.
FIFA unveils mascot for 2018 World Cup
Zabivaka the wolf followed in the footsteps of Naranjito the orange, Footix the football-playing rooster and Fuleco the armadillo by being named as the official mascot of the 2018 World Cup. FIFA described its latest creation, unveiled during a live television show in the presence of Russian deputy prime minister Vitaly Mutko and former Brazil striker Ronaldo, as “a wolf who radiates fun, charm and confidence”. The wolf, whose name according to FIFA means “the one who scores”, received 53 per cent of the more than one million votes cast in a poll, beating a tiger (27 percent) and a cat (20 percent).
ECONOMY
Union Budget to be presented on February 1
The government has announced that it will present the Union Budget for 2017-18 on February 1 and the budget session may begin in January. The government had issued the customary budget circular in September. Notably, the Centre earlier approved the scrapping of the 92-year old practice of presenting a separate Railway Budget and merged it with the Union Budget.
Govt, 3 PSUs to set up $2 bn equity fund for renewables
Union Govt decided to launch a 2 billion US dollar clean energy equity fund. The fund is being created to support government’s ambitious target of adding 175 GW renewable energy generation capacity by 2022.The government will launch the fund jointly with state-run power entities namely, National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC), Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) and Power Finance Corporation Limited (PFC). In addition, the government is also seek-
ing to collect 4 billion dollar per year in the next 3-4 years for a clean energy fund.
Australia announces 19 grants worth $6.3 million for projects with India
In a bid to boost ties with India, the Australian government on 02nd November 2016 has announced 19 grants worth $6,30,000 dollars for several projects in the field of education, science, sports, arts and culture. The successful grants include an exchange between TAFE NSW and India’s Centurion University to share expertise for training indigenous learners, collaboration between University of New South Wales and Indian scientists to develop effective new water purification systems for the country’s water supply.
SEBI tightens norms for credit rating agencies
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 01st November 2016 tightened rules for credit ratingagencies, prescribing more disclosures on suspension and with-drawal of ratings. The capital markets regulator also directed agencies to disclose the nature of their compensation arrangements with rated entities, including exchange of gifts. CRISIL, ICRA and CARE are the major agencies that assign credit ratings to issuers of debt instruments. The SEBI move follows an increase in the number of defaults due to a deteriorating corporate debt profile.
Benami Transactions Act to curb black money comes into effect
The new law to prohibit benami transactions will come into effect from 1st of next month (01st November 2016). Parliament had passed the Benami Transactions (Prohi-bition) Amendment Act, 2016 to curb black money. After coming into effect, the existing Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988 will be renamed as the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions, PBPT, Act, 1988. The new legislation provides for seven years imprisonment and fine for those indulging in illegal transactions.
TRAI suggests Rs 3,000-crore fine on incumbents
Telecom Regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended Department of Telecom (DoT) to impose combined penalty of 3,050 crore rupees on Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea cellular. It had mentioned that the penalty should be imposed on these telecom companies for allegedly denying interconnectivity to newcomer Reliance Jio. The Reliance Jio had alleged that due to inadequate interconnection points its subscribers were unable to make calls to other networks. TRAI has found that these three companies have violated licence norms by denying adequate interconnection points to Reliance Jio Infocomm.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Make in India in defence, Navy inducts 4 indigenous sonars
“The Indian Navy has formally inducted four types of indigenously developed sonars that will boost its un-derwater surveillance capability. The systems have been designed and developed by NPOL Naval Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), a Kochi based laboratory of DRDO.“These 4 types of sonars are“Abhay: It is an advanced hull mounted active-cum-passive integrated sonar system.“Humsa UG: It has been designed for upgrading the existing Humsa sonar system for intensifying the command over the high seas. “AIDSS: It stands for Advanced Indigenous Distress sonar system for submarines.“NACS: It stands for Near-field Acoustic Characterisation System.
China launches pulsar navigation satellite XPNAV-1
China has launched a navigation satellite, which will conduct in-orbit experiments using pulsar detectors to demonstrate new technologies. The X-ray pulsar navi-gation satellite was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center today. While in orbit, the satellite will undergo tests on its detector functions and space environment adaptability.
Scientists discover water on metallic asteroid Psyche
Scientists have detected the presence of water on Psyche, the largest metallic asteroid in our solar system. It was detected based on the new observations from the NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) in Hawaii. The telescope observations show evidence of water or hydroxyl on its surface.It is a 3-meter telescope optimized for use in infrared astronomy. It is located at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii. Psyche is made of almost pure nickel-iron metal and is about 300 kilometres across.
NASA’s MMS creates new Guinness World Record
NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission on 5 November 2016 set the Guinness world record for highest altitude fix of a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal at 70000 kilometers above the surface of the Earth. Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission successfully completed commissioning activities on 1 September 2015 and is now in full science mode.
NASA completes construction of James Webb Space Telescope
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has completed the construction of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) after more than 20 years of work. JWST is the largest-ever space tele-scope is expected to launch in 2018 following the in-depth testing. It is bigger and more powerful than NASA’s operational Hubble Space Telescope. It is a 8.8 billion US dollars worth space observatory built to observe the infrared universe like never before.
IISER Researchers develop Gelator to scoop out marine oil spills
Researchers from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Thiruvananthapuram have developed a compound named gelator to scoop out marine oil spills. They had produced gelators using glucose as a starting material and through several other chemical reactions. The gelator molecule is partly hydro-philic and partly hydrophobic. The hydrophilic part helps in self-assembling to form gelator fibres, while the hydro-phobic part is responsible for its diffusion into oil layer. Since outer part of the fibre is hydro-phobic, oil tends to gets into spongy network made of fibres. Once inside the fibre network, oil loses fluidity and becomes a gel. The gel was strong enough to be scooped with a spatula.
India, Russia agree to double the range of BrahMos Missile
India and Russia have agreed to double the range of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from 290 km to over 600 km. The decision in this regard was taken during the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Goa on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. Earlier, India was denied access to the missile technology with range over 300 km as it was not member state of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). But India’s recent accession to MTCR, allowed Russia to provide the critical systems and technology to extend the range of the missile beyond 300km. It will enhance the stand-off capability and the operational radius in striking targets of the missile. It will have major force multiplier due its speed and accuracy.
Uranus may have two more moons Study
According to study conducted by researchers from University of Idaho, US Uranus may have two tiny, pre-viously undiscovered moons orbiting near two of the planet’s rings. These two moons were detected by re-searchers after analysing decades-old images of Uranus’ icy rings taken by NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft which had flown by the planet 30 years ago. Scientists have found that the pattern in Uranus’ rings was similar to moon-related structures in Saturn’s rings called moonlet wakes. They have estimate the hypothesised moonlets in Uranus’ rings may be four to 14 kilometres in diameter. It means they are as small as some identified moons of Saturn.
ISRO starts landing tests for Chandrayaan-2 mission
The Indian Space Research Organsiation (ISRO) has started a series of ground and aerial tests linked to the critical Moon landing of Chandrayaan-2. These tests were started as ISRO’s new site at Challakere in Chitradurga district, 400 km from Bengaluru. This site has simulated craters. ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) is the lead centre for the second Moon mission. It has arti-ficially created close to ten craters to simulate the lunar terrain and test the Lander’s sensors. ISAC will conduct many tests including on avionics and electronics, testing the Lander’s legs, followed by a combined full test. Chandrayaan-2 mission is tentatively set for late 2017 or early 2018. The mission includes an Orbiter, a Lander and a Rover. The Orbiter spacecraft will be launched from Sriharikota will travel to the Moon and release the Lander, which will in turn deploy a tiny Rover to roam the lunar surface. The mission includes soft-landing on Moon and moving a rover on its surface. All three project components will be sending data and pictures to Earth.
China’s Space Lab Tiangong-2 launches Micro-Satellite Banxing-2
China’s experimental space lab Tiangong-2 orbiting the Earth with two astronauts on board has successfully launched a micro-satellite Banxing-2. The two astronauts were launched into space onboard of the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft carried two astronauts on 11 October 2016. It docked with Tiangong-2 on 13 October 2016. The micro-satellite Banxing-2 is roughly the size of a desktop printer and the media has nicknamed “Selfie Stick”. It weighs 47 kilogrammes. It has series of visible light cameras, in-cluding a 25 megapixel camera and wide-angle imagers. It also has an infrared camera that is temperature-sensitive. Its mission is to take photographs of Tiangong II and the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft, which has been docked with the lab. The micro-satellite has three solar panels which generates enough power to adjust its orbit to shoot pictures of the lab and spacecraft. its predecessor, Banxing-1, accomplished the same mission for Shenzhou VII in 2008. Banxing-2 is new model of its predecessor Banxing-1 which had accomplished the same mission for Shenzhou VII in 2008. However Banxing-1 is smaller and has a higher capacity.
ICGS Aryaman and Atulya Commissioned into Indian Coast Guard
The Indian Coast Guard Ships (ICGSs) ‘Aryaman’ and ‘Atulya’ were commissioned into Indian Coast Guard in Kochi, Kerala. These ships are the eighteenth and nine teenth in the series of twenty Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs) designed and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited. The ships have been christened ICGS ‘Aryaman’ and ‘Atulya’. Aryaman literally meaning is ‘Possessor of Greatness’ and Atulya meaning is ‘Unrivalled’. Both FPVs are 50m long and have displace of 317 tonnes of water. They can achieve a maximum speed of 33 knots with range of 1500 nautical miles. They are equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry, advanced communication and navigational equipment. These FPVs are ideal platform for undertaking multifarious close-coast missions such as surveillance, interdiction and search and rescue. These ships have onboard Integrated Bridge Management System (IBMS) and Integrated Machinery Control System (IMCS). Aryaman will be based at Kochi under the administrative control of the Commander, Coast Guard Region (West). Atulya will be based at Visakhapatnam under the administrative control of the Commander, Coast Guard Region (East).
PERSONS IN NEWS
A). APPOINTMENTS
Ami Bera re-elected to US Congress for third consecutive term
Ami Bera has been re-elected to the US House of Representatives for a 3rd consecutive term in a close election. This is the first time that the House would have 4 Indian-American members. Another Indian-American Kamala Harris has been elected to the US Senate.
Donald Trump elected 45th President of United States
Real estate mogul-turned politician and Republican Party candidate Donald Trump (70) was elected as 45th President of United States of America (USA). He will be the first President of USA without political experience since Dwight D. Eisenhower (34th President). Besides, he will oldest first term President of USA. He will succeed Barack Obama and is scheduled to take office as the President of the USA on 20 January 2017. In the 2016 Presidential elections, Donald Trump gained 48% of the votes and 279 votes in the Electoral College to defeat Democrat Party opponent Hillary Clinton who gained 47% votes. Hillary Clinton had created history in this election by becoming the first woman to top the presidential ticket of a major US political party.Born as Donald John Trump on June 14, 1946 in New York City, New York, United States. He is the chairman and president of Trump Organisation, a principal holding company for his real estate ventures and other business interests.As of 2016, Forbes Magazine had listed him as the 324th wealthiest person in the world and 156th in the US.
Kamala Harris becomes first Indian-American to win US Senator seat
California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris (51) created history by becoming the first India-American to win the US Senate (upper chamber) seat from the state. She defeated fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez from her own party. She will replace Barbara Boxer who had announced her retirement in 2014 after serving more than two decades in the Senate. She is the sixth black individual to be elected to the US Senate. US President Barack Obama was the fifth black elected Senator. She is also the first black woman elected to the upper chamber in more than two decades. Kamala Harris is an American politician, lawyer and member of the Democratic Party.
Union Government appoints Praveen Kumar Sharma as CR, MD & CEO of CERSAI
The Union Government has appointed Praveen Kumar Sharma as the Central Registrar (CR), Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Central Registry of Securitisation Asset Reconstruction and Security Interest of India (CERSAI). He was appointed by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) for the tenure of three years. Prior to this appointment he was Sharma General Manager at State Bank of India (SBI).CERSAI is a central online security interest registry of India. It is a Government company licensed under section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956. Its headquarters is in New Delhi.
Ratnesh Kumar appointed MD and CEO of BoB Capital Markets
Bank of Baroda has appointed Ratnesh Kumar as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of its wholly-owned investment banking subsidiary, BoB Capital Markets Ltd. The public sector bank stated that Kumar started his career in the Indian capital markets and financial services sector in 1993.
Sarabjit Singh Marwah becomes Canada’s first Sikh Senator
India born Sarabjit Singh Marwah has become the first Sikh to be appointed to the Canadian Senate (upper house). He was among six people from Ontario who have appointed to Senate by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. With this, he becomes the only Indian-origin member of the Canadian Senate. He is third Sikh person in the Canadian parliament after Defence Minister Harjeet Sajjan and Science Minister Navdeep Bains. There are over 20 MPs of Indian origin the Canadian House of Commons (lower house).
Bindheswar Pathak appointed as brand ambassador of Swachh Rail Mission
The Union Ministry of Railways has appointed Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak (73), the founder of Sulabh Inter-national as a Brand Ambassador for Swachh Rail Mission of Indian Railway. Indian Railways had tied up with Sulabh International to clean some important railway stations across the country as part of the mission with an aim to promote cleanliness at rail premises/ As a pilot project, Sulabh International had started cleaning and maintenance of five important railway stations Gorakhpur, Old Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Gwalior from September 2016.
Sushil Chandra takes charge as CBDT chairman
Senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sushil Chandra took over as chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) today. He succeed Rani Singh Nair who retired from service. Chandra is a 1980-batch officer of Indian Revenue Service. Prior to this appointment he was working in the board as Member (Investigation). CBDT is nodal policy making body of the Income Tax (IT) department under the Union Finance Ministry. It is a statutory authority established under The Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963. The composition of CBDT includes Chairman and six members. It is responsible for framing policy and administrative issues related to direct taxes and the Income Tax department.
Spain breaks deadlock,re-elects Rajoy prime minister
Mariano Rajoy, Spain’s acting prime minister and leader of its center-right Popular Party, was re-elected after winning a parliamentary vote. Mr Rajoy has led a caretaker administration since losing his overall majority in an election last December. A repeat election in June failed to end the impasse but strengthened his hand. Spain has its first fully functioning government since December, when a general election left no party with a majority.
World Bank appoints Kristalina Georgieva as chief executive
Kristalina Georgieva, a former head of EU humanitarian affairs, has been appointed chief executive of the World Bank. She will succeed Sri Mulyani Indrawati on January 2017. Georgieva is a Bulgarian economist and administrator and currently serving as European Commission Vice President for Budget and Human Resource.
IPS officer Karnal Singh appointed as Director of Enforcement Directorate
The Union Government has appointed Senior IPS officer Karnal Singh as the Director of Enforcement Directorate (ED). Decision in this regard was taken by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will be in office till 31 August 2017. Karnal Singh is 1984-batch IPS officer of the Union territories cadre. Prior to this appointment, he was holding additional charge as Director of ED for over a year. The Economic Enforcement is economic intelligence and law enforcement agency agency responsible for en-forcing economic laws and fighting economic crime in India.
International Hockey Federation appoints Jason McCracken as new CEO
The International Hockey Federation has appointed New Zealand’s Jason McCracken as its Chief Executive Officer. McCracken will be leaving his role as Head of Insurance and Investment Risk at banking group ANZ to take on his new post at FIH’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. He will replace Kelly Fairweather, who is leaving for the International Tennis Federation after six years in the role.
Ratan Tata replaces Cyrus Mistry as Tata Sons chairman
In one of the biggest upheaval in the corporate sector, the Tata Sons Board has appointed Ratan Tata as the interim chairman of the group, replacing Cyrus Mistry. The decision was taken at a Board meeting. Mistry has resigned from his post as chairman.
B). RESIGNS
Bulgarian PM resigns after losing presidentialelection
The Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov gave resignation of his cabinet after his party’s candidate Tsetska Tsacheva , failed to win the country’s presidential election on November 14, 2016. Right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party candidate Tsetska Tsacheva, speaker of parliament, was defeated by Socialist Party-supported independent candidate Rumen Radev.
Twitter COO Adam Bain is stepping down
In a big loss to Twitter, the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Adam Bain who was in charge of the micro-blogging website’s revenue business, has decided to leave the company. According to a company filing, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Anthony Noto will take over as COO. Bain joined the company six years ago from Fox and has been credited with building Twitter’s entire multi-billion dollar advertising business. He’s in-credibly well liked inside the company, and some even believed Bain would take over as CEO last summer when Dick Costolo stepped down.
Twitter India MD Parminder Singh resigns
Two days after Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly announced his exit, the microblogging network’s MD for India, Southeast Asia and Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). Singh’s departure marks a series of high-level changes in Twitter’s man-agement, even as the company’s growth slows down globally and layoffs continue at its offices around the world.
Miroslav Klose confirms retirement and joins Germany coaching staff
Miroslav Klose, the top scorer in World Cup history, is ending his playing career and will join Joachim Löw’s coaching staff as he studies for his pro licence, the German football association (DFB) have confirmed. The 38-year-old retired from international football after winning the World Cup with Germany in 2014, scoring twice to bring his total goal tally from four tournaments to 16. He is also Germany’s record scorer with 71 goals.
C). DEATHS
World’s first heart transplant doctor passes away
Renowned heart surgeon Denton Cooley, who performed the world`s first artificial heart transplant in the United States, has passed away at the age of 96 in Houston, Texas. Cooley, who was the founder of Texas Heart Institute, pioneered many techniques still used in cardio-vascular surgery.
Former J&K Governor Lt Gen S K Sinha passes away
Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Lt Gen S K Sinha passed away at a hospital after brief illness. He was 92. He was first admitted to the base hospital here on November 1 with a fracture in his femur bone and ribs and was later shifted to the R and R hospital after some complications developed.
Noted geophysicist Janardhan Negi passes away
Noted geophysicist Janardhan G Negi (81) has recently passed away in Hyderabad. He was the former Director-grade scientist at the National Geophysical Re-search Institute (NGRI). He was known for making out-standing contribution in understanding earthquakes, mass extinctions, especially dinosaurs and the movement of the Indian sub-continent plates.
Leonard Cohen dies aged 82: tributes pour in to legendary singer-songwriter
Leonard Cohen, the baritone-voiced Canadian singer-songwriter who seamlessly blended spirituality and sexuality in songs like Hallelujah, Suzanne and Bird on a Wire, has died at age 82. Cohen, also renowned as a poet, novelist and aspiring Zen monk, blended folk music with a darker, sexual edge that won him fans around the world and among fellow musicians like Bob Dylan and R.E.M.
Former J&K Deputy Chief Minister passes away
Former Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma died on 3 November 2016, after a prolonged illness. He was 85 years old. The six-time legislator also served as speaker of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. He served as Deputy Chief Minister in the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led PDP-Congress coalition government and later served as Health Minister in 2006, when Ghulam Nabi Azad took over as Chief Minister of J&K.
Japan’s Prince Mikasa, world’s oldest royal, dies at 100
Japanese Prince Mikasa, uncle of Emperor Akihito, died at the age of 100 on Thursday, 27 October. He was the oldest imperial family member in the world. Mikasa was the fifth in the line of succession to the Japanese throne Chrysanthemum, a metaphorical name for the monarchy.
Legendary Kashmiri singer Raj Begum dies
Celebrated Kashmiri singer Raj Begum passed away on 26 October 2016 in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. Begum was one of the most recognized female singers in the Kashmir Valley. She was 89. She was awarded Padma Shri in 2002.
Legendary football Carlos Alberto Torres dies
Legendary footballer Carlos Alberto Torres passed away on 25 October 2016 at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was 72. Carlos was known for scoring one of the greatest goals in World Cup history in 1970 final against Italy.
Tom Hayden, famed anti-Vietnam war activist, dies at 76
Tom Hayden, a 1960s anti-war activist and one of the era’s most prominent, counter-culture radicals who went on to serve in the California state assembly and senate, has died aged 76. Hayden died in Santa Monica, California, after a long illness.
Mehar Mittal, legend of comedy in Punjabi movies, passes away
Veteran Punjabi actor Mehar Mittal, who acquired legendary status with his comic roles, passed away at a hospital in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, on Saturday after prolonged illness. He was to turn 81 on October 24. Mittal has been a well-known face in Punjabi movies for over four decades. He worked in more than 100 movies and ruled the small screen too.
D). VISITORS
Israel President arrives in Mumbai on 6-day visit to India
Israel President Reuven Rivlin arrived in Mumbai on November 14th on a six-day visit to India to further strengthen bilateral ties. He will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The Israeli leader will join President Pranab Mukherjee in opening an agro-tech conference in Chandigarh.
Mauritius PM Anerood Jugnauth to visit Mumbai on November 18
Mauritius Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth is set to visit the city on November 18, where he is expected to discuss various issues, including one that provides a sub-sidy for Bollywood films shot there, with the Maharashtra government. Jugnauth, along with a team of eight officials will visit Mumbai on November 18, where the both governments are expected to sign deals which would benefit manufacturers and exporters in both nations. Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar will hold a meeting with the Mauritius PM at the state guest house Sahyadri, where a 100 people, besides officials from both governments, would be invited.
E). MISCELLANEOUS
Sonu Sood’s Xuanzang is China’s official entry to Oscars
China has selected historical-adventure film Xuanzang, which co-stars actor Sonu Sood, as its official entry for the 89th Academy Awards. The 43-year-old actor, who made his debut in the Chinese film industry with the film, is playing the character named Harsha. Sonu shared the news on Twitter and posted his look from the film. Directed by Huo Jianqi, other Indian actors in the cast include Neha Sharma and Ali Fazal.
Daughters of Mother India wins at CAM International Film Festival
Indian National Award winning documentary ‘Daugh-ters of Mother India’ won the first prize in the Documentary Film category at the sixth CAM International Film Festival in Cairo, Egypt. The CAM International Film Festival was organised by Arabic Egyptian Society for Culture, Media and Arts (CMA). The fest was held from 8 October to 13 October 2016. The fest is organised annually to promote cinema as a means of combating ignorance, poverty and terrorism. India was the Guest of Honour in the film gala with 12 entries.
PLACES IN NEWS
‘Lost’ Chandrabhaga river found in Odisha
Scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur have claimed to discover evidence of lost river Chandrabhaga in Odisha. Earlier, KS Valdiya led expert committee had found out that Saraswati River did exist and flowed through India and Pakistan before meeting Arabian Sea through Rann of Kutch. Chandrabhaga River is an ancient mythical river believed to have existed at a distance of about two km from the 13th century Sun Temple at Konark (built by King Narasimhadeva I of Eastern Ganga Dynasty in 1255 CE.), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Odisha. It has been mentioned prominently in ancient literature. Besides, almost all lore regarding Konark, including illustrations and photographs, indicate presence of the river in proximity of temple. However at present, no trace of any water body is at present visible in proximity of temple.
Antartica’s Ross Sea declared as world’s largest Marine Protected Area
Antartica’s Ross Sea was declared as world’s largest Marine Protected Area (MPA) to protect the Earth’s most pristine marine ecosystem. It was declared after landmark international agreement among 24 countries and European Union in Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) meeting in Hobart, Australia. The Ross Sea is one of the last intact marine ecosystems in the world. It covers 1.6 million square kilometers.ross-sea MPA status to Ross Sea will bring blanket ban on commercial fishing across about three quarters of its area for 35 years. Ross Sea in the Southern Ocean is home to 38% of the world’s Adelie penguins, 30% of world’s Antarctic petrels and around 6% of world’s population of Antarctic minke whales. It is also home to huge numbers of krill, a staple food for species including whales and seals.
Books in News
Vice President Releases Throor book ‘An Era of Darkness, British Empire in India’
Vice President of India, M. Hamid Ansari released book ‘An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India’ authored by Dr. Shashi Tharoor, the Lok Sabha MP. The book recalls in some detail the misdeeds of the British in looting India and making it suffer an agonizing and violent death. In it, author has rightly points out that British rule in India was effectively and regularly supplemented by famine, forced migration and brutality – the three examples of why British rule over India was despotic and anything but enlightened.
COMMITTEES
Union Cabinet approves constitution of Special committee for inter-linking of rivers
The Union Cabinet has approved constitution of ‘special committee for inter-linking of rivers’ in compliance with a 2012 Supreme Court order. Decision in this re-gard was taken in the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The constitution of committee will help in monitoring precious projects to be carried out under its National Perspective Plan, 1980. The special committee will submit status-cum-progress report bi-annually to Union Cabinet to fa-cilitate faster and appropriate decisions in the interest of the country.
GoM recommends heavy fine and ban on celebrities endorsing products in misleading ads
A high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) has approved imposing a heavy fine and ban on celebrities who en-dorse products making unrealistic and dodgy claims. The GoM headed by Union Finance Minister was tasked to look into the issue of Celebrity endrosement and recommendations of Standing Committee of the Parliament on the recently introduced The Consumer Protection Bill, 2015. GoM recommendations are – First time offender celebrities should be fined Rs 10 lakh and banned for one year. Second and subsequent offenders should be fined Rs 50 lakh and banned for up to 3 year. Dropped Standing committee’s proposal of jail term to celebrities found guilty for misleading endorsement.
Union Govt reconstitutes Inter-State Council
The Union Government has reconstituted the Inter State Council (ISC) and the Standing Committee of the ISC under Clause 2 of the Inter State Council order,1990. The Inter-State Council is a constitutional body to facilitate coordination between states and the centre. It will be headed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Composition of reconstituted Inter State Council (ISC) Members
Chief Ministers of all states and Union Territories (having legislative Assembly), Six Union Ministers. Besides, administrators of Union Territories which do not have legislative Assembly are also members of the Council.
One-man judicial Committee on OROP submits report to Defence Minister
The one-man judicial committee on One Rank One Pension (OROP) set up by the Union Government, has submitted its report to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The Union had appointed the committee under the Chairmanship of retired Chief Justice of Patna High Court L Narasimha Reddy in December 2015. It was tasked to look into the anomalies arising out of implementation of OROP. The committee had held hearings at around 20 cities and towns across the country and interacted with cross sections of ex-servicemen as well as their associations. It also had received 704 representations from individuals and various ex-servicemen associations and had held extensive interactions with all stakeholders.
Union Govt forms panel to resolve telecom penalty row
The Union Telecom Ministry has formed a commit-
tee to look into the regulator TRAI’s recommendation of a Rs. 3,050 crore penalty on top three telcos-Airtel, Vodafone and Idea. The committee has been asked to give a report on the recommendations soon likely to be before 15 November 2016. Earlier TRAI had recommended Department of Telecom to impose penalty on these three incumbents telecom companies for denying interconnection points to Reliance Jio. According to TRAI, these three companies have violated licence norms by denying adequate interconnection points to Reliance Jio Infocomm. TRAI had recommended fine for Airtel and Vodafone to Rs.1,050 crore for 21 service areas (all, expect Jammu and Kashmir) and for Idea the penalty was pegged at Rs 950 crore for 19 service areas (all, except for Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Northeastern States).
IMPORTANT DAYS & DATES
Universal Children’s Day is observed on November 20
United Nations Universal Children’s Day was established in 1954 and is celebrated on November 20th each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare. November 20th is an important date as it is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Since 1990, Universal Children’s Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the declaration and the convention on children’s rights.
November 19 : World Toilet Day
The World Toilet Day is observed every year across the world on 19 November to raise awareness and inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. Significance of Day: It seeks to draw attention of people around the world to raise global awareness of the daily struggle for proper sanitation which in fact is a human right along with clean water. 2016 Theme: “Toilets and jobs”.
November 17 : World Philosophy Day
The World Philosophy Day was observed globally on 17 November 2016. This year, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) organised the special events from 16 November to 18 November. The Day is celebrated on every third Thursday of November. This year, the Day was celebrated in line with the International Day for Tolerance (16 November).
International Day for Tolerance 2016 observed across the world
The International Day for Tolerance is observed globally on 16 November every year. The Day aims at educating masses about the need for tolerance in society and helping them understand the negative effects of in-tolerance.
November 14 : World Diabetes Day
The World Diabetes Day is observed across the world on 14 November. The theme for this year is “Eyes on Diabetes”. World Diabetes Day is an annual campaign, led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its member associations. It is celebrated every year on 14 November and engages millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness.
November 14 : Children’s Day
On 14th November, Children’s Day is celebrated every year to mark the birth anniversary of our first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. Pandit Nehru had a great love for children. He wanted to be among them, talk to them and play with them. The children also loved and respected him and called him CHACHA NEHRU.
November 12th : World Pneumonia Day Observes today
World Pneumonia Day is observed across the world on 12 November. The day is annually observed to raise awareness about pneumonia, the world’s leading killer of children under the age of five; promote interventions to protect against, prevent and treat pneumonia; and generate action to combat pneumonia. This year theme is, “Keep the Promise, Stop Pneumonia Now”.
November 10 : World Science Day for Peace and Development
The World Science Day for Peace and Development is observed on 10 November 2016 across the world to raise awareness of benefits of science in our daily life. 2016 Theme: “Celebrating Science Centres and Science Museums”. It highlights the importance of science centres and museums for capacity building and to send strong messages about the importance of science for sus-tainable development. To mark the day, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had organised special campaigns, visits to science museums for school children, etc.
November 5: World Tsunami Awareness Day
The First World Tsunami Awareness Day was observed across the world on 5 November 2016 to spread awareness among people across the world about Tsunami. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had constituted the day by adopting a resolution in December 2015. The proposal was first mooted by Japan after the 3rd UN Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai (Japan) in March 2015. World Tsunami Awareness Day 2016 Theme is “Effective Education and Evacuation Drills”. It aims to spread awareness among people across the world in matters related to the dangers of tsunami. It will stress on the importance of early warning systems in order to mitigate damage from the devastating natural calamity.
2 November: International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists was observed globally on 2 November 2016. The Day is celebrated to spread awareness against the violence and crimes done to journalists and media workers and to bring to justice perpetrators of crimes against journalists and media workers, and ensure that victims have access to appropriate remedies. It aims to promote a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their work independently and with out undue interference.
October 31: Rashtriya Ekta Diwas
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) is observed across India on 31 October to commemorate birth anniversary of Independent India’s first Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel. Observance of the day pro-vides an opportunity to re-affirm inherent strength and resilience of our nation to withstand actual and potential threats to unity, integrity and security of our country. National Unity Day 2016 Theme is: “Integration of India”. To mark this occasion various activities and events are being organised across ministries and departments all over the country. Besides, Run for Unity was organised in New Delhi. The idea of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas was mooted by PM Narendra Modi in October 2014 to mark the birth anniversary of country’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
October 31: World Cities Day
The World is observing Cities Day globally on 31st October to work together for a planned and sustainable urban life in the wake of rapid growth of population and problems. The day aims to promote international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world. 2016 Theme is “Inclusive Cities, Shared Development“. It highlights the role of urbanization as a source of global development and social inclusion.
Vigilance Awareness week commences from 31st October 2016
The Central Vigilance Commission, as part of its efforts to promote probity in public life and to achieve a corruption free society, observes Vigilance Awareness Week every year. The week in which 31st October, the birthday of late Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel falls is observed as Vigilance Awareness Week. The observance of the Vigilance Awareness Week has commenced from today (31st October 2016), with pledge taking by public servants in the Ministries/ Departments/ Central Public Sector Enterprises/ Public Sector Banks and all other Organizations. “Public participation in promoting integrity and eradicating Corruption” has been chosen as the theme for Vigilance Awareness Week this year by the Commission.
28 October: National Ayurveda Day
The first National Ayurveda Day was observed on 28 October on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti. The theme for this year is ‘Ayurveda for Prevention and Control of Diabetes‘. Ayurveda is the traditional Hindu system of medicine based on the idea of balance in bodily systems and uses diet, herbal treatment, and yogic breathing. It has been incorporated in Atharva Veda, the last of the four Vedas. To celebrate this day, the Union Ministry of AYUSH had organized a day-long national seminar on Prevention and Control of Diabetes through Ayurveda in New Delhi. Besides, the Ministry also had launched Mission Madhumeha through Ayurveda on the occasion. The Mission Madhumeha will be implemented throughout the country through a specially designed National Treatment Protocol for effective management of Diabetes through Ayurveda. The national treatment Protocol was also released on occasion of National Seminar.
27 October: World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
World Day for Audiovisual Heritage was observed across the world on 27 October 2016. The theme for the day was “It’s Your Story – Don’t Lose It.” It aims to raise general awareness of the need for urgent measures to be taken to safeguard audiovisual document. It also focuses on acknowledging the importance of audiovisual documents as an integral part of national identity.
October 24: United Nations Day
The United Nations Day is being observed globally on October 24. The day marks the anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter (the founding document of UNO) in 1945. It entered into force on 24 October 1945 after it was ratified by the original five permanent members of the Security Council-China, France, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (now Russia), United Kingdom, and United States and majority of the other signatories. With the ratification of UN Charter, the United Nations officially came into existence. This year’s UN Day will be used to highlight concrete actions people can take to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Besides, UN Day Concert is also organised in the United Nations General Assembly Hall with the theme ‘Freedom First’.This day is part of United Nations Week,which runs from 20 to 26 October.
21 October: Police Commemoration Day
Police Commemoration Day was observed on 21 October. At the Annual Conference of Inspectors General of Police of States and Union Territories held in January 1960, it was decided that October 21 would be ob- served as ‘Commemoration Day’ in all Police Lines across India to mark the memory of police personnel who were killed in Ladakh in a faceoff with the Chinese Army and all the other Police personnel who have been killed on duty elsewhere. The faceoff took place at Hot Springs in North Eastern Ladakh. A memorial has been erected at Hot Springs and, every year, Police personnel from across India trek to Hot Springs to pay their respects. Since the year 2012, the Police Commemoration Day Parade is being held at the National level at the Police Memorial, Chanakyapuri. Loss of lives Since 1961, 32, 557 police personnel have lost their lives in service of the nation and society. Between September 2013 and August 2014, 662 police personnel throughout the country have lost their lives in the line of duty.
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